ESU 36222 – Tank car, H0, Deutz, DB, BP, 581 371, grey, Era III, DC

True to scale model of a light weight tank car with 30 m³ capacity
Running boards or cat walk grating made off etched parts
Various separately applied armatures
Prototypically dimensioned railings and grab irons made off hard-wearing plastic
Signage boards with correct information matching the respective era
Two-sided profiled wheels
Weight: 48 g for optimal running characteristics
Toe bearing in metal bearings for smooth running
Loop and hook couplers with non-magnetic loop in NEM shafts with kinematics
Minimum radius = 360 mm
Length over buffers = 101.2 mm

Prior to World War II the rulers already recognised a considerable demand for tank cars for transporting flammable liquids, particularly for assuring reliable replenishment of materials at military bases. Thrifty handling of resources was a key requirement for the development. Taking into account these requirements Westwaggon in Cologne-Deutz developed a tank car without separate frame, where the headstock was welded to the tank. In order to prevent any damage to the tank itself due to the drag and impact forces in normal operation, the lower part of the tank is shaped like a trough. In other words it does not have any boiler shells as was previously the case. About 2000 units of this two-axle car, named after the location of the manufacturer’s head office, were built between 1941 and 1944. While the cars of the first series were supplied to private owners, the military commands such as the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) received the major part of later deliveries. Only very few oil unions received any of these cars. All cars were registered with the German state railway, which meanwhile was only known as the Deutsche Reichsbahn. After World War II most of the privately owned cars remained with the successor companies of the oil unions while the state owned vehicles were transferred to the Vereinigte Tanklager und Transportmittel GmbH VTG (Consolidated Tank Storage and Transport GmbH), which was founded on 5 November, 1951. In 1953 the VTG owned a total of 9791 tank cars of various designs. In 1961, for instance, a large number of tank cars was transferred to the Industrieverwaltungsge­sellschaft IVG (Industrial Administration GmbH). These cars were commissioned for the supply of military bases with operating supplies and could be seen individually or in groups right across Germany right through era IV. Private operators such as Shell, ESSO, ARAL or Texaco utilised the Deutz cars up to and in era IV. The last exemplars were decommissioned in 1990.