Tangent Scale Models is pleased to announce our next all-new car, the HO Scale PRR/PC Shops Class G43 Corrugated Side 52’6” Gondola. The Pennsylvania Railroad and merger successor Penn Central built a total of 3,750 G43 / G43A / G43B / G43C gondolas at the Sam Rea Shops in Hollidaysburg PA from 1966 to 1970, the largest gondola fleet built by Sam Rea or any carbuilding shop in the 1960s. In other words, these cars are highly relevant! The G43 gondolas were a modern fleet of 100-ton mill gondolas with 52’6” interior length, with different design configurations for various customer applications. The G43 fleet was built to replace older gondolas with a rugged design suitable for mill, scrap, and aggregate services. Additionally, many were modified during the Conrail era with coil “racks” to transport uncovered steel coils. Many still serve NS and CSXT today in various services including coil service, as well as other revenue and MOW services. Some cars were sold to the secondary market and still operate today with leasing firm reporting marks.
All of the G43 series gondolas are easily identified by their side corrugations. The similarities end there; each of the G43 sub-classes are visually distinctive from one another. The PRR G43 and early PC G43A cars have corrugations in every panel and have dreadnaught ends. The later G43A / G43B / G43C cars have no corrugations in the outward two panels, as well as DSI (Despatch Shops, Inc., Rochester NY) corrugated ends. These DSI ends applied to a PRR car are one of the first examples of car building cooperation for the newly-formed Penn Central – cooperation between the former NYC and PRR shops. While all cars built prior to the G43B had steel floors and conventional draft gear, the G43B cars introduced wood floors and cushion draft gear. The G43C subclass, built in 1970, were the last series of cars and returned to steel floors and conventional draft gear.
Models of the PRR/PC G43 series gondolas have NEVER been available before in plastic, brass, or resin. The Tangent Scale Models G43 series offering follows these prototype variations. We have produced three side configurations, two end configurations, and four floor configurations, including two with coil “racks” installed to haul steel coils (which we are also now selling as separate parts). Our G43 is perfectly scaled from actual PRR/PC drawings. We have captured the look of the side corrugations, and these models incorporate full interior detailing including the side corrugations. Finally, our cars are equipped with 100-ton trucks and correct CNC-machined 36” wheels to give these gons a “beefy” modern look. Our cars have a proper depth floor, and are outfitted with Kadee® scale couplers, so the cars operate as well as they look!
Finally, check out our correct “true-to-life” colors and “hyper-accurate” lettering including exact fonts and lettering placement.
Our first production includes the following 4 RTR paint schemes – plus six undecorated kit variations.
– PRR “Original 11-1966 G43” in the original Pennsylvania Railroad scheme with the plain keystone on the G43 configuration body. The PRR reporting marks, road number, and PRR keystone are on three placards, just like the prototype. This was done so that this stenciling was applied to a flat surface, and not the corrugations. This car looks stunning in the proper PRR freight car red, which nicely compliments the Tangent PRR G31B gondolas for a “family appearance.” This PRR series with accurate November 1966 dates is available in 12 road numbers. Many PRR cars lasted well into the Conrail era – Conrail and Penn Central modelers take note! Also, check out our website for examples of these cars faraway from PRR rails. These are not just for East Coast modelers!
– PC “Original 10-1969 G43B” in the classic original Penn Central green scheme from 1969, with the iconic Penn Central worms logo and spelled out Penn Central. These PC cars did not require placards because the G43B body style did not have corrugated side sheets on the last two panels at each end. Without corrugations, the PC reporting marks, road number, logo, and ACI label all can be applied on the car directly, just like the prototype. These G43B cars have cushioned draft gear and wood floors, and were general service fleet gondolas. The Tangent floors represent wood with their gray color like our previous gondola offerings, and have oxide red car interiors – on the interior walls and ends – like the prototype. Like the PC prototypes, our stunning cars have yellow defect card holders. These beautiful cars are available in 6 road numbers.
