Tangent HO Bethlehem 70-Ton Riveted Drop-End Gondola Lehigh Valley “Gray 1973”

Description

Railroad Short Name: LV

Tangent Scale Models is pleased to offer the 52-6 riveted 70-ton drop-end gondola car as designed and produced by Bethlehem Steel. 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, with some going to second-hand owners as well. Most of these gondolas were phased from revenue service by the mid-1980s, with many serving additional years in various MOW roles.

Lehigh Valley “Gray 5-1973” represents a series of Lehigh Valley’s gray-painted, internal shop program repaints that were performed at Sayre, Pennsylvania! Lehigh Valley (and USRE) painted these Bethlehem Steel gondolas in a myriad of colors including two different greens, Cornell red, black, and gray. This is our first gray-painted offering! This model includes a light gray interior wall color matching the prototype plus the etched-metal Wine tie-downs on the top chord of the car, and ACI label.

Bethlehem 70-ton riveted Drop-end Gondola replicas include:

• 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 decks inside the car
• Detail variations: Duryea or conventional end sills appropriate for each paint scheme
• Detail variations: End door variations (Dreadnaught and Straight Corrugated) appropriate for each paint scheme
• Detail variations: Tack board locations appropriate for each paint scheme
• Detail variations: Brake platforms appropriate for each paint scheme
• Detail variations: 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
• Separate air hoses
• Weighted to NMRA specs for smooth operation
• Genuine Kadee® scale metal couplers
• Tangent 70-ton ASF A-3 Ride-Control trucks
• CNC-machined 33” wheels in high quality Tangent Scale Models trucks, with semi-scale wheels available separately
• Recommended age 14 years and older.