Old Tank Car Restored - Should be Fun

Started by ACL1504, February 23, 2020, 02:43:47 PM

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ACL1504

Since I only have several dozen project going, I thought it only appropriate to start another.

I got this old green two dome tank car from Bill and Kris Cutler. It looks like brass but it isn't.

I thought it would be a fun project car to restore.



It has Kadee trucks, wheel sets and couplers but these are not original to the tanker.



More in a few.

"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

ACL1504

As I mentioned it isn't brass. I did a few scratch tests and found the running boards are Zamac or something similar.

I plan to strip the old green paint, repaint if with Floquil Freight Car Brown and decal it for the Seaboard.

I removed the trucks and this is how the bolsters look.



I then removed a few more removable parts.



Continued -
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

ACL1504

At this point, I still had no idea who the manufacturer was of the car.





At one time the tank was painted with gloss black. Not sure it was RTR or a kit.

Continued -
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

ACL1504

Then I saw "Globe" under one of the dome tops. So, this is a very old Globe model from the late 50s to mid/late 60s.



The hand rails are held on with a flat wire fed though the side of the tank. I decided to leave these as is.



Continued -
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

ACL1504

I put everything in a plastic tray until I get to the stripping paint process.

I'll keep everyone up to date with all the good stuff.

"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

jerryrbeach


Tom,


Looks like a fun and interesting project.  Count on me following along.  FWIW, many years ago I read a time management book where the author encouraged his readers to work on multiple projects.  He called it "stimulus change" and said switching between projects kept your energy and enthusiasm high and removed the boredom from doing only one thing to completion.  So, I'm thinking having multiple ongoing projects is a good way to enjoy the hobby.
Jerry

ACL1504

Quote from: jerryrbeach on February 23, 2020, 03:11:08 PM

Tom,


Looks like a fun and interesting project.  Count on me following along.  FWIW, many years ago I read a time management book where the author encouraged his readers to work on multiple projects.  He called it "stimulus change" and said switching between projects kept your energy and enthusiasm high and removed the boredom from doing only one thing to completion.  So, I'm thinking having multiple ongoing projects is a good way to enjoy the hobby.


Jerry,

I read a similar book and it basically said when at work have multiple projects and when off work have a hobby or two. And, to have more than one project going in each hobby. While working in LE, I was a lead on the CISD Team (Critical Incident Stress Debriefing), played on the police softball and golf teams. I was in charge of the Dignitary Protection Team and the beat goes on. 8) 8)

Now, since retirement, I stay away from crowds and I no longer golf or play softball. Railroad modeling now takes up my time other than what the Babe requires. It is much more fun anyway.

Thanks for following along.

Tom ;D
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

bparrish

Tom....

That is absolutely a Globe car.   In clinics that I have delivered over the years I speak of how, when and where the hobby benefited in various areas.  This is one of them.  At the end or WWII there were tons of out of work tool and die makers.  They had been employed by the aircraft industry in the making of navigational equipment that required non-magnetic stuff.  They were good at brass and zamac (which was often called pot metal.  It was a zinc alloy).  How clean the alloy was established how long the stuff lasted.  There is not much Varney left as they used a very poor alloy with a lot of extra junk in it. 


This explains, in part, why so many post war model manufacturers were in southern California.  Lockeed and Boeing had plants in a number of places but So Cal was the epicenter.  Those die makers aided: Central Valley, Ulrich, Binkley / Laconia, Mantua, Globe and and to a lesser degree, Athearn.  All had very clean zinc alloy and are still around.  Mantua, in New Jersey, won several civilian contractor awards for their creativity and production.


Now to your model. Back your thinking up by about ten years.  Globe anything was gone by 1960.   They were around in 47-48 and had operational coupler that looked like the prototype and with a vertical pin that could be pushed up from a magnet driven solenoid to release them.  Years before Kadee.


What really put them on the map was their F7 models released in 1954.  My dad moved me to HO with one of these in that year.  They were far better than the Varney F units that came out in 1947.  I still have his Varney F unit when he modeled in HO, 47-51 (border line fishing sinker!).  The Globe F's had a snap on plastic top shell that became the standard for assembly there after.

They had a really cool gear case and drive that stayed in the Athearn models after Irv Athearn took over the company a few years later.   Everything in that gear case ran on a bronze bushing and they were bullet proof. God knows that I tried to wear one out.  By 1960  Athearn had gone to plastics in much of their product line and had switched to the rubber band drive that existed for many years.  After that came the split axle systems where the axle gear was the insulator between the rails.

Tenshodo knocked off the Globe design in the early 60's and shows up in Model Railroader and other magazines.



