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Post by curtmc on Jan 4, 2015 12:34:23 GMT -8
I've seen a few people compare the old MDC Tank Train cars to the new Athearn Genesis version and commenting on how the old MDC cars were way too short... The reality is that the old MDC cars were based on the shorter 50450 series Tank Train (not the ones used in the SP Oil Can trains), and the new Genesis version based on the longer 28250 and 48600 series cars used in the SP Oil Cans. Based on the following photos... www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3272873www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1970799you can see that the old MDC car (first available at about $4 shortly after the prototypes were built) was actually pretty accurate... There were/are actually several different sizes of Tank Train cars, not just the ones used in SoCal... |
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Post by mrsocal on Jan 4, 2015 12:37:07 GMT -8
No, cant see.... no picture. Sorry friend. :-) oops, spoke to soon. There it is!!
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Post by tankcarsrule on Jan 4, 2015 13:42:42 GMT -8
It was to short and the diameter was smaller. The Walthers LPG tanker was the correct diameter.
Regards, Bobby
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Post by curtmc on Jan 4, 2015 17:10:39 GMT -8
Bobby,
Have you checked the dimensions of the prototype 50450 series cars?
Dimensions I have found show them to be shorter in length and height (thus diameter)...
The 50450 series Tank Train cars were shorter and also had the round ends like the MDC model.
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Post by tankcarsrule on Jan 4, 2015 17:28:32 GMT -8
Curt, you're right.
Regards, Bobby
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Post by lvrr325 on Jan 4, 2015 20:00:47 GMT -8
Okay, so the new ones are different cars. Wondered about that.
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Post by curtmc on Jan 4, 2015 20:46:19 GMT -8
Just found another photo of a smaller version of the Tank Train cars (26250 series)... A short 3-car set for sulfuric acid. www.rr-fallenflags.org/gatx/gatx26256agd.jpg (photographed by Greg Dickinson in Horseheads, NY on September 8, 1984) |
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Post by dstark on Jan 5, 2015 12:26:15 GMT -8
The reality is that the old MDC cars were based on the shorter 50450 series Tank Train Curt, with respect I'm not sure that is the reality. The "50450 series Tank Train" consists of exactly one three car set, GATX 50451-50453 built 3-75. While the MDC car is a uninsulated and similar capacity, GATX 50451-50453 differ in having sloped bottoms and no full-length top walkeays. MDC numbered their pilot model used in advertisements and on the the HO model instruction sheet GATX 10459, it would thus make sense to me that they might have been 'inspired' by the real GATX 10459, which was an early 236xx gallon insulated car: www.pbase.com/railvan/image/151870600Given that MDC tooled a full length top walkway and offered 12 numbers which AFAIK were fictional for TankTrain cars, I would think that MDC's intent was simply to offer a car loosely representative of the west coast oil can cars, piggybacked on their existing no-prototype tank car tooling. Doug Stark |
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Post by atsfan on Jan 5, 2015 12:44:31 GMT -8
The reality is that the old MDC cars were based on the shorter 50450 series Tank Train Curt, with respect I'm not sure that is the reality. The "50450 series Tank Train" consists of exactly one three car set, GATX 50451-50453 built 3-75. While the MDC car is a uninsulated and similar capacity, GATX 50451-50453 differ in having sloped bottoms and no full-length top walkeays. MDC numbered their pilot model used in advertisements and on the the HO model instruction sheet GATX 10459, it would thus make sense to me that they might have been 'inspired' by the real GATX 10459, which was an early 236xx gallon insulated car: www.pbase.com/railvan/image/151870600Given that MDC tooled a full length top walkway and offered 12 numbers which AFAIK were fictional for TankTrain cars, I would think that MDC's intent was simply to offer a car loosely representative of the west coast oil can cars, piggybacked on their existing no-prototype tank car tooling. Doug Stark I always thought the mdc tank train and their other tank car shared tooling. |
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sdl39
New Member
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Post by sdl39 on Jan 5, 2015 14:36:37 GMT -8
Heck I don't know anyone that has ever successfully built an old MDC kit. I gave up in them, had the Tank Train and Quaker State paint jobs
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Post by curtmc on Jan 5, 2015 15:12:14 GMT -8
Doug,
Based on that additional information you could be right, but I think that MDC had the intent of doing one single car body for both the Tank Train car and their "normal", "generic" 50' tank car.. thus melded the projects... At that time it made some sense in the market. After all, at the time MDC made their Tank Train and 50' "modern" tank, there were not any other post-1970 tank car prototypes at all on the HO market (with the exception of the craftsman sectional tank by Roller Bearing Models - and when was the last time you saw or read about them? If you thought the MDC Tank Train was a tough kit good luck in tackling the RBM).
