Micro-Trains - 065 00 046 - Tank Car, Single Dome, 39 Foot - Salt Lake Garfield and Western - 105

Specific Item Information: This 39’ single dome tank car is grey with red band and runs on Bettendorf trucks. The Salt Lake, Garfield and Western Railway was founded in 1891 and was primarily an interurban passenger railroad, first using steam locomotives, followed by the implementation of electric locomotives in 1919. It had a small fleet of freight cars, a few of which were tank cars, acquired in 1946.

Model Information: Dating back to 1979, this is the oldest and most popular of Micro-Trains tank cars. Over 200 different regular issues of this body style have been produced as well as hundreds more special runs, including the 2016 N Scale Enthusiast banquet car.

This car models tank cars of approximately 8,000 gallons. The prototypes were built in the 1950's and appeared on freight railroads across the United States and Canada.

Prototype History: Single Dome tank cars are a railroad staple. They have been around since the first half of the 20th century. This length car can handle about 10,000 gallons. These railcars carry a wide array of commodities, including liquid fertilizers, chemicals, fuel oils and asphalt, and food-grade oils. Tank cars can be pressurized or non-pressurized, insulated or non-insulated. Single dome cars carry only a single commodity at once. Food-service tank cars may be lined with stainless steel, glass, or plastic. Tank cars carrying dangerous goods are generally made of different types of steel, depending on the intended cargo and operating pressure. They may also be lined with rubber or coated with specialized coatings for tank protection or product purity purpose. The tank heads are also stronger to prevent ruptures during accidents.

One common version is the ACF Type 27 jacketed tank car with expansion dome which was in common use by many railroads and oil companies.

Road Name History: The SLGW was the result of the 1918 re-organization of the recently electrified Salt Lake & Los Angeles Railway that ran from Salt Lake City, Utah to the resort at Saltair on the banks of the Great Salt Lake. The resort had been built by the LDS Church but was then sold to the railroad. In addition to the lucrative passenger traffic (with departures every 45 minutes,) the line also hauled salt and other freight. The first diesel arrived on the property in 1951 (a GE 44-tonner) and electric operations were curtailed. The remaining passenger service was retained with the help of a secondhand ACF Motorailer. In 1958 or 1959, the resort finally closed, passenger service ended and the SLGW settled into the life of a freight-only shortline.

Today the SLGW switches 16 miles of track with an MP15AC, an MP15DC and a GP39-2. Traffic includes asphalt, frozen juice, furniture, plastic, aluminum, scrap, pulpboard, and waste oil. SLGW joined the Patriot Rail shortline group in January, 2021.

Brand/Importer Information: Micro-Trains is the brand name used by both Kadee Quality Products and Micro-Trains Line. For a history of the relationship between the brand and the two companies, please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide.

Manufacturer Information: Micro-Trains Line split off from Kadee Quality Products in 1990. Kadee Quality Products originally got involved in N-Scale by producing a scaled-down version of their successful HO Magne-Matic knuckle coupler system. This coupler was superior to the ubiquitous 'Rapido' style coupler due to two primary factors: superior realistic appearance and the ability to automatically uncouple when stopped over a magnet embedded in a section of track. The success of these couplers in N-Scale quickly translated to the production of trucks, wheels and in 1972 a release of ready-to-run box cars.

Micro-Trains Line Co. split off from Kadee in 1990 to form a completely independent company. For this reason, products from this company can appear with labels from both enterprises. Due to the nature of production idiosyncrasies and various random factors, the rolling stock from Micro-Trains can have all sorts of interesting variations in both their packaging as well as the products themselves. When acquiring an MTL product it is very important to understand these important production variations that can greatly enhance (or decrease) the value of your purchase.

Please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide