Atlas corn syrup car Question

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

I have been building up a small fleet of corn syrup cars and recently got one from Atlas. However after awhile when I got to it I found it is actually a Ontario Northland MOW water car. I also saw similar cars on the bay that were atlas corn syrup cars boxes but the ON water cars in the box. Did Atlas mess this up or were these cars also used as syrup cars. Thanks

Bruce

2

I googled this freight car and saw a couple pics of the ones both Atlas and MTH did on O scale. It’s possible the railroads did convert the cars to carry water. The Atlas Trinity 17,600 tank cars could carry a number of different products besides corn syrup.

Neal

3

Neal

Would I still use this as a corn syrup car ever though it has water car on the side?

4

Generally once a car was put into MOW service, like being used for water (presumably drinking water for track crews in remote areas of Ontario in this case) it wouldn’t be put back into revenue service. Similarly, if a tankcar was dedicated to hauling any type of food product, it normally would only be used for food service to prevent it’s interior being contaminated.

You could remove the water lettering with Solvaset and a pencil eraser (or just paint a patch over it) and reletter it with decals indicating it was for corn syrup use only.

p.s. It’s very unlikely Atlas “messed up” and put cars in the wrong boxes. Without seeing the ebay listings (link?) you talk about, my guess would be either Atlas came out with corn syrup cars and found that ON had very similar cars it used for water, or ON did indeed buy used corn syrup cars and dedicated them to MOW water service, and Atlas produced models of them.

5

Here’s an Atlas Ontario Northland water car:

I found:

ONT 5 was Atlas part number 20 001 668

ONT 6 was Atlas part number 20 001 669

If the box has those part numbers on the end, you got the appropriate car.

Her’s a shot of ONT 2:

and one of ONT 4

They don’t look much like the Atlas car, but then they’re not numbered 5 or 6, either. I couldn’t find a prototype picture of 5 or 6.

Here’s a link to #7, which is closer to the Atlas car, but the angle doesn’t help.

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2658437

Since 7 exists, it’s reasonable to assume 5 and 6 do, also.

Anyway, these cars don’t go offline. So, unless you’re modeling Ontario Northland, they are pretty useless. Nice looking, though. But useless.

Good candidates for painting and/or re-lettering.

Ed

6

I bought this new from my LHS. The box says on the side “Trinity 17,600 gallon corn syrup tank car Item # 20001668 Ontarion Northland #5”. So I guess I thought I was getting a corn products car and its really a water car. Maybe I will have to consider relettering and maybe repainting. Most photos that I have seen of CS tank cars they are black. Anyone ever see one that is white?

7

Here is a link to the list of Atlas corn syrup cars:

http://archive.atlasrr.com/HOFreight/arc-hotcstc.htm

I found a white and a couple of light grey.

Ed

8

It isn’t unusual for model train companies to sell foobies or to put it nicer, “stand-ins”.

Most of us have bought foobies so it’s not unusual.

9

Ontario Northland 7 looks more like an Atlas model of a Trinity 17,600 gallon corn syrup tanker. The manway cover looks like the ones on Atlas’ models of Corn Products cars. The cover is available from Atlas as “HO Trinity 17,600 tank car dome, item 623009E” at 50 cents each. ONT 7 might be an ex Corn Products car that was possibly wrecked on the ONT, purchased/paid off by ONT and fixed up for company service, which these cars seem to be in. Note the lack of stenciling necessary for interchange, indicative of a car not intended for service off home rails.