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COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

Product Review: InterMountain HO 19,600-gallon Corn Syrup Car

By TIM BLACKWELL, Cowcatcher Magazine

America loves its corn syrup.

Each year the per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup is nearly 40 pounds. According to Statista, 7.63 million short tons of the stuff was produced in the U.S. in 2020, sweetening everything from cakes to cookies to candy to decadent desserts and other foods.

Corn syrup is a viable commodity on the country’s railroads, which have hauled 410,000 carloads in the past five years, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

InterMountain Railway Co. recently released a second run of Trinity Industries’ 19,600-gallon corn syrup cars in the ADM paint scheme. The prototype cars were built from 1984 to 1998. – Cowcatcher Magazine

ADM Corn Syrup Cars a Popular Flavor

The 42-foot, 19,600-gallon coiled and insulated tank car is the car of choice for hauling the sweetener, with Trinity Industries, Union Tank Car and Greenbrier Companies the most prevalent manufacturers.

From 1984 to 1998, Trinity Industries built more than 7,000 cars to haul sweeteners. With colorful logos representing corn producers, they were among the most visually interesting freight cars on the rail. A popular flavor is the ADM or ADMX car, which hauls products from ADM, one of the world’s largest producers of nutrition for human and animal consumption.

The cars are easily spotted by their blue lettering and Molecule logo, and many are still in service.

Today, Trinity Industries builds a 19,636-gallon coiled and insulated tank car for transporting corn syrup that’s similar to Greenbrier’s 19,600-gallon version and smaller than Union Tank Car’s 19,900-gallon car.

InterMountain car makes the grade on looks, performance

InterMountain Railway Co. in Longmont, CO, recently released a second run of HO-scale corn syrup cars in 15 paint schemes plus an undecorated black version, including ADM cars in the Molecule and new logos. The Cowcatcher received a Molecule version as a sample for review.

In addition to the ADM cars, the model is produced in Minnesota Corn Producers, Staley, Cargill, Corn Products, Domino Sugar, Cerestar, PRGX, GATX, Tate & Lyle, GATX/MCP, TILX Light Gray, Tate & Lyle (repaint) and TILX Black.

Each road name has six numbers, and the cars run on InterMountain’s 36-inch metal wheelsets. They retail for $42.95.

The ADM cars are produced in ADMX Nos. 19403 (our model), 19426, 19467, 19538, 19555 and 19594. The cars join InterMountain’s previously released numbers: 19410, 19424, 19447, 19491, 19533 and 19571.

The car features the slightly bowed tank and is nicely painted in black with the blue logo and lettering. All lettering is legible.

A nice feature is the thin but sturdy piping and railings on the top, sides and under the frame. While fragile, the details are secured very well so that handling isn’t an issue.

On the Cowcatcher’s Northwest Tarrant & Pacific, ADMX No. 19403 tracked well – the trucks rolled freely and the car rode smoothly.

The car is 5.5 inches long from coupler to coupler and weighs just under four ounces, which conforms to the National Model Railroad Association’s recommended weight.

The car has InterMountain’s proprietary body mount metal knuckle couplers, each fastened to the frame by a single screw.

InterMountain’s 19,600-gallon tank car looks good, feels good and performs well. It will fit in nicely on any modern-era layout.

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Current Issue: September/October 2023

NEW CAR FEEL

Bright, shiny freight cars are showing in greater numbers on the North American rail network. New orders and deliveries increased in 2022 following a decline beginning in 2019 that the pandemic worsened in 2020 and 2021. According to a report from the Railway Supply Institute's American Railway Car Institute Committee, new freight car orders last year were significantly greater than the combined total of 2020 and 2021. Deliveries increased nearly as much.

But car builders are not out of the woods yet, as the first half of 2023 saw some ups and downs.

MAINTAINING BALANCE

Too much of a good thing can be hazardous to model railroad operations. Adding more cars to a layout can place more pressure on yards and industries when running the railroad like the real thing. Three veteran operators share their thoughts about how to avoid logjams in yards, sidings and at industries. 

NEW AGE OF MODEL RAILROADING

Computer-based applications that complement DCC are driving the new frontier of model rail road operations.

PLUS

The Sunset Limited ranks as Amtrak's worst train in on-time performance, prompting a Surface Transportation Board investigation. The Southern Pacific's Coast Daylight, with its brilliant colors, was among the most beautiful trains during the golden age of passenger rail. A BNSF test locomotive that set the stage for future developments in alternative energy motive power technology arrives at an Oklahoma railroad museum.