On30 tank car

[old pilot]

As with my earlier post on the boxcar, can the tank be safely/easily removed from the flat car frame? Can the tank be opened to add weight? I know weight can be added to the underside of the flat car portion but I would prefer not to do it this way. It will also make it easier to do a little weathering and decaling.

[Fred Klein]

Old pilot, I just kitbashed an On30 track-cleaning car using the under carriage from an HO track-cleaning car and an On30 tank that I found on the kitbashing parts section on this site. The tank I purchased came apart along the lower seam and the top part, complete with ladder and hand-rail, just lifted off, so you could add weight there. Also, the tank is secured via two screws from below so you should be able to remove it by first removing the trucks and the frame. Hope this helps.

[old pilot]

Good morning, Fred,

Thank you, your advice was spot on and a great help. I just finished taking the tank car apart as per your instructions, except for the ladders which appear to be glued in the holes. I can live with this while I weight decal and weather the car. The only problem I had was the two safety straps holding the tank to the flat car. It took a magnifying glass to see they were held by the smallest phillips head screws I have ever seen. Not having a screwdriver that small, I was able to get enough grip with small needle nose pliers to turn and remove them. Use caution and do it over a large white piece of cloth in case you drop them. The only other advice I can give to your instructions is to use a chisel type blade in an exacto knife to insert in the seam of the tank to gently pry it apart.

This is a great site, receiving help from somebody who has already done what you want to do.

[Len]

One of the best investments I've made for model railroading was a set of small precision screwdrivers by a company called Wiha. I purchased the seven piece set, which includes four slotted screwdrivers (1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3mm), and three Phillips screwdrivers (PH 00, PH 0 and PH 1). I bought them over 20 years ago for use in my repair shop, and they still look exactly the same as the day I got them. Since then, I've added many other Wiha tools to my collection, and been glad I did.

The Wiha site can be found at: https://www.wihatools.com/

The screwdriver sets are often found discounted on many on-line sites.

Len

[Fred Klein]

Old pilot, I forgot about the safety straps since my tank didn't come with them. I second what Len says about a small screwdriver set. I bought a Craftsman set at least 30 years ago and it comes in very handy. As far as the tiny screws are concerned, you can order them from Amazon, both flat-head and round-head versions. I have both and they also come in very handy, especially for scratchbuilding or kitbashing. Glad I was able to help. Best of luck.

[old pilot]

Thanks for the info on the small screwdrivers. I will look for a set. My jewelers set had done all I needed until these safety straps entered the picture.

[Len]

Another source for small metal and plastic screws, metric and SAE, in bulk is Micro-Fasteners:

http://www.microfasteners.com/

Len