1557
1500 Class Gondola

Loaded with pipe at Chama. Aug 2005. Photo: FOCTS. Click image for larger size.

Number:	1557
Type:	Gondola
Class:	1500 Class
Category:	Freight
Year Built:	1903
Manufacturer:	American Car and Foundry
Year Rebuilt:	1924
How Acquired:	Purchased from D&RGW, 1970.
Description:	Converted to pipe gon in the 1950s, to rider gon on C&TS, and back to pipe gone by FOCTS, 2003.

The ends of this high side gondola were removed in the 1950s in order to carry 50-foot natural gas pipe. A major natural gas discovery around 1950 resulted in a dramatic increase in traffic over the narrow gauge throughout the decade. Pipe, drilling mud and other machinery and supplies were shipped over the line to Farmington. The 50-foot pipe was too long for the Rio Grande’s 30- and 40-foot cars. In order to transport the pipe, the ends of many gondolas were removed, and they were alternated with flat cars to accommodate the overhanging pipe.

The car was converted to a rider gondola on the C&TS. In 2003, FOCTS undertook its restoration, repairing structural decay and converting it back to its pipe gon configuration.

Sources:

A Century + Ten of D&RGW Narrow Gauge Freight Cars, 1871 to 1981 by Robert E. Sloan, 2000.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad; The Historic Preservation Study, Spencer Wilson and Vernon Glover, University of New Mexico Press, 1980.

1994

New floor. [Metzler]

1996

Painted and lettered. The car received two coats of an acrylic, high-gloss, water-based paint. The interior of the car was sprayed with a linseed oil and paint thinner mixture. [Dispatch 9-4]

2003

Work Session D. FOCTS volunteers began work on the restoration of this car as part of a restored pipe train of five cars. All of the high side gondolas that have cast steel bolsters and draft gear were considered unserviceable because of rot and separation in the center sills. Cars 1557 and 1648 were considered the best candidates for restoration. To that end, 1557 was disassembled during the June work sessions to assess its condition. [Dispatch 16-3, Metzler]

Work Session E. Volunteers replaced about 10 feet of the B end center sills with new sills. The team also made new oak end sills, installed 20 new oak stakes, and installed several side boards on both the left and right. According to Metzler, the car was also redecked. [Dispatch 16-3, Metzler]

2005

Work Session C. Painted with the following procedure. The car was scraped and wire brushed, and dust removed with 100 psi of air. A Benjamin-Moore oil-based primer was applied and allowed to dry overnight. The following morning two coats of Benjamin-Moore latex were applied. [Dispatch 18-3, TLR RP04 2005]

Work Session E. Lettered. [Dispatch 18-4, TLR RP05 2005]

Work Session F. A load of 15 pieces of pipe was loaded into the gondola to demonstrate how pipe was handled in a 1950s pipe train. 4X6 blocks were bolted to the supports on the bottom of the car. The pipe was banded together in four places. Three chains were also put around the pipe and anchored to the floor. For security reasons, the chain was bolted to the top pipe with counter sunk allen head bolts with lock-tite. The ³S² hooks were welded together on the bottom and also the chain was welded together in two different places. [Dispatch 18-4, TLR CC15 2005]