Small Tank Facility

 Since I model spring 1955 I have a coal facility located in the town of Little Chicago on my Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company.  I always felt I should also have small tank facility as the one I modeled which I saw in many small towns during railfan trips.

Doug Harding Collection
(Click on this or any photo to enlarge)

This past winter I started to look for an area that might hold a small tank facility in Little Chicago on my railroad.  At first I thought land (a space) was not available; however, one day the “light bulb” went on.   I could see a location.  An area, 5 x 6 inches, between the stock pens and backdrop that would work.

Area for tank facility next to backdrop

First the few trees and bushes on the sight were moved to new locations on the railroad.  The ground was scraped, painted with a tan latex paint I like to use under ground cover and a fine sifted common sand from a local road was shifted with a a tea strainer over brushed on white glue.  The tanks were added next.

Prepared area for tank facility and basic tanks.

The tanks were cut from old Roundhouse tank car kits I have had in freight car inventory since 1982.  The tanks were in inventory as too modern for the railroad.  And, maybe the lettering?  The lettering on the tank cars was removed by light sanding with fine grit sandpaper.  After sanding the tanks were wiped down with isopropyl alcohol to remove all residue.

Roundhouse Tank Car Kit Used for tanks.

The details added to tanks came next.  I added Walthers ladders and Williams Brothers (I believe no longer available) pipes and valves.  Walthers piping (available) would work as well.

Piping and fittings used.

Piping and valves added to tanks.

Standpipes for unloading tank cars were needed at the facility.   Photos of appropriate standpipes for unloading tank cars a this type facility were received from friends.   In addition to photos, plans from a May 1997 RailModel Journal were provided to aid in the build.   Standpipes (prototype I measured 2 1/2 inches in diameter) were built with Williams Brothers piping and fittings.  A piece of scribed balsa wood was used for the base.  The scribing represents the boards used to form the cement base.

Standpipes installed.

Closer view of standpipes.

The final items needed to finish the facility were a pump house and truck loading platform.  I used measurements I took of these structures at small three tank facility in Buffalo, Minnesota in the early 1970s to build these structures.  The facility is no longer in existence.

I built the pump house (prototype 8 x 10 ft. x 8 ft. high with door 3 feet wide 7 feet tall) using parts from my box of left over kit parts.  The rounded corrugated roof had a prototype distance of 1 foot 5 inches at it high center point above the door.

The truck loading stand  (prototype 3 feet 10 inches wide by 8 feet long) was scratch built.  On a prototype I measured, the truck loading stand was located 2 feet 8 inches from the pump house. Components for the truck loading stand were as follows: the floor a scrap piece of styrene, Plastruct railings, Walthers stairs ( prototype 1 foot 6 inches by 2 feet 4 inches wide), Walthers stair railing and Williams Brothers pipes and fittings.

During railfan trips most of the small tank facilities I visited had the tanks painted white.   Therefore, I painted the tanks in my new tank facility an enamel white using a rattle can. 

Tanks painted white.

I felt a tank sign was needed to identify the tank facility.  A search of 1955 signs on the internet produced a Mobile sign I liked.   A print screen, and image crop with Photoshop Elements produced a sign ready for sizing.  I asked a friend to down size my image to a HO scale 5 feet wide sign which he did.   I printed the digital Mobile image on white letter computer paper, cut it out, and applied it to the entrance tank with Elmers white glue.

Sign glued to tank with white glue.

The final step was to enhance the backdrop behind the tanks.  I painted the masonite backdrop area behind the tank facility with a latex sky blue color used on all my backdrops.  I had the Sky Blue color mixed at the local paint store to match sky color from photos taken.  I used a photo I took of an open grass area with trees in the distance to provide depth behind the tanks on the backdrop.  I printed the photo on letter size computer and cut it to fit the backdrop.  I sprayed the back of the printed backdrop photo with 3M Scotch Super 77 Multi-Purpose spray adhesive and applied it over the sky blue painted backdrop.

Backdrop behind tanks added.

Now all I have left to do is create tank car movements in my card system to the new tank facility for operating sessions.

I want to say, “Thank You” to Doug Harding  and Ron Christensen for the photos they provided to help me with the build of my tank facility.  And, another “Thank You, Thank You and Thank You” to Doug Harding for providing the prototype photo, the standpipe plans and reducing the Mobile sign I sent him to scale for use on the tank.

Thank You for taking time to read my blog.  You can share a comment in the section below if you choose to do so.  Please sign your comment with your name if you choose to leave one.  Please share the blog link with other model railroaders.

