Rapido is excited to announce our next HO freight car - the 41’-6” drop bottom gondola!

The Pressed Steel Car Company built five hundred 41’-6” drop bottom gondolas for the Northern Pacific in 1940. Numbered in the 50000-50499 series these cars were used in general service on the NP, in particular coal and ore service. Additional groups of cars were built with just minor changes in construction, primarily on the underframe. Over their long service lives many were assigned to pulpwood loading, and many more were given extended height sides for use in woodchip and beet loading.

Between 1966 and 1968 groups of these cars were renumbered into the 58250-58749 series. Some cars lasted into the BN era, though it is unlikely that many got more than a patch out paint job at this late date. The last cars were removed from service in 1982, although some still soldiered on in BN work service.

In addition to Rapido’s offering of the standard gondola, the NPRHA has commissioned a unique model of the extended height woodchip cars. They are also offering exclusive additional car numbers on the standard gondolas so that you can round out your fleet!

Go to https://store.nprha.org/ for full details.

NOW RELAUNCHED! ORDER YOURS BY MAY 15TH, 2025!

   The Rapido Trains HO scale Drop Bottom Gondola features:

• Designed from original blueprints and field measurements
• Fully detailed interior and underframe
• Rapido semi-scale metal couplers
• Free-rolling trucks with turned metal wheels
• Accurate paint and decoration
• Multiple road numbers per scheme
• Suggested minimum radius: 18”