Hi all,
Recently I received two Walthers 'drop side' gondolas, which I ordered about 6 months ago when they became available to pre-order. The prototype of these gondolas was introduced in the 1940's and could be found in service with many railroads all across the USA, up into the 1980's. This time span makes them suitable to be used on many model railroads from late steam all the way into the more modern days of second generation EMD power and would still have been around during the rise of the dash series GE machines :-).
When this model was first announced, they were promoted as a good addition to Walthers' Cornerstone 'Scrapyard' series structures etc. The Walthers Platinum range , of which these gondolas are part, represents their top of the range HO car series, with fine detailing and factory installed grab irons etc.
I ordered 2 Union Pacific gondolas, with different road numbers of course, and I received them a few weeks ago. My first impression is that these gondolas are indeed nicely detailed, with sharp lettering and good paint work. Also the under frame detail is good, with some of the brake riggings nicely modeled. I would have preferred a little more detail in the trucks, the suspension springs appear a bit flat, but I think this could also be due to the generous application of paint on my samples.
Their empty weight appears correct too, so pushing these in a longer freight (on well laid track) should not cause any problems or derailments etc. They are very smooth rolling which should also aid in problem free operations.
If I had a final 'comment' then I would have liked to have 'scale' knuckle couplers , like the Kadee no 58 factory installed. The more I use these, the more it is obvious that the standard HO scale couplers are indeed a little bit large.
All and all a welcome addition to my layout and that of many others too. I bought mine from Model Junction in Slough, for under £20,- each.
Recently I received two Walthers 'drop side' gondolas, which I ordered about 6 months ago when they became available to pre-order. The prototype of these gondolas was introduced in the 1940's and could be found in service with many railroads all across the USA, up into the 1980's. This time span makes them suitable to be used on many model railroads from late steam all the way into the more modern days of second generation EMD power and would still have been around during the rise of the dash series GE machines :-).
When this model was first announced, they were promoted as a good addition to Walthers' Cornerstone 'Scrapyard' series structures etc. The Walthers Platinum range , of which these gondolas are part, represents their top of the range HO car series, with fine detailing and factory installed grab irons etc.
If I had a final 'comment' then I would have liked to have 'scale' knuckle couplers , like the Kadee no 58 factory installed. The more I use these, the more it is obvious that the standard HO scale couplers are indeed a little bit large.
All and all a welcome addition to my layout and that of many others too. I bought mine from Model Junction in Slough, for under £20,- each.
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