Whale Belly Jumbo Tank Car


Whale Belly

There's one on display in Galveston, TX. It was the largest ever put into production.

utlx83699.jpg
 
Whale belly jumbotank car

Quality Craft produced a kit for this 96', 60,000gal tank car.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/52205654/Quality-Craft-GATX-96-60000-Galon-Tank-Car

I aquired a partially completed one recently, and I would be interested to buy another incomplete kit for additional parts.

This is a very nice kit, it goes together with ease. It was the first tank car I did, and boy was I hooked. It was the first car I painted with a air brush. I removed the screen wire walkways with plans to use Plano material, but never got around to it. BTW, this was in the late 70s.

Bobby
 
Nice photo, I just happened back across this subject thread when I saw Bobby Pitt's liquid air car.



The UTLX car floated away during a hurricane several years ago and was cut up for scrap.
OMI built this car in two runs. The first was no paint, the second was with the paint and lettering as it was before it floated.

Bobby
 
So I have to ask. What was the idea behind this? Why is it better than two cars each of half the capacity?
Just like all the large cars of today. Less handling. It takes less time to spot 1 car instead of 2. Only 1 way bill instead of 2. It takes less hook up and disconnect time for the hoses. Half the loading facility "docks". Half the number of couplers. There is a reason the 20' cars gave way to the 40'ers and they have given way to the 60's.

But yes it was insane. They were banned from interchange not long too long after they were put into service. They were worried of the disaster it would be if one derailed and ruptured. Can you imagine 60,000 gal of chlorine dumping into the air if one ruptured. Or even just oil, The Exxon Valdez of the rails.
 
Just like all the large cars of today. Less handling. It takes less time to spot 1 car instead of 2. Only 1 way bill instead of 2. It takes less hook up and disconnect time for the hoses. Half the loading facility "docks". Half the number of couplers. There is a reason the 20' cars gave way to the 40'ers and they have given way to the 60's.

But yes it was insane. They were banned from interchange not long too long after they were put into service. They were worried of the disaster it would be if one derailed and ruptured. Can you imagine 60,000 gal of chlorine dumping into the air if one ruptured. Or even just oil, The Exxon Valdez of the rails.

Many of the rail whales were in service until they were removed due to the 40 year rule. The 48,000 gal Vinyl Chloride ran far into the 2000's. the CELX Acetic Acid cars, these are six axle cars, were granted a ten year extention. Seventy of the eight axle Ethylene Glycol cars were on the rails until 2008. They carried 43,000 gals and had a great safety record. A model of the
VC and EG cars can be found on my Flickr site. Bobby
 
The UTLX car floated away during a hurricane several years ago and was cut up for scrap.
OMI built this car in two runs. The first was no paint, the second was with the paint and lettering as it was before it floated.

Bobby
Saw a recent posting with a similar title, and thought it was going ton expand on this subject,...but nothing became of the discussion, nor photos?

So I thought I would look up this older posting I made concerning my acquishion of one of these kits. I've still not gotten mine out and finished it up.

I did find this posting by Bobby Pits interesting,..that the display one had floated away, then been cut up,...shame
 
I acquired this car back when I first re-entered the hobby, and was attracted to LONG cars.

I also got a long tobacco car wood kit that had been partially assembled.

Unusual cars
 
I think so as well,...even while I get chastised for doing so on some forums, .... o_O

There is lots of good stuff in the history of some of those forum subjects.
 
Tobacco Car



A subject I have seen rarely discussed, tobacco rail cars. These are a couple of images I collected after I purchased a partially completed kit long ago.


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hogshead2.jpg






5.jpg



Brian
 



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