Atlas - 20 001 217 - Tank Car, Single Dome, Trinity 25,500 - Iowa Beef Packers - 25117

Body Style Information: Atlas model of the Trinity 25,500 gal, insulated, general-purpose design. This was introduced in 1986 and production continues today. There are at least 13,000 presently in service. Typical commodities include vegetable oil, tallow, styrene, benzene, asphalt, biodiesel, acrylates, and numerous other chemicals.

Prototype Information: This Trinity tank car is in the typical condition of tank cars that have been hauling relatively clean commodities for decades. There is evidence of years of sun bleaching and rain-washed dust. The darker black areas are the positions of the original Cargill logos, which suggests that the remainder of the car has not been painted or cleaned (on the outside) in that 20-year period. When this Trinity CRX7293 tank car was photographed 20 years after the car was built the original Cargill logos had been painted over with black so only the white reporting marks identify the owner (or lessor). A number of firms took this identity-loss precaution after television photos of train wrecks provided adverse publicity for any type of tank car (although the vegetable oils that these cars would carry are relatively harmless).

Road/Company Information: In 1960, Iowa Beef Packers (as it was then known) was founded by Currier Holman and A. D. Anderson with $300,000 in financing from the Small Business Administration, rather than a traditional bank. They built a completely new plant in Dennison, Iowa, close to big feedlots and cheap energy sources. The sprawling plant was all on one floor so that the beef carcasses could be moved around on conveyers. Immediately after the animal was killed, the beef was refrigerated and the rest of the process was done in the cold. That reduced the shrinkage of the meat from dehydration.

IBP was acquired by Tyson Foods in 2001 for US$3.2 billion in cash and stock. Tyson continues to use the IBP name as a brand for its commodity beef and pork products.

Brand/Importer Information: In 1924 Stephan Schaffan, Sr. founded the Atlas Tool Company in Newark, New Jersey. In 1933 his son, Stephan Schaffan, Jr., came to work for his father at the age of sixteen. Steve Jr. built model airplanes as a hobby and frequented a local hobby shop. Being an enterprising young man, he would often ask the owner if there was anything he could do to earn some extra spending money. Tired of listening to his requests, the hobby-store owner threw some model railroad track parts his way and said, "Here, see if you can improve on this".

Atlas has made a ton of wonderful products throughout the years and we often get questions one whether we have run a certain road name on a particular model. It should be noted that Atlas locomotives and rolling stock are greatly appreciated for their superior operating and running characteristics. Atlas products are also well known for their outstanding collectability not only due to their superior prototypical workmanship, details and decoration, but because there are relatively so few of them made. Each and every production run has been carefully built to market demand, meaning almost every piece in any given run is sold out by Atlas on arrival or shortly thereafter, thus creating a built in collectors market.

Manufacturer Information: In 1924 Stephan Schaffan, Sr. founded the Atlas Tool Company in Newark, New Jersey. In 1933 his son, Stephan Schaffan, Jr., came to work for his father at the age of sixteen. Steve Jr. built model airplanes as a hobby and frequented a local hobby shop. Being an enterprising young man, he would often ask the owner if there was anything he could do to earn some extra spending money. Tired of listening to his requests, the hobby-store owner threw some model railroad track parts his way and said, "Here, see if you can improve on this".

Atlas has made a ton of wonderful products throughout the years and we often get questions one whether we have run a certain road name on a particular model. It should be noted that Atlas locomotives and rolling stock are greatly appreciated for their superior operating and running characteristics. Atlas products are also well known for their outstanding collectability not only due to their superior prototypical workmanship, details and decoration, but because there are relatively so few of them made. Each and every production run has been carefully built to market demand, meaning almost every piece in any given run is sold out by Atlas on arrival or shortly thereafter, thus creating a built in collectors market.