DROP BOTTOM GONDOLA D&RGW 871
History
Gondolas, second only to boxcars as the most ubiquitous railcars for hauling general freight, are symbolic in representing historic Colorado narrow-gauge railroading. Their roles in supporting the mining, railroad, agricultural, and construction industries contributed to the development of southwest Colorado. D&RG had about 3,111 gondolas of 22 different Classes or types.
The 800 series, sisters to the 700 series, originally had slatted coke racks that raised their sides to the height of boxcars. In 1918 the coke racks were removed, 6-inch side boards were added, the lever systems were altered, and under frames were stiffened with steel.
In 1904 the National Car Company built 100 of the 800 series, a Class 18, 12-ton drop-bottom gondola, to haul 25 tons. Drop-bottom gondolas carried bulk material such as ore, coal, coke, sand, ballast, and rock. The unique hinged unloading floors on these cars were activated by a complex mechanism of shafts, levers, and chains. Before drop bottom cars were invented, material was shoveled out by hand.
A 1940 report shows all D&RGW narrow gauge drop bottom gondolas dated from these series. None of them have been used in southwest Colorado for decades, and none in the area have been restored. The cars are on the National Historic Registry, as part of the National Historical Landmark for D&S, which includes the entire railway from Durango to Silverton, along with buildings, locomotives, and rolling stock.
For more details see A Century + Ten of the D&RGW Narrow Gauge Freight Cars 1871 to 1981, 2nd Edition, by Robert E. Sloan. Historic photos courtesy Colorado Railroad Museum.
Drop Bottom 871 Before Restoration
Photos in August 2008 at D&S Tacoma siding by George Niederauer.
The sheet metal patch above the letters “D &” wraps around equally on the inside and covers up a hole burnt in the side from coal cinders.
The interior view shows the stationary center planks flanked by the series of drop doors. Vertical posts support the side boards.
Bottom view near center, where the brake cylinder is attached on the right end of the air reservoir and the K-1 triple valve is attached on the left end. The center sills are steel channels sandwiched with wood beams. Steel plates supply lateral strength.
Lateral wood beams attached to the steel plates provide a means to attach other components. Cast steel queen posts hold the truss rods in place in the foreground. A brake cylinder push rod with a clevis is at center right.
View along the bottoms of the drop doors. A door over a truck has a wood block (upper left) to limit its travel against the truck frame. Other doors have stops attached to the frame – the blocks with the angled ends.
Summer 2009 – Major Disassembly
May 2009. Dennis D’Alessandro cuts through one bolt, and Ashley Malcolm punches another one out. Eric Mencis
May 2009. Eric Mencis chisels a bolt, and Jim Granflaten torches off one. Photo of Jim by Eric Mencis
June 12, 2009. Trying to remove an old bolt with a wrench didn’t work many times. The long thick wood members are “nailers” for the center floor boards. The rotted nailers had to be dug out. Tim Bristow
July 3, 2009. Beams along the center steel channels were rotted and structurally unfit for reuse. All were being replaced. The single long bolt standing above the left steel sill once held a nailer above it. The three bolts at center, next to the left steel sill, would normally attach to the brake cylinder mounting plate. The two bolts and hole for a third bolt in the right steel sill also attach to the brake cylinder mounting plate. The rotted wood around the left three bolts obviously provided no support for brake action. Tim Bristow
Many bolts were rusted away to a fraction of their original shank diameter, and many mounting plates were badly corroded to thin, structurally unsound pieces. The four rods shown in the photo are ends to the truss rods, also thinned by corrosion. Most bolts and many mounting plates would be replaced. Tim Bristow (top) and Dennis D’Alessandro (bottom)
July 10, 2009. One end of the gondola with the body completely removed. The metal arch is part of the body bolster (supporting cross member) attached to the frame. It has a center pin that fits into the truck bolster. The brake hand wheel and rod leaning against the end beam attaches to the end wall. Tim Bristow
The bare frame reveals some very questionable brackets for supporting vertical side wall posts and side sills.
August 2009. All wood parts have been removed from the frame and the trucks were pulled out from under.
2009 – Restoration Begins
Photos by George Niederauer unless otherwise noted.
October 6, 2009. The frame is at its barest, cleanest, and brightest – only two longitudinal center channel sills and their end sills. Still attached are the couplers and draft gear. Before painting with primer they were sandblasted and inspected for defects. Couplers are not painted, per FRA regulation, better to see fractures.
November 3, 2009. Hank Pantzar chisels a notch to fit the beam around a metal part of the channel freame. The holes were drilled to fit over rivet heads.
November 3, 2009. Tom Bristow (far left), Chris Killgore, Ted Parks, and Hank Pantzar, all of Pagosas Springs. Dennis D’Alessandro was out of the camera range. They are testing the fit of a sill into a channel. The wood center sills are 31.5 feet long, 8 inches high and 4 inches wide – each one solid piece of fir.
November 3, 2009. Ted Parks and Chris Killgore paint a sill with a water sealer such as used on house decks.
2009 (top) and October 1, 2010 (bottom). A cross member before and after restoration. Dennis D’Alessandro
October 1, 2010. Tom Artzberger operates a drill while Chris Killgore steadies the cross member. They are drilling mounting holes in lateral beam mounting plates, which will be riveted to the lateral beam. Dennis D’Alessandro
October 1, 2010. Test mounting an oak wood insert and metal brake rigging parts to the back side of an end sill, The wood would be sealed and the hardware would be primed with red oxide before permanent mounting. Dennis D’Alessandro
October 15, 2010. The restored air reservoir and brake cylinder are mounted under the center sills. A new steel mounting plate and wood spacer provide a solid mount to support action by the brake cylinder. Dennis D’Alessandro
October 15, 2010. Tim Bristow bolts a cross member to the sills. Dennis D’Alessandro
October 15, 2010. The full metal skeleton of the frame is back together, fully restored – structurally sound to take a full load again.
October 29, 2010. After the skeleton frame was finished, the crew moved on to disassemble the trucks. Here the B end truck has been disassembled, and top bar of a frame on the A end truck has been removed. Dennis D’Alessandro
October 29, 2010. Parts from disassembled truck B are scattered around. Dennis D’Alessandro
Where the sides step down, fractures have formed on the bottom of a spring seat. Dennis D’Alessandro
Mark Smeltzer is painting a spring seat (upside down). Dennis D’Alessandro
November 1, 2010. Some nuts take a large “cheater pipe” to provide enough leverage, as Keith D’Alessandro (Dennis’ son) discovered, as he removed the last bolster retaining bolt. Dennis D’Alessandro
November 1, 2010. The wheel sets after the trucks were disassembled. Dennis D’Alessandro
2011 – Major Restoration Continues
April 30, 2011. All center sills have been coated with preservative and mounted on the metal frame.
April 30, 2011.It is too expensive to get a field riveting machine to our work site or to take the frame to a shop for riveting. Our volunteers came up with a creative solution. They made special bolts with round heads that look like rivets, then welded the bottom nuts after tightening them. Lastly, they ground down the built up weld to make the welded nuts and bolts look like rivet heads, too.
June 4, 2011. Nearly all nailers are in place, bolted to the center sills. The inverted-V shaped structure in the foreground is the body bolster. Pictured are Jay Scherer and Dennis D’Alessandro.
July 23, 2011. Closeup of body bolster. A truss rod will fit int the saddle on top.
July 23, 2011. All nailers in place, strap hinges for drop doors temporarily pinned in place for priming, door boards being sealed.
July 23, 2011. Close up of two door strap hinges and their mounting blocks.
July 23, 2011. Both trucks nearly completely assembled.