Hi,



When I purchased my Insider loco #37563, I also bought the optional freight car set #46192. This has loads of real wood, so it adds to my collection of timber and wood on flat cars and in gondolas. The timber is stacked in 3 gondolas of different designs, and is done quite properly as in the prototype, to ensure the loads do not move around in transit. A load of logs is also supplied on an Rr20 design stake car. In all, the loads are very nicely done. A sliding top Kmmk gondola rounds out the set. While earlier models by Marklin of this car had metal end platforms, the plastic version on this one seems flexible and robust, and will not readily break. The sliding tops are metal.

To evaluate the gondola loads, I made the following measurements of the 3 cut timber lengths:
diameter 3mm (10" or .26m)
length 1 - 18mm (5'2" or 1.56m)
length 2 - 25mm (7'2" or 2.17m)
length 3 - 30mm (8'7" or 2.61m)
A forum member may be able to give me further clues, but I can only assume these timbers were carried for pit props (coal mines), or for vineyard trellis material, fuel, or further manufacture (matches, toys, furniture, household building or general carpentry).

Hand assembly of these timber loads would have been quite time-consuming (I estimate 3 minutes using ready formed materials, and then glue drying time), and I wonder if they were done by machine, or perhaps on a conveyor basis, person to person.

Edited addition 6 August 2013 - I just noticed that it is impossible to remove the load of timber from the gondola. It is glued in very positively. Not sure that I like that, but some may see it as a positive.


regards
Kimball

Edited by user 06 August 2013 04:44:13(UTC)  | Reason: Added photo and altered text

I think it is the mark on the contact track

/poulmh