HO Scale Tank Cars

The great question about tank cars is "What's in there?" Subtle details give you clues about whether there could be milk, vinegar, chemical solutions, compressed gasses, petroleum products, vegetable oil or even pickles inside, and HO models reflect those details. Building your own tank cars lets you explore the details, because the challenge isn't just what's in there--it's how do you get what's in there in and out! Manways, ladders and hatches are all reproduced from big cars dedicated to specific products.

Building your own HO scale tank cars is probably the not first task for beginning modelers--getting it right in 1:87 scale is fairly exacting--but you'll learn a lot about railroad safety in the process. Even today, a railroad accident involving the contents of a tank car can clear an entire community because of a chemical spill. These hardworking, safety-minded cars are an important addition to any working freight setup.