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Lehigh Valley 52'-6" Bethlehem Steel Mill Gondola (N Scale 3-Pack)
 

THE MODEL

These are Micro-Trains N scale 52' gondolas with fishbelly sides and drop ends, decorated in the as-delivered 1950 LV paint scheme.  Road numbers are 33031, 33142 and 33263.  The graphics on these cars are all new, and are based on actual Lehigh Valley railroad painting diagrams.  The gondolas come with Micro-Trains Bettendorf trucks and Magne-Matic couplers.

These gondolas are being produced exclusively for sale by the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society, and only 100 3-packs have been produced.  The price is $65.00 for a 3-pack.

THE PROTOTYPE

Bethlehem Steel Car Company produced a total of 1,450 gondolas of this design for the LVRR between 1941 and 1952.  The 1950 order (#32850 - 33349) was delivered in a plain black scheme with 7" LEHIGH VALLEY lettering and no black diamond herald.  While most of these cars served the Bethlehem Steel main plant in Bethlehem PA, they were also used anywhere that gondolas were needed.  364 cars from the 1950 order were still in service when the LV was absorbed into Conrail on April 1, 1976, although most if not all had been repainted in the later paint schemes.