That’s right, these models are factory dented! The Lightly Dented versions have multiple deflections in the side sheets above the
floor line. The Medium Dented versions have the side sheets visibly puffed outward between the rivet lines as countless small dings
to the inside faces accumulated and stretched the sheets into rough domes. The Heavily Dented versions also have the puffed out panels
but to a greater extent – plus many of the ribs have also been deflected outward. The concave dent detail on the inside faces matches
the convex outside faces.
With the exception of specially equipped gons with timber saddles for carrying coils or other specially
secured loads, mill gons began collecting dents with their first revenue load. This was expected and short of punching a hole in a
side sheet (an extremely rare event) there would be no reason to replace a bulging panel. Even gons which have received a comprehensive
servicing would receive a new coat of paint over their dented panels. The corrugations used on the car ends effectively resisted damage.
As you can imagine, a steel billet that could punch though an end could potentially fall to the track below causing a catastrophic
wreck, so heavy gauge corrugated steel ends were a must.
As a rule, the last time a mill gon had an unmarred paint job on the
interior is when it left the factory. Even when they were repainted, spraying the interior was usually considered a waste of time
and paint. In keeping with this practice these N scale models have a mottled rust effect applied to the interior faces regardless
of the outside color.
These models feature diecast floors for superior tracking and plastic sides, ends, draft gear, body bolsters
and additional brake gear. The cars come standard with our metal wheels and magnetically operating knuckle couplers. Variations include
Dreadnaught or PS style fixed ends with Ajax end mounted brake housing and two styles of brake wheels; or drop ends from Dreadnaught
or PS (or the identical Carbuilder’s ends) with end mounted lever action hand brakes or side mounted brake wheels as appropriate for
each road name. Minimum Radius: 11”. MSRP is $37.95 each. Pre-orders will remain open at least until May 31. Delivery is expected
in 2025.
Conrail inherited this style of mill gon in quantity from both Penn Central and Erie Lackawanna. Many had been built with drop ends but were rebuilt with fixed Dreadnaught ends and Ajax brake housings as seen here.
52010 Conrail lightly dented #CR 522592 $37.95
52011 Conrail lightly dented #CR 522723 $37.95
52014 Conrail medium dented #CR 522657 $37.95
52015 Conrail medium dented #CR 522738
$37.9552017 Conrail heavily dented #CR 522606 $37.95
52018 Conrail heavily dented #CR 522570
$37.95When Chicago Burlington & Quincy required another 750 mill gons in 1957, they chose to build them themselves at their Havelock,
Nebraska shops. These cars were equipped with fixed Dreadnaught ends and nailable steel floors, the instructions for which are seen
to the right of the Burlington Route logo.
52020 Chicago Burlington & Quincy lightly dented #CB&Q 82873 $37.95
52021 Chicago Burlington & Quincy lightly dented #CB&Q 83125 $37.95
52024 Chicago Burlington & Quincy medium dented #CB&Q 83008 $37.95
52025 Chicago Burlington & Quincy medium dented #CB&Q 82582
$37.9552027 Chicago Burlington & Quincy heavily dented #CB&Q 82941 $37.95
52028 Chicago Burlington & Quincy heavily dented #CB&Q 82660
$37.95Erie Lackawanna inherited these mill gons from Erie Railroad who had pioneered the design in cooperation with Greenville Steel Car
in 1940. Under EL ownership, this batch maintained their Dreadnaught drop ends and lever action hand brakes. We present them in this
run as they appeared in the last few years of Erie Lackawanna operations and the first several years of Conrail.
52030 Erie Lackawanna lightly dented #11676 $37.95
52031 Erie Lackawanna lightly dented #11720 $37.95
52034 Erie Lackawanna medium dented #11693 $37.95
52035 Erie Lackawanna medium dented #11715
$37.9552037 Erie Lackawanna heavily dented #11642 $37.95
52038 Erie Lackawanna heavily dented #11788
$37.95Great Northern took delivery of 200 of these gondolas from Pullman Standard in 1957 in the vermilion paint scheme. Although they used
the Pullman’s fixed ends, GN opted for the ribs used on the original Greenville-Erie design. They also used the Ajax 3059 brake wheel
instead of the usual IP80 design. These details are reproduced on this run.
