Coal is no longer sold at the volume it once was in the United States, and many coal carrying railroad cars have sadly been left to rust. Bethgon Coalporters could transport 44,000 pounds of these “black diamonds,” a necessity for the railroad in the era of a coaldriven country; therefore, a need of recycling these cars had to be found!

Since the use of grain for animal feed is popular for farmers in the western part of the United States, these cars proved up for the challenge and were converted for use as a Protein Gondola. These covered gondolas are used in freight trains in the western and southern parts of the states in long, endless fleets. The converted coalporters provide useful feed for farm animals. Since the load of feed is biodegradable, and needed to be delivered as quickly as possible, trains carrying these long loads are placed on top priority on the rails.

Kato’s N Scale 8 Car Bethgon Protein Gondola Sets, with smooth-rolling trucks, metal wheels, and shock absorber construction will allow modelers to put together lengthy freight consists with ease! Since Kato is currently the only model railroad manufacturer producing these sets, it will be a great addition for any model railroad enthusiast. Modelers will easily be able to remove the top cover and convert the cars into an open coalporter! These sets will be available in Burlington Northern and SBTX paint schemes. The BN set will tentatively be available in April, 2017, while the SBTX will be available in May, 2017.