Rapido Trains 195001A HO Scale ACF Helium Car Atomic Energy Commission ATMX (Gray / Silver Scheme)
The use of blimps by the US Navy and Air Corps began prominently during World War I. At that time, these airships were filled with hydrogen, a flammable gas that was easily extractable. This ultimately led to the adoption of helium, which was sourced from gas fields in Texas, Oklahoma, and Southern Kansas. Helium tank cars could be seen across the country, including states like California, Massachusetts, Florida, and New Jersey.
American Car & Foundry produced the fourth, fifth, and seventh generations of helium cars, building a total of 120 cars between February 1955 and September 1961. Each of these 100-ton cars contained 30 individual high-pressure tanks, which could be filled and emptied from the end cabinets. Remarkably, a single car could fill more than two L Class blimps. During the space race, NASA regularly utilized these cars with many remaining in service for the duration of the shuttle program through 2011. In fact, there are photos showing these cars being towed around NASA’s Cape Canaveral site, both on their property and coming off interchange with the Florida East Coast. Neat!
Due to their robust construction and specialized purpose, these cars had an exceptionally long service life. By 1998, all cars had either been retired from rail service or scrapped, with only a few being preserved today.
FEATURES:
- Newly tooled from original blueprints and measurements
- Highly detailed underbody and piping
- Separate grab irons
- Stainless metal roofwalk
- Semi-scale metal knuckle couplers
- Free-rolling trucks with profiled metal wheelsets
- Available as single car or six-packs unless noted
- Suggested minimum radius: 18”
NOTE: Preliminary artwork