52040 Great Northern lightly dented #GN 72856
$37.95
52041 Great Northern lightly dented #GN 72981
$37.9552044 Great Northern medium dented #GN 72820 $37.95
52045 Great Northern medium dented #GN 72904
$37.9552047 Great Northern heavily dented #GN 72873 $37.95
52048 Great Northern heavily dented #GN 72998
$37.95Greenville built several batches of these mill gons for Nickel Plate Road over the years with details varying from batch to batch.
This group outshopped in 1949 had Carbuilders drop ends and side-mounted Ajax 3059 brake wheels. The fleet was passed to Norfolk &
Western with their 1964 merger.
52050 Nickel Plate Road lightly dented #NKP 67043 $37.95
52051 Nickel Plate Road lightly dented #NKP 67387
$37.9552054 Nickel Plate Road medium dented #NKP 67120 $37.95
52055 Nickel Plate Road medium dented #NKP 67262
$37.9552057 Nickel Plate Road heavily dented #NKP 67079 $37.95
52058 Nickel Plate Road heavily dented #NKP 67235
$37.95Pittsburgh & Lake Erie took delivery of this batch of gons in 1946. P&LE had been a subsidiary of New York Central for many
years but following the financial collapse of NYC successor Penn Central, P&LE, which was still profitable, began to distance
themselves from PC including removing the “mating worms” PC logos. P&LE would remain nominally independent until 1993 when they
acquired by CSX. This paint scheme represents this period of independence.
52060 Pittsburgh & Lake Erie green lightly
dented #P&LE 2689 $37.95
52061 Pittsburgh & Lake Erie green lightly dented #P&LE 2250
$37.9552064 Pittsburgh & Lake Erie green medium dented #P&LE 2934 $37.95
52065 Pittsburgh & Lake Erie green medium dented #P&LE 2016
$37.9552067 Pittsburgh & Lake Erie green heavily dented #P&LE 2473 $37.95
52068 Pittsburgh & Lake Erie green heavily dented #P&LE 2728
$37.95This group of gons lettered for THE ROCK was originally built in 1957 by Pullman Standard. The cars were rebuilt in 1978 retaining
their dented sides but with the original drop ends replaced with fixed PS style ends. The old lever action brakes were also replaced
with new Ajax brake housings and wheels.
52070 The Rock lightly dented #ROCK 502402 $37.95
52071 The Rock lightly dented #ROCK 502478
$37.9552074 The Rock medium dented #ROCK 502441 $37.95
52075 The Rock medium dented #ROCK 502496
$37.9552077 The Rock heavily dented #ROCK 502435 $37.95
52078 The Rock heavily dented #ROCK 502457
$37.95Frisco received this batch of gons from Pullman Standard in 1953 in this boxcar red scheme. They had PS style drop ends and lever
action brakes, With Birmingham (the Pittsburgh of The South) on the Frisco system map, steel and related commodities were important
sources of traffic. Many of these cars served well past the merger with Burlington Northern.
52080 Frisco bc red lightly
dented #SL-SF 61893 $37.95
52081 Frisco bc red lightly dented #SL-SF 61628
$37.9552084 Frisco bc red medium dented #SL-SF 61746 $37.95
52085 Frisco bc red medium dented #SL-SF 61770
$37.9552087 Frisco bc red heavily dented #SL-SF 61809 $37.95
52088 Frisco bc red heavily dented #SL-SF 61635
$37.95Although New York Central would build thousands of these mill gons in their own shops, this particular batch was built by Greenville
in 1949. They used the Dreadnaught style drop ends and lever action brakes. This batch was also equipped with nailable steel floors
(instructions for use are seen to the right of the road number.)
52090 New York Central lightly dented #NYC 713043
$37.95
52091 New York Central lightly dented #NYC 713078
$37.9552094 New York Central medium dented #NYC 713002 $37.95
52095 New York Central medium dented #NYC 713035
$37.9552097 New York Central heavily dented #NYC 713099 $37.95
52098 New York Central heavily dented #NYC 713020
$37.95