Why Are Beercan Tank Cars So Small?

[GimpLizard]

Beer keg cars... oh brother 

So what I wanna know... when did these first appear on Americas's rails?

[wcfn100]

Don't think I have ever seen one on a train, ever.  Oh, did anyone notice the Western Maryland gon in the back of that photo?

RI?

Jason

[Bob Bufkin]

RI?

Jason

Check the lettering font, more like WM.

[wcfn100]

Check the lettering font, more like WM.

RI small block lettering.

Not saying it couldn't be WM because I don't now anything about it beyond the speed lettering scheme, but I'd bet a beer it's RI.

Jason

[sizemore]

Don't think I have ever seen one on a train, ever.  Oh, did anyone notice the Western Maryland gon in the back of that photo?

At first glance that looks like it might be a WM car, had to do a double-take, but the font is wrong and it's not italicized like a good post '54 WESTERN MARYLAND car should be!

The S.

[Kisatchie]

...how do you tell the atlas model from the mdc model? I bought a bunch
used with no boxes and cant tell.

I wish I could help you, but my cars are stored away in one of 9 big boxes (at the bottom, covered with other cars) right now. You can go to the Atlasrr.com site and put the pointer on "N Models" in the menu bar. You'll see "Past Products" - click on that. Scroll down to "Trainman Rolling stock". Under the heading, you'll see "Beer Can Shorty Tank Car". Click on the dates shown to see what cars are available and how they look.

If the cars you have don't look exactly like that, then they're the MDC cars.


Hmm... fat lot of good
that info does...

[Kisatchie]

So what I wanna know... when did these first appear on Americas's rails?

This says late '60s:

http://www.visi.com/~spookshow/freight/atlasbeer.html


Hmm... when did bananas
first appear on the
evolutionary scale...?

[peteski]

I have bunch of the Atlas ones too but like like Ms. Dee's , mine are also put away.  I suppose I could dig them out. But IIRC, the word "Atlas" is molded somewhere under the car (don't remember if it was on the bottom of the tank or on one of the sub-frame/bolster assemblies.  Mine were bought in the 80s and 90s so their trucks are dead giveaway of their Atlas origin too. They have the metal wheels with plastic centers and metal axles and the coupler boxes also scream "Atlas" (with their Rapido couplers).

So those are for hauling heavy liquids? Hmm, I do think that Atlas took some liberties with the decoration. I remember one of the cars is labeled as carrying lard. I didn't think lard was that heavy. 

[Lemosteam]

RI small block lettering.

Not saying it couldn't be WM because I don't now anything about it beyond the speed lettering scheme, but I'd bet a beer it's RI.

Jason

Don't you mean a beer car?   

[Sokramiketes]

Check the lettering font, more like WM.

Definitely Rock Island.  Most likely a 70 ton, 16 post, three bay hopper, series R.I. 9000-9599. 

[Bob Bufkin]

O.K., I give and bow to the experts.  RI it is.  Still an interesting car.

[wcfn100]

Definitely Rock Island.  Most likely a 70 ton, 16 post, three bay hopper, series R.I. 9000-9599.

Probably right.  The car in the morning sun book has a small metal reinforcement along the top of the car that the car in the pic doesn't.  I didn't know if there was another series of similar cars.

Jason

[DKS]

Don't think I have ever seen one on a train, ever.  Oh, did anyone notice the Western Maryland gon in the back of that photo?

I would drive by strings of 100s of them parked along the NJ Turnpike in the Elizabeth/Newark area. There are refineries galore all along both sides of the TP for miles. I believe they were all being stored (loaded? Unloaded? Who knows), since I never saw any of them moving. This was from the 70s to the 90s, IIRRC; it seems now they're disappearing.

As for finding them in moving trains, I've seen the odd beercan or two in mixed freight passing through West Trenton years back, but they were indeed few and far between, and I don't see any today.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I just find it odd that such a unique car would have so few photos on the internet.

[nkalanaga]

The original models came out in the early 70s, so the prototypes are probably from the 60s.  At one time, Walthers made a real beer can tankcar in O scale - the modeler had to supply the beer can!

Years ago I saw them at the Catlettsburg refinery here in northeast Kentucky.  Then they rerouted to highway so one can't see most of the refinery, so I don't know if they still use them.