– PC “Original 4-1970 G43C” in the original Penn Central green scheme from 1970, with the classic Penn Central worms logo – and no spelled out PC. These PC cars did not require placards because the G43C body style did not have corrugated side sheets on the last two panels at each end. Without corrugations, the PC reporting marks, road number, logo, and ACI label all can be applied on the car directly, just like the prototype. These G43C cars return to the configuration of the G43 cars, with conventional draft gear and steel floors, as denoted by our model having an S inside a circle on the side of the car, like the prototype, as well as steel floors inside the model. The Tangent replica includes oxide red car interiors – on the interior walls and ends – like the prototype. Finally, our stunning cars have yellow defect card holders like the real cars did. These beautiful cars are available in 6 road numbers. Don’t miss out!
– CR “1988 G43 Coil Svc. w/Rack – Coils NOT included” in the now-classic Conrail red paint. This series represents the former PRR-painted G43 series. Conrail retained the placards that were present on these original PRR-painted cars from 22 years before. The Conrail reporting marks, road number, Conrail can opener logo, and COTS panel are all on these three placards. The top chord of the car has a “COIL STEEL LOADING ONLY” stencil to remind customers and railroad officers that the car is equipped with coil racks. Our model has coil racks too, and we sell the steel coils for this car separately. We recommend a load of four of them if you want to replicate most prototype loading patterns – for the size of coil we created. Yes, we did the math. These Conrail cars are offered in 6 road numbers and feature details appropriate for the 1966-built car.
– Quantity of 8 Banded Steel Coils that are fully assembled and painted in the proper galvanized sheet steel metal color with beautifully-rendered black steel banding. Once slab steel has been flat-rolled and coiled by a rolling mill, the uncovered steel coils can be easily transported and without damage to customers. Our coil parts continue our tradition of heavy-hitting accuracy, representing perhaps the most common steel coil size seen on the rails – and trucks – during the past 20+ years: the 60-inch width specification (which are typically 68 inches in diameter). Most 100-ton railcar loads would have 4 of these loaded onboard. Uncovered steel coils are a commonly seen commodity on railcars, especially for post-1980 era modelers. These coil parts are intended to be utilized directly with our gorgeous Conrail RTR G43 model with the coil rack already installed, or with any of our undecorated kit products. Finally, you can use these with other manufacturer’s cars as well as with your steel mill scenes. And don’t forget scenes that include the sheet steel receivers! Our box of 8 gorgeous steel coils are fully painted, assembled, and ready for your layout at $9.95, and are not cast unpainted “parts.”
– Unpainted Kit in SIX different versions for $32.95 each. Build your own car or set of cars to your specifications using these “build” body style variations as a starting point:
PRR G43 / PC G43A Early
PC G43B
PC G43C
PRR G43 / PC G43A Early w/ Coil Rack
PC G43B w/ Coil Rack
PC G43C w/ Coil Rack
These awesome, ALL-NEW, Tangent Scale Models replicas are shipping now. Features for our RTR replicas include:
– Dimensional accuracy – designed from actual Sam Rea blueprints and verified with field measurements
– Highly correct “true to life” colors
– “Hyper-Accurate” lettering including exact fonts and lettering placement
– Genuine Kadee® scale couplers
– “Near-scale” draft gear box with beautifully-rendered side “key” detail
– Multiple road numbers for each scheme
– 3 specific production variations that highlight production from 1966-1970, including different bodies, interiors, with or without coil racks, different underframes, different ends. Sell off the toy trains – we do freight cars right
– “See through” brake steps
– Lacy details – wire grab irons, coupler lift bars, and stand-off ladders and stirrup steps
– Separate air hoses
– CNC-machined 36” wheels in high quality Tangent Scale Models trucks (with semi-scale replacement wheels available separately)
– Recommended age 14 years and older
So go ahead, put on Revolver, Pet Sounds, or Blonde on Blonde, and relive the new era of 100-ton gondola production from 1966. Don’t miss out on the Tangent Scale Models PRR/PC G43 Class Corrugated Side Gondola, a huge fleet car from the innovative 1960s freight car period! Pricing for RTR models is $38.95, with quantity discounts for direct purchases from Tangent Scale Models.
David Lehlbach