B&O Gondola

B&O Gondola, #350370, is an all-steel, solid bottom, drop-end car, B&O Class O-41. Length is 50'-7 3/8" and it has a capacity of 100,000 lbs. Weight empty is 46,800 lbs. It was built in the Keyser, WV shops in 1933.

The car ended up in the collection of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum and was deeded as a gift to us. It sat in Tunnelton, WV while we raised the money to move it to Belington for restoration.

As of April 19, 2007, the town leaders in Tunnelton WV, gave us a deadline for moving the gon from their town or they would scrap it. An emergency fund raising program was started, and over 70 dedicated folks immediately contributed. Their generosity provided the funding needed to make it happen.

On May 23, 2007, the crane and truck arrived in Tunnelton, and only four hours later, the rare gon was unloaded in Belington awaiting the next step in restoration. The professionals of the D&GVRR will handle the mechanical issues so the car can run again in future photo trains, and the volunteers of the museum will do much of the body work to return the car to proper B&O paint.

Finally, in December 2009, the car was sandblasted and painted. Kinney Hickman, Hickman GrafX, Philippi, created and applied the lettering, and with the help of WVC mechanic Roger Phillips, it was applied in January 2010.