Lester Breuer

Santa Fe Tank Car 100701 from 100801

After upgrading Athearn Tank Car, kit 1574, lettered for the Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe (ATSF) with number 100801 and publishing the write up and photos of the upgrade on this blog I received an email from John Barry  telling me he had bad news and good news.  The bad news, Santa Fe series 100800-100899  tank cars, Class Tk-L, had an integral cast tank bottom/underframe which the Athearn tank car does not.  He also made me aware I had forgot to remove two tank outlets on the bottom/underframe.  However; John said, “The good news is that you can make an accurate model of the 12,000 gallon Tk-K with a change of a single digit in the car number and substituting "K" for "L" in the class designation.  Santa Fe acquired 500 of the 12,000 gallon Ks in 1918 and they lasted to 1989.  Car numbers were 100300-100799 and a very reasonable match to your upgrade.”  And, I was aware that the Athearn tank size was not correct for the 16,200 gallon Tx-L  as I had calculated it to be 12,228 gallons.  Upon looking up ATSF tank car 100701 in a reproduction of the Tank Car Corporation Tariff Freight Tariff 300-H effective September 30, 1955 the capacity in gallons of the shell was 12,070 and dome 292. Therefore, based on the data I had now I decided to make the lettering changes and make additional changes to improve the tank car. 

However, I wanted additional data and photos on the Santa Fe class Tk-K before making the changes to tank car 100801.  I was able to obtain that information from  Santa Fe Tank Cars by Richard H. Hendrickson and Richard W. Pelouze (The Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society Inc., 2004).   The excellent reference book contains diagrams and photos of the class.  In addition to the data already provided by John Barry, here I learned the cars built by Pressed Steel Car Co. had a less massive underframe of skeleton design with straight center sills and five lightweight cross members between the bolsters.  The dome platform was only on the left side of each car.  And, the cars rode on 50 ton capacity Class 549 Andrews U-section cast steel trucks.

After taking the tank car from my Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company back to the modeling bench I began by removing the plastic ladders , flora wire handrails and brass hand rail stanchions with a needle nose pliers since I was not happy with the initial install.  Since, I now had in stock a Tichy Train Group (Tichy) Tank Car Detail Set #3007 with a correct size dome manhole cover I also removed the the over sized cast one on the resin cast dome.  I installed the dome manhole cover from the Tichy Tank Car Detail Set #3007.

Ladder, handrails, and dome platform removed.
(Click or tap on this on any photo to enlarge)

Now knowing the car should have only the dome platform on the left side, I removed both molded on platforms.  I used a scalpel to make a cut on top of the platform along the tank. A Xacto handle with a #18 blade was used for the final removal making the cut from the underside of the platform making sure not to damage the platforms to allow reinstall.  One cut off platform was shortened to 6 feet per tank car drawings.  To make platform brackets I cut an A-Line #29000, sill step cut in half  and bent the upper part to form the support angle portion of the bracket.  The two brackets were installed on the tank in holes drilled with a #76 drill.  The shorten platform was installed on the brackets with the other edge 4’ 3” from the tank center per tank car diagram.

Dome manhole and dome platform brackets installed.

At this time for those wanting a match to the prototype, the molded on tank bands could be removed and replaced with Yarmouth Model Works etched tank bands.  Since I was after a reasonable looking stand in I chose not to do this.

Next, the Tichy plastic handrail stanchions from the Tichy Tank Car Detail Set were installed.  New handrails were made using Detail Associates #2506, .019” diameter brass wire.  The bending of the handrails for the ends was done with a BeadSmith wire bending pliers and jig saved from a Resin Car Works or Sunshine Models kit.    I made one handrail for each side of the tank joining the ends of the two handrails in the handrail stanchions on the tank car ends.  I made the handrails by bending half of the end portion in the jig, sliding the straight portion thru the opening in the side handrail stanchions until the curved portion bent in the jig reached the end of the tank car and then bending the other end by sight with the BeadSmith wire bending pliers.

Jig and pliers used for bending handrail ends.

Tichy handrail stanchions and handrails
 bent from Detail Associates brass wire installed.

I added a ladder cut from brass ladder stock with rungs filed to smaller diameter to the left side.  I had to put a slight bend at the top rather than leaving it straight as on the prototype due to the distance the Tichy handrail stanchions put the handrail from the side of the tank car.

Brass ladder installed.

Ladder curved at top to reach platform.

