PS Silverside Coal Gondola
Prototype Information
Pullman-Standard introduced the Silverside coal gondola in the late 1960s to meet the growing demand for unit train coal service. These cars featured aluminum bodies mounted on steel underframes. The use of aluminum significantly reduced the light weight of the car and allowed for a higher payload capacity compared to all-steel designs. Most Silversides were built with rotary couplers on one end. This feature enabled the cars to be emptied in rotary dumpers without uncoupling from the rest of the train.
The most famous fleet of these gondolas belonged to the Southern Railway. They operated in massive unit trains to deliver coal to power plants across the Southeast. While the aluminum sides were resistant to corrosion, the steel underframes eventually required maintenance due to the high-stress nature of coal hauling. Despite these challenges, the Silverside design proved the viability of high-capacity aluminum cars in heavy freight service. Many remained in operation for decades before being replaced by more modern all-aluminum car designs.
Showing all 4 results
-
ScaleTrains HO Operator PS Silverside Coal Gondola Norfolk Southern “SOU Reporting Mark”
$30.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
ScaleTrains HO Operator PS Silverside Coal Gondola Southern “High Claytor Lettering”
$30.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
ScaleTrains HO Operator PS Silverside Coal Gondola Southern “Low Claytor Lettering”
$30.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
ScaleTrains HO Operator PS Silverside Coal Gondola Southern “Thin Lettering”
$30.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
