Only one of a long list of projects…I wi***o kitbash myself a freelanced “pieced together” turbine, just for some fun. I was given an interesting vinegar car the other day, and was thinking that it would make a great solution for the fuel tank.
What do you think would make it more convincing as a fuel tender? Other than a new coat of paint? I have ideas for it, but I would like to hear yours.
If you are doing a freelance design,I would say go for it,anything is possible.If your railroad is building a turbine from locos and parts found around the shop that car will work perfectly [:p]. Put a pair of heavy duty tender trucks under the car.Show us some pics after the turbine is built [:)].
If you could find some sort of hard-liquid plastic (like the consistancy of puddy) to fill in the ribs I think it would be more realistic. At least from what I remember from pictures the fuel tanks were smooth, correct me if I’m wrong.
Cut the tank off and replace it with a smooth piece of pvc pipe. Fab ends from something. I think you want a welded look.
jmho
Ed
You are absolutely correct. Turbines had smooth fuel tenders. But I think I like the ribs better on this, for a “home-built” turbine, because I’m unprototypical like that.[^]
You could add a cab and put it on a diesel loco frame with motor and trucks and say it is a turbine, and you could get another one and cut it shorter and make it the tender
HEY! Gimme one of those in HO any day. I can see the rust patches and streaks now!
Gosh, I would NOT want to destroy that piece of work by altering it! I like it just the way it is.
Can’t you scratch together a complete vehicle, or use an old slat-sided flatcar and curl some styrene?
The “tender” is nothing more than a huge fuel tank, so you just have to have something that looks like it could reasonably be used to hold a bunch of jet fuel. I guess a ribbed one would work, but most tanks modern enough to be used in conjunction with turbines would probably be welded, as mentioned earlier. In real life though, I don’t think I’d want to go hauling around a few thousand gallons of jet fuel in something that was “home built” [;)]
I dont have much advice, but what i’ll say is, whatever you do with it, no matter what, it’s going to be cool.[tup]
Back in the late 70’s (June 1977 page 40) RMC had an article about building a “Vest Pocket Turbine”. It was made out of an MDC/Roundhouse Boxcab locomotive and a small vanderbuilt steam locomotive tender whose lineage eludes me at the moment. It looked pretty neat and didn’t look like it was all that much work to put together.
Cheers,
George
Why not use a tank car? I doubt a turbine would use a wooden tank.
Dave H.