The Lionel Gondola Car No. 6042 made frequent appearances in advanced and uncataloged sets between 1959 and 1961. It was not until 1962 that this car was cataloged and it would be available until 1964. This gondola car introduced a new body casting (mold No. 6112-86) that has a detailed undercarriage and a brake wheel that was molded into the plastic on the sides. Note the difference between the molds in the illustrations below.

These cars are unpainted and have heat-stamped lettering. Equipped with AAR or arch-bar trucks that usually have solid non-operating couplers. There are three variations:

Variation A: Has a BLACK body.

Variation B: Has a BLUE body. This version was cataloged as No. 6042-75 in 1962 and 1963 and came with two cable reels. The "-75" suffix is not shown on the car.

Variation C: Unstamped BLUE body. See: No. 6042-250. Issued in 1964.