Tangent Scale Models: GATC 1952-design 8000-gallon Welded General Service Tank Car

摘要

The Greek philosopher once said, "Necessity is the mother of invention". Thus as it was for the advent of tank cars on American railroads. According to some, the need to transport petroleum during the Pennsylvania Oil Rush of the 1860s drove the development of the tank car in North America. The first tank cars were essentially flatcars fitted with wooden cisterns. By the end of that decade, the wooden tanks were replaced with wrought iron tanks, with a total capacity of around 3,500 US gallons. By the 1930s, over 140,000 tank cars were in use on US railroads, hauling over 100 different commodities. After World War Ⅱ, the advancement of welding techniques developed during the war trickled down to the world of freight car manufacturing. By 1948, the General American Transportation Company (GATC), unveiled a new non-insulated tank car design featuring a welded tank and center sill instead of riveted construction. The new car looked just like its predecessors, only without rivets.