Coupler-body-mounted 6-dome tank cars (AHM) Wine only?

[bn7023]

I finally modified these 4 cars. However, all of the 6-dome tank cars seem to be for wine. Does anyone have one? It doesn't matter whether it's made by AHM or not.

[lvrr325]

They are slightly less common than some other HO cars so I usually price them up a little, $5, $10 if mint in box.

[edwardsutorik]

Thomas Indurstries made a kit for 6-dome tank cars, a very long time ago:




Here's an article about it:

modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2012/07/thomas-industries-ho-scale-tank-cars.html


They've also been done in brass:




Here's a short article of interest:

myp48.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/prototype-information-wine-tank-cars/



If hauling wine, these cars would have been in "food service". If anything, uh, inappropriate, had been loaded, a thorough cleaning would have been required. Other forms of edible alcohol would have been acceptable. Vinegar--probably. The reason for having a six dome tank is to carry small lots. And it has to be valuable enough to justify the special handling. So in non-food usage, the same would hold.

The AHM model, by the way, has a tank diameter much larger than the typical prototype. I'm looking at photos and specs for three of these cars, and all three are about 6000 gallon cars. The AHM car looks to be more like 10,000-11,000 gallon.



Ed

[champagnetrail]

I'm hoping that someday Tangent will look favorably upon this freight car and give us a 6-dome wine tank car. Who doesn't like an odd-ball?

-pat

[lvrr325]

Mar 1, 2024 9:39:56 GMT -8 edwardsutorik said:

The AHM model, by the way, has a tank diameter much larger than the typical prototype. I'm looking at photos and specs for three of these cars, and all three are about 6000 gallon cars. The AHM car looks to be more like 10,000-11,000 gallon.



Ed

Likely someone at AHM saw a photo, article or even the Thomas model and went to Roco and said how can we make this cheaply, which got an existing 10K tank with six large domes on it instead of three or one.  

[edwardsutorik]

AHM appears to have been very willing to be "adaptable", back in the day. They did an NYC stock car that kinda meandered, detailwise. Their version of the NP stock car was WAY too short. And more.

And when they didn't make any major changes, the "fineness" of the model was/is pretty low. That's why some of us are hoping Tangent will do a helium car. Just before they do the wine car. After that, there's the carbide car, the sorta almost other "carbide" car, the heated tank car, the Southern all-door box..........

Now, nobody NEEDS more than one of most of these (well, except for the stock cars and maybe the all-door); so it might be good to go with a version of ScaleTrains Museum type. Like the SDL39.


Funny thing: back in the day, there was ALWAYS one or more helium cars at an industry about 2 miles from here; but I NEVER saw one rolling when I was railfanning. They probably went via Santa Fe, which I didn't visit much.


Ed

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

Mar 1, 2024 10:06:21 GMT -8 champagnetrail said:

Who doesn't like an odd-ball?

-pat

That's why we're all here...

[bn7023]

This is my only wine car. Athearn RTR 2006?

[wagnersteve]

March 2, 2024, starting about 9:02 p.m., EST

The old Thomas cars were metal and actually quite nice, though if I'm remembering right -- my pair are in storage -- there is no rivet detail on the tank itself. One of the saddest sights I ran across at a train show or model railroad club decades ago were a bunch of the Thomas tanks that someone had actually flattened.

My fictitious railroad is supposedly set in upstate New York, but I do have two of Athearn's equally fictitious Napa Valley Railroad wine tank cars, one with a single dome and compartment, one with three. The train itself, which used to be pulled by Alco or MLW cab units and originally had ex-NP steel passenger cars with graceful arches over pairs of windows reminiscent of those on wood sided cars like some the D&H had, is or at least was very attractive in its "burgundy and champagne" colors; but I can't justify building, buying or running a whole train. I do also have two prototypical Chateau Martin wine tank car sconverted from a milk cars, built from an old Laconia kit later sold by Binkley whose sides are a well-done sandwich of card cardboard and aluminum foil nicely embossed and preprinted with the lettering. The basic body is wood. Laconia was one of the first suppliers to make kits in more than one car number for the same paint scheme. I shudder to think of the quality of the wine any of the real cars actually carried from California to New York City.

The intentionally vaguely named Portage Provision Co., a "flat" on the long spur next to the main yard on my layout next to the White Eagle Polish Pickle Works, will receive an amazing variety of freight cars. I cut out the heralds for the last named outfit and for a repainted Athearn pickle car from unused US stamps issued in 1966 commemorating Poland's millennium. When Poland was still run by the basically Communist Polish Workers' Party letters from the USA with those stamps used for postage were not delivered by the Polish postal system, because there was a Latin cross above the eagle showing that the millennium being celebrated was of the Roman Catholic church in that country, not of the first Polish state, ruled by Duke Miezko I.

[wagnersteve]

March 2, 2024, starting about 10:32 p.m., EST

I have just now discovered, or rediscovered, a great deal more information on wine tank cars, both ones that look like tank cars and some that were converted from milk cars or even box cars. Some are by Terry Thompson at his modelingthesp site, but another, linked from one of those, is specifically on Chateau Martin cars, some of which ran at least into the 1970s.

