General American 8,000 Gallon 1917-Design Insulated Radial Course Tank Car

 

 

Anchor Petroleum Company (ANPX) - Tulsa OKLA - 1948+ GA

 

 

National Tank Car Company (NTCX)

 

By the end of World War I, U.S. production of oil and oil-related products was sharply increasing thanks to the combination of war-related demands as well as demands from home. In order to move oil and “new” consumer products, tank car producers introduced new car designs. In 1917 General American Tank Car introduced a new general service 8,000 gallon non-insulated tank car (a prototype for which we released a model in November 2016 with a few still in stock), and quickly followed that production with an insulated 8,000 gallon tank car, which utilized a “jacket” that surrounded the tank and dome. Built in East Chicago, IN, these insulated cars were easily identifiable by their circumferential rivets that surrounded the tank body, with notably different heights between the courses, and with their “recessed ends”. These “radial course” tank cars utilized steel bolster plates that rise up vertically to hold the tank in place, complete with a “web” section behind to minimize steel consumption. At a time of fairly monochromatic box cars plying the rails, these insulated tank cars carried consumable products, and they were typically stenciled for lessees advertising consumer products such as gasoline, wine, and corn products.

An example gasoline service insulated tank car was leased by Anchor Petroleum located in Tulsa OKLA and was photographed on the Chicago & Illinois Midland in the state of Illinois post World War II.

 

 

An example “pre-depression” and “pre-diesel” car was this NTCX car, which are the reporting marks for National Tank Car Company, who operated a fleet of 8,000 and 10,000 gallon tank cars. Their insulated tank car fleet represented more than 30% of their total tank car fleet. This car is stenciled for the “plain leaser” NTCX scheme from 1922. These NTCX cars were nationwide roamers and were likely used for viscous oil products.

 

 

The GATC 1917-design family were the most prolific tank cars built during this period and were found everywhere from 1917 to roughly 1970.

The Tangent Scale Models GATC 1917-Design 8,000 Gallon Insulated Tank Car is a highly-detailed tank car model that includes details accurate for each paint scheme, including KC- or AB-brake variations, with or without Cardwell draft sill springs, and different hand brakes. Other visually-distinctive details for our models include the “see through” bolster section, circumferential rivets, and differing course heights. Our RTR models include correct “true-to-life” colors and “hyper-accurate” lettering including exact fonts and lettering placement. Finally, our scale replicas operate as well as they look, equipped with free-rolling all-metal wheels and Kadee® scale couplers, meaning our models are truly ready to run.

 

Features for these awesome replicas include:

– Circumferential riveted tank body and riveted underframe (count ‘em, there are many!)

– Radial course tank body – note the “stairstep” appearance!

– All-new underframe for the GATC 1917-design

– “See-through” cast knee above the bolsters

– Accurate dome appliances

– Dimensionally-correct hazardous placards with accurate hole detail

– Separately applied tank handrail

– Separately applied tank strap detail

– KC- or AB- brake variations depending on the prototype car

– Inclusion of Cardwell draft sill springs depending on the prototype car, otherwise “oval” frame openings where the springs were removed

– Different hand brake appliance options depending on the prototype car

– Highly correct “true to life” colors

– “Hyper-Accurate” lettering including exact fonts and lettering placement, including lettering applied to the underframe and air reservoir

– Durable wire grab irons and coupler lift bars

– Separate air hoses

– “Near-scale” draft gear box with side detail

– Kadee® “scale-head” couplers

– CNC-machined 33” wheels in high-quality Tangent Scale Models ASF cast steel truck with spring plank and with separate brake beams

– Replacement semi-scale wheels available separately from Tangent

– Multiple road numbers for each scheme – these cars often traveled in “groups” of more than one

– Recommended age 14 years and older

Don’t miss out on the Tangent Scale Models General American 8,000 gallon 1917-design radial course tank car! Just like its prototype, this car will stand out on any layout situated from 1917 to 1970, and they went everywhere!

 

 

General American 8,000 Gallon 1917-Design Radial Course Tank Car

 

 

Canadian General Transit Company (CGTX) - “1955+ Lease”

 

 

General American (GATX) - “1936+ Lease”

 

 

Introducing the General American 8,000 Gallon 1917-Design Radial Course Tank Car from Tangent. This is the first plastic radial course tank offered in HO plastic! (Radial course means the tank’s steel panels overlap each other, looking like “stairsteps”). Here is a prototype photo showing the radial steel panel courses and the overlapping of the panels.

