Show Me Your Oil Tankers

how about these? The 2755 is fully restored. It is a very early 1945 model with four corner steps, "flying  shoe" couplers, and swirly wheels! The 3-dome is a custom job lettered for "Becco Peroxide" I chose this brand because I think it sounds dangerous!

Here are a few of mine. The 6665 is a restoration I did a few years ago. The new expansion of my layout will have an oil dealer spur.

A few I have.

Arnold...I admit to being a "tank-a-holic so here are a few miscellaneous ones from my colleciton.

Here is a prewar American Flyer (Chicago Flyer) from 1938

A Bing 2 dome prewar tanker

Three "Allstate" Tank cars from Marx all postwar plastic.  The 3 dome and the flat with tanks are so called "deluxe" cars from Marx and the blue 1 dome is a "lightweight" car, the lowest price line Marx offered.

Two Chad Valley tankers from the UK.  Postwar production from the 50's  Sorry for #1 its "milk" not "oil"  hope that is ok

Great thread Arnold, hope we can keep it going.

Don

I only have a couple (sob) but the ETS one counts as two due to the paint job.

Jim K

Arnold - you're threads are the best. The topics are always interesting and attract responses from people with a variety of interests and skill sets.

Here's one of my modern favorites - the "Area 51" tank car based on the top secret military prototype.

Much like Don M. I am a tankaholic too!

American Flyer, c. 1914, featuring wooden tank, nailed to the frame with decorative red straps.

1928 American Flyer 3210 in blue

A 1/2 dozen box of 1118 tank cars

NWL

All very interesting and fun to look at photos. Thank you all for your contributions.

An early Postwar Sunoco oil tanker in decent condition like those in the above photos is almost irresistible for me at my LHS or at a train show, and the prices for them are usually quite reasonable. In fact, I have posted numerous videos of Sunoco oil tanker unit trains, usually with the smaller traditional sized cars that are usually even less expensive. This video shows such a Sunoco oil tanker unit train:

One of the neatest things about such unit trains is that they are so real. Although I haven't done what I'm about to say for several years, I can drive for 20 minutes across the Bear Mountain Bridge spanning the Hudson River near where I live and see an oil tanker unit train, probably being pulled by a CSX diesel. Last time I saw that, it took my breath away: the power, the sounds, the trembling of the ground as it passed me by - so awesome.

I suspect many of us have experienced that - and we can re-create that in our own basements and attics. Arnold

Weaver Sinclair tank car.   I love the Sinclair logo!

Nice work, Arnold, I’m a fan of tank car unit trains, and as posted above restored a post war metal tank because it was cheap, and relatively easy to restore as far as removing the existing paint, cleaning up the metal, priming and repainting (I think I used Krylon spray, which matched the silver best on my more recent cars). Decals came from Underground Train Shop in PA. I used to hike around Iona Marsh just on the West side of the Hudson below the Bear Mountain Bridge, and photographed trains out on those trestles just before the island. My main layout has a Sunoco pump, and my new addition will include an oil dealership for those cars to run to.

Tankers are my favorite, well right after depressed-center/heavy-duty flats:

A few favorites.

@Don Winslow posted:

I have one of those but the fluid leaked out. Oddly the car was stationary for several months and there was absolutely NO trace of the fluid on the car or the carpet! Maybe the aliens came back to reclaim and reconstitute their "people".

I have an MTH Sinclair Operating Gas station and at one time thought about a small refinery, so I picked up these. The refinery idea went away -- maybe a fuel dealer instead.

@Norton posted:

A few favorites.

I'm not familiar with the gray version 4 pics from the bottom. Nice. Is that custom or what version is it?

The gray one is a version of the 2855. Some, maybe all, had no numbers. These are all repaints but have the correct trucks and detail for their road number.

The beauty of the single dome tank cars is they are one of few that can be accurately restored since the originals used actual decals instead of stamping.

The 715 is actually an Intermountain 8000 gallon car with 715 decals.

Pete

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I did a brief Forum search and was surprised that I did not find this topic.

Speaking of model railroading enabling us to appreciate something most others don't,  whenever I run this engine with oil tankers, I imagine smelling the stinking oil refineries while driving along the NJ Turnpike.

@Arnold D. Cribari

Arnold:

While I was finishing my undergraduate degree, I made round nightly round trips from Baltimore to Bayonne. I was a tractor trailer driver for Englander Matress. The plant was on Avenue E. 5 nights a week, I passed said refineries twice. and remember the aroma only too well. 

My nightly runs were very aromatic. I drove a Mack tractor. The exhaust from the Mack had quite an odor. Also, crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge, I was greeted on the Jersey side by Dupont Chemicals. There was a different smell every night. At least that added variety. Initially, we did not have license to go through Staten Island, so, we took exit 14 and came into Bayonne on Avenue A from which, every night, I saw the back of the Statue of Liberty.

I realize this dissertation has zero to do with model railroading. Your comment above stirred lots of memories from another life.

P.S.: If you want to add the scent dimension to your oil train, load the smoke unit in your Trainmaster with Mega-Steam, "Diesel Exhaust". I was a Mega Steam dealer at one time and stocked that scent. It is beyond me as to why anyone would want to make their train room smell like the butt end of a transit bus.

OIL...

OIL...

OIL...

NOT OIL...

Randy, I enjoyed your dissertation about the various smells while driving a truck.

Point of clarification: I mentioned before how I imagine the smell while driving past oil refineries on the NJ Turnpike. I have no desire to experience that real smell.

I appreciate your recommendation of diesel exhaust smoke fluid. However, my favorite smile fluids are Protosmoke Coffee and Lionel Premium Hot Chocolate. LOL, Arnold