| GATX
Tank Train
PROTOTYPE
HISTORY:
Since the beginning of railroading in the United States, tank cars
have been an essential part of the freight car fleet. From their primitive beginnings
of barrels mounted to flatcars, tank
cars have evolved into complex designs
optimized for hauling a variety of liquids, from corn syrup to anhydrous ammonia.
While tank cars are prolific, most railroads do not own large fleets of these
relatively specialized cars, preferring to make use of fleets managed by freight
car companies, such as GATX. One of the larger equipment management companies,
GATX can trace its history to the turn of the century, and is well-known for its
large fleet of tank cars of varying designs, many of which were built in-house.
One of the more distinctive designs to originate from GATX is the “TankTrain”,
which made its debut in the 1970s. The TankTrain concept was a solution to the
problem of long load/unload times for unit train shipments of particular commodities,
such as crude oil. A typical unit train can take significant time to load or unload,
with the need for workers to attach the necessary hoses and other fittings to
each individual car, coupled with the necessary time to load or unload the commodity
from each car. The TankTrain was designed to significantly reduce this time. TankTrain
cars are interconnected with a large-diameter, flexible hose between each car,
which allows the commodity to be siphoned off at a single point at the end of
a set of cars while being “pushed” at the opposite end with inert nitrogen
gas. Using this method, TankTrain cars can be loaded or unloaded at a rate of
approximately 3,000 gallons per minute, allowing a train of 90 cars to be loaded
or unloaded in under five hours. This has the obvious benefit of increased equipment
utilization, as well as reduced labor costs, and shorter dwell times at terminals.
Additionally, TankTrain cars were built in various sizes and designs to handle
various commodities resulting in a wide variety of TankTrain cars roaming the
nations’ rails. TankTrain cars are typically grouped into interconnected
sets ranging from two to thirteen cars, the set size varying upon the car types,
commodity, and shipper being served. One of the commodities routinely handled
by TankTrain cars is crude oil, whose viscous nature, and tendency to be hipped
in unit train quantities, lends itself well to the TankTrain concept. The most
well-known operation using TankTrain equipment was Southern Pacific railroad’s
operation of these cars, on behalf of Shell Oil Company, from a loading facility
in Bakersfield, California, to a refinery in Carson, California. This operation
began in the early 1980s, and proved to be highly succcesful for Shell, allowing
them economical transport of Kern County crude oil to their refinery. Two trainsets
were operated, allowing a continuous load/empty cycle to operate between the loadout
and the refinery. These trains were comprised of insulated cars with a 23k nominal
capacity, grouped into sets of 12-13 cars, with a full train being around 75-78
cars (more or less, depending upon cars that may have been cut out of the individual
sets for maintenance). This train proved to be a fairly high-priority operation
on the Southern Pacific, mainly stemming from the need to make sure the loaded
trains arrived at the refinery on time, in order to prevent production disruptions,
as well as to
make sure the warmed crude oil (heated as a result of the initial
extraction process) does not cool and thicken inside of the car, which would slow
down the unloading process. These all-new Athearn N-scale models represent 23K-capacity
GATX TankTrain cars from the 486-number series (built in 1977), and 282-series
(built in 1982). Based upon GATX diagrams, as well as photos and field measurements
taken from prototype TankTrain cars at GATX’s West Colton repair facility,
these new N-scale models faithfully replicate the prototype differences between
the two different series’, including variations on the tank saddles, walkways,
manways, brake rigging, and transfer piping. While these cars are most closely
associated with Southern Pacific, TankTrain sets comprised of these cars have
been, and can be seen in operation across the country. Grand Trunk Western, for
example, operated TankTrain cars from the 486-series in the Great Lakes region,
hauling fuel oil, in the late 1970s. And despite construction of a pipeline that
eliminated the need for Southern Pacific’s original routing of TankTrain
equipment, a new TankTrain, operated by Southern Pacific successor Union Pacific
along the former SP “Coast Line”, operates to this day
with many
of the same cars, from a loading facility in San Ardo, California, to a refinery
in Carson, California. | | Tank
Train Features: | - All-new
tooling first time ever in N-scale
- Two
GATX classes represented: 282-series and 486-series
- Correct
walkways, manways, and load/unload pluper series
- Finely
detailed walkways
- Correct
transfer plumbing per prototype series and end (A-end or B-end)
- Full
underbody plumbing and rigging
- Detailed,
soft vinyl transfer hoses that bend as the car negotiates curves
- Cars
available as end unit sets and as individual intermediate units
- 100-ton
roller-bearing trucks with scale 36” machined metal wheels
- Convenient
packs of 3 makes doing prototypical 12 unit set simple
- Minimum
radius: 11”
- Recommended
radius: 15”