[lvrr325]

Mar 2, 2024 19:34:48 GMT -8 wagnersteve said:

March 2, 2024, starting about 10:32 p.m., EST

I have just now discovered, or rediscovered, a great deal more information on wine tank cars, both ones that look like tank cars and some that were converted from milk cars or even box cars. Some are by Terry Thompson at his modelingthesp site, but another, linked from one of those, is specifically on Chateau Martin cars, some of which ran at least into the 1970s.

FWIW a wine company is still an active customer on the Finger Lakes Railway in Canandaigua, Constellation Brands, I think used to be Taylor.  In fact when you click on the little icon on Google Maps it brings up a picture showing a train, along with the details and reviews about the company.   They get tank cars on a regular but not frequent basis.   It's kind of in the V where the Peanut Line used to split off the Auburn Road on the west side of town.  

[grabirons]

Questions:

Why did that brass wine car have two ladders?

OP: what was the process for figuring out the coupler pad height? Also what did you use for the boxes?

[edwardsutorik]

Mar 3, 2024 10:43:36 GMT -8 grabirons said:

Why did that brass wine car have two ladders?

'Cause the real one did.

Which was probably what you were really asking. I never noticed that before. And I surely don't have an answer.

here's one with three:



and one with four:




Ed

[wagnersteve]

3/3/24, starting about 4:09 p.m., EST

Ed Sutorik, thanks very much for your latest post on this thread. The paint job on the real Gibson Wine car in the second photo, you posted, featuring a pheasant, is particularly nice. If I'm remembering correctly, the tank cars that wore it weren't all built with four compartments; and HO (and I think O scale) decals for them are available. When I can rediscover what outfit makes them, I'll post that. Others who know that already are more than welcome to post about it ASAP.

[GP40P-2]

Mar 3, 2024 13:12:57 GMT -8 wagnersteve said:

3/3/24, starting about 4:09 p.m., EST

Ed Sutorik, thanks very much for your latest post on this thread. The paint job on the real Gibson Wine car in the second photo, you posted, featuring a pheasant, is particularly nice. If I'm remembering correctly, the tank cars that wore it weren't all built with four compartments; and HO (and I think O scale) decals for them are available. When I can rediscover what outfit makes them, I'll post that. Others who know that already are more than welcome to post about it ASAP.

Protocraft has the Gibson cars in their HO line of decals.

[wagnersteve]

3/3/24, starting about 10:21 p.m., EST

GP40P-2, thanks for your post, which I saw just after having rediscovered Protocraft on line. That firm, in Vineburg, CA, has four decals for Gibson Wine Co. insulated tank cars leased to Gibson Wine from GATX. The page for a one-compartment car includes a black & white photo of an 8,000 gal. car painted silver with the colorful Gibson Wine lettering and pheasant built for General American Tank Car by Standard Tank Car car. or a similar car with 4 "domes" and for two for similar cars with "six domes". The ones for one-compartment and four-compartment cars and one of the ones for six-compartment cars are for carss with tanks painted silver; the other for six-compartment cars are for is for ones with tanks painted charcoal black. Each sells for $6. Among other HO decals Protocraft has is one for a Chateau Martin wine car converted from a 1944 design steel 40' boxcar, at the same price.

Protocraft's pages for its HO decals for Gibson Wine cars indicates that its store is closed until after April 1, 2024.

[NYSW3614]

Mar 1, 2024 10:06:21 GMT -8 champagnetrail said:

I'm hoping that someday Tangent will look favorably upon this freight car and give us a 6-dome wine tank car. Who doesn't like an odd-ball?

-pat

Tangent's 3-domer was/is great! They've made a variety of nice singles too- I'd like to see them do 2, or more than 3. Time will tell.

Joshua

[bn7023]

Mar 3, 2024 10:43:36 GMT -8 grabirons said:

OP: what was the process for figuring out the coupler pad height? Also what did you use for the boxes?

I apologize for the delay in replying to grabirons.


To determine the thickness of the coupler pads, I used a homemade height gauge. This height of the top side is made to match the height of the box installation (29/64"). Please see the explanation diagram for how to use it. The green color is the pad thickness candidate. 886



The coupler boxes are made by gluing pieces of styrene onto Kadee #242s.

[grabirons]

Thank you bn7023. I appreciate the illustration you made for the coupler box height gauge. Very creative process for making the coupler pad and box as well.

[champagnetrail]

Mar 3, 2024 8:42:58 GMT -8 lvrr325 said:

Mar 2, 2024 19:34:48 GMT -8 wagnersteve said:

March 2, 2024, starting about 10:32 p.m., EST

I have just now discovered, or rediscovered, a great deal more information on wine tank cars, both ones that look like tank cars and some that were converted from milk cars or even box cars. Some are by Terry Thompson at his modelingthesp site, but another, linked from one of those, is specifically on Chateau Martin cars, some of which ran at least into the 1970s.

FWIW a wine company is still an active customer on the Finger Lakes Railway in Canandaigua, Constellation Brands, I think used to be Taylor.  In fact when you click on the little icon on Google Maps it brings up a picture showing a train, along with the details and reviews about the company.   They get tank cars on a regular but not frequent basis.   It's kind of in the V where the Peanut Line used to split off the Auburn Road on the west side of town.  

The wine company in Canandaigua NY was the Canandaigua Wine Company, eventually acquired by Constellation Brands.  Taylor was in Hammondsport, NY.  The six dome tank cars were frequent visitors to the Taylor operation, located on the Bath & Hammondsport.