An Oil Tank for Fisher Fuels

This oil storage tank was white and shiny once upon a time but it's location next to the engine terminal at WRJ has left it covered with grime.

Finishing The Oil Dealers Oil Storage Tank

by Don Janes 

     When George showed me the Fisher Fuels kit by Railroad Kits at the Model RR EXPO last Oct. I was impressed with it and knew exactly where I could place it on my layout.  I had a large empty space at the front of the engine terminal at White River Jct.  I had been toying with what to put there for quite some time and here was my answer.  With some planning I layed out the oil dealer on the vacant lot and positioned the oil tank behind the office and garage. 
    The oil tank that came with the kit is made by Rix Products.  It is made from styrene and is very easy to assemble.  I used liquid plastic cement to bond the tank rings together.  It is only 29 feet high so it doesn't overpower the roundhouse area yet looks large enough to represent a busy fuel dealer.  Once I had the tank together I painted it an off white colour.  I started with Floquil Reefer White and added a few drops of Grimy Black, just enough to give it a faded sooty look.  Once the paint had dried I gave it a couple of washes of India Ink and alcohol then used various shades of black, earth and rust coloured chalks to represent the dirt and rust streaks on the tank. 
     For the concrete base of the tank I used Gator Board. With a compass I drew a circle a bit larger than the tank and cut it out with an exacto knife.  Make sure you use a new sharp blade. I sanded the edges smooth and glues the base to the layout with white glue.  Once dry I painted it a concrete colour and used chalks to weather the concrete.
     I really like the looks of the tank and think it blend in nicely with the overall sooty look of an engine terminal.


Here is another view of the tank from a steeper angle to show the layer of dirt on the top of the tank.



This shot was taken from the opposite side of the lot and shows the ladder.  It was made from stamped brass ladder stock the loops of .015 brass wire soldered to the top.  I soldered three "U" shaped brackets on the back of the ladder and drilled holes in the tanks to secure the ladder to the tank