Development of the railroad tank car

Comments MRR
1

Join the discussion on the following article:

Development of the railroad tank car

2

I would like to know what tank cars were used in the pacific northwest during the 1930 and 1940s such as Sorthern Pacific,Northern Pacific,SPS, and others

3

I am looking for a model or drawings of a vinegar wooden tank similar to the Speas Co. car shown in a Wikipedia file for the subject Tank Car.

4

To David Mitchell:
There was a model article for a three tub wooden Pickle Car in an old MRR.
I have lost my old copies so can’t give you a date. Try late '50’s or '60’s

5

I am looking for articles on the extra-large tank car GATX 96500. Especially, plans and diagrams of this car. I know the car sits on display at the St. Louis Railroad Museum and I have pictures of it.

Any ideas where the plans/diagrams can be found?

Thanks.

6

Thanks to Richard Wehr for the heads up.

7

for Richard P New of Florida:

There is a three-view diagram of GATX 96500, the 60,000 gal four-truck tank car, with dimensions, in the “GATX Tank Car Manual, second edition” copyright General American Transportation Corporation, 1966. Library of Congress no. 66-21208. You will need pp 129 and 170 (for details of the side fills and drains). Although the diagram is not quite an MR drawing, thses diagrams were usually made to scale, and I had no qualms about scaling it for needed dimensions.

A model of this car was made by Quality Craft Models in the late 60’s, but in researching this car, I concluded from on-line photos taken at the St. Louis RR Museum that the QC model had at least one major problem: the top line of the QC model is straight, but the top of the prototype car oval center section is higher than the cylindrical ends. Thus the car has a slight humpback as well as a whalebelly. Also, the QC car is only 108" dia./wide, but the GATX diagram states that the tank is 112.5" wide, and therefore the end cylinders must be 112.5" dia. I have developed plans that are suitable for modelmaking, which I will proceed with as time permits.

This car has been made in brass in HO. I never saw one in the flesh, and therefore I do not know how accurate it is.