To most HO modelers of that era the MDC "modern" tank cars were a godsend... and at $4 each you could easily accept the warts.
Oh, and the 12-packs... If you recall that was a new fad at the time. MDC was doing 12-packs because many were complaining Athearn wasn't doing enough/different numbers...
Do you recall the first two cars Athearn did 12 numbers in (and then didn't offer multiple numbers after that for many, many years)?
And do you recall when MDC was doing a new 12-pack of cars every month? That's why they did a Tank-Train 12-pack. They did that for all the new items.
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Post by tankcarsrule on Jan 5, 2015 15:21:23 GMT -8
Oh yeah, the MDC cars had lots of uses!   |
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Post by atsfan on Jan 5, 2015 18:26:54 GMT -8
I finished a few.
The ladders were a huge pita.
I with I had some of the modern solvent cements when am worked on them.
Back in the day, they were as good as a Walkman.
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Post by GP40P-2 on Jan 6, 2015 13:31:52 GMT -8
Just found another photo of a smaller version of the Tank Train cars (26250 series)... A short 3-car set for sulfuric acid. www.rr-fallenflags.org/gatx/gatx26256agd.jpg (photographed by Greg Dickinson in Horseheads, NY on September 8, 1984) What a neat set of mini-tank cars. If I had access to plans and dimensions, and the magic talent that Bobby has with tank cars, I would build a set of these. I like the rail whales, but the small tankers are just cool  |
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Post by tankcarsrule on Jan 6, 2015 17:28:09 GMT -8
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Post by curtmc on Jan 6, 2015 17:39:28 GMT -8
Nice photo Bobby... Location and year?
I bet those sets of cars are more widely seen than the Tank Train cars Athearn decided to do...
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Post by tankcarsrule on Jan 6, 2015 17:50:43 GMT -8
Not my photo. It was taken in 2013 some where in Texas. I found it on Flicker by typing in tank cars in the search function.
Regards, Bobby
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Post by Spikre on Jan 6, 2015 18:06:43 GMT -8
?? seems that the regular MDC 50' Tanker came out awhile before the Tank Train version, but since tank cars aren't well loved here, could be wrong about that ? do like the MDC "Beercan" tanks, but have had some Fit problems between the bottom piece and the tank top. with Frameless Tanks how do the bolsters get mounted Squarely ?? one side always looks off here,and that includes Walthers kits also. Spikre  |
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Post by riogrande on Jan 6, 2015 18:31:11 GMT -8
Heck I don't know anyone that has ever successfully built an old MDC kit. I gave up in them, had the Tank Train and Quaker State paint jobs Not sure about the MDC Tank Train tankers, but I built a couple of the regular MDC modern tank cars - one is a corn sweeteners logo car and the other is a plain jane car. They came out pretty good - I still have them. I thought the Walthers kits were far worse to build. I built one of the MDC shorty tankers too; it turned out pretty decent but I sold it years ago. |
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Post by lvrr325 on Jan 6, 2015 22:08:01 GMT -8
I wish I'd noted what cars turned up up here. When the steam plant in Oswego, NY was oil-fired you got tank trains from Albany to Oswego the power company had a couple of sets leased. Of course, they converted it to gas a long time ago and let the cars go, then sold the plants - the new operator ran one test train back in, and then had to spend big money to overnight in the right fittings as the set of cars used were different, and the oil is shipped hot, if it got cold it would be difficult at best to unload it.
Conrail also used short sets when they were fueling locomotives up here.
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Post by stefano1 on Jan 7, 2015 0:20:40 GMT -8
it seems to me there is at least one prototype for the generic 50' ex MDC tank car : these TLDX cars with truck mounted brake cylinders
TLDX120033 TLDX120040 |
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