This Atlas HO Scale 11,000-Gallon Tank Car is an accurate model of the 11,000 gallon tank car was introduced by American Car & Foundry (ACF) in 1947. Propane or Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is both a naturally occurring product and a by-product of the refining process. During the 1940s, the petroleum industry began marketing LPG as a cleaner and more efficient fuel than existing coal and oil. Transporting LPG requires specially designed high-pressure tank cars. During the early 1940s the only ACF tank car that qualified was the 10,500 gallon high-pressure tank car. After the war, ACF set out to design a whole new car for the emerging industry and the prototypes for this model were the result. Thousands of these special tank cars were built through the mid-1950s. The Atlas model faithfully reproduces this late-steam/early-diesel-era tank car in two versions (with and without platform rails). The cars with top platform rails were used where there was no elevated loading/unloading facility. The cars without the top platform rails were often specified for customers that had access to elevated loading and unloading facilities. This car features finely molded handrails, tank fittings, safety placard holders, appropriate 50-ton friction-bearing trucks, AccuMate(R) magnetic knuckle couplers, accurate painting and lettering; and a top platform as appropriate for each roadname.
