I finally finished the last three tank cars of the “tank car project” from late summer.

First we have this pair of Orient tank cars. The one on the left is Scale-Craft and the one on the right Lionel but built up from parts, the dome top being from a HO car. They came out nicely I think, and it gave me a good chance to use the Microscale Orient tank car decals I have been using on many types of cars and locomotives on a couple tank cars. Also I like the pairing, S-C and Lionel, the same car but not the same.

The older time car in the second photo has more of a story. This body was sent me by Bill Johann back in 1995. He had seen an article on early ACF tank cars produced 1907-12 in the November, 1994 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman, and noted that this HO body that he had on hand was actually about right for this car in OO. He enclosed with it a Xerox of the article with plans blown up to OO and a Selley frame.

I think what really caught his eye is one of the photos in the article shows an Orient tank car of this model in service. The Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient merged into the ATSF in 1928, but I model it as though it lasted into the late 50s at least and that it had a proper eastern terminus in Kansas City (in the United States the Orient operated from Wichita to near the Mexican border).

Anyway, the job to build the car was a bit involved but I think it came out nicely as a good representation of an older time tank car. I decided to letter it for Union Tank Line instead of Orient; the Orient decals were not going to work out well on the car. Still, I like to think Bill would have been pleased how it came out. As it is a special car I mounted it on the modified North Yard Sn3 trucks, which have a great look on this car.