Athearn Ethanol Tanks announced

[Scottl]

Pretty sure no one has posted this yet.  Lots of numbers and schemes for us modern "kids".  I loved the previous round, great detail, etched parts, and nice finish.

http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=Ethanol+Tank&CatID=TNRF

[packers#1]

I may pick up one, as back home there's what I assume to be an ethanol distribution center. The funny thing is it has space for over half a dozen tankers, but I've only seen a tanker there once and the tanks there could maybe hold one and a half tankers worth of ethanol.

[GaryHinshaw]

Good to see that they're coming out with these again; I'll certainly be getting some.  Hopefully more LPG tankers are soon to follow.

I picked up an ADM car from the latest release (last month) and was somewhat disappointed at the quality of the assembly (a fair number of wonky/crooked parts).  These cars are second to none in detail level, but their design puts pretty stringent requirements on the assembly process.  It's nothing that can't be fixed by the modeler, but it requires breaking glue joints, and that doesn't always end well...

[Scottl]

I'm pretty sure I pre-ordered more LPG cars last fall in the Procor scheme.  I don't see anything on their website now, but the delivery date was April 2014.

[ljudice]

Great news!!!!!   Count me in for a bunch of the plain UTLX and PROCOR cars...

Also notice the scrap hauling schemes on the high side gon announced as well...

[Scottl]

These are definitely good to see, and a sign that all is not amiss at Athearn from the n scale perspective. I'll get a trio of the ethanol units.

[peteski]

Nice!
This must be a 2nd batch of the ones released few months back (after long absence since the 1st release few years back).  Last I checked MBK still had few odd ones left from the recent batch.

EDIT:  I think that this is actually pretty good indication that the last (current) batch sold well enough for them to schedule another run.  We probably have more N scalers buying these (or maybe simply a pent-up demand, since the 1st batch was sold out several years ago).  I know that my friend was waiting for these to model the gasoline TankTrain. He finally got them without going broke trying to buy the older ones on eBay.

[Rossford Yard]

When they originally released these, no doubt one of the most needed modern cars.....I have several, but they still are necessary to me, and I bet, several modelers.  I hope these are as big a home run for Athearn as covered hoppers were for Intermountain, and a mainstay of N scale fleets for years to come.

[ljudice]

How different are the Ethanol cars from the Crude Oil cars which are becoming even more common in unit trains?

[peteski]

How different are the Ethanol cars from the Crude Oil cars which are becoming even more common in unit trains?

Quite similar.  The ones used for the TankTrain have an extra vent on top.  That is why friend of mine will use these to model the TankTrain.

[basementcalling]

Nice looking cars but not sure how frequently they show in the interior Pacific Northwest.

[primavw]

I scored an ADM one a month or so ago from my LHS for $14 which was a steal... took it home and one of the ladders broke off in my hands... quick repair but sort of disappointed me. Those Procor ones look pretty sweet though!!!

[coalcaboose]

These cars are exactly the same cars used in Crude service from the Bakken, Texas, Wyoming and Eastern Colorado oil plays... They may be replaced or upgraded soon however. There are newer larger cars that no one has yet produced.

The Atlas 25.5K cars are correct for Canadian Oil sands Crude and Utah Waxy Crude which travels in coiled tanks.  There is also a slightly newer and larger version of this car that no one produces yet. I believe it is around 28k

[Scottl]

I am buying them for crude trains as well, they fill that role nicely.

[ljudice]

Coalcaboose and Scottl: thanks for the info...

Basementcalling:  there are a number of articles in the Seattle press about crude oil trains becoming common, and I have also heard empty
eastbounds on the Stampede Sub that were oil trains.