UTLX Class X-3 6,500 gallon tank car

Chris Vanko shared his progress on Resin Car Works Kit 4.03, a Union Tank Line Class X-3 6,500-Gallon Tank Car w/1937 frame. Here’s Chris with his notes.

I finally got it done! I deviated a bit from the instructions but have wrapped up construction, paint, lettering, and weathering on a Resin Car Works UTLX tank car kit.

I used Yarmouth Model Works stirrup steps; part #204 for the Red Caboose Type 103W tank car. For the turnbuckles, I used spare parts from a Tangent kit I built.  I’m not sure they are available separately. I used 0.005-inch thick styrene strips for the tank straps. I’m pretty sure that’s it for different parts. 

There’s one thing I may do differently on the next kit. I would have joined the frame and the tank first, then fit the saddles underneath. I tried to do it as the instructions suggested and it didn’t work out the best. I’m not sure if my idea would be possible, but I might try it that way on another kit.

After I shared photos of this model on a discussion list, Steve Hile asked if Frank had actually done a different car. I had apparently lettered mine for a car in an 8,000 gallon capacity number series instead of a 6,500 gallon car.

D’OH!

Luckily, all I had to do was remove the leading digit of the car number and it fell into the correct series. A bit of scraping with a sharp X-Acto blade, a little touch up with Pan Pastels, and viola, a new car number!  

The weathering was my standard procedure. I started with an oil wash, but I used Portland Light Grey instead of the Raw Umber I usually apply first. I wanted to fade the black a bit. The car was then glossed and decals applied.  After the decals dried, it was flat coated and the rest of the weathering was dry brushed with oils.

I used several different weathering colors and experimented by blending a few different combinations together for the color variations. I used Raw Sienna, VanDyke Brown, Raw Umber, Unbleached Titanium, and more of the Portland Light Grey in various combinations to achieve the final results. 

On the dark section between the center bands of the tank, I applied straight black oils to simulate spillage. It turned out a bit heavier than I wished. I was going for a more streaked look but doing black on black gets tricky. I’m sure I’ll do better on the next one!


Thank you, Chris for sharing your work on this Resin Car Works UTLX tank car kit. We hope to share more of Chris’ weathering techniques on future blog posts.

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4 thoughts on “UTLX Class X-3 6,500 gallon tank car

  1. Talking about details, where’s the retainer valve on the B end at the level of the walkway?

    1. It’s just to the left of the brake staff, inside the right end of the grab iron. Kind of hard to see but it’s there.

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