- 282-series
era: 1977 to present
- 486-series
era: 1982 to presen
| |
Features: | - Fully-assembled
and ready-to-run out of the box
- Accurately
painted and printed for prototypical realism
- Highly-detailed,
injection-molded body
- Photo
etched metal walkways and end platforms
- Wire
safety rails and end handrails
- Printed
placards
- Separately
applied brake wheel
- Screw
mounted trucks
- McHenry
operating knuckle couplers
- Weighted
for trouble free operation
- Operates
on Code 50, and 80 rail
- Body-mounted,
McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers
- Multiple
road numbers
- Window
packaging for easy viewing, plus interior plastic
blister safely holds the
model for convenient storage |
| Road Name |
Road # |
Image |
MSRP |
Our $ |
Part # |
| Canadian
National TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX Unnumbered |
N/A |
 |
$39.99 |
$31.99 |
ATH-1773
 |
| Canadian
National TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX A/B Set (2-Pack) |
79001
/ 79017 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1774
|
| Canadian
National TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX Intermediate (3-Pack) |
79002
/ 79003 / 79004 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1775
|
| Canadian
National TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX Intermediate (3-Pack) |
79005
/ 79006 / 79007 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1776
|
| Canadian
National TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX Intermediate (3-Pack) |
79008
/ 79009 / 79010 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1777
|
| Canadian
National TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX Intermediate (3-Pack) |
79011
/ 79012 / 79013 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1778
|
| Canadian
National TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX Intermediate (3-Pack) |
79014
/ 79015 / 79016 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1779
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX Unnumbered White / Black |
N/A |
 |
$39.99 |
$31.99 |
ATH-1780
|
| TankTrain
Car GATX A/B Set White / Black (2-Pack) |
75551
/ 75567 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1781
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX White / Black (3-Pack) |
75552
/ 75553 / 75554 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1782
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX White / Black (3-Pack) |
75555
/ 75556 / 75557 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1783
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX White / Black (3-Pack) |
75558
/ 75559 / 75560 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1784
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX White / Black (3-Pack) |
75561
/ 75562 / 75563 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1785
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX White / Black (3-Pack) |
75564
/ 75565 / 75566 |
 |
$104.99 |
$83.99 |
ATH-1786
|
| Quaker State
TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX Unnumbered |
N/A |
 |
$39.99 |
$31.99 |
ATH-1787
|
| Quaker
State TankTrain Car GATX A/B Set (2-Pack) |
69251
/ 69257 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1788
|
| Quaker State
TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX (2-Pack) |
69252
/ 69253 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1789
|
| Quaker State
TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX (2-Pack) |
69254
/ 69255 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1790
|
| Quaker State
TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX (2-Pack) |
69256
/ 69261 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1791
|
| Quaker State
TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX (2-Pack) |
69263
/ 69264 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1792
|
| Quaker State
TankTrain Intermediate Car GATX (2-Pack) |
69265
/ 69266 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1793
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX White Unnumbered |
N/A |
 |
$39.99 |
$31.99 |
ATH-1794
|
| TankTrain
Car GATX White A/B Set (2-Pack) |
44589
/ 44593 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1795
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX White (2-Pack) |
44582
/ 44592 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1796
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX White (2-Pack) |
44587
/ 44588 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1797
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX White (2-Pack) |
44594
/ 44599 |
 |
$74.99 |
$59.99 |
ATH-1798
|
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX |
48665 |
|
$39.99 |
 |
ATH-15044 |
| 48666 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15045 |
| 48667 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15046 |
| 48668 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15047 |
| 48669 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15048 |
| 48670 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15049 |
| 48671 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15050 |
| 48672 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15051 |
| 48673 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15052 |
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car GATX A/B & Int Ca |
48663
,48664 ,48674 |
|
$109.99 |
|
ATH-15053 |
| No
Logo Intermediate Car GATX |
48617 |