Since I had corrected items above to match the prototype I wanted to remove the brake mast (stand) and brake wheel correct for Class Tk-L; however, not Class Tk-K.  So the brake mast was removed with a single edge razor blade.  A ratchet, plate, pawl and wheel, molded as one part, in the Tichy Tank Car Detail Set were added.  A brake shaft cut from Tichy #2505, .015” phosphor bronze wire (PBW) with a brake wheel again from the Tichy Tank Car Detail Set was installed.

Brake gear installed.

I went back to the underframe and added brake lever hangers and an air release lever using plastic grab irons from the Tichy Detail Tank Car Set.  The air release lever is half of one of the large grabs irons.  The air release bracket was formed with Tichy #1101, .010” diameter wire from the wire  bits box.  I removed the Accurail ARA cast steel trucks with spring plank and replaced them with Accurail #166, Andrews trucks using the InterMountain 33” metal wheels from the removed trucks.  With this tank car being a reasonable stand in, I was chose not to rebuild the underframe, specifically the cross bears and their number, to match the prototype.

Brake lever hangers and air release lever installed.

The tank car was now ready for the relettering from number 100801 to 100701.  I had already removed the lettering to be removed with a Euro micro nylon scratch brush.  Decals for side lettering changes, the “7” and “K” were made using Woodland Scenics R.R. Roman Numbers-White, dry transfer lettering,  set DT510.  Decals for the side, a “0”, and the ends, the “7”, were made with Clover House Railroad Roman Alphabet Condensed Bold White #9600-11 dry transfers.  I had to make a zero to change the car capacity from 140,000 on the Class Tk-L tank to 100,000 capacity on the Class Tk-K tank.  The dry transfer lettering was applied to decal paper and coated with MicroScale Liquid Decal Film.  The decals were applied with MicroScale Micro Sol and Walthers Solvaset decal setting solution. When decals were dry, the decal were hand painted with Vallejo Matt Varnish 70.580 to protect dry transfers and decals during handling and for weathering.

New lettering using decals made with dry transfers applied.

I touched up weathering on the tank car with Pan Pastels and makeup brushes using the previously used colors: Payne’s Grey Extra Dark 840.1 and Burnt Sienna 740.5.

Once I had the tank car weathered I printed a new car card and placed ATSF 100701  in service.   I took a photo of it sitting at Meyer Oil in Northfield, Minn. served by Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, “Serving Today, Shaping Tomorrow.”

ATSF tank 100701 spotted at Meyer Oil

I wish to say, “Thank You”, to John Barry for the information he provided and John Hotvet for letting me use his copy of the Santa Fe Tank Car book to see the information and photos of the Tk-K Class tank cars.

Thank You for taking time to read my blog.  You can share a comment in the section below if you choose to do so.  Please share the blog link with other model railroaders.

Lester Breuer

Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe Tank Car 100801

Several years ago I purchased an Athearn Tank Car, kit 1574, lettered for the Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe (A.T.S. F.) with number 100801.  I made the purchase thinking I had seen a photo of the car in a Car Builders’ Cyclopedia.  I was happy when I found photos of A.T.S.F. tank car 100800, series 100800-100899, Class ICC-103, 16,200 gallons tank car, built by General American Transportation Corporation in the 1940 Car Builders’ Cyclopedia ( Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp., 1940) on page 319.  The photos also appear in Train Shed Cyclopedia NO. 12, Tank Cars 1922-1943 ( Newton K. Gregg, 1973).

1940 Car Builders' Cyclopedia
(Click of tap on photo to enlarge)

And, I was not happy because I was aware of the problems with the Athearn tank car such as dome too short and all tank rivets not correct.  The problems are described in a two part article  “Tank Car Basics” by Tony Thompson in Model Railroad Hobbyist, Part 1 in February 2016 and Part 2 in March 2016.  Knowing the problems, my first thought was to put it on my sale table in my railroad area; however, I finally decided  to build it to test some ideas I had and use it as a reasonable looking stand in. 

On the under body I cut off the coupler pocket covers from the underframe.  I drilled and tapped the coupler pockets and covers for 2-56 screws.  I installed Kadee #148 couplers with Fastenal 2-56 x 3/16” screws.  Next, I cut off the air reservoir and moved it to the Santa Fe transverse position as can be seen in the above photos.  The brake cylinder, control valve  and brake levers were left as molded.  I added the piping, Tichy Train Group (Tichy) .010” phosphor bronze wire (PBW) from the air reservoir to the control valve and brake rods Tichy #1106, .0125” diameter phosphor bronze wire.  The brake cylinder rod chain is A-Line 40 links per inch.

