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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.

Read our other product reviews

Visit our product review page here.

  • Current Issue: March/April 2023

     

     

    INSIDE THIS ISSUE

  • General Purpose

    Nearly 75 years after the first General Purpose locomotive rolled off the assembly line at General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division, the workhorse diesel is still doing the job it was meant to do. The four-axle “Geep” is making main line moves, switching industries and doing short road work on mostly secondary railroads. Introduced in 1949 as the “ugly duckling” GP7, it has settled into a comfortable role and is always in demand, whether by lease or purchase. The Cowcatcher looks at the locomotive’s rise and some of its popular variations.

  • NRail Celebrates 50 Years

    NTRAK is a household name in model railroading and has something to celebrate. NTRAK and T-TRAK organizations within NRail have blossomed in the last 50 years to become the glue or common thread of modular model railroading and promote N scale in most areas of the U.S. and Canada and other countries.

     

     

  • M.T.H. Regaining Footing

    Its future once uncertain, O model maker M.T.H. Electric Trains is moving forward with a new business plan making new model train products sold exclusively within the company’s dealer network.

     

  • PLUS…

    Columnist Michelle Kempema goes behind the scenes with an O-scale model railroad club looking to change its image. …

     

    BNSF goes BIG on intermodal plans to build a massive facility in Barstow, CA, to expedite container shipments. …

     

    The Rock Island’s Memphis-Californian went west to El Paso and took a lot of good company. …

     

     

    THESE STORIES AND MORE, PLUS A FULL CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS AND THE BUSINESS PULSE OF THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY!

     

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  • Product News & Review

    InterMountain HO ADM Corn Syrup Car

     

    The Cowcatcher reviews InterMountain Railway Co.’s newly released HO-scale Trinity Industries 19,600-gallon corn syrup car. The tank car is one of several in the company’s second release.

     

    More product reviews!

     

    See product news!

     

  • Railroad in Focus

    Cowcatcher Magazine routinely features short lines and regional railroads that roam the Midwest and Southwest. Features include color photographs and maps, but an overview of operations and latest business trends.

     



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