Nachoman's 2010 spring bash chalenge

[nachoman]

Here is the car that inspired the challenge:
   
   

This is Bachmann 3-dome tank car, made in China. I am not even sure how it got into my possession. Nevertheless, it has been in my junk box for many years and at one time I had considered liberating the tank to use as an oil storage facility. I have decided to try and make a respectable model out of it, and hopefully I can get it to resemble this image that I found online:



The Bachmann car has some major flaws. In fact, it is one of the lousiest cars I have ever seen. Problems include:
1) Flash, and lots of it. Nearly every piece has extensive flash on the mold parting line.
2) Missing trucks and couplers. That's okay, because I would have replaced them anyway.
3) Cast on grab irons.
4) A flimsy underframe that doesn't fit together correctly. The underframe is also too weak and flimsy to support couplers. The car originally had couplers attached to the trucks, and I assume Bachmann made the frame thinner at the ends to accommodate the coupler swing.

I am not even sure what prototype (if any) the Bachmann car is following or how its dimensions scale out. It does look close enough to the prototype photo I found, so I think I can create a credible model.