Our\u00a052′-6″ 70 Ton Drop-End Gondola is modeled after the Pennsylvania RR’s G31 class gondola, the American Car & Foundry’s G31a Copies, and the Bethlehem Steel version of these cars.<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania Railroad G31 class\/American Car & Foundry All Welded cars, and the Bethlehem Steel riveted, 52\u2019-6\u201d 70-ton Drop-End Gondolas both trace their roots back to an earlier Pennsylvania Railroad design, the G27 class drop-end gondola. The Bethlehem riveted car was an improved, increased capacity, copy of the G27 class and earned the Association of American Railroad’s standard recommended practice for gondolas of this type. Bethlehem produced these cars for several railroads. The Pennsylvania followed Bethlehem’s lead and applied these improvements to their own car as well as adding all welded construction. Later, American Car & Foundry would later produce G31a copies of this Pennsy G31 car for various other railroads.<\/p>\n
Drop-End gondolas started coming into use in the early 20th century. \u201cDrop-End\u201d gondolas, as their name implies, were equipped with ends that could be lowered inward to the car floor. This allowed the cars\u00a0to carry loads that were longer than the cars length, such as pipe, beams, and rail sections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n