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.

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.

These cars were used for commodities beyond oil and other fuels. For example, Globe Soap of Cincinnati, Ohio purchased the cars. While in today’s world it is hard to imagine soap products 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 history. General American was proud to help design custom tank cars for their many customers, including Globe Soap.

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

AESX “Staley – Decatur” 1952+” in the attractive “A.E. STALEY MFG. CO.” scheme with the classy STALEY logo which states “Products from Staley’s corn and soybeans.” Also, DECATUR, ILLINOIS is proudly stenciled on the car. As always, this scheme comes directly off of a prototype car that matches the model. These tank cars delivered corn products to receivers nationwide, making them broadly applicable to almost every railroad in North America. For example, one of Staley’s largest customers was the producer of La Choy soy sauce in Los Angeles CA, who purchased hydrolyzed vegetable protein liquid. The STALEY 1952+ cars come with era-correct AB-brakes.

Features:

• Circumferential riveted tank body and riveted underframe
• 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
• Recommended age 14 years and older