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Atlas - 3236 - Tank Car, Single Dome, Shorty - Celanese Chemicals - 6217

5  of these sold for an average price of: 6.796.795 of these sold for an average price of: 6.79
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Collectors value this item at an average of 6.006.00Collectors value this item at an average of 6.00
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N Scale - Atlas - 3236 - Tank Car, Single Dome, Shorty - Celanese Chemicals - 6217 Copyright held by TroveStar
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Stock Number3236
Original Retail Price$2.00
BrandAtlas
ManufacturerAtlas Model Railroad
Body StyleAtlas Tank Car Beer Can Shorty
Prototype VehicleTank Car, Single Dome, Shorty (Details)
Road or Company NameCelanese Chemicals (Details)
Reporting MarksGATX
Road or Reporting Number6217
Paint Color(s)Green
Print Color(s)Black
Coupler TypeRapido Hook
Coupler MountTruck-Mount
Wheel TypeNickel-Silver Plated Metal
Wheel ProfileDeep Flange
Release Date1977-01-01
Item CategoryRolling Stock (Freight)
Model TypeTank Car
Model Subtype29 Foot
Model VarietyBeer Can
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era IV: 2nd Gen Diesel (1958 - 1978)
Scale1/160



Model Information: This body style is used to haul ingredients for making beer and chemicals like sulfuric acid. N-Scale modelers seem to love them because Atlas keeps on making them. They were originally announced in the 1969 catalog as 'Road Names to be Announced'. They were still in 'real soon now' state as of the 1972 catalog! It seems Atlas was having some trouble finding a manufacturer to produce the darn things. It does seem that they appeared on retailers' shelves on or around 1972 since the 1973 Sun-N-Sand Special Run car used this body style.

Regardless of the introduction date, Atlas has made at least 170 different versions of this car in at least 10 different releases. Originally produced with Rapido Couplers, more recent releases use Accumates. If a prototype exists, it would be 29 foot long and carry about 4,000 gallons of something. According to Atlas, that something might be chemicals, honey, lard or heating oil.
Prototype History:
These cars transport higher value commodities which typically are shipped in smaller amounts. One example is corn syrup. Some carry petroleum refining catalysts, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide. The typically ride on roller bearing trucks with 33 inch wheels.
Road Name History:
Celanese was founded in 1918 in New York City as the American Cellulose & Chemical Manufacturing Company, initially producing fabrics for airplane manufacturing. They adopted the name “Celanese Corporation” in 1927 and began producing synthetic cellulose acetate fabrics and yarns for textile companies.

Celanese Corporation, also known as Hoechst Celanese, is a Fortune 500 global technology and specialty materials company with its headquarters in Irving, Texas, United States. The company is a leading producer of acetyl products, which are intermediate chemicals for nearly all major industries, and is the world's largest producer of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM).

Celanese's operations are primarily located in North America, Europe, and Asia. Its largest plant is in the Clear Lake area of Pasadena, Texas, United States the home to the world's largest acetic acid plant. In 2016, Celanese reported net sales of $5.4 billion.

The American Cellulose and Chemical Manufacturing Co. Ltd plant in Cumberland, Maryland was set up during World War I to produce cheaper fabric for airplane manufacturing. The plant location was chosen inland to protect against Zeppelin attacks. It was also situated in proximity to a ready source of water at the Potomac River and easy access to coal supplies and railroad lines. After a series of delays, actual production began in 1924 with a series of cellulose acetate commercial fabrics and yarns intended as alternatives to silk. The plant was closed in 1983, and was later torn down to provide a space for a new state prison.

From Wikipedia
Brand/Importer Information:
In 1924 Stephan Schaffan, Sr. founded the Atlas Tool Company in Newark, New Jersey. In 1933 his son, Stephan Schaffan, Jr., came to work for his father at the age of sixteen. Steve Jr. built model airplanes as a hobby and frequented a local hobby shop. Being an enterprising young man, he would often ask the owner if there was anything he could do to earn some extra spending money. Tired of listening to his requests, the hobby-store owner threw some model railroad track parts his way and said, "Here, see if you can improve on this".

In those days, railroad modelers had to assemble and build everything from scratch. Steve Jr. created a "switch kit" which sold so well, that the entire family worked on them in the basement at night, while doing business as usual in the machine shop during the day.

Subsequently, Steve Jr. engineered the stapling of rail to fiber track, along with inventing the first practical rail joiner and pre-assembled turnouts and flexible track. All of these products, and more, helped to popularize model railroading and assisted in the creation of a mass-market hobby. The budding entrepreneur quickly outgrew the limitations of a basement and small garage operation. Realizing they could actually make a living selling track and related products, Steve and his father had the first factory built in Hillside, New Jersey at 413 Florence Avenue in 1947. On September 30, 1949, the Atlas Tool Company was officially incorporated as a New Jersey company.

In 1985, Steve was honored posthumously for his inventions by the Model Railroad Industry Association and was inducted into the Model Railroad Industry Hall of Fame in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition, Steve was nominated and entered into the National Model Railroad Association Pioneers of Model Railroading in 1995.

In the early 1990s, the Atlas Tool Company changed its name to Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc.
Manufacturer Information: 'Atlas Model Railroad' represents the New Jersey manufacturing facility for Atlas brand model railroad products. Atlas also imported European made models in their early years and those items will be noted as having manufacturers set appropriately. In the 1990s Atlas moved all their toolings to China.
Item created by: Lethe on 2015-07-22 17:53:15. Last edited by gdm on 2021-01-27 13:05:30

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