Il carro cisterna a carrelli

Bogie Tankers

 di Martin Kohler

 

 

1970 Lima introduced a new line of bogie tankers. I start a collector's guide for those models.

The catalogue of 1970 showed some renderings of a new bogie tanker which prooved to be rather successful over the years. I can't figure out when this model finally showed up in the shops, since until 1973 those painted images were in the catalogue. But, Lima back then was quite fast with novelties, so at least 1971 should be realistic. Talking about the models itself, well, there's not so much that can be done wrong with a tanker. The model indeed looks like a tanker. But, Lima did some odds. The models had a sun roof, no matter, if it was a gas tanker (correct) ore a tanker for liquids (incorrect). The bogies were sort of strange, the long wheelbase close to a passenger coach bogie, looking somewhat similar to a Y25 bogie, but not really. Maybe it was good for a toy layout in the 70's, but for railway modelers? Lima could do better.

There were gas tankers and liquid tankers. The difference was the presence of a ladder and platform (dome) on the liquid tankers. Nothing else.
 

 

2901 FS Agipgas (even if it states gas this model featured a dome), silver with paper stickers (easy to be removed/lost, hard to find in perfect condition)

2902 FS Pibi gas (even if it states gas this model featured a dome), green with paper stickers (easy to be removed, hard to find in perfect condition). The model shown seems to be from a very late series, since it already features an inscription board stating flammable liquids with no railway company mentioned.



2903 FS LIQUIGAS (even mentionig gas it has a dome), silver with red printing. This one is one of the rarer in the series of early tankers.



2904 FS Butan Gas (the first real gas tanker), yellow, black lettering, rather common



2905 SNCF KUHLMANN, white with green lettering (very common)



2906 SNCF Marcel Millet orange band and blue lettering



2907 SNCF Pechiney St. Gobain, silver with blue lettering (rare)



2908 SNCF Calorigaz (catalogues state Lalorigas, what's correct?), white with black lettering (rare)


 

 

 

 

Also in 1976 Lima introduced a 2914 Renfe Butano tanker for the Spanish market in orange.

 

 

 

Around 1976 Lima changed the 2904 Shell again. "Covengas" was skipped and replaced by the long lived "Shellgas", which was produced almost unchanged until the mid 90's.



2915 was mainly produced for the slowly growing Austrian market, ÖMV (= Österreichische Mineralöl Verwaltung). With its grey colour it looked much closer to real tankers than the others.



2919 "Max Meyer", a rather attractive red/black tanker. Shortlived, therefore one of the rarer ones.



2921 was the highest number in the series. The orange/black SBB "Uetikon" is really handsome and had an orange inscription board with SBB markings.


 

 

British Tankers

Let's start with the 2911 "Pfizer" again, we already had it before, but this was the first of all British tankers. We remember, from 1973 Lima produced H0 scale models for the British market. Lima did not care so much about the smaller clearance of British Railways, so the continetal tankers looked quite out of scale in the British H0 range.
 

 

In 1975 the 2911 "Milk" replaced the "Pfizer". The model shown is actually from the OO-range, which doesn't matter as it's actually the same model with Hornby-couplings after 1977. The black data board states something like "Flammable Liquides", even if this is a milk tanker.

 

 

2913 "Amoco", also from the HO range before 1976.



After the SNCF "Calorigaz" was removed from the catalogue, number 2908 was available again. Lima introduced the silver ESSO tanker in the OO range. The catalogues and also "Ramsey's guide" state a white version of this model, although I've never seen one and I actually doubt that Lima really made them in white.



2909 "TOTAL"



 

2916 "TEXACO" in two different versions, one for the British OO range, the other one was in the continental range with HO couplings.
  

 

Last Part

This is the last part of the collector's guide to Lima bogie tankers. There are another four models not yet mentioned.
 

Lima produced another 2904 tanker, which I believe is a promotional item for Linde Gas. It already has the smaller NEM couplings, so it was definately made after 1986. This model has a dangerous goods board printed to the inscription board instead of wagon data.



30 2916 AGIP replaced the British Texaco tanker and also has NEM couplings.



30 2905 FS Ausiliare was originally sold in a set with other Ausiliare wagons, later also sold separately (1994)



And finally, the rarest bogie tanker of them all, 20 2918 NdeM (Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico). Until now I could not find it in any of the catalogues. I suppose it was made around 1983. This is a very odd piece, since it's the only European style item for the American market (except some starter set models and 1960's coaches). There were only three other NdeM models made by Lima (Alco C420 Diesel, brown reefer, sand coloured caboose).
 

By the mid 90's the moulds of these tankers were rebuilt and received a short coupling mechanism. Those models had more prototypical "Minden-Dorstfeld" bogies. Unfortunately, I don't have any of these later models, so I can't show them here. But, be invited to add them to this page.
 

 

Martin Kohler