I could swear that ages ago Con-Cor offered a trailer such as this, probably manufactured by one of the European companies. Anybody have any info about such an item current or past production?
Reminds me of trailers which are used to haul such as milk, orange juice and so forth. Perhaps that terminology might help in any searching?
The ones around here are used to haul heavy unrefined crude oil. Usually they are painted an off white.
I think it's a slurry trailer. Milk trailers are stainless (I believe that one is polished aluminum), but usually have an oval cross section I think, because they have no baffles. They're also less heavily braced outside. Never seen a serious model of one of these. Once had a pretty convincing toy which was very close to HO. Don't remember who made it.
I found a Con-Cor tank trailer on Trovestar, I'm assuming this is the model you are trying to find: https://www.trovestar.com/generic/zoom.php?id=109024 However, it is one of the elliptical cross-section trailers and lacks the circumferential rings that your reference photo has. If a model doesn't exist, you could always try to 3D print one. You could find a similar model on Shapeways or try to design your own.
The 800 number operator might be able to tell you what it is for. https://dragonproductsltd.com/doubl...railer-us-market/#1471020718936-670c80c4-f96c
If it were not stainless, it looks very similar to the trailers that haul fracking fluids, water, etc. to/from all the NG wells (frac'd) around here. They may also be over-built because they are used over some pretty rough temporary roads into the well sites. They have a relatively small diameter cylinder, with many more heavy "rings" around the tank than normal. I'm pretty sure those drivers get paid by the load; they are never slow and easy, no matter what the road looks like.
Here's another common type of trailer seen around anyplace oil/natural gas drilling is occurring. It is used to hold waste water, on site only, until it can be properly dealt with. Nothing is ever hauled in these, they are transported to the site whereby they are lifted off the fifth-wheel and lowered to the ground lifting the rear tires clear and placing all of the weight on the frame. There isn't even a solid axle running between those wheels. This is scratch built from a intermodal container and pretty much captures all of the significant features of these things.
It would appear that I'm going to have to scratch-build a model of that tank-truck as nobody seems to recall one having been produced. That being said; if there is anybody out there with a current Walther's catalog covering Z-Scale, is there a detail manufacturing Co. making end caps for Z-scale tank cars that I might use for my model and if so could you give me the part number.
By brother the ex-trucker says that's for crude oil. Vac tanks are similar, but have a pump underneath to create the vacuum inside so it will suck up the load. Being for crude explains why I have often seen them around here, but rarely elsewhere.