Can a vinegar car tank wrapper be bought ?

[peteski]

You are probably right, I am just not "seeing" the decal job in my head as a solution but I may not be envisioning it the right way. I confess, I am a woodworker by nature.  I would have an easier time making new hardware bits than trying to decal in between all the braces and strapping around the tank- so maybe I am making your decal idea more complicated than it needs to be.  I am envisioning a couple dozen strips of decal film, each fitting between 2 of the straps around the tank, and trying to line up the boards of each section with the boards of the next section.
And given picture #2, I thought he was open to a fairly major rebuild of the car.

You are correct - after re-reading the initial post I did notice that he is willing to basically strip the hardware and re-do the tank and the hardware. I was confused by the statement that Richie is looking for a "wrap" for the tank. In that case I still say that at this point might as well start from scratch and build the entire car. If the tank and hardware are scratchbuild, IMO the rest of the (plastic molded car) will look out of place.

[DKS]

...I still say that at this point might as well start from scratch and build the entire car. If the tank and hardware are scratchbuild, IMO the rest of the (plastic molded car) will look out of place.

Totally agree, and to make matters worse, a "wapper" on top of the plastic car will make the tank fatter, which will likely make it look oversized. Never mind lipstick on a pig--it'll be lipstick on a hippo.

[mmagliaro]

"A dowel would be awfully heavy."

I was thinking Balsa, not Ironwood.    But whatever they are using for dowel at my local Walmart might work ok. The 7/8" x3' piece I bought the other day weighs in at 6.2 ounces (for 3 feet) on our fancy kitchen scale- or one ounce per 6" (I don't know how long those cars are, but not over 80', are they?).  5/8" diameter would weigh just a bit more than 1/2 that- something like 5/8 of an ounce for a 6" piece.  Balsa would be much less.

Well, I learned something today.  I had no idea they made balsa wood dowels!
And yes, you are correct about standard dowels.  I weighed some here and they are shockingly light.
I had it in my head that they were heavy like oak or something.

[OldEastRR]

Did you really, or you just made that up on the spot after you saw my post? 
I only mentioned that "problem"since IIRC up1950s was one of few people besides me who called Rapido out on their meat reefers.

Nope, soon as I saw your comment on the spacing I immediately thought about your Rapido comments. No critique here, just word association. 

[nkalanaga]

Tom D.:  I think I know those lightweight dowels you're talking about.  The one I bought some time back wasn't balsa, but didn't weigh much more, and wasn't any stronger.  It had a much smoother finish, and a harder surface, but almost no structural strength.  I bought a one inch dowel to fix a broken metal-tube broom handle at work, and the dowel broke the first time we used the broom.

The second one I bought was spruce.  It lasted for months, until someone lost, stole, or moved the broom to another department.

[JMaurer1]

Pine is a popular dowel making wood. Cheap but light and not very strong.

If you really want to use the Atlas car, why not just cut the tank off the car and replace it with a dowel wrapped in either wood or styrene (I would use  styrene) and add the brackets and cables. Seems the easier way to go than trying to sand the existing tank down without damaging the base of the car. Then all you need is the decals...

[ncbqguy]

Seems to me that back in the day we figured out that the Atlas/Roco Vinegar Tank Car was a foobie designed to fit on a standard 50 FT boxcar under frame. 
If one is concerned about the tank wrapper a tank car underframe might be a better starting point.   A number of both the wood tank and vat style cars exist in railroad museums for inspiration.
Charlie Vlk