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Has anyone ever seen or heard of a Lobaugh CHEMICAL tank car kit?  I have seen lots and lots of the J&L cars(most painted silver), lots of the SP Crude Oil ones(though never one painted correctly), and quite a few of the other assorted Magnolia 3 domes, Mobilgas single dome, Shell double dome, etc ones, but this kit has a chemical dome and I have never seen one like it before.

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Sure.  Check the postwar catalog - it is a DuPont car, with a turned dome, and otherwise identical to the postwar 10,000 gal tank.  I have one; I will attempt to post a photo.

Pre-war tanks came in 8, 10, and 12,000 gal sizes, and are distinguished by tube tanks with rivets embossed into both ends and sand cast bolster/coupler pocket castings.

Train Collectors Association, Western Division webpage:

The 1940 Lobaugh catalog informed potential buyers that the 10,000 gallon tank cars were entirely made of metal consisting of brass tubing with pressed metal ends that were formed and turned to fit the tube. Domes were made of cast bronze and the running boards were sheet brass. Complete painted and decorated models that were ready-to-run were priced at $14.75 each. Kit versions were listed at $7.75. The 1953 catalog listed 17 different tank car offerings. Some were listed as $22 built-up/$11 in kit form, while a platform dome version was a bit more costly at $23 built-up/$11.20 as a kit. Road names included Anchor, Barrett Tarvia, Cities Service, Crystal Car Lines, Conoco, Deep Rock, Pennsylvania, Philgas, Shell, Union Tank Line, Texaco and Warren. Pre-war tank cars had a row of rivets at each end, as did the Vanderbilt tender for the Mikado loco. The post-war era tube tank cars had no rivets. When Lobaugh began using wrappers for decoration, the tank car rivet detail became slightly more extensive.

Photos of several tank cars but none of the platform dome version.

Thanks,

Old Goat

You got to wonder just how many of each type they produced. There seems to always be a coal tar car or two on ebay.  I have 2 built and a couple kits left over from Dad's stuff. Considering that Lobaugh, Custom Brass, and Sunset all made them, every O Scale modeler should be able to at least have 1.  I think I have a couple of the Custom brass ones too.  No Sunsets though.

oscaletrains posted:

You got to wonder just how many of each type they produced. There seems to always be a coal tar car or two on ebay.  I have 2 built and a couple kits left over from Dad's stuff. Considering that Lobaugh, Custom Brass, and Sunset all made them, every O Scale modeler should be able to at least have 1.  I think I have a couple of the Custom brass ones too.  No Sunsets though.

Why? Those cars (coal tar) were never used in inter-exchange service. They only traveled 14 miles between the Aliquippa and Pittsburgh plants, so that is the only place you would have seen them. That info from a gent that worked there, per one of the issues of the late "O Scale News". Name was Carl Phillips as I best recall. Interesting thing about the silver color. Mr. Phillips mentioned above never saw anything but black....because of the heat, any paint that was there didn't last long.

Just FYI.

Simon

PS: I think it was mentioned that there were about 10 of those cars.....and they took a beating!

Last edited by Simon Winter
Simon Winter posted:
oscaletrains posted:

You got to wonder just how many of each type they produced. There seems to always be a coal tar car or two on ebay.  I have 2 built and a couple kits left over from Dad's stuff. Considering that Lobaugh, Custom Brass, and Sunset all made them, every O Scale modeler should be able to at least have 1.  I think I have a couple of the Custom brass ones too.  No Sunsets though.

Why? Those cars (coal tar) were never used in inter-exchange service. They only traveled 14 miles between the Aliquippa and Pittsburgh plants, so that is the only place you would have seen them. That info from a gent that worked there, per one of the issues of the late "O Scale News". Name was Carl Phillips as I best recall. Interesting thing about the silver color. Mr. Phillips mentioned above never saw anything but black....because of the heat, any paint that was there didn't last long.

Just FYI.

Simon

PS: I think it was mentioned that there were about 10 of those cars.....and they took a beating!

Well, I just like the looks of the car itself I guess.  But other than the one my father painted and lettered silver, the rest will be black.  But as for their distance and location, yes, there are modelers out there that model a specific place and specific time period and if that's what floats their boat more power to them.  Me, I build and run models I like the looks of. If some of the cars in the train happen to be J&L tankers, that's fine by me.  People that don't like it don't have to look at it!

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Salty Rails posted:

Ahhhh---Carl Phillips!  He told me he used to build Lobaugh tank cars in his kitchen using a nail heated on the gas burner as a soldering iron.  He was(?)  a true 'O' scale craftsman.  Sadly, I haven't heard from Carl in a few years.  Is he STILL with us?

Now THAT is funny.  Wonder how he tinned the head of that nail...

I talked to him about six months ago. He has had serious health and domestic problems.  I’ll try to call him tomorrow.

The J&L tanks are just nice models.  I think I have four. J&L had 14.  The postwar Lobaugh, when well built, usually bring around $120 or so.

Wiseman has some 10,000 gal tank kits on eBay at the moment.  I have a couple prewar 8000 gal kits that I would trade even for 10000 or 12000 gal prewar kits.

Thanks. Bob. Glad to hear he's still around.  Funny he used a nail to solder?  Carl IS capable of MORE than opening a box and unwrapping the goods!  Some of the old 'O' scalers, such as Frank Ellison could "make anything out of  nothing".  Too bad that concept is barely alive anymore.  Worse yet when that talent is disparaged.  Thanks again, Bob.

bob2 posted:

I just realized - crude oil tanks and J&L tanks are not the same.  Not sure I have photos of the crude oil tanks.  This is a modified crude oil tank, done by Bud Cantlay for fire train service.  Note the cow catcher.  I will get photos of the unmodified models.

 

Lathes 009

I wonder if the fire tanks were repurposed crude oil tankers or built from the same basic plans.

 

Tried to call Carl Phillips yesterday.  Phone co. said line was disconnected.  I will send him a letter. 50/50 says he got irritated with the phone co.

AT&T is now our phone, internet, and TV provider.  My spouse has spent over 8 actual hours either on hold or talking to supervisors to get the switch made properly.  Five years ago that would take a minute and a half.  Three different technicians have come by for a total disruption of about five hours.  Used to be a 30 minute endeavor, even if new coax had to be stapled.

But Carl has had serious health problems . . .

The 50/50 I guessed at?  Apparently wrong.  I hope I am not stepping over the bounds of copyright here - I'd give it 99% accuracy, since there cannot be more than one Carl Raymond Phillips in the Lebanon/Albany, OR area.  Carl was a good friend of the late Jim Seacrest.

Carl Raymond Phillips Jr., 80, of Albany, passed away on Wednesday, October 16, 2019. At his request, no services will be held. AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

That was the local Albany newspaper's obit page.  RIP, Carl.

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
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