Building A StromBecker Tank Car & A Controversial Choice

 I recently received a StromBecker H0 gauge tank car. This one is for Shell Chemicals, though I'm unsure if there were other variants.

While I feel that the StromBecker hopper car was probably their most complex from a manufacturing standpoint, this one is more complex for the builder. 

As usual, I made sure to scan and take measurements of all the parts before constructing the model. Again, I do this for preservation sake. 

There was some warping of the thinner wooden pieces, which made the construction of the frame a little tricky. There was a constant need to bend the pieces to get them to lay flat, If I make another one or reproduce this, I will probably use the old model airplane method and pin the pieces down to a building board. 

Once I was satisfied with the fit, the frame was painted flat acrylic black. I found that color that best matched the wrap to be Apple Barrel Country Gray. Only the ends of the tank and the dome were painted. The rest would be covered by the wrap. 

When the tank wrap was applied, a problem surfaced that I had worried about. There were slight wrinkles in the very thin wrap, and when it was attached to the wooden core, these wrinkles manifested as large "bubbles". They refused to lay flat. Using a combination of burnishing and slits, I was able to get them to lay flat. In hindsight, I wish I had printed a copy and used that.

The two "valves" on the top of the dome were missing. I hand turned to replacements from what was supposed to have been 1/8" doweling, though I suspect it actually thinner. 

Another problem was that the end "decals" had to have multiple slits and wedges cut out to fit properly. One of these was damaged when I tried to move it, so I simply removed it. They are actually very oversized and probably should be replaced entirely. 

I used Mantua Bettendorf trucks with brass wheels. These provide additional weight. Again, I made a brake wheel from a clothing snap. 

While not perfect, I'm content with the model. Since I have enough information to build another, I probably will, and provide it with a decorative wrap and colors, as the grey Shell Chemicals wrap is rather bland. 

X2F Y?

In other news, I have decided on couplers. 

Good old Paul Mallery NMRA committee designed X2F "hook & horn".

Why, you ask?

Before you lecture me on the benefits of Kadee, yes, I know. It must be remembered that I was in the hobby business, sold hundreds of them, and used them on my previous H0 equipment. 

My reasons for going back to X2F are many, but boil down to two. 

First, I plan on running a lot of vintage equipment, and the old X2F couplers were quite common. At this point, swapping them out is pricey for me. And let's face it, X2F are plentiful and cheap.

And they do work. I've heard some wild claims about their performance, but when my layout is built, it will be small and fairly simple. These will do.