1900-1915 tank car prototype information

[Anonymous]

Perhaps someone can point me toward prototype information on 1900 era tank cars? I'm particularly interested in dimensional line drawings or blueprints which I can use to model period cars in HO. There doesn't seem much available in the line of 'bashable' kits either. Any suggestions appreciated.

[leighant]

The old "Rolling Stock Plan Book" from Carstens Publications (home of RMC), first printed in 1957, has a plan and elevations on p.29 of what is labeled as an "1880 tank car" but it looks more modern-- riveted seam steel tank on a steel center sill. The caption may easily be in error. It is on the same page with two cars called "oil vat cars, 1880 and 1885" with wood tanks on a wood flatcar type body with truss rod underframe.
I pulled out my "Train Shed Cyclopedia #12" which has reprints of tank car pages from the Car Builders Cyclopedias of 1922 to 1943. Oldest car I could read a date on was "blt 1917".
You seemed to have picked an interesting in-between era for tank cars, after the really "early-early" cars you see in some of the "Old Time Wild West" train sets, and the early modern tank cars of the WWI and 1920s, when oil really started flowing in earnest.
Tell me, what kind of tank car traffic are you thinking about modeling. I don't know if it was true of your era but I associate tank cars with privately owned and/or leased cars, dedicated to a particular shipper and commodity. Are you thinking of oil tank cars or chemical or what?

Santa Fe had some tank cars back then, but they may have been used primarily in company service. I am a Santa Fe nut and here are some references I have to Santa Fe tanks.

CLASS TK-C
Raised side catwalk type blt 1901 ATSF 34' 9443 gal.
95301-95751 extant in 43 Off Eqpt Reg
photo MW189064 ca.1970 RR Modeler Nov72 p.16
water & fuel car 189706,1930 pix Santa Fe Modeler 2Q88 p.14

CLASS TK-D
Raised side catwalk type, 1902 ACF
95001-95300; GCSF 8101-8150; GCSF 8201-8225
extant in 43 Reg
photo WK-D 189053 in 1978, Santa Fe Modeler JanFeb79 p.28
mention Santa Fe Modeler JanFeb82 p.25
pix in work service, Work Eqpt.Cars p.184,191

CLASS TK-G
Raised side catwalk type, "small dome", 38' 10,500+ gal.
96053-96152 1906-7 Pressed Steel Car Co.
96153-96352 1907 ACF
96353-96602 1907 Western Steel Car Co.
pix Santa Fe Modeler JulAug85 p.26
review Pecos River Brass model, proto data, detail
Santa Fe Modeler NovDec85 p.16
pix at museum, Santa Fe Modeler JanFeb86 p.3
model pix Pecos River Brass shows some details RMC Mar86 p.96

CLASS TK-H
Raised side catwalk type, 1910, ACF "larger dome" 38', 10522 gal.
96603-96900; 99298-99499
observed remaining in revenue service,1981
pix Santa Fe Modeler JulAug85 p.26
multiple pix, Santa Fe Modeler JanFeb86 p.3
pix in service,1975 Santa Fe Modeler WepOct86 p.6
truck & detail pix, Santa Fe Modeler 4Q91 p.13
numerous original personal pix I have taken
pix in work service "Work Eqpt.Cars" p.182
model pix Pecos River Brass shows some details RMC Mar86 p.96

CLASS TK-I
Raised side catwalk type,1912, ACF
"larger dome" center sill anchor 38' 10500 gal
99098-99297
observed remaining in revenue service,1982
MW pix, Santa Fe Modeler JanFeb79 p.28
pix Santa Fe Modeler JulAug85 p.26
pix 99781 bldr's photo (heavily retouched?) Warbonnet 1Q 2000 p.25
pix as fuel & water car, Santa Fe Modeler JanFeb86 p.4
proto data,details, Santa Fe Modeler NovDec85 p.16
paint decription:
Southwestern Prototype Modeler JanFeb79 p.28
in-service pix, kla,1982
TK-I or J in domestic water service, mid-1950s. Work Eqpt Cars p.232
model pix Pecos River Brass shows some details RMC Mar86 p.98

CLASS TK-J
Raised side catwalk type 38' 10580 gal
Pressed Steel Car Co. 1914,1915
99700-99899; 99900-100299
observed remaining in revenue service,1981
Southwestern Prototype Modeler JanFeb74 p.30
Southwestern Prototype Modeler JanFeb75 p.18
Santa Fe Modeler JulAug85 p.26
in domestic water service, Santa Fe Modeler JanFeb86 p.4
Santa Fe Modeler SepOct86 p.6
proto data,details Santa Fe Modeler NovDec85 p.15
pix in work service "Work Eqpt.Cars" p.183,189
#100178 in 1961, black paint Work Eqpt Cars p.181
kla pix #100221 at Galveston museum, Tex.Ltd. Galveston Aug90
pix 100034, 100201R, 100271
ATSF Color Guide to Frt & Psgr Eqpt p.82
pix 100170 Microscale decal data sheet RH-128
TK-I or J in domestic water service, mid-1950s. Work Eqpt Cars p.232
proposed N model TK-J from Rapido model w/ extensive underframe/
running board modifications
model pix Pecos River Brass shows some details RMC Mar86 p.99

I could e-mail you some of my personally-taken photos if I have your e-dress.
You can e-mail me if you write to leighant and then the "at" sign and hotmail.com
(I deliberately write this so that you, assuming you are a human, can reply but a computer program cannot automatically harvest this for a tank car load of "SPAM".)

[IRONROOSTER]

Train Shed Cyclopedia No.57, from the 1898 Car Builders' Dictionary has drawings for a tank car. The are labeled Union Tank Line. I don't have a copy, but the reprint of the 1906 Car Builders' Dictionary probably has some also. I have seen these at train shows. Also Labelle Woodworking has an HO kit that from the picture looks like it would also be in this time frame
Enjoy
Paul

[AltonFan]

You might want to check out this new book from Signature Press: [Tank Cars: American Car & Foundry, 1865-1955 by Edward S. Kaminski: http://www.signaturepress.com/tank.html

[leighant]

I just got another lead on early 20th century tank cars. Try these web sites:

www.oilhistory.com/pages/TankCars/Builders.html

www.urc.com/history.htm

[Anonymous]

Leighant:

Thank you for sending along the URLs. The second has a pic of a tiled roof service station, late '20s I'd say, which might make an interesting scratchbuilt. Thanks for thinking of me. Also did you get my email in answer to your earlier post? If not my email is [e-mail] for anything you care to send along.

Randy