Just Released Tangent Scale Models; General American 1928-Design 6000 Gallon 3-Compartment Tank Car

Nice cars! Thankfully they do not come in S Scale at $525.00 each.

I wish them luck

Gunny

I'm a working living Man. Tangent just priced me out of there market with the brass tank.

Will see what else might come around that I might be able to afford. Hopefully some modern rolling stock.

John

Coeurd Alene, Idaho

Beautiful tank car for the serious O scale modeler. I'll just have to settle for the Lionel 6415 3 dome tanks.

A bit pricey.  I’ll pass.

The price is other worldly.

Can someone explain the difference between O Scale and Proto-48? Thanks.

O scale is 5'-0" gauge, with wheels with (usually) .145" wide treads.  P48 is gauged to the prototypical 4'-8½" width, with wheels at a prototype tread width of .115".  Ideally, but not always, the bolsters are distinct so that the sideframes and brake beams are correctly positioned.

Jim

SERIOUSLY would have rather seen a plastic one for a decent price.  They probably just realized that there are still a few  "O Scale" people with more money than they know what to do with.  98% of O Scale people will laugh and walk away.

I can afford these, but IMHO they are way to expensive.

No thanks !!!

Ron H

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

Can someone explain the difference between O Scale and Proto-48? Thanks.

Mark,

The most direct explanation I can give is as follows:

O gauge, O scale and Proto-48 models are 1:48 (1/48th actual size). That is - one-quarter inch on a model is equivalent to one foot at full scale. On a real railroad, the gauge (distance between the insides of the rails) is four-feet eight-and-one-half inches (56-1/2 inches). Dividing 56-1/2 inches by 48 gives 1.177 inches - which would be the exact gauge for model track at 1:48. Lionel arbitrarily decided to make their O gauge track 1.25 inches (1-1/4 inches) between the rails - which is equivalent to 5 feet at full scale - and O scale also adopted the 1.25-inch (5-foot) track gauge. Therefore, on O gauge and O scale models, the track gauge(1.25 inches) is slightly too large for a 1:48 scale model. Proto-48 models operate on track with the correct gauge (1.177 inches). Proto-48 also has more accurate (scale) wheel profiles, flanges and wheel width, and has higher fidelity to other aspects of modeling as well.

MELGAR

Business model is questionable, IMO.  For that price, I would want something really unique like a Helium or Heinz Vinegar tank car.  Maybe a tank car with mixed domes, like the Lobaugh Magnolia Tank car or something like the Precision Scale five dome tank car.   It seems like kind of a pedestrian example of rail cars...again my opinion.

@oscaletrains posted:

SERIOUSLY would have rather seen a plastic one for a decent price.  They probably just realized that there are still a few  "O Scale" people with more money than they know what to do with.  98% of O Scale people will laugh and walk away.

Yes, they are targeting a specific niche market and not the general O scale 2-rail hobby.  And, if that works for them, good!

But this really doesn't do much for the vast majority of the O scale 2-rail hobby.

$500+?  It costs that much for models identified to your modeling era? I sure like the fact they specifically state year when prototype cars began to run... like to see that printed on every orange and HO, N, S, box.  Maybe luckily, my uses, a small oilfield, and gasoline delivery, wouldn't ship crude in three dome cars, although maybe multiple petroleum products would deliver in three domes.

Their entire HO line is plastic.  Prototype cars and paint schemes only.  Caters to and sells only to scale rivet counters.  Super detailed exactly like the prototype and very affordable.  Sorry to see they did not adapt this business model in O Scale.  Wish they could have targeted the same group in O instead of the elites.

- Crank

It is hard to understand how Tangent will find niche in a very very small market.

Compare to

brass tanker offered for $225.

Which is still high.

BINGO!!!

Hope they will do some plastic pieces in the future.

John

@AlanRail posted:

It is hard to understand how Tangent will find niche in a very very small market.

Compare to

brass tanker offered for $225.

Which is still high.

And those models sell for 1/2 that much on eBay now....if they even sell for that much.  That particular model was not very "high end",  

"The best things in life are free", but the really good things in life cost a lot........

The price, while a limiting factor for me, reflects the research and development, and quality of materials and workmanship which we all want..........more importantly, it represents a new O scale entry into our marketplace, and when one manufacturer endeavors  to "raise the bar" other manufacturers will take note of the positive responses and will work just a bit harder to raise their quality levels by which we will all benefit.

How many other manufacturer's currently make 2-rail models? Atlas...3rd Rail...? Whatever level of fidelity Tangent brings to 2-rail O won't have any impact on future models from said manufacturers.