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Micro-Trains - 105 44 130 - Gondola, 50 Foot, Steel - Golden West Service - 327041

11  of these sold for an average price of: 25.9025.9011 of these sold for an average price of: 25.90
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Collectors value this item at an average of 27.8327.83Collectors value this item at an average of 27.83
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N Scale - Micro-Trains - 105 44 130 - Gondola, 50 Foot, Steel - Golden West Service - 327041 Image Courtesy of Micro-Trains Line and irwinsjournal.com
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Stock Number105 44 130
Original Retail Price27.95
BrandMicro-Trains
ManufacturerMicro-Trains Line
Body StyleMicro-Trains 105-0 Gondola 50 Foot 14 Panel Fishbelly Fix End
Prototype VehicleGondola, 50 Foot, Steel (Details)
Road or Company NameGolden West Service (Details)
Reporting MarksGVSR
Road or Reporting Number327041
Paint Color(s)Blue with yellow lettering
Coupler TypeMT Magne-Matic Knuckle
Wheel TypeInjection Molded Plastic
Series NameWeathered
Release Date2014-03-01
Item CategoryRolling Stock (Freight)
Model TypeGondola
Model Subtype50 Foot
Model Variety14 Panel Fishbelly Side Fixed End
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era III: Transition (1939 - 1957)
Scale1/160
Track GaugeN standard



Prototype History:
In US railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-topped rail vehicle used for transporting loose bulk materials. Because of their low side walls, gondolas are also suitable for the carriage of such high-density cargoes as steel plates, steel coils, and bulky items such as prefabricated sections of rail track. For weather-sensitive loads, these gondolas are often equipped with covers.

All-steel gondolas date back to the early part of the 20th century. However, most of the early ones were shorter and used 40' designs. The ubiquitous 50' steel gondola we see modeled so often today are typical of railcars produced since the end of the second world war. In the late 1940s, steel became once again readily available and new, longer gondolas were produced to transport material for America's booming economy. Generally, these 50 foot cars have a capacity of 70 tons and were actually 52'6" long. The first models of this design were produced by the Erie Railroad and the Greenville Steel Car Co, but nearly identical cars were produced by Pullman, ACF and Bethlehem.
Road Name History:
Golden West was a financial invention -- SP wanted to get capital equipment off the books but the railroad needed the cars. So a corporation was invented that used borrowed money to "buy" the cars, refurbish them, and lease them back to the SP. In the long run this is basically a transfer of wealth from the railroad to the investors, but in the short run it helped the railroad by providing working capital. The UP ended the whole deal as soon as it could and that is why everything is reverting to original ownership.
Brand/Importer Information: Micro-Trains is the brand name used by both Kadee Quality Products and Micro-Trains Line. For a history of the relationship between the brand and the two companies, please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide.
Manufacturer Information:
Micro-Trains Line split off from Kadee Quality Products in 1990. Kadee Quality Products originally got involved in N-Scale by producing a scaled-down version of their successful HO Magne-Matic knuckle coupler system. This coupler was superior to the ubiquitous 'Rapido' style coupler due to two primary factors: superior realistic appearance and the ability to automatically uncouple when stopped over a magnet embedded in a section of track. The success of these couplers in N-Scale quickly translated to the production of trucks, wheels and in 1972 a release of ready-to-run box cars.

Micro-Trains Line Co. split off from Kadee in 1990 to form a completely independent company. For this reason, products from this company can appear with labels from both enterprises. Due to the nature of production idiosyncrasies and various random factors, the rolling stock from Micro-Trains can have all sorts of interesting variations in both their packaging as well as the products themselves. When acquiring an MTL product it is very important to understand these important production variations that can greatly enhance (or decrease) the value of your purchase.

Please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide
Item created by: gdm on 2016-02-20 13:00:32. Last edited by gdm on 2020-05-29 13:57:04

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