O Scale Gondolas

These simple O Scale Gondolas are a great way to build up your freight trains! Gondola’s are open-topped trail cars that are traditionally used for transporting loose bulk materials, like coal, scrap metal, steel coils, stone, and other commodities or aggregates. It is often a catch-all term for freight car design and features low, ribbed sizes. It is a utilitarian car, and can be traced all the way back to the beginning of the railroad industry. Because it is such a hard-working car, the design and character have remained pretty much the same over the years. Some gondolas look very similar to boxcars, but with open tops. Others have hatched tops to protect cargo from bad weather. You can also find “bathtub” gondolas, which are the most popular for hauling coal.

Gondolas are sometimes mistaken for hopper cars, but they are missing the angled drop-bottom hatches or chutes found on open-top hopper cars. If you’re trying to identify a hopper from a gondola, look for sloped chutes that utilize gravity to unload the cargo, unlike the gondola, which requires the car to be tilted or turned. It’s a vital car in the industry and a must-have for any model train set. Order this and other toy trains from All About Toy Trains today.