Tank car era question

[jwb]

The Walthers Train Line tank is a knockoff of the Athearn bluebox single-dome tank car die work. This in turn represents a car of about 13,000 gallon capacity built by GATX about 1930. The biggest problem is that the dome is too small for the car's capacity, but that can be overlooked (I do). At one point, Detail Associates offered a white metal replacement dome for the Athearn car. This is big for a tank car of that period, since most were 8,000 or 10,000 gallon capacity, especially those used in gasoline or fuel oil service. The closest prototypes were used by UP, SP, and Santa Fe in Bunker C oil service for steam locomotives, although SP also had some lettered for "distillate" for the earliest diesel City streamliners.

In the early phase of the Athearn RTR line, they offered their version of this same car as Santa Fe and MKT (at least) diesel fuel cars, which I have and like a great deal. As a post above shows, this is also credible for a Conrail diesel fuel car.

I have two of the Walthers Trainline tanks, one lettered for the Bakers Chocolate scheme with the colonial lady on a white car, and one for British Columbia Ry diesel oil service. The BCOL is more credible. While Walthers Trainline cars are pretty basic and tend to preserve the errors inherent in c 1960 die work, I really like the well done paint schemes, so I do have some.

[jwb]

Here is my Train Line Bakers Chocolate tank car:

   

There are a couple of things that need to be done to improve the car's reliability. One is to get rid of the little detent buttons or whatever you call them that hold the trucks on, fill in the bolster holes, and drill out for real screws. Here this is in progress on my BCOL diesel fuel car, which has had the bolster holes filled with plastic sprue from some kit:

   

Here is the result on my Bakers Chocolate car:

   

I also replaced the stock couplers with Kadee 158s and painted the trucks and wheels. The car is also too light, but I haven't been able to figure out how to open the body to add weight.

[e-paw]

Looks good so far,, did you try to drill out the three tabs that pass from the tank through the frame, I believe they are press fit into it ? I think they are part of the upper portion of the tank, pass through the lower half and press fit into the frame. If you drill them out you should be able to open up the tank, that's if the tank isn't glued closed from the factory. if you can I would remove the stamped ladders from the side and replace them with something that doesn't look so toy like. Those ladders were always a pet peeve with me.

[Mr Fixit]

[quote="jwb"]Here is my Train Line Bakers Chocolate tank car:
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]
MMMMMMMM Chocolicious Railroading, MMMMMMMMM, AAAAAAAAAArgh,

Mark

[jwb]

Yes, the tabs or pegs are press fit, and you can pull the frame off (helps in getting rid of the detents), but that doesn't do anything for the bottom part of the tank itself. It may be glued -- I don't want to pry too hard, because the paint is really nice on these.

I mean to touch up the handrails and ladders with body color, but once that's done, I don't plan to replace the ladders.

[Catt]

Eight to ten K gallons :mrgreen: of chocolate? Talk about Hog Heaven.YUMMY!

[Charlie B]

A couple different prototypes.     Charlie

[jwb]

The one on the left looks like you could use the Athearn bluebox "chemical tank car" -- this is an insulated pressure tank that normally would haul propane or ammonia, but I've seen some of those converted for other use, and it may have happened here. But I don't know if anyone does Baker's Chocolate tank car decals.