Tangent
ACF 70-ton Gondola
– by Jeff Shultz
B
ased on the Pennsylvania RR G31B class, Tangent’s third release is a 52-1/2 foot welded 70 ton car with drop ends of a prototype introduced in the early 1950s. Versions were also used by the Southern Pacific (G-70-12) and Wabash. The PRR purchased over 11,000 of the G31 series (G31/G31A/G31B/G35) which means it’s likely this car was commonly seen across the United States. They lasted in revenue service into the 1990s, and were also used by PRR successors Penn Central and Conrail, as well as purchased second hand by other lines. Tangent’s model features simulated wood floors, appropriate for the G31B. Some of the other classes in the G31 series had steel floors instead. The model features Tangent’s new 70-ton ASF A-3 Ride Control truck with metal wheels, coupler lift bars, air hoses, and Kadee scale couplers (#148s). The wire grabs and ladders are separate parts, as is the ratchet style brake and see-through
brake platform on the PRR model we received. Brake lines and underframe parts are modeled in high-detail. The model includes tie down holes – which Tangent says are scale sized. We can say they’ll give a needle a challenge when it comes to threading something through them, very fine wire might work best. The first release inclues three different paint schemes – the original 1951 PRR
Page 124 • Issue 6 • Mar/Apr 2010 • Tangent ACF 70-ton Gondola, page 1
Freight Car Red (24 road numbers), 1953 Southern Pacific Freight Car Red (12 road numbers), and the Wabash Railroad’s original 1951 black scheme (6 road numbers). Freight Car enthusiasts on the Modern Freight Car YahooGroup list (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ MFCL/) immediately identified several other possible paint jobs for both
Figure 1: This model of a Pennsylvania RR G31B class car is Tangent’s third release. This model represents the 52-1/2 foot welded 70 ton car with drop ends that was introduced in the early 1950s.
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