HO 54′ 23,000 Gallon Funnel-Flow Tank Car, Union Tank Car Line UTLX #641561

* Limited edition – one time run of these roadnumbers!

* In service from the 1960s to the present

* Prototypes handle all types of petroleum & food products

* Two different car numbers for each roadname

* Etched metal walkways & platforms

* Factory-applied grab irons

* Brake train pipe & brake rigging underbody detail

* Road-specific placement of manways & safety valves

* Ultra-smooth rolling metal axles & 36″ wheelsets

* Proto MAX(TM) metal knuckle couplers

Developed by the Union Tank Car Company during the 1960s, Funnel-Flow cars carry all kinds of liquids and slurries (mixtures of water and other materials) that can be unloaded by gravity. The car name says it all — the entire tank is slightly lower in the middle, so the contents flow towards the lowest point, like a funnel, for faster, more complete unloading.

Funnel-Flow tank cars come in several lengths; dense, heavy liquids are shipped in shorter cars; lighter fluids move in the 54-footers. Many cars that haul thick liquids such as asphalt, molten sulfur and corn syrup, have internal heating coils to reheat the contents for faster unloading.

These larger capacity cars are used extensively by the oil industry for hauling heating oil, asphalt, lubricating oil and kerosene. They’re also used in agriculture for hauling corn, oils, alcohol and feed additives, as well as in other industries for various liquids. These great-looking cars are so versatile they’ll be at home on any modern-era railroad.