MDC/Roundhouse 30' Modern Tank Car

[sirenwerks]

I’m looking to model the NACC beer can cars. While Athearn makes a nice HO model I’m kinda struggling with a starting point in N. The Atlas car is not a good match but I’ve never seen an actual MDC/Roundhouse 30’ modern tank. The photo show it as being a stockier car than the Atlas car. Does anyone have one of these cars to speak to differences with the Atlas beer can? Maybe some better photos than are available online?

[nickelplate759]

I've got one of each (Atlas & Roundhouse).  the length is almost identical, but the Roundhouse car is beefier.
Pictures in a little while.

[nickelplate759]

Here are side-by-side shots.   The white Staley car is Roundhouse, the black CGTX is Atlas.   Note that the Staley car is bulkier.
The Staley car has had body-mounted Microtrains couplers added - the CGTX car has truck-mounted couplers (also Microtrains).

[nickelplate759]

I broke out the calipers:
The Roundhouse tank diameter is 17.63mm.
The Atlas tank diameter is 16.1 mm


Both cars are for sale, by the way....

[Missaberoad]

Very interested in this topic since the BASF cars were staples on the Soo Line in the 1970s. I dont think either of these cars are good starting points. Too narrow diameter and the ends are much too round.

I wonder if drawings of these cars exist anywhere.

[sirenwerks]

I dont think either of these cars are good starting points. Too narrow diameter and the ends are much too round.

I wonder if drawings of these cars exist anywhere.

I had the same impression of the ends. The NACC car end are flatter and have a distinctly sharp joint.

The only drawings I've seen so far are the ones Athearn presents when announcing models.


I'm thinking the Atlas 17,600 gal corn syrup car has the right proportions and a similar end.

[Mark5]

I believe the Atlas model is based on the GATX 10,000 gallon version. I have a photo of GATX 34527 (blt 5-67, from the series 34500-34537) which lines up nicely with the model.

The model needs help, though (no end railings, etc) - the Gold Medal Models upgrade kit makes it a decent model.

To the OP's quest, the old school approach from prehistoric times was to take a longer tank with appropriate ends to match your desired proto, and the slice out the excess length (also mentioned by the OP).

Mark

[sirenwerks]

I believe the Atlas model is based on the GATX 10,000 gallon version. I have a photo of GATX 34527 (blt 5-67, from the series 34500-34537) which lines up nicely with the model.

Mark, could you share that photo? The only car coming close to the Atlas model I've been able to find a pic of (online) was a Sept 1971 pic of HPLX 102044 taken in Baytown TX, and riding on Andrews trucks. I presume this was in an additives service for refining. Not sure who HPLC is (it's close to Exxon and - HPLX - and Hercules - HPCX) but the pic is too low quality to read the fine print.


http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/tr_hplx102044.jpg

[Mark5]

Mark, could you share that photo? The only car coming close to the Atlas model I've been able to find a pic of (online) was a Sept 1971 pic of HPLX 102044 taken in Baytown TX, and riding on Andrews trucks. I presume this was in an additives service for refining. Not sure who HPLC is (it's close to Exxon and - HPLX - and Hercules - HPCX) but the pic is too low quality to read the fine print.

This is an ancient magazine photo (RMC 12/71) - I doubt if anyone will get copyright upset at this point (captioned "courtesy General American"). I did a quick cell image of it (haven't unpacked the scanner yet):

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[sirenwerks]

Thanks, Mark5. I so wish they’d digitize back issues of RMC. It looks like that article would prove helpful.

[Mark5]

For the Atlas tooling,

I have proto photos of the following that 1) match the tooling, and 2) match schemes that Atlas has released on their N "beer can" model:

• Cargill (blt 1969)
• Dow (black body, except lettering is yellow) (blt 1967)
• Detrex (brownish green) (blt 1966)
• General Molasses Co. (blt 1969)

I have some pix of other schemes but I don't know if Atlas has released them (this tooling has been around since the early 1970s).

Mark

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Frameless tank cars and plain bearing trucks look so weird!

While we're discussing these, what were they carrying?

[Mark5]

Frameless tank cars and plain bearing trucks look so weird!

Indeed.  About half of the cars I have photos of have roller bearing trucks though.

While we're discussing these, what were they carrying?

Ed, there's pretty good discussion of the types of commodities here:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,414584

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Indeed.  About half of the cars I have photos of have roller bearing trucks though.

Ed, there's pretty good discussion of the types of commodities here:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,414584

Ooh, thank you.

Although that thread kinda drives me nuts. Someone asks a question and the first response is BS.

[Mark5]

Although that thread kinda drives me nuts. Someone asks a question and the first response is BS.

Well, these cars do tend to carry dense liquids, so maybe that accounts for that dense response.