It looked interesting, so I got one, now what?

[bsoplinger]

While ordering some other Japanese items, I saw this Kato Japanese prototype tank car:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10003559

Its a Taki 43000 tank car, whatever that means. But its an interesting looking little tank car, quite reasonably priced when added to an order with other items in it. Excluding the Japanese writing on it, are there any North American tank cars that looked close to these? They were different enough from the standard offerings from MT, IM, Atlas and Athearn that I decided to get a few 'just because.'

[Atlanticflier]

um... looks like something that would be in a 'weed sprayer or MOW train. 

[up1950s]

um... looks like something that would be in a 'weed sprayer or MOW train. 

Agreed , as long as the era is modern .

[AVR Mark]

I have one of these cars (which I paid very little for). If you look at it, you will notice that it has a platform/walkway on one end and none on the other. There is a difference in distance between the truck bolsters and the coupler mount area (end for end). The end with the walkway is (the width of the walkway) longer than the other end. This causes the car to track very badly and, at least on mine, frequent derailments. My guess is that if both ends had either no walkway or both had a walkway, the car would track much better. I don't know if you can get parts for the Japan releases here in the USA.

I should add this disclaimer that I body mounted Micro-Trains 1015 couplers on this car (I body mount Micro-Trains couplers on almost every car, and all locomotives I own). If you use the truck mounted couplers, you may not have these problems.

Mark

[bsoplinger]

I did notice the non-symmetry on the ends of the car but its packaged with 2 different length extensions for the truck mounted couplers presumably to deal with this. For a cheap little car like this I'd just use a unimate in the truck mounted coupler pocket vs doing a body mount myself. Since I did get  a pair I guess I could move a walkway and a truck from car to car to make 1 car with platforms and 1 without.  :

Its just it was cheap, looked interesting and I was hoping there was some sort of American model it was at least somewhat like. The MOW or weed sprayer idea is a good one.

[Nato]

     Con Cor when they worked with KATO use to offer this car in US Roads. I have one in GN Big Sky Blue while not protypical still looks very nice, has been fitted with MT Barber Rollerbearing trucks. I also have one of the straight KATO Japanese versions in a color used on some tank cars, a Sea Foam Green colored top and a silver gray bottom with red and black markings and trucks with silver-gray side frames, I also have a Japanese KATO version with black body and small white lettering. Con Cor also sold another prototype Japanese tank car that looked alot like modern U.S. chemical tankers with a large platform around the dome.. These were done in several Oil Company colors . As an Anime (Japanese animation) fanzee and collector of figures and Garage Figure kits I have used the on line store you got the Tank Car from (or linked to) several times, I have just never though to order railroad modeles.                           Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.