Since the B&CC gondolas are variations of a box on the flat car, these steps cover how to build and detail the box.
Like the flat cars, the trucks of the gondolas (and the excursion gondola) were removed and airbrushed with grimy black and
then replaced. In addition, the truck spacer was hand painted grimy black.
Freight Gondola
| For the freight gondolas, each side of the car consists of three 2"x12" stock pieces cut to 26’ in length |  |
| These are edged glued together and 4"x4" vertical posts are glued 1' in from both ends and then every 6' |  |
| Finally add NBWs along each vertical post centered on each board - include more NBWs on the board side, centered on both the board and the vertical post |  |
| Attach two sides to the base car (pockets will be added later). |  |
| Gondola ends begin as 2"x12" cross members, cut to length. |  |
| 4"x4" eng posts are added. Rather than drill holes in the floor of the base car for the vertical posts, the model simplifies assembly by cutting the end vertical posts short |  |
| Add NBWs using the same centering techniques as for the sides |  |
Finish construction by adding Precision Scale stake pockets over the vertical stakes. Attach a NBW over each pocket to model the support bolt that goes through the pocket and stake into the frame of the car. Gondola brakes are added using the same steps as for the flat cars. |
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| The top and sides of a freight gondolas are airbrushed Polly Scale Light Freight Car Red, thinned according to bottle directions. I didn't worry about keeping the paint coat even because the cars would fade in the high UV environment prevalent in the mountains of Colorado |  |
| Like the flat cars, the undersides of freight gondolas are painted with Polly Scale Grimy Black, again thinned according to bottle directions. Overspray was allowed when painting the ends of the truck beams to help weather the car sides. |  |
| Custom decals from Rail Graphics make up the car lettering. Because of the size of the name decals, the logo was split across the panels of the gondola and centered on each. Gondolas receive numbers from the 200 series. |  |
Excursion Gondola
The excursion gondola (being a passenger car) is constructed slightly differently. The 2"x12" stock pieces for the sides are not edge glued, but spaced 6" apart, leaving a gap that children could see through.| For the excursion gondola, Grandt Line’s Coach Seats – Narrow Gauge – Wood Ends are ganged together and two sets are placed back to back in the center of the car |  |
| The excursion gondola's top and sides is painted the same color as the fright gondola |  |
| The underside of the excursion gondola receives the same treatment as a freight gondola. |  |
| As B&CC passenger cars have two digit numbers, the Excursion Gondola is numbered 81. |  |