GATX 96500 "Rail Whale"

Carl Sowell Feb 17, 2021

  1. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have decided that I am done trying to upgrade the Atlas model, before I really muck it up. Here it is:

    [​IMG]

    "A" end:
    [​IMG]

    "B" end:
    [​IMG]

    I had to fabricate the balance beam truck mounts, have no idea yet if this car will track well or not. It may just sit in the refinery, I'll find out tomorrow.
    And now, something to do with the "Wanda" car.

    Be well,
    Carl
     
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  2. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Really cool Carl! (y)(y)(y)
     
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  3. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I'd love one, but I doubt they'd fit in the Tunnel District!
     
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  4. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

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    Above, I stated that I had no idea how this car would track. Well I found out today. Keep in mind that I had to fabricate the balance beams to mount the trucks onto, I also drilled a hole in the bottom of tank and added 16 BB's with acc, put a piece of tape over the hole and then moved the BB's around in the very bottom of tank. Once the acc set up I pulled the tape. I managed to get the weight up to 1-1/2 oz, for a 7" car that is still a tad light (?). At any rate here is a short YT video showing my results. The 1st section shows it passing at a normal speed cause I wanted to show how many switches it passed over. The 2nd segment, I ran it at notch 16 to see how it handles the switches bouncing and cavorting as well as how it would handle the short s curve just before the tunnel portal. Same for the last segment. BTW it also ran backwards the same way. I am quite pleased!!!! I must admit that the curves are quite generous on the club layout.



    Be safe & well,
    Carl
     
  5. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Nicely done!
     
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  6. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    Nice work Carl!
     
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  7. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    The whalebelly tanks are an interesting car design. Does anybody know why the ends look like that? The recessed hatch/bolted 'thing' seems weird; why would it not just have round ends like a normal car?
     
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  8. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Congrats on the successful upgrade and test run Carl.! Excellent work!
     
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  9. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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  10. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

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    Mr. Trainiac,

    Let me offer an idea, I am by no means an expert but my last 10 years with Chevron Products Company I was a field rep for the transportation department, assigned to the El Paso refinery, and dealt with many tank cars as well as other types also. Taught a lot of HazMat classes and traveled some with the Chevron HazMat training car CHVX911R

    I am going to make an assumption here and guess that you have not seen this model or that Atlas actually made it prototypically. Looking at the top, there are no domes or accessways to the interior of the car. So my assumption is that these are flanged manways for repair and/or cleaning purposes, otherwise they would not have had access without cutting a hole somewhere.

    It's possibly the purpose! Maybe yes, maybe no! Makes sense though.

    Be well,
    Carl

    PS: We are looking at and talking about a rather strange, never used in revenue service, tank car and me mentioning the Chevron HazMat car makes me think about a new project. Top image is "as built' and 2nd is after a re-do.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    What you guys think ?? ? ?
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2021
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  11. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Those Atlas N Scale "Pregnant Whale" tank cars have become quite the valued collector's item, often selling for north of $50 to $60 at shows and on eBay. Given that this was an unusual prototype and N Scale's ever-expanding focus on realism, I'd be surprised if these are ever reintroduced.
     
  12. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    Good call on the lack of a dome or any kind of hatch topside. I hadn't even thought about that. It looks like there is a similar hatch or panel on the bottom of the car as well.

    Those are some real interesting photos too. My favorite kind of tank cars are cryogenic cars, all the equipment on the exterior is so different from other tanks. Your car has a similar flavor that reminds me of them, especially with the valve boxes in the first photo.

    I would like a model of some of these unique tank cars, but the lack of documentation and drawings holds me back from so many projects. I feel like tank cars are under-researched compared to many other car types. You could probably go in any magazine and find articles and drawings for every boxcar, but good comprehensive articles on tanks are much fewer in number.
     
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  13. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    I bought my first two back when they were released for $4.00 apiece and I thought they were kind of expensive. The other two were from eBay auctions and I spent ten times the original release price to get them.

    Doug
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2021
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  14. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Go for it Carl! That would be one super cool and unique model. I spy a BNSF log on it as well so maybe that makes me a little bias :D
     
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  15. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Neat that you found them. :) I have the Texaco [Atlas 3112] car, bought for me by my Dad for $4.00 at Orange Blossom Hobbies in Miami when I was a kid in about 1970. Roco did a good job with its engineering. I've had tight radius curves on layouts and the car has tracked through them all without complaint.
     
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  16. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

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    Richard,

    thanks for the support. Yes, it is interesting and unique. Actually, back in 1988 +/-, RESCAR in Longview, Texas built two identical cars. One was for Amoco and one for Chevron. They used large diameter two compartment cars. The two training cars were identical. The 1st image above was "as delivered" in 1988, image shot @ El Segundo, Ca.. The 2nd image was after a re-do of the car and it was a three way project with BNSF and another entity. I do not recognize the 3rd logo. You can see that the air conditioning unit was removed from the "A" end and a door placed in the end.

    [​IMG]

    This image was made in Aurora, Ill.

    This project is really tempting me. I might have to totally scratch it out.

    Be well, hope your knee is not acting up,
    Carl
     
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  17. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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    Here's the "Railgoat"s specific page on the prototype for the Atlas/Roco car.

    http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/railwhales/bynumber/gatx096500.htm

    There is a hatch/opening/manway cover/whatever at the end shown in the photo. However, if you look at the photo linked at the bottom of the page, you'll see that there isn't an opening at the other end.

    Considering when this model was introduced, it's not bad. And it does make it around 9 3/4 inch radius curves. It's also as far as I know the only widely available model of this car ever made in any scale.
     
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  18. pmpexpress

    pmpexpress TrainBoard Member

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    Less trucks, couplers, handrails, and piping, Concept Models offers HO-Scale a resin kits of the one-off GATX 96500 "Whale-Belly" Super Tanker.

    [​IMG]

    https://www.con-sys.com/product_GATX96500.htm

    https://www.con-sys.com/pdf/GATX60000_GAL_INSTR.pdf

    About the prototype:

    Donated to the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri by the General American Transportation Company in 1971, an experimental car that was built in 1965 to transport anhydrous ammonia, the prototype 60,200 Gallon GATX 96500 "Whale-Belly" Super Tanker is 96' 7 5/8" long and has a fully loaded weight of 272,700 pounds.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  19. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    I've seen that car at NMOT in St Louis (great place to visit!) I've always wondered why the pivots for the structures spanning the two trucks are not half-way between the trucks? Is there something that compensates for that, and equalizes the load on both trucks?
     
  20. pmpexpress

    pmpexpress TrainBoard Member

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    Omitted in the previously mentioned prototype details, as indicated on the car's museum placard, the GATX Super Tanker was also designed to transport Liquefied Petroleum Gas.
     

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