Anyone seem or heard from him? News of the double sheathed book?

How about funny man Larry Jackman?

Dennis wrote:

Since you and Jack have both looked at these cars, what do you
guys think about the quality? Are the tank moldings decent, and
do the fit together well? What do you think about the walkway? Fragile?

Bruce's description is right on the money...

Jack Burgess
www.yosemitevalleyrr.com

It appears that most major roads post-WWII had at least one experimental aluminum-bodied or aluminum-sided boxcar.

CN had only three out of a fleet of over 40,000 steel 40' boxcars. I need a lot of CN cars for a 1956 grain-hauling road, but one aluminum-sided car alone would stick out from all those CN Red #11 cars in a hurry.

Why is it that modellers seem to seek out the unusual to model? Oh, here comes that silver "Cookie Box" again...

Steve Lucas.

--- In STMFC@..., "Rob Kirkham" <rdkirkham@...> wrote:

In any event, I lack sufficient good photos of the body bolster/saddle/end
frame area of the car and am struggling to model something credible while
peering in the dark. An article in Canadian Railway and Marine World
indicates that the cars were equipped with Commonwealth cast steel combined
end frame and body bolster castings. These parts included the side sills
and tank saddle.

Rob,

Take another look at that Royalite car on pages 268 - 269 of the 1922 Car Builder's Cyclopedia that we were discussing the other week... The car was built by CC&F in 1921, and the cross sectional views show it has a cast bolster. Not quite as good a photos, and you have to spend some time deciphering the hidden lines, but there's a lot of info in those drawings.

Dennis

I have a 46.9 "steel" and a 14.1 wood side kit. Both are ART reefers.
Sorry I don't have the numbers that you're looking for.
Don Worthy

On 23-Sep-09, at 11:40 PM, Rob Kirkham wrote:

I'm working on a model of CPR 389000-389049 series tank cars. These were
built in 1923 and carried 12,500 gallons. They have a lot of similarities
to the Athearn single dome tank, although I'm only harvesting parts from
that model for my project. I haven't figured out who the builder was yet.

Likely built by Canadian Car & Foundry, although some earlier tank cars were constructed by CP at their Angus shops.

Ian Cranstone
Osgoode, Ontario, Canada
lamontc@...
http://freightcars.nakina.net
http://siberians.nakina.net

Lee, nice site... good info! You have some coding errors on the photo links,
though...
Clark Cone

Hi Dennis,



I have built 6 of the Precision Scale frame less tank cars. They are very good models. You should buy the version with brass details if you like to avoid fragile details. The parts making up the tank goes well together but you need to work with the seam at the top. It will be noticeable if you just paint the model after assembly. I will try to use this tip when I get more time to fix the seam on my cars.



http://www.swannysmodels.com/Seams.html



I personally don't like the trucks you get with when you order the model with brass parts but that wouldn't be a problem for you if you are going to convert it to standard gauge.



Roland Levin

Stockholm, Sweden

hem.bredband.net/drgw





Från: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...] För soolinehistory
Skickat: den 24 september 2009 05:10
Till: STMFC@...
Ämne: [STMFC] Re: Modeling UTLX type X and V (was Blackstone Models UTLX tank cars)

--- In STMFC@... <mailto:STMFC%40yahoogroups.com> , Bruce Smith <smithbf@...> wrote:

Folks,

As has been noted here before, Precision Scale offers a plastic kit
for the UTLX 6500 gallon type V in both HO and HON3. The HO kit does
need some detail changes beyond simply 5' wheelbase trucks to be
correct (following Richard's article), but it is a nice starting
place. Precision Scale also offers an HON3 "narrow frame" version of
this tank car, as apparently, so will Blackstone...

Bruce,

....

Since you and Jack have both looked at these cars, what do you guys think about the quality? Are the tank moldings decent, and do the fit together well? What do you think about the walkway? Fragile?
.....

Dennis



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dennis Storzek wrote:

If I find a better way to model one or two of these cars, I'll turn the brass tank into a storage tank at a bulk oil dealer, which is where I found the Van Dyke car I can't locate the photos of. That car didn't have its walkways, either.

My exact strategy with Tichy tank car bodies <g>. The frames can be used for other tanks.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history

I'm working on a model of CPR 389000-389049 series tank cars. These were built in 1923 and carried 12,500 gallons. They have a lot of similarities to the Athearn single dome tank, although I'm only harvesting parts from that model for my project. I haven't figured out who the builder was yet.

