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Below is a pic of a real Chessie gondola.  John Whitmore took the pic.  It is the exact car I am doing, B&O 357201.

How to:
1.  Remove the yellow body from the box.  Sand the inside smooth.  There are six or eight little impressions where the plastic was injected into the mold to make the kit.  Sand these smooth.  Add the brakewheel to the body.
2.  Paint the body, inside and out, flat black.
3.  Spray the body, outside only, with gloss coat.
4.  Apply decals.  I use Herald King G-140 Chessie Gondola set, but Champ decals would work too.
5.  Spray the car with dull coat.
6.  Mix white Elmer's glue with water, I use about 1 part glue to 4 parts water as a mix.  Then pour some of this mix in the gondola, just enough so that the floor is wet.  Don't fill it up, just enough to cover the bottom.
7.  While the glue/water is wet sprinkle in some fine dirt.  I just swept under the door mat to get my dirt.  Take out the big stuff and use the almost powder like sand.  What you end up with is a very accurate collection of stuff that is commonly left in the gondola.
8.  When the glue is dry, spray the whole car with several light oversprays of engine black (very dark grey color, almost black).
9.  Spray the bottom 1/4 of the car with an overspray of tan/engine black mixed.
10.  Add the bottom details and trucks.  Weather the trucks with drybrushing shades of grey.  Paint the wheel faces rust colored.
10.  Seal the whole car inside and out with dull coat, enjoy your gondola.  You are done.

Below is a pic of the body right out of the box.

Below is a pic of the body painted black.

Below is a pic of the body decaled.

Below is a pic of the finished gondola.

Below is a pic of the top of the gondola.