MTL Tankcar Platform

[Sokramiketes]

LOL!  Ouch on the lettering!     I think I lightly sanded and then feathered red over those areas with the airbrush, because the paint was thin.  I feathered red over the entire car to help fade/age the lettering.  Had to sand and airbrush the splice joints anyway so it wasn't any additional effort.  What I do remember is that I was going to stretch some of the other colors at the time and the one experience was enough for me!  It wasn't the body that was the problem though, it was stretching the Delrin/Celcon frame and holding the pieces together.  I use stainless steel wire as reinforcement but it took a while to figure out.

That one actually is a runner.  A relatively up-to-date photo is on the Bridgeport Facebook page, in the Conrail era freight equipment album.

In our current era, probably 3D-printing the body at the proper diameter and extracting the dome and details from one MTL tankcar along with other existing detail parts would yield a more prototypical model.  Or maybe the MTL 56' tankcar body would serve as good a starting point as a 3D-printed body.

Yeah, I think @wcfn100 will eventually have us covered on a better option.  Yours is a neat piece of N scale history now.  If I remember, the bright red may have been a misinterpretation of the real 285 which was maroon, but faded in later years.  Maroon, Green, Silver, and Black were all color coded for various commodities.  Even then, they were online company tank cars so didn't wander much until post CNW. 

[wcfn100]

Yeah, I think @wcfn100 will eventually have us covered on a better option. 

Hopefully sooner than later.  With my youngest moving into middle school, this fall, I think I'll finally be able to notch out some modeling time (no doubt I've typed something similar many times previous).  I hope to make many of the files available to anyone, but much of what I have needs to be redone as far as print orientation.  The tank car, for example, is two halves laid end to end to in order to match whatever Shapeways was doing at the time in regards to pricing.  This would not be the ideal layout for a resin printer.

I'm getting closer every day. 

Jason

[SAH]

Ah, interesting topic.  Some day my ppd etched sheet will show up (6 weeks since ship notice and counting  ).  Until then here's a teaser.

The expansion dome is from the MT model.




Background in the Weathering/Scratchbuilding board under Goodyear Synthetic Rubber Tankers.

[Mark5]

Also, I don't think we've actually SEEN a prototype photo yet, right? Or are you looking at the book?

I have found a proto photo for this Allied tank elusive (so far). I have a lot of pix of Allied tanks, but not this series.

And then, last time I checked - there weren't any decals available.

Mark

[TrainCat2]

Yup, been awhile since the last post but these are about to be sent to the etcher with the next two weeks. As soon as I get a final 2024 price per sheet, I can tell you all what they will sell for. I will be selling these in multiples of 3.

Meaning 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 / etc. So if interested, speak out so I can finalize the qty and # of sheets I need made.

[Mark5]

Yikes, now I need to identify potential proto candidates to model. 

I know MTL has released some schemes where the proto had these platforms - just don't ask me to remember which ones. 

Mark

[Jimbo]

Yup, been awhile since the last post but these are about to be sent to the etcher with the next two weeks. As soon as I get a final 2024 price per sheet, I can tell you all what they will sell for. I will be selling these in multiples of 3.

Meaning 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 / etc. So if interested, speak out so I can finalize the qty and # of sheets I need made.

For those of us who didn’t see the original Weekend Update post that led to this, would you please provide some context?  (What model is this intended for?  Is it for a particular prototype or a car that had multiple owners?  etc.)

Thank you!
Jim

[TrainCat2]

This thread started almost 2 years ago to modify an MTL 65XXX series tankcar by adding a platform. It just was an "I wish there was ...." and it took off, then went into hiatus and now is in production.

OK Ed & Pete, here are the changes you wanted. First is the opening for the dome is modified so it fits tighter around the dome while having clearance for the molded grabs. Second is that the supports were changed so they would bend and cover up the holes for the original platform. Lastly, the sides of the platform have half-etched grooves to align the stairs which will extend all the way to the sill and will fit into holes if you drill out the ends of the original ladder.

[bbussey]

I’m in for a set.

[peteski]

The updated artwork looks good, but I still don't understand why the ladder could not be etched as a single piece with the platform.
Put me down for 4 sets.

[Sokramiketes]

6 sets please.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'd like four.

However... I'm currently on a hobby spending hiatus while I attempt to behave during my period of being "professionally unencumbered".

Can ya give me a few... days? weeks? hopefully not months.

[wazzou]

I'd like three of these, please.

[Curtis Kyger]

Eighteen please (18)

[Mark5]

Put me down for one (set) please.