There hasn’t been any activity on the site for quite a while because on April 3rd yours truly had a 3 mtr fall from the garage roof when I managed to break my left femur and in the process ruin my good wife’s favourite Frangipani. As a result I was rushed to John Hunter Hospital Newcastle NSW by Ambo who were fantastic. After various pieces of metal were inserted into the bone I spent the next week in recovery and then transferred to HVPH (Hunter Valley Private Hospital) Sandgate NSW for 3 weeks. On returning home there have been trips to rehab at HVPH twice a week, where recovery is slowly but surely on the way.
I have just motivated myself into doing something, so as I don’t have any new projects to share I thought that something from ye olden days might be of interest. 20 years ago there was an article in the Branchline Modeller Number 4, probably at a hobby shop near you, that featured 9000 gal rail tank cars on 36ft standard underframes by H Armstrong, P Street and myself. So here are 3 tankers that I built from that time from the Tichy Trains underframe. With all the focus on ready to run 45ft tankers maybe one of these manufacturers will produce the shorter 36 foot type one day.
Burrowa is an HO scale model railway set in the NSW southern tablelands 
Hi Peter
Very nice work. I agree with you on the other RTC needs, in fact the shorter types would be very nice indeed.
A couple of real life photo’s of RTC’s in books show what the old system trains looked the part, firstly in John Stormonts 50’s Decade of Change there is a photo showing 2 Ampol wagons at Enfield North, both painted in the corporate blue colour, one is a shorter 7000gal single dome & the other a 3 dome 9000gal version, thin & long.
The other book, Steam in the 60’s has a photo of a 36cl at Nashdale, with a string of empty RTC’s, its one photo I never tire of looking at, owing to aspect that it almost looks like every wagon is a different type. Something I would love to replicate.
I guess the big thing is that it may not be financially for them all to be produced by the same company, which really makes me wonder why 2 major importers have chosen to replicate the very same types as each other, rather than produce some of the alternatives. There is without doubt an market for these wagons, & while I started a conversion years ago, it waned & now I have enough Tulloch RTC’s so I await with eagerness any new type that ran in the 50’s.
I trust you are recovering well & the Frangipani is recovering also.
Regards
Col
Hi Col. I does seem strange that all the focus by at least 2 manufacturers is on the larger types.Thanks as always for your comment.I am afraid the Frangipani is consigned to history. Regards Peter
Peter,
Sorry to hear about the accident although I’m not sure which would be worse, the injury or the wife’s wrath at the loss of the favourite Frangipani.
Great to see the photos of the tank wagons. Coincidentally, I was rereading the article just recently as I looked for a use for a now surplus Athearn tank wagon. You wouldn’t happen to know if the domes and the end plugs are still available commercially?
cheers Phil
Hi Phil.As far as I know they are still available from Stephen Johnson Models.I know he sells kits on ebay so try that first.I believe his son Andrew is making the kits now.Good luck .Peter
Peter, sorry to hear about the fall but glad you’re back in the blogsphere. All the best for your recovery and I’m looking forward to seeing your next modelling efforts.
Cheers,
Ben