Gunderson Brothers Engineering Corporation (GBEC) of Portland, Ore., was a small car builder that mostly produced box cars. Founded during World War II, the majority of its boxcar production occurred later during the 1960s. Between 1968-69, Gunderson manufactured its first 50’6” high-cube double plug door boxcars. The 1,050 cars were produced and divided amongst three customers – the Southern Pacific, Cotton Belt (St. Louis Southwestern) and the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. With a full 6,089 cubic foot carrying capacity, two 8-foot wide plug doors and a peaked diagonal-panel roof with Stanray ends, these high-cube boxcars stood out amidst the seas of conventional lower-profile Plate B and later Plate C boxcars of the time. Purpose-built to haul paper and lumber products and appliances, the Gunderson 6089 cf boxcars were seen all across North America.
An example of the Cotton Belt (St. Louis Southwestern) car from Tangent Scale Models.
The SP and SSW cars entered service with a giant “Hydra-Cushion” slogan proclaiming the cushioned center sill beneath the car’s flooring to protect against damage from shock during transport. By the mid-1980s, many of these SP and SSW cars were shopped and repainted with smaller “Cushion Car” lettering and renumbered into a new number series. By the early 1990s, a major portion of the fleet was fully refurbished and given new paint and reporting marks for “Golden West Service.” These bright blue cars were leased back to the SP/SSW, traveling far and wide.
A side view of the Golden West Service boxcar from Tangent Scale Models.
Tangent Scale Models is now shipping highly-detailed scale replicas of the Gunderson 50’6” 6089cf High Cube Double Plug Door Boxcar. The model features road-specific details for four specific prototype groups. Each boxcar is equipped with the appropriate hand brake options, wire brake piping, separate door release rods, simulated cushion underframe, extended draft gear and finely-scaled grab irons, stirrup steps and ladders. The models ride on all-new 70-Ton Barber S-2 Birdsboro Foundry roller bearing trucks (with three visible springs) with rotating bearing caps. Kadee couplers come pre-installed. $56.95 per car. Available road names are illustrated below. Multiple road numbers are available per road name. Undecorated kits of this car are also available, priced at $52.95 each.
Available now from your favorite authorized dealer or direct.
Tangent Scale Models, PO Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816; 828-412-3886
www.tangentscalemodels.com
