Saving 1940's Lionel Scale Tank Cars

I too like the looks of those cars. I have a fair number and hope to try my hand at restoration.

It's super easy. The frames are most times fine. Just a little WD-40 on them. The tanks only need fine sanding to get the rust and old yellowed decals off. Most of the painted is with rattle can flat paint. I air brush a gloss finish on them, let dry and add the decals. Then a flat finished is air brushed and let dry then assemble. I have it down to about three hours . Of course drying time in the Maui Sun helps speed up everything. It's a fun project and very easy. Don

petrifiedagg posted:

I too like the looks of those cars. I have a fair number and hope to try my hand at restoration.

Same here - I also have a pile of old CHAMP decals - might give it a try - they aren't worth much otherwise.

Lionel made about 10 variations of these cars. The underground train shop has the decals if you like Sunoco. 

Pete

I have a 2755 which is a regular on my freights.

Don is right. These cars make great little projects.

Those are some of my favorite cars as well.  I have a bunch too, many need to be restored.  I've also got some Walthers wood tank/ brass frame  and all diecast Scale-craft tank cars under a rehab as well.  They still need a lot of work though lol.

These cars all use the the pre war 2755 frames. The 2755 came with 4 warning placards and 4 corner steps. Many of the post war versions had some of these details reduced or eliminated, ie two warning placards and zero corner steps.

The repro parts guys have these parts if you want to add the detail back. In the case of the corner steps they can be made easily with staples from a staple gun.

Pete

Jeff Noll posted:

I have a 2755 which is a regular on my freights.

 

Hey, I recognize that photo. She was one of the finest examples I have come across and not a restoration either.

Mike

I did a restoration on one of these and took a rusted 6555 with decals mostly gone. I then turned it into a Sunoco 2855 with fresh Krylon semi flat black paint and new decals as shown in the photo.

I  keep a look out for old tank cars too although not to restore too much. Found  an old gray one which was really dirty but had decent decals so spent time cleaning it. Like to keep them original. Also picked up a Standard gauge tank car for parts but ended up fixing it up to run. Couldn't get myself to scrap a car that really wasn't in bad shape for parts. Part of the fun. The ugliest are the big, high early Standard gauge tank cars.

They are nice cars and easy to redo. O scale decals for any type car are getting hard to find though.

Jim 1939 posted:

They are nice cars and easy to redo. O scale decals for any type car are getting hard to find though.

Arent we just printing them on InkJets these days?

I have an article on repainting these in one of the mags somewhere. Beautiful cars.

I like Dennis' cars.  I suppose I should show you my Lionel scale tanks.  They are also 1940, with sprung trucks and scale size coupler - among the finest O Scale freight cars ever.

speaking of The Underground Railroad..I picked this up from Lou a couple years ago.

A friend of mine gives me all the beater 2555 cars he gets, I sand them down and paint them into Army tank cars.

Lionel's best ever tank car - the #715:

This was before a good repaint and Lou's fine decals.  I have three of these beauties.  The other two got their couplers nipped off very early in the game.  This one is absolutely original except for plastic insulators in the wheels.

And in the spirit of Dennis' cars above, here is a Scale Craft, also in its 1940 attire.  I usually repaint them, but I kept three in the original colors.

I really like the way those cars have been rehabbed, Don. Given how substantial those cars are, its good to see them saved.

I run a tank car unit train of various makers 1, 2 and 3-dome cars, and a Sunoco 2555 is always at the front of the train (unless I'm running K-Line die-cast cars). The weight up front generally provides better tracking and operational qualities.

When my father used to stop at our local Standard Oil back in the 50's, I remember him always saying "Hi, Fritz, fill'er up with Ethyl", which I understood to be a higher grade of gasoline. I didn't know it was also a brand.

Well done all!

I just noticed something interesting when looking through the photos of old tank cars I've saved from the internet... Do you notice the same thing I did about all these cars?

single domes?

jay jay posted:

When my father used to stop at our local Standard Oil back in the 50's, I remember him always saying "Hi, Fritz, fill'er up with Ethyl", which I understood to be a higher grade of gasoline. I didn't know it was also a brand.

Well done all!

John, Ethyl Corp made the additive, tetra ethyl lead. I don't think they sold gasoline through retail. Their product was added by the gas companies to the fuel. Among other things like valve/valve seat protection is also increased the octane value. Today you would ask for 93 instead of 89 or whatever is the highest octane in your area.

Not gonna tell just yet.... if it was a snake.......it would have bitten you! I never noticed it either..

Norton posted:

jay jay posted:

When my father used to stop at our local Standard Oil back in the 50's, I remember him always saying "Hi, Fritz, fill'er up with Ethyl", which I understood to be a higher grade of gasoline. I didn't know it was also a brand.

Well done all!

John, Ethyl Corp made the additive, tetra ethyl lead. I don't think they sold gasoline through retail. Their product was added by the gas companies to the fuel. Among other things like valve/valve seat protection is also increased the octane value. Today you would ask for 93 instead of 89 or whatever is the highest octane in your area.

 

Thanks, Norton! I did not know that. Now it makes sense. 

oil company names, no RR Herald.

Dennis, you referring  to the wrap around grab rail? The die cast 717 had them. Not the semi scale 2755.

Pete

Norton posted:

Dennis, you referring  to the wrap around grab rail? The die cast 717 had them. Not the semi scale 2755.

Pete

 

That's my guess also... hand rail all the way around.

Still no ...  They are pretty much all missing something that every Lionel tanker was built with except the 1680/2680's.. 

Smaller knuckle couplers.......

Firing rounds with the lights out......... shot in the dark

Jesse

All great answers, but how do you get up the side to the dome.......

True..... worked many years in chemical and petro-chem plants... do not recall ever seeing tank cars with a fixed ladder up the side.  Always use of platform with spring loaded access walkway to get to dome openings.

Thanks for the great pics posted.

Jesse   TCA

Dennis;  no ladders up the side of the tank going to the dome.  Great pictures thank you .

this one has the ladder on the back side 

These postwar Lionel tank cars I left as is as they were in great condition. I have a total of seven of these Sunoco tank cars and every time I see a nice one I am tempted to buy another.

It's really funny, but I never noticed that before!  I guess I expected that FRA design regulations or other safety requirements would have required ladders.  Maybe they did after a certain period  and these cars were just old.  I'd be curious to know from some of you with knowledge of the subject!  ie, what cars or car owners did not have ladders for example. 

Jesse, do you have any old pictures of the tank cars or loading platforms that you mention?  Would be great to add them for reference!

It would help all of us model them more accurately and more importantly, we might not feel the need to add ladders to that grungy old tanker that lost them long ago

Thanks for the fun

Steamer posted:

this one has the ladder on the back side 

Agreed, but it looks like some do and some don't in both of those group pictures.  Again, it would be cool to know what variations there were and why and by what companies.  Just useless trivia but neat stuff..  Plus it lets us mess with the scale guys, cause I'll be all their cars have ladders

the safety girl at my work would have a stroke over this place....

Roving Sign posted:

Jim 1939 posted:

They are nice cars and easy to redo. O scale decals for any type car are getting hard to find though.

Arent we just printing them on InkJets these days?

Yes for many that is true but a few of us old guys haven't caught up yet so store bought decals did the job quite nicely and there WAS many to choose from.