Modifying Interstate Oil, Part 3

I introduced the topic of my bulk oil dealer for the layout town of Santa Rosalia, intended to be a dealer for Richfield Oil Company, in the first post in this series (at: http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2016/12/more-bulk-oil-modifying-interstate-oil.html ). I showed some of the first modeling steps in a follow-up post, concentrating on replacing the distinctive round roof of the warehouse structure in the kit with a gable roof (that post is at this link: http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2016/12/more-on-modifying-interstate-oil.html ). In the present post, I  continue with the project.
     I mentioned in the previous post in this series (link just above) that I would want to re-arrange the elements of this kit to better fit my space on the layout. The kit seems intended for an almost square space, whereas my space is longer than it is wide. One bulky and rather square element in the kit is the base for the horizontal tanks, which includes the truck loading dock. After experimenting with the various kit base parts on my layout, I decided I needed to divide those two parts, making the truck dock separate. I measured the tank base so it had as much width for both ends of the tanks, and then scribed and snapped that base.

This separation meant I could arrange the truck dock separately, as best fitted my site. Next, I decided to build only two, not three, horizontal tanks, and accordingly took the tank part of the base, shown above, and measured it in thirds, to scribe and snap into a smaller tank base, as shown below.

     Meanwhile, I was addressing the tank moldings. As mentioned in the first post (link provided at the top of the present post), the seams (called “weld lines” in the kit instructions) are immense, far larger than any weld on the planet. They could possible represent some kind of crimped seam, but hardly can be welds. In any case, I decided to reduce their size considerably, by filing them down. Though a little tedious, this goes quickly with a 00 size mill file, followed by cleaning up with a small, flat Swiss file. The goal was not to entirely remove these indications of seams, only to make them much less prominent.

You can see the degree of my success in this assembled tank (to be one of the horizontal ones), with distinctly less prominent seams. When painted, I believe these will be even less evident.

     When assembled as directed in the instructions, the six-section horizontal tanks scale out at about 21,000 gallons. This is a good size for the major tanks at a bulk oil dealer, which usually has at least two and usually three tanks this large. There would then be other tanks of smaller size for the petroleum products less in demand, such as kerosene. (For more on this, you may read my article in Model Railroad Hobbyist or MRH, in the issue for March 2014. You can read or download this or any issue of MRH for free, at any time, at their website, www.mrhmag.com .)
     I am pleased with how my modification to this kit are progressing. I hope to have some of the elements completed in a following post.
Tony Thompson