D&RGW HOn3 Drop Bottom Gondola. #848, More Sun Faded:

In the early 1900s, the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad placed a large rolling stock order between two major railroad car manufacturers. In the midst of all these new arrivals, one particular style of car had a unique look and served a special purpose. In March of 1904, the National Car Company delivered 200 drop bottom style gondolas to the railroad numbering from 700-899. The cars in the 800 series were especially unique as they were equipped with tall side racks to accommodate the loading of coke (specially processed coal) and they also included a complicated set of levers to operate the dump loading feature of the cars. By 1918, the coke racks were removed and the door operating system was upgraded to a much simpler lever system. From this time period on, the 800 series cars were very similar to the 700 series lot, and both classes were rebuilt and reinforced in 1926. The majority of these cars were continually used to handle coal transportation across the D&RGW narrow gauge system right up to the end of operations.

Picture courtesy of SoundTraxx/Blackstone.

MSRP is $54.95.