Below are two photos of of that gear case that is still on my shelf over the work bench.  The rest of the loco is in that great repository of stuff in the sky.

see ya
Bob




Did you ever notice how many towns are named after their water towers ! ?

deemery

This started life as an old Varney car.  Unlike your Globe car, this one is light, so I had to add weight.  I poured shot into the tank, and then "injected" glue, closed up the injection hole, and set the tank back upright. 


(There actually was tank cars lettered for "Emery Mfg Co" in the early 1900s.  This one is more era-appropriate for Ralph DeBlasi's Lehigh Valley layout, where it gets dispatched as required to cure disease.)


dave
Modeling the Northeast in the 1890s - because the little voices told me to

ACL1504

Quote from: bparrish on February 23, 2020, 06:08:19 PM
Tom....

That is absolutely a Globe car.   In clinics that I have delivered over the years I speak of how, when and where the hobby benefited in various areas.  This is one of them.  At the end or WWII there were tons of out of work tool and die makers.  They had been employed by the aircraft industry in the making of navigational equipment that required non-magnetic stuff.  They were good at brass and zamac (which was often called pot metal.  It was a zinc alloy).  How clean the alloy was established how long the stuff lasted.  There is not much Varney left as they used a very poor alloy with a lot of extra junk in it. 


This explains, in part, why so many post war model manufacturers were in southern California.  Lockeed and Boeing had plants in a number of places but So Cal was the epicenter.  Those die makers aided: Central Valley, Ulrich, Binkley / Laconia, Mantua, Globe and and to a lesser degree, Athearn.  All had very clean zinc alloy and are still around.  Mantua, in New Jersey, won several civilian contractor awards for their creativity and production.


Now to your model. Back your thinking up by about ten years.  Globe anything was gone by 1960.   They were around in 47-48 and had operational coupler that looked like the prototype and with a vertical pin that could be pushed up from a magnet driven solenoid to release them.  Years before Kadee.


What really put them on the map was their F7 models released in 1954.  My dad moved me to HO with one of these in that year.  They were far better than the Varney F units that came out in 1947.  I still have his Varney F unit when he modeled in HO, 47-51 (border line fishing sinker!).  The Globe F's had a snap on plastic top shell that became the standard for assembly there after.

They had a really cool gear case and drive that stayed in the Athearn models after Irv Athearn took over the company a few years later.   Everything in that gear case ran on a bronze bushing and they were bullet proof. God knows that I tried to wear one out.  By 1960  Athearn had gone to plastics in much of their product line and had switched to the rubber band drive that existed for many years.  After that came the split axle systems where the axle gear was the insulator between the rails.

Tenshodo knocked off the Globe design in the early 60's and shows up in Model Railroader and other magazines.



Below are two photos of of that gear case that is still on my shelf over the work bench.  The rest of the loco is in that great repository of stuff in the sky.

see ya
Bob







Bob,

Wow, you are the information guy. Thanks very much for that wealth of knowledge about the car.

I didn't realize Globe was that old as far as the production of Globe models was concerned. A lot of the early Walthers Zamac car ends and steps are now pretty much dust in the box. So, purity does count for many things.

Here are two more I found in the lot.

Tom ;D




"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

ACL1504

The blue tank car is a Varney model all with original paint and dust bunnies.

The couplers and trucks aren't original. The trucks are early Kadee and sprung. All four stirrups are broken off.



"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

ACL1504

Here is the jewel of the three. This is an original Globe Mobilgas tank car. The paint is in excellent condition considering the age of close to 72 years. The brake stands are missing but all four stirrups are still on the car.

The trucks are early Athearn sprung trucks and the car has Kadee couplers.





These two cars will be saved and placed in the display case.
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

bparrish

Tom...

Walthers took over the Silver Streak line and dies sometime in the mid to late 70's and marketed them through most of the 80's.  I'm not sure as all of those prototypes were long after the era I model.


They did use incredibly poor metal content and at best all of those car end castings are warped and as you suggest, dust at worst.


I have not looked on ebay but I would guess that a bidder needs to be very careful of a purchase.


see ya
Bob
Did you ever notice how many towns are named after their water towers ! ?

ACL1504

Bob,

On Ebay now there are two very large lots of Globe freight cars. I searched under Globe Freight cars. Looks like a very nice lot if you are a collector. I'm not and don't have the time or room to mess with them.

Tom ;D
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

GPdemayo

Another fun project.....while you resting your overachiever self. I'll be looking in.....love the history lessons also.  ;)
Gregory P. DeMayo
General Construction Superintendent Emeritus
St. Louis & Denver Railroad
Longwood, FL

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