Lionel 30k Gallon Tank Car With Head End Shields

2. The weight is a little too light for the size of this car. I'm unsure of the NMRA standards on this..

How are these Lionel cars compared to the AtlasO 25,500 gallon cars?

Looking great Curtis!

John

Curtis,

What wheelsets / trucks did you use for this 2-rail conversion?

I usually use Atlas 2-rail trucks for converting Lionel freight cars to 2-rail but I really like the blue bearing end-caps on the axles of these Lionel cars and that has stopped me from converting the ones I have.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Naveen, Just get some conrail blue paint and paint the Atlas bearings.  I'm most interested to see how the Kadee Trucks work for this conversion.

My conversion years ago on the non-shield version of the Lionel 30K tank car.

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...-converted-to-2-rail

Watching Kadee's site as they now have a category for their O Scale trucks but no items

O Scale Trucks and Wheels - Trucks and Wheels - Shop by Category (kadee.com)

Dear Guys,

Could any of you tell me the background of the blue bearing painting?

When did this start and why?

What other freight cars are also utilizing this practice?

Great thread !!

John P Dunn Sr.

@jdunn posted:

Dear Guys,

Could any of you tell me the background of the blue bearing painting?

When did this start and why?

What other freight cars are also utilizing this practice?

Great thread !!

John P Dunn Sr.

This might explain it.

Ron

https://www.trains.com/trn/tra...s/blue-bearing-caps/

@Mike DeBerg posted:

Naveen, Just get some conrail blue paint and paint the Atlas bearings.  I'm most interested to see how the Kadee Trucks work for this conversion.

My conversion years ago on the non-shield version of the Lionel 30K tank car.

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...-converted-to-2-rail

Watching Kadee's site as they now have a category for their O Scale trucks but no items

O Scale Trucks and Wheels - Trucks and Wheels - Shop by Category (kadee.com)

Mike,

Do I need to take the Atlas trucks apart to paint the bearing end caps?

There are threaded holes on the diecast metal part on the underside that are spaced for the Kadee gearboxes.

These cars also come with spacers and screws that lower the Kadee gearboxes for those wanting to do a 3RS conversion, with 3-rail trucks.

The screws that came with the car appear to be smaller than the 2-56 that I typically use, but could be used to secure the Kadee gearboxes.

The only issue I noticed was that the lip on the lids on the Kadee couplers don't fully clear the end and would require thin shims or filing any one of the affected parts.

These are just my opinion,

Naveen Rajan

@naveenrajan posted:

Curtis,

What wheelsets / trucks did you use for this 2-rail conversion?

I usually use Atlas 2-rail trucks for converting Lionel freight cars to 2-rail but I really like the blue bearing end-caps on the axles of these Lionel cars and that has stopped me from converting the ones I have.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

I apologize for my delay in response.

The wheelsets on my tank car are the Lionel wheelsets with NWSL 36" diameter wheels. I used dirt/rust and black powder for weathering. I didn't weather the roller bearings because I tend to turn the blue bearings to brown or rust by accident.

Naveen,  Sorry I missed your question.  I often paint the bearing caps while still on the axle, in the truck.  So no you don't have to take them, but you can take them off just the axle if careful.   

Realize that the more you take the bearing caps off and put them back on, In my experience, I think it enlarges the hole so they may tend to work themselves off the axle, so put a dab of glue inside the hole of the bearing cap often helps reduces the likelihood of the bearing cap working itself off the axle.

Mike,

Thanks for the additional information.

I had converted these using Atlas 100-ton, 2-rail trucks but the coupler sits slightly lower than the Kadee gauge when using the spacer, included with the Scale Coupler Mounting Kit, that comes with these cars.

I just got some of 3D print Kadee spacers from All Nation Line & will be remounting the Kadee couplers.

I also need to get shorter screws for the Kadee couplers than the ones that came with the Scale Coupler Mounting Kit. For the predrilled and threaded holes, in the diecast ends of the cars, Lionel's parts department, while being very helpful and responsive, gave me a size that I am unfamiliar with (1 x 7/32") that doesn't match the holes in the cars that I have. By a process of elimination, I think these holes must be M2x.4, having tried other sizes that I had at home.

These are just my opinion,

Naveen Rajan

@Ron045 posted:

How are these Lionel cars compared to the AtlasO 25,500 gallon cars?

The Atlas have much more brake rigging detail than the Lionel.