Rupert
Thank you for the post on the Gons. It is interesting to note the difference in load capacity with the wood car having a higher light weight and less cubic capacity yet working longer with less repairs. It has been my observation that gons were used mostly for company coal. And not just GS gons but often they used other gons as well with the section unloading coal at depots along the way might take a week or two for a gon of coal to be moved by the wayfreight and section from station to station on a subdivisioin. Most photos of coal chutes also show gons bringing the coal in.
Thanks
Steve in SC
If anyone has an interest in the differences between the
Burlington’s steel gons and composite gons, there was a presentation to
the Western Railway Club in 1917 by William Queenan, Assistant Shops Superintendent
for the CB&Q, in which he compared the history, qualities, rebuilding and
repair costs of the GA-1’s built by Cambria with those of the GA-2’s
built by Standard Steel. The presentation was followed by a lengthy discussion
by officials from a variety of roads.
The transcript of the presentation and discussion can be found at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b2978105;view=1up;seq=406
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