Turning a Tank car into a real Tank car?

[Boyd]

Say for example if I ran a siding down along the clothes washer. Are there any Lionel or other brands of 3 rail O scale tank cars that could be modified with filler ports and a valve at the bottom to carry liquid laundry soap? I don't think I would want to carry any consumable fluids since some plastics leach chemicals off of them.

[Zero Export]

Boyd, interesting idea.  I cant answer your question, but here was a guy that used an HO scale Tyco operating dump car to haul bird seed to his pet bird.  It was in Model RailRoader years ago.

Ryan

[rtraincollector]

I don't think so as all I have seen they all have holes somewhere for either mounting or other reasons. Great idea.

( rare moment here brain just kicked into high gear )

Wait a moment they have some cars that went with the nuclear set that had a glow in the dark fluid in them there might be your answer.

[Boyd]

Last year I started making a tank car out of PVC pipe but I robbed the trucks to go  onto another car. I drilled through the pipe for the bolts holding the trucks. If I started over again I could glue a frame to the bottom of the car and then drill through the frame to mount the trucks. Then go from there to make my tank. One question I have though is not all chemicals are compatible with all plastics and they can actually react to each other. The bottles that the floor soap come in at the place that I work have warnings not to reuse the container for anything else.

[Zero Export]

Boyd, the re use warnings are due to the fact, that some one, some where, re used a chemical container for drinking water..............  

There is also the issue if you dont label it, no one will know whats actually in it.....

I dont think laundry soap would react with PVC 

Ryan

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Years ago I used PVC pipe, some chunks of wood and a G Scale flatcar to make a G Scale tank car. I never put anything in it though.

[Boyd]

You sure wouldn't want it to leak all over the track and layout.

[KRM]

Hummmmmm,

Liquid laundry soap,  no way,, but if you were talking beer NOW that is something worth looking into. great idea.  

 

[marxalot]

Tony's Train Exchange has had a a nice O gauge track claening car for some time. This unit already has filler ports on top and is designed to allow fluid to drop down on weighted pads at the bottom. You shut it off with a top valve.......... it isn't cheap but it sort of does what you're asking for.  It is called the CMX-O Clean Machine.

[Penny Trains]

Lionel's have been called on to do stranger things.  This one tops the list in my book:

http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/press&CISOPTR=2848&CISOBOX=1&REC=1

Becky

[overlandflyer]

Penny Trains

Lionel's have been called on to do stranger things. ...

i hate to nit pick, but that would be so much cooler with an old #57 AEC switcher.

[mersenne6]

A few years ago (around 1914 or so) Bing made tank cars for the U.S. market that would hold liquid without leaking.  They are made of metal and the tank top is a large machined brass screw fixture which screws into the dome.

[Penny Trains]

Pic is dated 1949.  Besides, when you're hauling heavy metals you'd want a top of the line twin-motored unit.  Still, maybe they could have repainted the unit in a unique paint scheme?  Of course maintenence would be severely difficult, even re-filling a track cleaning car or simple lubrication.  Once inside, everything is contaminated so reliability has to be absolute.  Sad to think the whole set-up is probably rotting away in some salt mine in Nevada these days.

Becky

[Boyd]

Well if you had an outdoor 3 rail layout you could spray the weeds along the sides of the track.

[overlandflyer]

Boyd

Well if you had an outdoor 3 rail layout you could spray the weeds along the sides of the track.

in a slightly larger scale (1:8), that's exactly how Riverside keeps the roadbed clean.

[overlandflyer]

Penny Trains

Pic is dated 1949. ...

ok, point taken... the AEC loco was still a decade off.