Battleship Gons

B

bendorsey

Bridge-n-trestle builder
Hi Folks:

I just finished making the Virginian Rwy's gigantic battleship gon. I think the Norfolk & Western had some too. If so does anyone have a photo of one?

Thanks,

Ben
 
Thanks but I guess I didn't make myself clear (as usual, lol). I need a photo of the N&W one (if they had them). I have the VGN car made and tested. Just need a photo of the N&W one for texturing and lettering.

Ben
 
Thanks for the kind words but the N&W one will be invisible unless someone can post a photo, lol.

Ben
 
Thanks Whitepass. No rush - I always have things to make in my pending projects folder (more like a towering pile).

Just finished something interesting. A "see-thru" ore dumper. A trainzer friend came across an exploded drawing of what can go inside so I made it with all the "innards" visible thru glass walls (no stone throwing please, lol).

Ben
 
Hi Bernie:

I tired looking at both of them but my system sez they are unsecure and refuses to open them. Can you post them in this thrrad as actual pictures rather then as links.

Thanks,

Ben
 
I thought about those...

:cool: Hello Ben, after about four hours of searching Virginia Railway & Norfolk And Western I have to question whether the "Battleship" gons ever made it to N&W.

The featured link titled "Virginian Railway 120-ton Coal Car #19399" is dated 1921 & the No Where did not acquire the VGA until 1959.

It states that the Sewall's Point coal trans-loader near Norfolk was the only location with a rotary dumper capable of handling this heavy car...other than the N&W port...

The Virginian was said to acquire 1,000 of these cars so that may have been the only version ordered...

But of course I could be wrong.
 
nwhopper.jpg


100902 is a GKb N&W had 1,000 numbered from 100750 to 101749 and 100381 is a GKd N&W witch replaced the old GKb, used same numbers. The N&W cars are deferent in L, W, and H. C&O had 100 cars of the same type but where offset-side. N&W had a one off #70559 experimental car that was the bases of the GKb.
 
Hi ya'll:

I got the original info for the VGN battleship gon from an article in Model Railroader Magazine. It had a photo of one and said it was 65 ft long. It also said the N&W had some too but were't specific as to weather they were exactly alike or what.

In looking at all the photos you gents have kindly posted, its obvious they were not exactly alike. The sides are different, there appear to have been two different style ends, and frankly they don't look the same size. Do any of you happen to have length, width, and height info on the N&W cars?

Almost forgot - wheelbase info on the bogeys too please (if possible). Looks like I'll have to make them too.

EDIT 1: If you can come up with a photo of the C&O car I can try making that one too.

EDIT2: Can anyone read the capy and load limit values on the side of the car? I can't quite make them out even with a magnifying glass. The lt wt looks to be 50300.

Thanks,

Ben
 
Last edited:
Congrats Ben, quite a railcar to mod...!

:cool: Ben, here is another page from The Ohio State Engineer, by A. H. Dierker, 1926.

The light weight of this car is 78,000lb(35.38mt)..

This, along with my previous post-link should give you dimensions on this car.

I was common to see VGA strings of cars on N&W rails, if the customer specified VGA as the principal source of transport...provided the motive power was there to pull such a train. The train of 100 of these(they had 2,000 at this time), was 5,300ft(1.66km) long, weighed 16,000 tons(14514.68mt) & required a 2-10-10-2 Mallet weighing 893,000lb. with a tractive effort of 147,000lb.

It ran about 25mph.

So the need for electric powered locomotives was an absolute necessity, In my informed opinion...

From Apalachian Railroad Hopper History..."in 1914, the N&W jumped straight to 90-ton "battleship" coal gons (NOT hoppers) in 1914, and Virginians first 120-ton battleship gons came in 1917."

More from Google.
 
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