Gondolas

 

The Alaska Railroad's gondolas were built by Mount Vernon Car in 1943, apparently for the U.S. Government, but given to D.R.G.W. to operate. They were acquired by the Alaska Railroad in 1947 and are now used in Maintenance of Way (MOW) service only (The 50 year rule dictates they can no longer be used for revenue or interchange). Currently, you will generally find these 40 footers hauling scrap, pipe, logs, etc. However, they were used for hauling drilling pipe during the oil boom days. Later, some of these were loaded with scrap, taken to Seward and the whole car with load was dumped into a ship carrying scrap metal.

 
Gondola Roster
Type
Number
Total
Built
Comments
GA4 & GS4 13203-13649 39 1943 General service instate compant business only
GB6 & GS6 13800-13846 18 1944 General service instate compant business only

Click on the pictures below for a larger view.

 
gondola Pressed Steel Car Co. built these gondollas in March of 1947.  The ARR obtained them in 1947 and still use some of them for MOW service.
These gondolas were built by Mt. Vernon Car Mfg. Co. in 1943.  The ARR purchased them from D.&R.G.W.  in 1947.  Only a handfull of these are still in service.  The rest were scrapped.  Photo taken in Seward Yard, 1991. Gondola
gondola You will always find other roadnames on the ARR.  Here are two gondolas, an  ATSF and a BN.  They were delivered with steel and pipe and will return to the lower 48 carrying scrap metal.  3/99

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© 1998-2009 John Combs unless otherwise noted