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TSM Release #2, Live from Springfield! New Model: GATC 1917-Design 10,000 Gallon Radial Course Tank Car

New Model: Tangent Scale Models GATC 1917-Design 10,000 Gallon Radial Course Tank Car

January 27, 2018

Live from Springfield MA at the Railway Hobby Show – Release 2 of 2:

Tangent Scale Models is proud to introduce our next ALL-NEW freight car replica, the General American 10,000 Gallon 1917-Design Radial Course Tank Car. This is an ALL-NEW model that has never been offered before in HO scale plastic! (Radial course means the tank’s steel panels overlap each other, looking like “stairsteps”). This is our THIRD all-new 1917-Design radial course tank car design released – the previous two were 8,000 gallon designs, while this one is 10,000 gallons!

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 10,000 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 of fairly monochromatic box cars plying the rails, most consumable products and oil shippers proudly displayed their company markings on the tanks. This car design was no exception, with Sinclair being a dominant purchaser of tank cars of this type. Additionally, many smaller oil shippers had fleets of these cars during the oil boom years. Finally, as many oil businesses failed, the cars ended up back with GATC and were restenciled with new owner markings and were placed back into service for a new owner. Between Sinclair, Humble Oil, Hercules Powder Company, and other schemes to come in future releases, think of this as one of the first “crude oil” tank cars of consequence. Forget boring present day tanks. These cars were the most prolific tank cars built during the first tank car building boom, and were found everywhere from 1917 to 1970.

The Tangent Scale Models GATC 1917-Design 10,000 Gallon Insulated Tank Car starts exactly where our “state of the art” 8,000 gallon tank car left off, which we released in 2016. Our highly-detailed tank car model 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.

Our new ready to operate replicas are available for sale now at www.tangentscalemodels.com and we are selling these cars at the Amherst Railway Society show in Springfield MA on January 27-28, 2018!

These replicas will certainly be eye-catchers on your layout! Check out the radial courses – they look like nothing else in HO! Our first stunning release includes the following three paint schemes:

– HOX “Humble Petroleum Products” 1935+ has a silver-painted carbody with “Humble Petroleum Products” stenciling within red logos on the side of the car. The remaining tank stenciling is black, while the frame stenciling is correctly rendered in white. As always, this scheme comes directly from a prototype car that matches our model, which is displayed on our website. Humble operated gas stations under the Humble name brand, as well as Esso, Enco, and Carter. Humble was acquired by Standard Oil of New Jersey in 1959, but this car represents the period prior to that event. These cars were used to ship refined oil products for Humble, which operated gas stations located across most of the United States, with emphasis away from both coasts, making them broadly applicable to many railroads in North America. Our Humble Petroleum 1935+ replicas come with era-correct K-brakes and they are available in four different road numbers.
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– SRDX “Sinclair” 1947+ with beautiful “SINCLAIR” graphics on the side of the black carbody, with the small “REF’D OIL” stenciling to indicate the commodity hauled in these tank cars. Sinclair tank cars were nationwide roamers for sure, and our model has the accurate silver color stenciling for Sinclair’s GATC fleet of 1917-Design tank cars. Based upon the small brake stencil and tank psi test lettering, this car is accurately stenciled for service in 1947 and onward. The car’s other lettering shows a 1920 car build date. The expansion dome has the typical Sinclair silver “dot” stencil on it. These cars are complete with an era-appropriate AB-brake system, matching the photo on the Tangent site, which displays a well-worn car in 1957. These stunning cars are available in six road numbers. And don’t forget, Sinclair had the largest shipper-owned tank car fleet in North America in 1950, with virtually all of them having large billboard lettering, so don’t miss out!
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– UTLX “Hercules Powder” 1949+ has a black-painted carbody with typical UTLX graphics from the post-war period. This car is leased to Hercules for shipping of various chemicals. While Hercules originally produced munitions powders, aka “gunpowder,” it eventually provided many chemicals from plants all over the USA, including but not limited to acetone, cotton cellulose, rosins (for paper stiffening), gums, and turpentine. Our HO replica includes accurate yellow stenciling for “Hercules Power Company, Wilmington Delaware” on the side of the car. This model is complete with the classic image of Roman god Hercules on the side. Check out the detail on our Hercules stenciling! Our Hercules Powder cars come with an era-correct AB-brake system, and these stunners are available in four road numbers.
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– Undecorated RTR Black cars are fully assembled and painted black and are ready for decaling!
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– Undecorated Unpainted Kits are available as well. When you gripe that “no one” makes kits anymore, well, here they are. These are ready for building or kitbashing, and paint and decals. These are great for those who desire to build their own. Don’t miss out on these!

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 10,000 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!

Pricing for RTR models is $44.95. High-resolution images showing these fine replicas are available at www.tangentscalemodels.com and our site also includes prototype images for your reference as well.

That wraps up our update for today, and thank you for supporting the family-owned businesses in our industry!

David Lehlbach