Quality Craft Models also produced a wood kit in HO scale. The HOseeker.net instruction archive has a copy of it online, although I have never seen a kit for sale. I wish the instructions had a diagram like some of their others do. That way somebody could do the styrene-replacement technique and build their own even if they don't have the kit on hand.
Produced as the Quality Craft Models Stock Number G-1 GATX 96' 60,000 GAL. TANK CAR, the vintage HO-Scale basswood and pewter craftsman kit was a model of GATX 96500. Quality Craft Models G-1 Kit Unpainted Quality Craft Models G-1 Kit Build-Up Unpainted Quality Craft Models G-1 Kit Build-Up Unpainted Quality Craft Models G-1 Kit Build-Up According to a ten year old Model Railroader forum board post by Tom McInerney, three view diagrams with dimensions of GATX 96500 can be found in the second edition copy of the GATX Tank Car Manual, copyright General American Transportation Corporation, 1966. Library of Congress no. 66-21208. Pages 129 and 170 must be referenced for the details on the side fills and drains. The second jumbo tanker to be constructed in the United States, built in September 1965 to transport Anhydrous Ammonia or Liquefied Petroleum Gas, an experimental car that never entered interchange service, the prototype 60,018 Gallon GATX 96500 "Whale-Belly" Super Tanker is 96' 7 5/8" long, has an empty weight of 193,300 pounds, and a fully loaded weight of 440,000 pounds. http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/railwhales/bynumber/gatx096500.htm With a 50,105 gallon capacity, an empty weight of 176,700 pounds, and a fully loaded weight of 440,000 pounds, the first of the behemoth tankers was the UTLX 83699, which was constructed by the Union Tank Car Company in March 1963. One of only three of the super tankers that were preserved after decommissioning, UTLX 83699 was scrapped after it was seriously damaged by Hurricane IKE in 2008. http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/railwhales/bynumber/utlx083699.htm In addition to the GATX GATX 96500 kit, Concept Models also offers a model of UTLX 83699. https://www.con-sys.com/product_GATX96500.htm https://www.con-sys.com/pdf/GATX60000_GAL_INSTR.pdf Federal regulation 35 CFR 14216 which was proposed on December 11, 1969 and took effect on December 1, 1970 prohibited the construction of jumbo tank cars with capacities greater than 34,500 gallons, or with maximum gross rail loaded weights exceeding 263,000 pounds. Notwithstanding the creation of federal regulation 35 CFR 14216, the future of any remaining Super Tankers was doomed by the Association of American Railroads' establishment of a service life of forty-years (which had previously been set at fifty-years) for interchange service freight cars that were constructed prior to July 1, 1974. http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/railwhales/index.htm http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/railwhales/a-roster.htm? http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/railwhales/a-1963-1970.htm? http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/railwhales/a-1971-2013.htm?
