Coalporter Bathtub Gondola
HISTORY
The Coalporter was developed by Bethlehem Steel Car in 1978, in an effort to create a higher-capacity, more efficient coal car. The traditional bottom hoppers were replaced by twin tubs, or troughs, that filled the space between the trucks. These increased the cubic capacity of the car and gave the added advantage of a lower center of gravity for better tracking. These original Coalporters were steel-bodied, but a drop in aluminum prices in the mid-1980s opened the door to the introduction of the aluminum-bodied BethGon Coalporter in 1985.
Aluminum had benefits over steel, especially in the weight saving department, but aluminum didn’t work well for eastern coal roads because eastern coal has a higher moisture content and is more prone to freeze in the car, requiring heat to be applied. Conrail, ever the innovator, reached out to Carpenter Technologies and Cromwell Manufacturing to try something else. The G52X class of cars was born from this experiment and were assembled in the company’s own Hollidaysburg Car Shop using a mix of regular steel for the sub-structure and stainless steel (denoted by the “3CR1Z” logo). Stainless steel was stronger compared to regular steel and would resist the abuse (both physical and chemical) of it’s lading far better.
Later runs of the BethGon Coalporter were built in Johnstown, Pennsylvania by Bethlehem Steel Car. Over the years, Bethlehem Steel Car became Johnstown-America Corp. and then FreightCar America. But a slightly updated version of the original Coalporter, now called the aluminum BethGon II, is still in production.
Our Car
Our car is a faithful representation of the G52X class of bathtub gondola, but also work for many other railroad’s cars. They have been designed by our partners at Quantum Coachworks to go together easily using rivets and some welding. These cars can withstand the rigors of the backyard railroading world including hauling anything you can put in them. They’re manufactured to exacting standards out of 18ga steel. Their 1X2 steel tube frame insures that they will operate well at any position in your train. They are available as kits ($1275) or we can assemble the car for you for an additional fee of $650. The cars feature a mixture of welding and riveting to assemble and should take about 40 hours total to complete. Kits come packaged in a wood crate with all the parts included. Cars are also available assembled and unpainted but we can also paint them and decal them for you for an additional charge.
Cars of this type weren’t limited to use on Conrail. Many other railroads and private owners also owned bathtub gondolas. Some of them include CSX, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, Burlington Northern, BNSF, Canadien National, Canadien Pacific, AEPX, CWEX PP&L, WEPX and many more.