 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15054 |
| 48618 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15055 |
| 48619 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15056 |
| 48620 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15057 |
| 48621 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15058 |
| 48622 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15059 |
| 48623 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15060 |
| 48624 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15061 |
| 48625 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15062 |
| No Logo
Intermediate Car GATX A/B & Int Ca |
48615,
48616, 48626 |
|
$109.99 |
|
ATH-15063 |
| Small
Logo Intermediate Car GATX |
28229 |
 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15064 |
| 28230 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15065 |
| 28231 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15066 |
| 28232 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15067 |
| 28233 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15068 |
|
28234
|
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15069 |
| 28235 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15070 |
| 28236 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15071 |
| 28237 |
$39.99 |
|
ATH-15072 |
| Small Logo
Intermediate Car GATX A/B & Int Ca |
28227,
28228, 28238 |
|
$109.99 |
|
ATH-15093 |
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car Set, GATX/Now/Early |
48625 |
 |
$30.98 |
|
ATH-15020 |
| TankTrain
A/B Ends & Intermediate Car Set, GATX/Org/Early |
3
Pack |
 |
$89.98 |
|
ATH-15016 |
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car Set, GATX/Now/Early |
3
Pack |
|
$89.98 |
|
ATH-15017 |
| 3
Pack |
$89.98 |
|
ATH-15018 |
| 3
Pack |
$89.98 |
|
ATH-15019 |
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car Set, GATX/Now/Late |
28287 |
 |
$30.98 |
|
ATH-15025 |
| TankTrain
A/B Ends & Intermediate Car Set, GATX/Now/Late |
3
Pack |
 |
$89.98 |
|
ATH-15021 |
| TankTrain
Intermediate Car Set, GATX/Now/Late |
3
Pack |
|
$89.98 |
|
ATH-15022 |
| 3
Pack |
$89.98 |
|
ATH-15023 |
| 3
Pack |
$89.98 |
|
ATH-15024 |
| TankTrain
A/B Ends & Intermediate Car Set, GATX/B-S-T Late |
3
Pack |
 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-14999 |
| TankTrain
Intermediate,GATX/B-S-T Late |
3
Pack #1 |
 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-15000 |
| 3
Pack #2 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-15001 |
| 3
Pack #3 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-15002 |
|
TankTrain
A/B Ends & Intermediate Car Set, GATX/P-TT-L
PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE:
Duplicated
look and feel of “In Service” equipment; “Tattered
and Torn” just like the real thing Faded base colors matched
to the prototype Patches applied and shaped per road number
matching each corresponding side to the prototype Perfect starting
point for adding grime and rust
|
3
Pack |
 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-15003 |
|
TankTrain
Intermediate, GATX/P-TT-L
PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE:
Duplicated
look and feel of “In Service” equipment; “Tattered
and Torn” just like the real thing Faded base colors matched
to the prototype Patches applied and shaped per road number
matching each corresponding side to the prototype Perfect starting
point for adding grime and rust
|
3
Pack #1 |
 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-15004 |
| 3
Pack #2 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-15005 |
| 3
Pack #3 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-15006 |
|
TankTrain
A/B Ends & Intermediate Car Set, GATX/White
PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE:
Duplicated
look and feel of “In Service” equipment; “Tattered
and Torn” just like the real thing Faded base colors matched
to the prototype Patches applied and shaped per road number
matching each corresponding side to the prototype Perfect starting
point for adding grime and rust
|
2
Pack |
 |
$59.98 |
|
ATH-15007 |
|
TankTrain
Intermediate, GATX/White
PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE:
Duplicated
look and feel of “In Service” equipment; “Tattered
and Torn” just like the real thing Faded base colors matched
to the prototype Patches applied and shaped per road number
matching each corresponding side to the prototype Perfect starting
point for adding grime and rust
|
2
Pack #1 |
 |
$59.98 |
 |
ATH-15008 |
| 2
Pack #2 |
$59.98 |
|
ATH-15009 |
|
2 Pack #3 |
$59.98 |
|
ATH-15010 |
|
The
Below models where announced July 2016, Arrived in September
2017
|
| TankTrain
A/B Ends & Intermediate Car Set, GATX/Early |
3
Pack |
 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-14991 |
| TankTrain
Intermediate, GATX/Early |
3
Pack #1 |
 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-14992 |
| 3
Pack #2 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-14993 |
| 3
Pack #3 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-14994 |
| TankTrain
A/B Ends & Intermediate Car Set, GATX/Late |
3
Pack |
 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-14995 |
| TankTrain
Intermediate, GATX/Late |
3
Pack #1 |
 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-14996 |
| 3
Pack #2 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-14997 |
| 3
Pack #3 |
$84.98 |
|
ATH-14998 |
Back to N
Scale Supply catalog page for : Athearn |
