Atlas 25500 Gal Trinity Tank Car

[sd75i]

   I was wondering if anyone could share the difference between the Undecorated (1991 Cargill) and the Undecorated (1992 ADM) of the Atlas 25500 Gallon Tank Car?  Thanks and God Bless!!


                                                                                                  Dave Thomas

[ljudice]

It's the top hardware fittings that differ - the inlets, manways, etc...

[Walkercolt]

Atlas says the tank "saddles" are also prototype correct. As a certified tankcar "nut", I know exactly what they're talking about. I sure wish somebody would make a "hot-dog" tankcar, a modern LPG car and a molten sulfur tank.

[ljudice]

My thoughts exactly... By hotdog, you mean those 30k longish ones with the really deep "V" shape... 

I would add a sulphuric acid tank to the list as well - but it's getting close to the point where you will be able to model PIOI, the Conrail train that was 75% tank cars some days...

BTW, I need to backdate some Athearn Ethanol cars to the mid 1990's - as standins... But as standins for what?  Anyone have any good suggestions.  There are very similar cars in earlier UTLX series, like around 200000-202000...

[Walkercolt]

Yeah, the long tanks with a major bend in them. I can't find anything close to the ethanol cars that are older. They are either smaller in diameter (uninsulated) or shorter and fatter (insulated). When I win the $310 million lottery I never enter, I'll cut a dozen dies for N-scale tankcars that have never been done but by a couple of very skilled scratch builders. Real question: I can get tons of Con-Cor tankcars very, very cheap thru the hobby shop. The one's I have, even with the Gold Medal Models Works photo-etch kits still dissapoint me. Should I grab some anyway, and hope I can make them look "right"? I have figured out what looks wrong to me on them. Like the MDC tankcars, the tank rides too high in the platform saddles. Had to clear the Rapido's. I'm trying to convice myself they're worth the time, effort and expense. What do you guys think? I'm still loaded with drugs from my sinus surgury last week, so you won't hurt my feelings.

[ljudice]

I looked at going that route too, but figured at some point someone will make a commercial model that's going to be better.

Take a look at the earlier cars in the UTLX 204000 series - like 201-202000 - they look almost identical to the Athearn car, but are clearly from the 1990's.

[Walkercolt]

The ethanol cars over at the refinery and the BNSF yard aren't where I can walk-up and measure them like all the other tankcars and everything else down in the SKO yard. (Charlie the owner of the RR doesn't care what you do in the yard as long as you don't hurt yourself, or do stupid things.) I think I know all the engineers and conductors and "brakemen" that work this end of the road by name, half of them from the train store. Their idea of "security guards" are the street people that hang-out on the south-end of the yard (that I need to keep a good look-out for. Cameras and wallets mean cheap booze, gold spray paint or drugs to them. My two good freinds Heckler and Koch always go with me down in the yard. One-on-one, they don't worry me, but 4-5 of them at a time, isn't good.) Anyway Lou, I'm having a harder time convincing myself the Con-Cor cars are worth it, even with the MT trucks, the cars, the GMM details at cost. I sure wish Atlas would do the cars the Con-Cor's are supposed to be.