Dow Chemical paint scheme Diamond Alkalai Co. schemePrototype-specific domesFacts & features
Price: $44.95
Manufacturer
Tangent Scale Models
P.O. Box 6514
Asheville, NC 28816
http://www.tangentscalemodels.com
Era: 1952 to 1990s
Road names: General American
Transportation Corp. (GATX reporting
marks, 1959 Diamond Chemicals and
1964 Dow Chemical Co. schemes, four
road numbers each) and Vulcan Materials
(UCLX reporting marks, two numbers).
Features- Blackened CNC-machined 33" metal
wheels, in gauge - Flexible engineering plastic underbody
details and platform railings - Kadee scale knuckle couplers, at the
correct height - Prototype-specific valve arrangements
- See-through running board and
dome platform - Weight: 3.6 ounces (matches National
Model Railroad Association Recom-
mended Prac tice 20.1) - Wire grab irons and details
60 http://www.ModelRailroader.comProduct Reviews
Tangent Scale Models has released an
HO scale model of an 8,000-gallon
General American Tank Lines (GATX)
1952 general-service tank car. The finely
detailed, ready- to- run model represents
a plentiful prototype seen on practically
every railroad in the country.
According to the Official Railway
Equipment Register (OR ER) (Ra i lway
Equipment & Publication Co.), GATX,
one of the nation’s big three tank car
leasing companies, had 45,632 tank cars
on the rails in 1953. In addition to oil
and gasoline, these cars carried corn
syrup, fertilizer, liquefied petroleum gas,
bleach, acids, and wine, among others.
Tangent’s model represents an
8,000- gallon, uninsulated, unpressurized
carbon steel tank car, designated by the
Department of Transportation as DOT
class 103W. The “W” indicated a welded
tank. These cars typically carried ladings
such as fuels, oils, solvents, caustic soda,and alcohol. The model’s major dimen-
sions matched those listed in a General
American Transportation Corp. data
sheet in the 1957 Car Builders Cyclopedia
(Simmons-Boardman).
One of our samples was painted in a
Dow Chemical Co. billboard scheme,
replicating one worn by cars that served
the Dow plant in Pittsburg, Calif. These
cars carried caustic soda (sodium
hydroxide) to paper, textile, soap, and
petroleum processing plants nationwide.
The paint is a smooth satin black. The
yellow printing is opaque, crisp, and leg-
ible on the tank, the center sill, and even
on the side of the air reservoir.
Our second sample is painted for
Cleveland, Ohio-based Diamond Alkalai
Co. The white paint is smooth and even,
and the printing is crisp and legible. The
seam between the tank body and the end
caps was more visible on the white car.
Like the Dow car, these could be found
on any railroad across the continent.
The models bristle with fine details,
including wire grab irons, see-through
running boards and dome platforms,
etched metal tank straps, and accurate
hazardous material placard mounts. The
two cars have different fittings to match
their prototypes.
The blackened metal wheels are in
gauge and ride on American Steel
Foundries (ASF) double-truss trucks.
I was pleased to be able to read the
embossed lettering on the sideframes.
The metal Kadee scale knuckle couplers
are mounted at the correct height.
The cars rolled freely on our HO scale
Virginian project layout and had noproblems negotiating its 18" radius
curves and no. 4 turnouts.
Tangent’s new model needs only a
hazmat placard and maybe a bit of
weathering to look right at home on any
transition-era or later HO scale layout.- Steven Otte, associate editor
Tangent HO scale GATX 1952 tank car
The cars are equipped with metal grab
irons, see-through running boards, and
Kadee scale magnetic knuckle couplers.