Obsessed with tank cars

Well .... obsessed for now , I have 121 of of them. I have been buying the newer Bachmann 10k tanks and planting them on Intermountain underframes just because I like the Intermountain detail . I may be committing heresy here by saying I don't really like the microtrains 10,000 gallon car. The Microtrains car is marked for 8-10k gallons but the car is as big as the Atlas 11,000 gallon tank , It's a BIG car !! The Micro trains 3 dome car appers to be a 5000-6000 car, its a small car but there were several varieties of smaller capacity tank cars throughout the years.

Sadly I didn't buy a lot of intermountain car kits when they were available. I have built a large group recently and they are still very buildable and make good looking models.

I have just ordered three of the new Bachmann 3 dome cars. I don't think the type of dome Bachmann has on these cars has been done before except for the fine N Scale resin kits.

I model the late 40s and there was a huge variety of car types in service at that time.

What is everyone else doing to build a tank car fleet ???

Randy

 

I didn't buy those but I sure did buy quite a few of those Beer Can Tankers. Think I have about 15

 

I'm planning on a 'tank farm' on the edge of my layout. I havent even bought one tank car...yet. I have a few odds and ends but really want at least 6 of all the same. I suppose when I finally get to that point on the layout...they'll be in the 50.00 each range...LOL.

 

I got some tank cars but my most numerous car are hoppers, coal hoppers that is. Got about 100 of the the Atlas 90 ton plus the BLMA Topgons and the Delux(?) double tubs. Bluford 70 ton offset side and 14 panel ribside. Atlas 2 bay offset sides and fishbelly side and an assortment of concor 2 bay and four bays and a lot of MT 2 bay. About 225-250 cars total I would imagine. I thought that was it, no more hoppers. Then Atlas announces a new run of 2 bay offset side hoppers in P&WV and W&LE due in the spring. Okay, just a few more won't hurt.

 

Randy, any photos of the Bachmann tanks on IM underframes? Interesting idea!
i like the new cars but wish Bachmann would give us more common cars in multiple numbers, instead of the circus train of colors with one car number each? Doesn't it occur to their marketing people that tank cars ran in long strings or even solid trains and selling four packs, six packs or even dozen of common black cars maybe good business? Geez...
Otto K.

 

I would like to own more, but they are so much more expensive. I do have quite a few coalporters and hoppers though

 

I love tank cars, especially ethanol tank cars; probably have 30 to 40 of them. I'd like a bunch more to create a tank car unit train but the cost is pretty high per car now. I'm always looking for a good deal on the 'bay for them.

 

I've built up what is for me a nice size tank car fleet. I have a bunch of atlas units, 22.5s 17.6s etc. Also have a quartet of the MTL general service cars. The focus of my layout is coal and manifest freight, so my fleet overall is pretty well rounded. A while ago, however, I didn't have any and went on a bit of a buying spree-picked up about a dozen off the bay in a week! Good fun

 

"Well .... obsessed for now , I have 121 of of them.... I model the late 40s and there was a huge variety of car types in service at that time."

At first I thought you might be modeling something in support of a "fracking" operation (and, "NO! This is not a Battlestar Galactica reference.")

 

Not big, but the fleet is about thirty cars, about half and half IM and MT. After a new to another house, currently only have a module up and running, so won't be able to utilize more for now. But will continue to add all of the black UTLX and GATX as I can afford them. I model transistion era ATSF when these types of cars were in heavy use.

 

Not to start vicious rumors, but if you guys are looking for IMRC tank cars you might try contacting Intermountain. I seem to recall a story by Frank @ IMRC that they at one point way overproduced these. Now I'm not sure if they eventually sold them off or what but I swear he said they still had some....granted this was probably 6-7 years ago. Might be worth the price of an e-mail to see. ;-)

I love me some tank cars too, and I wish we'd see more 70's+ era tank cars in n-scale. Or, even some good articles on kitbashing a variety of new tank car flavors using existing parts would be nice. I've been contemplating modeling a unit sulfur train using "close enough" cars but I'm learning they're not even as close as I thought so I've cooled on the idea for now at least. I maybe have 50 tank cars "in revenue service" plus another 20 or so in various levels of "project". I could easily double that number if appropriate models were available. Atlas and Athearn have really released some fantastic models in n-scale over the past 10 years.

