One minor correction I'd like to make regarding this article. The list of helium customers lists NASA, Stennis/Bay St Louis, MS, as being served by ATSF/L&N. This is not correct. The Stennis Space Center, originally the MS Test Facility, was served by the SOU. The site was built with rails embedded into the drawbridge over the barge canal allowing the facility to be served by the L&N from the south. An access route for the SOU from the north was also in the original plans. The L&N bid to build a spur from the New Orleans/Mobile mainline at Ainsley, MS was higher than the SOU bid to build a spur from the New Orleans/Meridian mainline at Carrier, MS. So the rails in the bridge were never used, though they are still there nearly sixty years later. Interestingly, the facility's four track yard was installed at the south end of the facility next to the drawbridge in anticipation that L&N would win the bid. So SOU had to traverse about three miles from the north border to the yard at the south border.
Hello Rick, I have quite a number of these cars, and was hoping to develop a method to make them look better than their stock condition. I took note of your modifications, but I had several questions for you; 1) How did you make it appear that the long tanks are individual units? You seemed to have gotten those dark lines pretty straight and consistent 2) Did you ever attempt to try making the cross-bracing separate from the tanks??
Great info and article links Gene. I have quite a collection of these helium cars that I hope to make use of on my new layout. I first became interested in them along with my love of tank cars, and particularly the cryogenic tank cars that Broadway ltd finally made. Would you have any problems with my repeating your posting on several other forums which I participate in?? I just recently joined this forum, but I often find bits of info on one forum on a subject that does not get transmitted across to other forums. ,...likely because some members don't bother to read multiple forums,...multiple sources of info on a subject. Both of your links were VERY GOOD !
Sorry I did not see this sooner. I did nothing for the dark lines between the cylinders, I think it is from the light I used to take the picture. I had one light shining straight down on the model and the other at an angle from the side. The top light is a special artists lamp that my daughter left for me when she moved to California. I see somebody else noted a website on modeling these cars, I did not want to go the time to removed the cross bracing and replace it with Evergreen pieces so I left it as is. Here is the article I used for modeling the cars, with some more interesting links inside it on the Helium Tanks Cars. http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2012/04/helium-cars-part-1.html Rick Jesionowski
I've seen several of the helium cars in the Amarillo TX area. The United States produces forty percent of the world's supply. Here's a link to Wikipedia on production in the United States... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium_production_in_the_United_States#Geology Joe
There is another correction that needs to be made to the article. NASA Glenn in Cleveland Ohio used to receive two cars at a time for their research projects, which is why I wanted to make the cars. They were spotted by Brookpark Rd and the helium was unloaded by truck and sent to the facility. Rick Jesionowski
I would love to have these in Z scale! We are so limited to a few steamers in this scale it is unbelievable....... Here are at least some GS-3 at work at the pass: More pictures here: Across the Bay into the Desert https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/across-the-bay-into-the-desert.126807/ Enjoy, Sven
