Oh, I agree, Ralph.
I’m just hoping to find something that looks right for about 1930, or so, and would be correct for unloading. I don’t think that is it.
Again, I am going simply from theory and study of modern facilities… A small metal rack, pipes parallel to the ground do a 90 degree bend to vertical. The risers are attached to the rack, then another 90 degree bend toward the tack. A big old gate valve and some kind of attachment flange for a hose. This interests me too and I have searched the web for photos and can’t come up with anything. I can’t disagree with Ric that siphon would work. It would be tough to get the last bits though. I’ve never climbed around the underside of the tank at EBT. That would be a logical place to look as the tank itself has been on the railroad for a long time. I’ve actually built one, but there was absolutely no attempts at scale or prototypical accuracy happening on my railroad at the time 
That’s pretty neat, Jon, but you’re missing the workers…
Ralph, I posted the wrong picture earlier. Here’s the prototype:
(http://jbrr.com/Pics/Structures/MillsFuels/OilUnloading1.jpg)
Bruce Chandler said:
That’s pretty neat, Jon, but you’re missing the workers…(http://www.lscdata.com/users/thejoat/_forumfiles/Legos.jpg)
Nah… They were just out of the shot…
LOL! That’s too cool.
That was a fun time. Matt was quite a bit younger, a Lego fanatic, and was having a ball setting up scenes on the railroad. His interest in being involved died quickly one day when he and his cousin were running trains and a coupler failure dumped a bunch of cars over a wall to the ground 3 feet down. You might remember the photos. I never got mad at him, but for some reason he never wanted to run trains again.
Yes, back in 1986 my daughter used to have a rabbit character family that rode around the train in the basement. Lots of fun.
There is a oil loading/unloading platform in Chama. It is kind of between the bar and the coal loading dock against the hill. From memory, I think it was all done from the top. I’m sure your results may vary.
Ric Golding said:I asked my brother about the top/bottom unload question. His railroad knowledge far exceedes mine. He says top unloading was very common. He thinks pressure was used. Ralph
There is a oil loading/unloading platform in Chama. It is kind of between the bar and the coal loading dock against the hill. From memory, I think it was all done from the top. I'm sure your results may vary.
Bruce Chandler said:
Ralph, I posted the wrong picture earlier. Here’s the prototype:(http://www.lscdata.com/users/thejoat/Structures/MillsFuels/OilUnloading1.jpg)
That makes more sense and goes along with what my brother said. Pressure in one line…draw the oil out the other. Ralph
Then there’s this, from August 1940 “The Model Railroader”
(http://jbrr.com/Pics/Structures/MillsFuels/CarUnloadingPipe.jpg)
I have no clue exactly what the “Not in use” part of the drawing represents, nor the little “10” off to the right. This would be easy to model…
And, maybe it’s not quite as modern.
Bruce, Maybe this will help.Check lower left with pipe framework
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/dltrains/_forumfiles/tankcarsmall.JPG)
Dave
Dave,
Are you pointing out a lower valve for draining or unloading?
Ric,
In all honesty it could be either, but if you look at the lettering just above the valve on the frame ( it’s the same as that below the BLT date) it says “valve attached to outlet” and theres one under each section. Larger pic seems to show the valve as a tee with a 2 1/2"outlet on the side and a small drain on the bottom. This car is at the Penn. Museaum if that helps with another who might get to it.
The only time I’ve been close to an offload operation was for chemical transfer and that installation was all pressure if I recall correctly.
Dave
Thanks Dave for the explanation. I think a tank car on an open frame is considerably later technology than a tank strapped to a flat car. These are great discussions and very thoguht provoking.