Tank cars and gons are the two biggest holes in my roster, although both are making progress of late, especially a lot of gons released in the past 3-4 years.

 

Athearn's ethanol tank car is one of my favorite cars right now. I've got a small fleet of about a dozen, and as soon as they make more, I'll probably buy enough for a unit train. Atlas' corn syrup cars are also very excellent!

 

I'd mention how many I have... but... I couldn't even estimate the amount... it's definately more than 121. Tank cars are one of my main OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) in model railroading. Perhaps the first types of model trains I searched for from my first days of N scale. I know I got most of the Atlas beercan tanks since 1983 when I got into N scale. I really would have had MANY more if I could have afforded the relatively expensive Micro-trains tank cars and their shrink-wrapped sets. When Intermountain came onto the scene... I bought their kits by the dozen... entire runs of different roads/roadnumbers. I finally had to slow down on the purchases by limiting to cars that ran before the 1970's... even though I still got those beercan tanks which are more typical of the 1970' to present. I have not gotten any of the ethanol tanks or funnel flows etc... otherwise my tank car OCD would be worse than it already is.

 

Here are Bachamnn cars on intermountain underframes. Some of the bachmann cars are simple to renumber with a microscale alphabet set. A perfect example is the Bachamnn Frontenac car. The frontenac car has two different reporting numbers anyow, the numbers on the sides are different from the ends so renumbering is necessary. I have found the the Bachmann lettering comes off with the tip of an exacto blade without leaving any damage. The Spartan Oil car pictured above will be difficult to renumber as the numbers are blue. There were only 3 of these cars anyhow so I guess one will do. I did buy a group of the orange and black Simonins Vegetable oil cars. I renumbered them but there is a slight difference in number sizes so I'm not entirely happy with the results.

I am going to try a small experiment with an Intermountain car soon. I will fill in the dome and install a pressure dome for chemicals. The car will get a Plano platform installed on the top as well . I'm looking forward to seeing how that will turn out.

As soon as I get a Bachmann 3 dome car I will look at the possibility of making one into a two dome 7200 gallon car.


I am looking for ways to get a bigger variety in the fleet instead of being limited to the five types available. As I see it from a modelers point of view; which means that the car must have some fidelity to the prototype, have good detail and be easily modified (couplers etc..).



The available car types for model railroaders in the transition period are:

1) Intermountain type 27 8000 gallon single dome.
2) Micro trains ACF 3 dome.
3) Bachmann 10,000 gallon single dome.
4) Atlas 11,000 gallon pressurized car.
5) Bachmann 6000 (?) gallon 3 dome non pressure car.

Like I stated before, the older Micro trans car is rather dated and in my opinion a bit over sized to represent an 8-10,000 car . Someone please prove me wrong !!


Although I model the late 40s I think part of my obsession comes from the fact that at work we started hauling 80 car crude oil trains, I was the engineer on some of the first ones. Looking back along the train I decided that it would be neat to recreate that with equipment from the 40s.

Randy

 

You want IM GATX? Here you go: http://www.ebay.com/itm/380537117224?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I love tankers too especially the Intermountains. I have 40 or so. Based off of the prices they garner on ebay, I would bet that new tooling could be a wise move. I understand the original tooling was damaged.

 

Please don't bid against me !!!!! Oh well , I do have the ability to create my own GATX cars...

To add to that a bit .. The GATX car are simple because They do not have periods between the letters (usually) and there is no other lettering on the car other than capacity and build dates etc. (usually) . The SHPX cars have the very small "Shippers car line" spelled out above the reporting marks and periods between the letters S.H.P.X. so thats a hang up. The U.T.L.X car have periods between the reporting mark letters, Union tank is spelled out above the marks and the lettering is usually dulux gold.

I think NATX also has the name spelled out above the marks with National spelled out.

GATX is just white lettering, no periods or anything special.

Randy

 

Did someone say tank cars?

 

Nice !!!! Thats what I see looking out the rear window of an engine. I want to capture that look with 1940s vintage equipment like these .

Randy

 

Don't worry about it. If they still burned heretics at the stake, I'd have been roasted years ago!

Regards,

Pete Davies