Tank Car underbody.
(Click or tap on this or any other photo to enlarge)

Next, I needed  to correct some of the tank problems.  The major problem the 12” dome height.  Tony Thompson increased the dome height for some SP tank cars using a portion of another Athearn tank car dome.  I felt casting a dome might be easier.  I found the Varney, later Life-Like, to have the proper dome height and made a mold of the Varney dome and cast a resin dome.

Mold being made.

Resin cast dome out of mold.

No harm done to master.

I cut the dome off the tank car with a Xacto fine tooth razor saw and installed the new 24 inch dome.  The dome could easily be sanded to a get a 22 inch or less dome height.  I liked the result and having a mold I can duplicate the dome for other Athearn tank cars.  Yes, the manway is too large and hinges too tall on the Varney dome.  You can remove these and replace them with parts of proper size from Tichy #3007, Tank Car Detail Set.

New cast resin dome added to tank car.

I had already removed the handrails and molded on stanchions on the tank.  I did not have Precision Scale #32110, brass or 32110-1, plastic stanchions or Tichy plastic stanchions in the Tank Car Detail Set in inventory.   Not having any of the three preferred stanchions, I used Precision Scale #374, 3.5 mm long stanchions which I did have and bent them upward with a needle nose pliers.  A last resort method that would work if necessary in the future.

For the handrails, rather than using brass or PBW as on other tank cars I have built, I wanted to try flora wire.   I threaded .018” floral wire through the stanchion holes on each side and joined them inside the stanchion mounted on the tank end.   I quickly found the floral wire I like to use for a train line is a poor choice for the handrails as too soft allowing it to bend easily.  Lesson learned.

Floral wire for handrails is not a good choice.

Other changes on the tank car included removing one of the two rivet rows on the tank  next to the dome via scraping and sanding.  Next, I carved off molded on grab irons and replaced them with grab irons I bent from Tichy #1101 .010” PBW.   I installed a Kadee Ajax brake wheel to replace the kit one.  Plastic ladders from a Roundhouse Products Model Die Casting Inc. 50 ft. tank car kit shortened to fit were used rather than the metal kit ladders.

Double sill steps with angle brace were added next.  I cut off the molded on sill steps.   I bent a sill step from Detail Associates #2524 .010” x .030” flat brass bar stock and attached them to the car.  Next, I cut strips .030” wide  with a Xuron 9180 scissor like cutter ( in my opinion a wonderful tool for cutting thin sheet brass) to create the step in the double step sill and the side angle brace from .005” sheet brass.  A cut strip was used to bend the double step with a needle nose pliers and glued into the previously installed sill step.  A sill step angle brace attached to the sill step at the middle and the end sill was also cut from a strip and installed.  The sill step with angle brace fabrication went well using super glue rather than soldering as I have always done in the past.

Double sill step and Kadee brake wheel.

I still needed to add uncoupling levers.  An uncoupling lever bracket was made with a styrene angle, cut from Plastruct #9501, 3/64" styrene angle,  glued to the double sill step with the angle facing outward and drilled with #79 drill to make a hole into which a Detail Associates #2206,  eye bolt was installed.   An uncoupling lever bent from Tichy #1106, .0125” PBW was installed using the made bracket and gluing the end in a hole drilled in the bottom of the couple pocket cover.

Uncoupling lever bracket and uncoupling lever.

The final details to be installed were the diamond metal shaped placard boards in the kit and forged flanges for the tank head (the round item at the top of the tank on the end).

The car parts not already hand painted with Vallejo Black 70.950 were now painted. Once dry a coat of Vallejo Gloss Medium 70.470 was applied to get a match sheen on car and decal application on ends.

Car painted and sprayed with Gloss for decal base.

Decals for ends were made with Clover House Railroad Roman Alphabet Condensed Bold White #9600-11 dry transfers applied to decal paper and coated with MicroScale Liquid Decal Film.  The decals were applied with MicroScale Micro Sol.  When decals were dry, the car body was sprayed with Vallejo Matt Varnish 70.580 to protect dry transfers and decals during handling and for weathering.

End decals with reporting marks and numbers applied.

I weathered the tank car with Pan Pastels and makeup brushes using the following colors: Payne’s Grey Extra Dark 840.1 and Burnt Sienna 740.5.

Car weathered with Pan Pastels.

Once I had the tank car weathered I printed a car card and placed A.T.S.F. 100801 in service.   I took a photo of it sitting at Meyer Oil in Northfield, Minn. served by Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, “Serving Today, Shaping Tomorrow.”

A.T.S.F. tank 100801 sitting on Meyer Oil siding in Northfield, Minn.

Thank You for taking time to read my blog.  You can share a comment in the section below if you choose to do so.  Please share the blog link with other model railroaders.

Lester Breuer