I just purchased a couple of the new American Limited Models tank cars. These models represent the GATC 16,000 gallon tank car.I must say these are pretty nice cars. These are some of the nicest detailed tanks I have. I purchased the NP 102018 and the SPS 38618. The cars appear to be pretty much identical
Lots of nice details but also the paint jobs are crisp and the various stencils and markings are impressive.
With magnification you can see even the smallest writing is readable. I don't normally carry a magnifying glass to try to read the COTS stencils when I am running trains but it is nice to know you could. If you are able to zoom in not only are the stencils readable but they are appropriate for the individual car. For example the SPS car above was re-lubed by the SPS in Oct of 1971, It was built in September of 1949 and re tared by the SP&S in November of 1963. The NP car has similar detail. Another thing on these cars is that the have ACI labels and yellow wheel inspection dots. Perfect for my 1970s time period. That is a really nice touch you don't see a lot of manufacturers do.
All the wheelsets are in gauge. Three of the four couplers are at the perfect height. The B end on the NP car is slightly low on the Kadee height gauge. And I do mean slightly as you can see in the photo. They appear to be metal couplers painted a rust color. Also they have shelf couplers typical of tank cars.
The only real complaint I have is that both cars are about an ounce light per NMRA recommended practice.A seven inch car should be 4.5 ounces according to RP 20.1
If you want more information on the National Model Railroad Association standards and recommended practices see their web page at: https://www.nmra.org/index-nmra-standards-and-recommended-practices
These cars are stenciled for the late 70s given the ACI labels and the
wheel inspection dots. I found a picture of NP 102018 on the
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net web site. The picture is from 1979 as
this car is a very close match. except the model no where near as dirty.
I did not finds pics of SPS 38618 but I did find pics of other cars in
the series that looked to be a very close match to the model. From the pics I found online it looks like at least some cars from the SPS series made it into the late 90s in MOW service. Overall these are great cars for the price. The weight is the only complaint as I don't see any way to open the cars to add weight. I would recommend. Also If anyone has any ides for adding weight please leave a comment.
