Price: $44.95; six-pack, $269.70
Manufacturer
Rapido Trains, in association with MLW
500 Alden Rd., Unit 16
Markham, ON L3R 5H5
www.rapidotrains.com
Era: 1965 to 1999 (as decorated)
Road names: Canadian Pacific; CP Rail; Canadian National (two schemes); and Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo
Comments: A new run of Canadian-specific 52′-6″ mill gondolas is available from Rapido Trains. The HO scale cars are based on prototypes built by National Steel Car and Eastern Car Co. between 1943 and 1957.
Our sample is decorated in a 1960s repaint scheme. The full-size CN no. 143193 was part of a 500-car order built by Eastern Car Co. in 1949.
The gondola’s interior and exterior have molded rivet and tie-down detail. The metal floor is painted to simulate wood and has board and bolt-hole detail. The stars of the show are the separate Z-shaped exterior posts.
The underbody has a one-piece sill with crossbearer and crosstie detail; separate brake appliances; and brake lever, hanger, and pipe detail.
Overall, the model’s dimensions closely follow dimensional data published in the January 1949 Official Railway Equipment Register. The inside length is a scale 6 inches too short, and the inside width is a scale foot too narrow, a problem typical on most gondola models.
The Macdonald-Cartier knuckle couplers are at the correct height. The 70-ton trucks have properly gauged 33″ metal wheelsets. At 4.2 ounces, the gondola is .5 ounce too light based on National Model Railroad Association recommended practice 20.1.
The prototypes operated on both sides of the border, so this car would be appropriate whether you’re modeling a Canadian or American prototype.
