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Walthers Milwaukee Caboose
A2Z CNC |
Athearn Trains Athearn Trains HO Scale Ready To Roll™ UTLX 15,960 GAL Clay Slurry Tank Car MSRP $24.98 Available Sets:
The prototype for this car is a recent series of cars built and leased by the Union Tank Car Co. According to the company's web site (www.utlx.com) this car is UTLX description "INC" for Insulated, Non-Coiled (not equipped for heating the load) and carries DOT class AAR211A100W1 (general service car with carbon steel tank for non-hazardous loads). These cars are an outgrowth of the UTLX "Changeable-Car" design wherein tank cars are constructed of nesting standard-sized cylindrical sections of large steel tubes. A sufficient number of sections are assembled and welded together to give the required capacity with sufficient strength so that a separate under frame is not required to transmit the draft and buffing forces of the train. More recently, UTLX has introduced the "Funnel-Flow" design, where the mating edges of the two center tank courses are beveled, so when joined, both ends of the car have a ¼" per foot slope (or more for very viscous loads) to facilitate unloading. This feature gives the car a slight but noticeable "sway-backed" appearance. 
Athearn has produced an all-new model of this car. The model nicely represents the two different diameter steel cylinders used in the basic construction of the tank, so that the model looks just like photos of the prototype. Athearn's development team have done an excellent job of selecting materials for the model that appear scale size and yet have sufficient strength to withstand handling and derailments with damage. Unlike some previous tank car models, you can pick up this car by the railings around the top tank platform, by the side ladders, or by the lower side safety rails without distorting these parts or breaking their delicate support brackets. The only compromise evident in achieving this is that the bracket on the tank ends that braces the end railings is modeled as a solid tab rather than a "U" shaped steel strap. 
The car has complete representations of the mechanical brake rigging and air lines under the car and the air reservoir and triple valve at the B-end of the car with the interconnecting piping between these components. The UTLX website mentions that these cars are equipped with an "Empty Load Brake System" that senses when the car is empty and reduces the applied brake forces by half. Sure enough, if you look down behind the air reservoir, Athearn has included the sensor that measures the deflection of the truck springs to reset the brake system. Other scale-sized details include eight wire grab irons at the corners of the car, four rectangular cross-section stirrup steps, and photo-etched end platforms. The car comes with trucks with free rolling blackened metal wheel sets and newly tooled, factory installed McHenry, Kadee-compatible "shelf" couplers complete with metal coil knuckle springs. The car weighs 3.8 oz., very close to the NMRA recommended 4.1 oz. for a car of this length. The car has a low center of gravity, and is self-righting even if tipped over 45o to the side. The car operates easily on eighteen inch radius curves. 
The model reviewed was Athearn item number 94805 lettered as UTLX 301712. The model is painted a slightly gray off-white with dark blue on the tank bottom and end platforms. Several photos of this series of cars are available on the www.rr-fallenflags.org web site. The prototype photos confirm the accuracy of Athearn's painting and lettering of the model (the photos show the cars come with both black-on-white and white-on-black, as on the model, tank test data stencils at the right ends of the tank). Athearn's lettering is particularly impressive - all of the text on even the smallest data panels is legible, indicating the car was built in December 2000 and painted in February of the following year and listing the Champion paint numbers that were applied, that the tank needs to be re-qualified in 2010, and that the particular car is currently leased to Imery's Pigments and Additives. Excellent! 
This is a very well detailed model of a recent 21st century car. - Gary Quale |
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