Soviet Narrow Gauge Tank Wagon

My collection of wagons in 1/87 scale from the narrow gauge railways of the Soviet Union is once again enlarged. The new arrival is a bogie tank wagon with a 20 ton capacity for transport of primarily petroleum products. Once again, the model is the work of the talented modellers at Miniland, Ukraine's largest model railway, located in Kyiv. 

Just out of the box! The Ukrainian tank wagon placed on my future diorama with iconic Soviet PO-2 concrete fence in the background.

The prototype for the Miniland wagon was produced by the Demikhovo Machine-Building Plant (ДМЗ) as many other Soviet narrow gauge wagons. The type was most likely in series-production from 1960, although some sources date the design from 1956. The wagon is listed in a DMZ catalogue printed in 1985. The catalogue mentions a modernized version produced from 1981. Judging from photographs, only minor changes were made to the construction. The tank wagon had a very modern appearance, using a frameless, self-supporting tank design. This meant that the tank itself formed a load-bearing structural part of the vehicle rather than sitting on a conventional underframe. This allowed the wagon to combine a relatively low tare weight of 8.5 tonnes with a high 20-tonne payload.

From a 1985 catalogue from Demikhovo listing the main characteristics of the tank wagon.

Most likely a works photograph of 45-046-272 outside the Demikhovo works.

Once again, delivery from Ukraine with Nova Post was swift and trouble-free, despite the destructive Russian attacks on many of the company's logistics centres. Having fought my way through tape, cardboard and heavy paper padding, I finally reached a laser-cut wooden box with an engraving of a tank wagon on the lid. Inside was an immaculate model of wagon 45-046-509. On a 1/87 scale model of a relatively small narrow-gauge wagon, it would be understandable if some of the finer details had been omitted or simplified. I have found nothing of the sort on this model. Every handrail, brake line and handle visible on the prototype has been carefully reproduced on this little wagon. The only compromises are those necessary to provide room for the standard model couplings. Naturally, wheel flanges and similar details conform to H0e standards rather than being exact scale reproductions of the prototype.

Laser cut wooden box with engraving on top and black cardboard cover to avoid accidental opening.

With the cover removed and lid off the wagon can be seen in its soft foam bed. A piece of thin plastic makes it easy to get the wagon out.

45-046-509 is on the track with dome cover open.

Underside detail is quite impressive in this tiny scale. Remember the model is only 12 cm long.

Assembly is exceptionally clean, with no traces of glue or other marks to mar the surface. The paintwork is red-brown, matching the prototype, and the decals have been applied very neatly without any trace of silvering. The lettering on the left end of the tank in cyrrilic reads 'патока', meaning molasses, a byproduct from refining sugar. This corresponds well with the use of the tank wagons on some of the Ukrainian narrow gauge systems.

Tank wagon seen close up at the Vasilievsky Mokh peat industries in 2013. The wagon is permanently fitted with a hose for unloading. Metal stakes have been welded to the wagon to hold the hose in place. Notice this wagon is not equipped with air brakes as those running on the the 'real' non-industrial narrow gauge railways in the Soviet empire.

A long line of tank wagons on Rudinitsja station on the Ukrainian Haivoron system. Several refrigerator wagons in white livery are present in the image as well. The 'long-distance' character of the narrow gauge system is underlined by the light towers on the freight section of the station. Photo by Andrus Roosma, 30.05.1984.

With the tank wagon delivered, the models from my Miniland order are gradually arriving one by one. The quality is excellent and far better than anything I could have achieved by building the wagons myself. When skilled craftsmen and craftswomen get to work, the result is rather different from my own amateur efforts. I could quite happily sit back and admire this model for hours with a good glass of whisky!

Last snapshot of the tank wagon for this occasion. The wagon is placed on Tillig H0e flex track (85626). Now where is that whisky?