Newest MTL tank car

[bbussey]

Since the trucks need changing in addition to the wheel diameter, try BLMA ACF 100-ton Ride Control trucks to see if they lower the model enough before filing the bolsters down.

If MTL ever releases a 1980s-era GATX scheme on the model, I might get one.

[GaryHinshaw]

Since the trucks need changing in addition to the wheel diameter, try BLMA ACF 100-ton Ride Control trucks to see if they lower the model enough before filing the bolsters down.

Definitely the first step.  Hopefully the only one.

[nkalanaga]

Not really that much work, as none of it's "expert level".  It can all be done with leftovers and some styrene strip.  The "expensive" parts will be some brass roofwalk material, but one 40 ft boxcar roofwalk will do two tank cars, and Accumate couplers.  Steal them from any Atlas car with truck mounted couplers, and replace them with body-mounted 1015s or 1025s.  If that isn't an option buy a pair of Atlas 100 ton trucks, ATL22071 @ 4.35 each from Feather River Trains, and you'll have the trucks as well.  The work can be done without changing the trucks, if you have everything else, because these trucks don't change the ride height.  You can replace the trucks later.  The Atlas trucks are a stock item and should be available through any hobby shop carrying Atlas products.  Mine have metal wheels, also Atlas, but the stock plastic wheels work fine.

The tricky part is getting the car apart.  It's held together by four pins IN the body bolsters.  The top of the bolster is on the body, while the bottom is on the underframe.  A little gentle prying with a knife blade will get the car apart.  Glue the new coupler box to the underframe portion of the bolster.

It's actually a good project for someone comfortable working with plastic, but not ready for a major kitbashing job.

[tom mann]

To me, one would also have to change the bolster location, since the trucks look too far outboard.  I guess with some BLMA trucks, the truck center *might* align with the bolster.

[ednadolski]

Definitely needs lowering.  In that pic it almost looks like you could fly an airplane underneath it.    And those look like 70T trucks but the proto is 100T.

I usually don't say much about prices, but in this case $34.75 seems like a lot for something that right out of the box you have to replace the trucks/wheels and install body-mounted couplers,  plus lower the ride height and rebuild/relocate the saddles.  It's hard to see, but the air tank looks wrong too.  Seems to me there are better offerings for the money.

(At least being black the paint would not be hard to match.)

Ed

[Scottl]

I'm kind of unimpressed with the cost as well, given what it will take to make this presentable, along with the slow motion release of different road numbers.  What alternative models are there?

[tom mann]

This isn't new tooling, is it?  Doesn't MT have 100ton trucks and 36" wheels now?

[nkalanaga]

Tom:  The Atlas trucks I used also have the pin hole centered, so they'll fix the problem.  I don't know what the prototype is for this one, but I've seen tank cars with the outer wheels this close, and in some cases closer, to the end.  It seems to vary widely.

And no, this isn't new tooling.  I've had mine many years, but just got around to modifying it.  It would be "easy" for MT to make the changes I made, and it would affect only one part, but the tooling costs would likely be more than they want to spend.

Scottl:  There really aren't any alternatives.  The Atlas and Athearn cars are distinctively different, and even the Atlas cars can stand to be lowered a little.  They're a lot easier to do.

[Denver Road Doug]

Well, it's barely out of era for me.  I think it looks nice.  I'll file it under...find it on sale at a train show or someone's fire sale.   The price doesn't really deter me too much since I'd only likely buy one, but the price combined with the conspic striping makes it a wait and see, for me.

These MTL cars and the MDC/Athearns (with upgrades) are unfortunately a necessary evil (and really not very evil)  in n-scale for now.   There's just not enough variety in tank cars, so they have to fill in if you want to have variety.   I subscribe to the notion that even though they're not some super prototypical car, the fact that they are representative and different gives them a spot on the roster.   And I love that they went with the spartan scheme....drop the conspic stripes and spreadsheet and I'd buy half dozen probably.   And yes, that's an easy remedy but then before long you have that "easy" project and then the "easy" truck replacement, and an "easy" lowering project, and an "easy" coupler mody mounting and.....well you get the picture.   Tougher to want to spend that kind of money versus just finding some used ones, dipping them in alcohol, and start truly from scratch.   I've seen used or unpopular roads for the MTL cars go for under $10.

[Scottl]

Digging around a bit, I see Atlas is coming out with 25K gallon tanks with some nice modern schemes in the Master line.  For me, the three numbers and the metal wheels, together with a lower cost all make for a more attractive combination.  The TILX cars are particularly welcome as they have become so common.

Ordering one car at a time as per the MT business model carries a shipping overhead that makes the initial price even worse for me, so I'll just go with the Atlas product.

[nsbob]

I think Gary Hinshaw did a great job in covering much of what is being discussed here in the "Notes on body-mount couplers" in the Best of the Wire Archives.  I plan to upgrade two Athearn/MDC tank cars I acquired at train shows ($6.00 each) with Gold Metal Models kits, BLMA 100 ton trucks, and Z scale couplers to get cars similar to Gary's.   Total price approximately half of what it would cost to purchase and modify two MTL tank cars.   

[GaryHinshaw]

There's just not enough variety in tank car (model)s, so they have to fill in if you want to have variety.

This kind of sums it up for me: variety.  We'll never have very high proto-fidelity with tanks cars because there are just too many detail variations for the model manufacturers (and this modeller) to keep up with.  Sad as it is to admit, given the size of fleet I'm aiming for (~50-100 tank cars), there aren't enough hours left in my life* to lower, body-mount, and weather a fleet, and modify a bunch of details if I ever want to finish many of the other projects on my list (which is almost endless).     This car will add a little variety and won't look out of place once lowered.

*[Tony Koester]
Here is the grim calculation: at my age and state of health, my median life expectancy is 86, or 31 more years.  If I assume I have 10 productive modelling hours a week (optimistic) then I have about 15,000 modelling hours left.  I spend at least 2-3 hours tuning up each freight car (including body mounts & weathering), and at least 10 hours per loco on detailing & weathering.  Thus a fleet of 500 freight cars and 50 locos will take 1500 + 500 = 2000 hours.  That's almost 15% of my remaining modelling time... (actually I'm relieved it's only 15%).  And then there is bench work, wiring, signalling, scenery, operations.      This is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I do think about it.
[/Tony Koester]

[John]

For 99% of the folks out there that buy this -- they will either leave it in the case, put it in a case, or run it as is ..  I'm getting less of a proto freak as I get closer to the Koester factor as well ..

I do have a concern with the price .. but most will note several passes of color was needed ..

[tappertrainman]

As some have mentioned, it's a little out of my era, but I'm desperate for decent looking tank cars that aren't Kaolin or corn syrup.  I already reserved the one our local hobby shop received today.

James

[John]

As some have mentioned, it's a little out of my era, but I'm desperate for decent looking tank cars that aren't Kaolin or corn syrup.  I already reserved the one our local hobby shop received today.

James

I wonder how a shapeways effort would work ..