 

 

By the end of World War I, U.S. production of oil and oil-related products was sharply increasing thanks to the combination of war-related demands as well as demands from home. In order to move oil and new consumer products, tank car producers introduced new car designs. In 1917, General American Tank Car introduced a new general service 8,000 gallon non-insulated tank car that became immensely popular with bulk liquids shippers.

 

 

Built in East Chicago, IN, these cars were easily identifiable by their circumferential rivets that surrounded the tank body, with notably different heights between the courses. These “radial course” tank cars utilized steel bolster plates that rise up vertically to hold the tank in place, complete with a “web” section behind to minimize steel consumption at a time when steel was a scarce commodity.

 

 

At a time of fairly monochromatic box cars plying the rails, most consumable products and oil shippers proudly displayed their company markings on the tanks, as evidenced by the Deep Rock example car. Additionally, tank car lessor firm Union Tank Line purchased a very large fleet of these cars as well, decorated in the distinctive UTLX “gold on black” scheme.

 

 

The UTLX fleet grew with time as a result of acquisitions. Here is a 1958-repainted 8,000 gallon tank, photographed in 1964:

 

 

These cars were used for commodities beyond oil and other fuels. For example, Dunbar Molasses of New Orleans, Louisiana purchased the cars. Molasses was a common 8000 gallon tank car commodity even if it “sounds” unusual! It was a core ingredient in foodstuffs, animal feed, vinegar, citric acid, etc. While in today’s world it is hard to imagine molasses as a tank car commodity traveling by rail, remember that the combination of manufacturing and packaging practices, as well as pre-truck era, both contributed to tank cars being used for more than just oil-related commodities at that time in our nation’s history (and molasses today is still a common rail tank car commodity). General American was proud to help design custom tank cars for their many customers, including Dunbar Molasses.

 

 

Another example commodity was corn syrup and other corn-based products. Here is one of the bright Union Starch and Refining cars in service on Union Pacific in the mid-1950s, likely headed to or from Decatur IL.

 

 

Between UTLX, Union Starch and Refining, and other schemes to come in future releases, think of this as the first large-scale production tank car of consequence. The GATC 1917-design prototypes were the most prolific tank cars built during this period and were found everywhere from 1917 to roughly 1970.

Available paint schemes are listed at right, and you can click on the images to see more photos and order! Prototype images for each scheme are available there as well, mixed in with the model images.

The Tangent Scale Models GATC 1917-Design 8,000 Gallon General Service Tank Car is a highly-detailed tank car model that includes details accurate for each paint scheme, including KC- or AB-brake variations, different dome heights, with or without Cardwell draft sill springs, and different hand brakes.

Here is a closeup of the K-brake system. This brake system is applied to our Dunbar Molasses 1919+ and UTLX 1926+ cars. These are the kind of details Tangent pays attention to!

 

 

Here is a closeup of the AB-brake system. This brake system is applied to our Union Starch and Refining 1950+ and our UTLX 1958+ models. Again, these are the kind of details Tangent pays attention to, where we tooled two separate brake systems for our GATC 1917-Design tank cars!

 

 

Other visually-distinctive details for our models include the “see through” bolster section, circumferential rivets, and differing course heights.

Our RTR models include correct “true-to-life” colors and “hyper-accurate” lettering including exact fonts and lettering placement. Finally, our scale replicas operate as well as they look, equipped with free-rolling all-metal wheels and Kadee® scale couplers, meaning our models are truly ready to run.

 

Features for these awesome replicas include:

– Circumferential riveted tank body and riveted underframe (count ‘em, there are many!)

– Radial course tank body – note the “stairstep” appearance!

– All-new underframe for the GATC 1917-design

– “See-through” cast knee above the bolsters

– Accurate dome appliances

– Dimensionally-correct hazardous placards with accurate hole detail

– Separately applied tank handrail

– Separately applied tank strap detail

– KC- or AB- brake variations depending on the prototype car

– Inclusion of Cardwell draft sill springs depending on the prototype car, otherwise “oval” frame openings where the springs were removed

– Different hand brake appliance options depending on the prototype car

– Highly correct “true to life” colors

– “Hyper-Accurate” lettering including exact fonts and lettering placement, including lettering applied to the underframe and air reservoir

– Durable wire grab irons and coupler lift bars

– Separate air hoses

– “Near-scale” draft gear box with side detail

– Kadee® “scale-head” couplers

– CNC-machined 33” wheels in high-quality Tangent Scale Models ASF cast steel truck with spring plank and with separate brake beams

– Replacement semi-scale wheels available separately from Tangent

– Multiple road numbers for each scheme – these cars often traveled in “groups” of more than one

– Recommended age 14 years and older

 

 

Order Due Date: In Stock Now

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