HO Scale Replicas – Bethlehem 70-ton Drop-end Gondola

The 52-6 riveted 70-ton drop-end gondola car as designed and produced by Bethlehem is the fifth all-new model in our HO scale product line.   First produced in March 1937 for Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as class O-59, B&O alone purchased 4,000 of these drop-end gondolas which served every corner of North America in many services.   Five additional railroads purchased these Bethlehem-design gondolas in intervening years until production ceased in 1957.   Most of these gondolas were phased from revenue service by the mid-1980s, with many serving additional years in various MOW roles.

FEATURES:

• Dimensional accuracy - scaled exactly from Bethlehem Steel plans
• Highly accurate “true to life” colors
• Exact fonts and lettering placement - compare our replicas to the prototype photos on our website!
• Detail variations: Tie downs appropriate for each paint scheme
• Detail variations: Steel or wood deck inside the car
• Detail variations: Duryea and conventional end sill detail appropriate for each paint scheme
• Detail variations: Tack board locations appropriate for each paint scheme
• Detail variations: End door variations (Dreadnaught and Straight Corrugated) appropriate for each paint scheme
• Brake platforms appropriate for each paint scheme
• Road-specific handbrakes applied to match production specifications (Universal, Ajax, or Equipco handbrakes available as separate parts, too!)
• Interior deck sits at the scale height
• Interior detail inside the gondola
• Wire grab irons and coupler lift bars
• Air hoses
• Weighted to NMRA specs for smooth operation
• Kadee® scale metal couplers
• Tangent 70-ton ASF A-3 Ride-Control trucks with free-rolling metal wheels
• Recommended age 14 years and older.