Walthers HO scale 14,000-gallon sulfur tank car

Tank cars are among the most specialized freight cars operating today. They come in a seemingly infinite variety to haul all sorts of petrochemicals and liquid products. This Walthers model is a replica of a prototype car built by Trinity Industries to transport molten sulfur.
 
Sulfur is a byproduct of sulfide ore processing and the petroleum industry, so its primary sources can be considerable distances from the industries that use it. Railroads have been hauling large quantities of molten sulfur for many years to plants that make sulphuric acid, fertilizers, and detergents, and it’s a major component in many other products.

This new model represents one of the specialized 13,900-gallon molten sulfur tank cars introduced in the early 1990s; they remain in production. The prototype cars are heavily insulated, have a special lining, and steam heating coils.

Molten sulfur is heated to nearly 300 degrees Fahrenheit for loading and remains liquid for up to two weeks of transit. At the delivery point, steam lines are connected to heating coils between the internal tank and outer jacket to melt any solidified sulfur and reheat the liquified load for faster unloading.

The Walthers model comes fully assembled and ready to run. It’s a well- proportioned car that represents a short prototype with stub sills. Our sample matches prototype dimensions listed in Trinity data sheets.
 
The HO car is fabricated mostly from molded plastic parts with numerous individually applied details. Steel wire is used for most of the handrails and grab irons, and the railings around the dome are a flexible acetal plastic.

Each stub sill assembly has a styrene frame with wire grab irons, and railings. Etched-metal gratings in the dome and end platforms provide a realistic see-through effect when looking down.

Because this model has no center sill, Walthers has included all of the appropriate outlet, steam connections, and air brake line beneath the belly of the tank.

Access to the dome platforms is provided with a pair of finely molded ladders that extend down both sides.

Small flathead screws attach the stub sill and bolster assemblies to the tank. Proto-Max knuckle couplers are mounted in the coupler boxes with screws.
 
The car rides on a pair of appropriate rigid-frame, 100-ton roller-bearing trucks with scale 36″ wheelsets. The metal National Model Railroad Association RP-25 contour wheels are mounted in gauge on metal needlepoint axles. The combination of needlepoint axles and the acetal plastic truck frames make this car extremely free rolling.

Our sample came smoothly painted in the Trinity Industries (TILX) black paint scheme with a yellow center band. It’s lettered with English and metric data for use in international service to western Canada. A check of the Official Railway Equipment Register for April 2012 indicated the model car numbers fit into the prototype TILX 135270-140015 series that included 894 cars.

This new model will add some interesting variety to HO scale modern-era freight trains.

Price: $39.98
 
Manufacturer
Wm. K. Walthers Inc.
5601 W. Florist Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53218-1622
www.walthers.com

Era: 1990 to present

Road names (two numbers each): Conoco Phillips (black); Exxon Mobil (black); General American, (black); TransRail Inc. (black); Trinity Industries (all yellow); and TILX (black with yellow center band)

Features

• Factory-installed wire grab irons
• Free-rolling scale 36″ RP-25 metal wheelsets (in gauge)
• Proto-Max metal knuckle couplers at correct height
• Steam inlet and outlet piping, air brake piping, and brake rodding
• Weight: 3 ounces (0.25 ounce too light per National Model Railroad Association RP-20.1)