In any event, I lack sufficient good photos of the body bolster/saddle/end frame area of the car and am struggling to model something credible while peering in the dark. An article in Canadian Railway and Marine World indicates that the cars were equipped with Commonwealth cast steel combined end frame and body bolster castings. These parts included the side sills and tank saddle.

So, I am wondering if anyone might have a clue where to find photos or drawings of the castings. It may be that it was a custom casting and not a marketed product, but I thought I would ask.

Rob Kirkham

The truck is/was a bowser single spring PRR caboose truck- looks like the vaunted "bettendorf" with only one spring under the bolster. I gound out the single spring, then glued in some KD#78 knuckle springs=good nuff.
Joe Binish

Dennis asked:

Since you and Jack have both looked at these cars, what do you guys think about the
quality? Are the tank moldings decent, and do the fit together well? What do you
think about the walkway? Fragile?

The castings are nicely detailed. The tanks are molded in 3 pieces, a bottom and 2
side/top pieces. This results in a seam down the top of the car, which is made
worse by the rather uneven casting edges and drift angles. A 4th tank piece is
inserted in the bottom to help get the bottom and side pieces aligned. Filing and
filling the seams will result in an acceptable result, although working around the
rivets where the tank sections joined can be a challenge. These are definitely NOT
beginner kits<G>. The walkways are styrene and look relatively robust, although like
most listers with these kits I have yet to actually complete one <G>... I do have
one tank assembled and waiting putty. As has been noted before, you can buy these
cars with plastic or brass details... go with the brass! These include PSC's tank
car railing stanchions and the unique UTLX sill steps.

To summarize, it would be wonderful to have a 21st century tank casting for these
cars, but these kits are certainly very viable alternatives to give a rather unusual
car (the type V) and the narrow frame car, with almost the same parts is a good
place to start the more common type X cars...

Regards
Bruce Smith
Auburn, AL

--- In STMFC@..., Bruce Smith <smithbf@...> wrote:

Folks,

As has been noted here before, Precision Scale offers a plastic kit
for the UTLX 6500 gallon type V in both HO and HON3. The HO kit does
need some detail changes beyond simply 5' wheelbase trucks to be
correct (following Richard's article), but it is a nice starting
place. Precision Scale also offers an HON3 "narrow frame" version of
this tank car, as apparently, so will Blackstone...

Bruce,

You posted while I was typing before. I'll keep your comment about the "narrow frame" car being a better starting point for a standard gauge class X car in mind.

Since you and Jack have both looked at these cars, what do you guys think about the quality? Are the tank moldings decent, and do the fit together well? What do you think about the walkway? Fragile?

Downstairs I till have a brass tank PSC imported years ago, and their castings for the tank saddles / bolsters, but it needs walkways, and every time I think I should work on it, I seem to find something else to do. If I find a better way to model one or two of these cars, I'll turn the brass tank into a storage tank at a bulk oil dealer, which is where I found the Van Dyke car I can't locate the photos of. That car didn't have its walkways, either.

Dennis

Thanks, Bruce (and Brian Carlson, off list).

SGL

On Wed, September 23, 2009 8:57 pm, Schuyler Larrabee wrote:

Hi,

I've been away for a while, close to a month. When I left, the new IM flat cars
were the subject of
heavy discussion, mostly related to the excessive thickness of the applied deck.
Mine arrived, and
I can see what it was all about. So, my question is, can someone summarize what the
best/simplest/most effective/least hassle solution was or is? There was discussion
of removing the
deck and sanding it thinner, and someone was mooting a replacement deck of the right
thickness.
What is effective?

Schuyler,

I posted that removing the deck and the tape holding it on and sanding it worked great.

Regards
Bruce Smith
Auburn, AL

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On Wed, September 23, 2009 8:57 pm, Schuyler Larrabee wrote:

Hi,

I've been away for a while, close to a month. When I left, the new IM flat cars
were the subject of
heavy discussion, mostly related to the excessive thickness of the applied deck.
Mine arrived, and
I can see what it was all about. So, my question is, can someone summarize what the
best/simplest/most effective/least hassle solution was or is? There was discussion
of removing the
deck and sanding it thinner, and someone was mooting a replacement deck of the right
thickness.
What is effective?

Schuyler,

I posted that removing the deck and the tape holding it on and sanding it worked great.

Regards
Bruce Smith
Auburn, AL

Hi,

I've been away for a while, close to a month. When I left, the new IM flat cars were the subject of
heavy discussion, mostly related to the excessive thickness of the applied deck. Mine arrived, and
I can see what it was all about. So, my question is, can someone summarize what the
best/simplest/most effective/least hassle solution was or is? There was discussion of removing the
deck and sanding it thinner, and someone was mooting a replacement deck of the right thickness.
What is effective?

My efforts with the search function were not particularly useful

SGL
La vita e breve, mangiate prima il dolce!







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--- In STMFC@..., "soolinehistory" <destorzek@...> wrote:

. . . How many here are aware that Precision Scale Company has made this same kit in both narrow gauge AND standard gauge for about the last dozen or so years. They are currently in stock at Walthers now; Freight Car Kit -- UTLX Frameless Tank Car Plastic Kit, #585-10611 with plastic details, less trucks for $22.50, #585-10612 w/Brass Details, Less Trucks for $24.50. How many have ever seen one? I haven't . . . Dennis

Unfortunately, those are UTL class V frameless tank cars, when what we could really use in standard guage are the slightly more modern class X frame tank cars. On Precision Scale's website, only those two frameless tank cars in HO (and equivalent frameless HOn3 kits) are shown as currently available - but the "representative photo" for all is a class X tank car with steel frame. In a Classic Freight Car photo book, there's a 1969 photo of UTLX 57801 last shopped by Union Tank Car Co in 11-55; I also have a 1969 Jim Sands photo of UTLX 58041 and 58008. These are in-service photos in normal freight interchange, all with AB brakes and AAR cast steel trucks. There's also your photo of UTLX 11204 lettered for Procor Limited, with AB brakes and archbar trucks, reweighed 10-41. Clearly, some class X cars had extraordinary longevity in the Union Tank Car fleet.

I strongly agree with Charlie Vlk, that "Blackstone would be smart to tool a standard gauge cast steel sideframe truck and offer their car to the general HO market. My guess is that the car would outsell the narrow gauge version." As you note, Blackstone is a successful HOn3 niche firm that might be hesitant to do a one-time-only standard guage car; however, as has been suggested, perhaps in partnership with an established HO standard guage freight car manufacturer?

Respectfully,
Dave Sieber
Reno NV

Ned Carey wrote:

I pulled out Richard Hendrickson's article on the PSC cars. I have seen UTLX cars of this era that had what looks like a spring sticking out perpendicular from the draft gear. Richard mentions this in the article and refers to it as Cardwell draft gear.
I don't see this in some of the recent photos posted to the group but it shows clearly in some of the photos from my own collection. It occurs to me that perhaps it was only on one side.

As usual, RIchard is right. And those springs were on both sides. You can see this in several Cyc entries over the years.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history

Ned wrote:

Richard suggested modifying the springs on a Bowser PRR caboose
truck to get an appropriate 5' truck. Does Tahoe Model Works do
any 5' trucks?

No, Tahoe doesn't have a 5' wheelbase truck. I used whatever trucks Richard
suggested in his article (as mentioned in another e-mail, I thought I used
Eastern Car Works trucks but I don't have the article anymore). I cut coil
springs from some old Athearn trucks Richard gave me (I never owned any
Athearn cars and thus didn't have them for cannibalizing). After salvaging a
pair of springs, I used them as a master and cast resin copies for all of
the trucks. The existing single coil spring was milled out using a special
jig to hold the truck side frames.

BTW, there was an article on these cars in the July/August 1978 issue of the
Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette. The article covers by the Van Dyke cars
and the narrow framed cars and gives original numbers, dates, etc. The
author (Robert Sloan) states "These [the Van Dyke cars] had two types of
truck bolsters and were rebuilt by applying pads for narrow gauge slide
bearings with special cast steel ASF trucks."....just as Dennis suggested.

Jack Burgess
www.yosemitevalleyrr.com

I pulled out Richard Hendrickson's article on the PSC cars. I have seen UTLX cars of this era that had what looks like a spring sticking out perpendicular from the draft gear. Richard mentions this in the article and refers to it as Cardwell draft gear.

I don't see this in some of the recent photos posted to the group but it shows clearly in some of the photos from my own collection. It occurs to me that perhaps it was only on one side. Or perhaps this was this something added later.

Can anyone supply more info?

Richard suggested modifying the springs on a Bowser PRR caboose truck to get an appropriate 5' truck. Does Tahoe Model Works do any 5' trucks?

Thank you,

Ned Carey