ScaleTrains Trinity Crude Oil Tank Car

I got the ScaleTrains newsletter (I'm especially interested in the Big Blow turbine. which appears in the Emery Gulash UP Odyssey DVDs), and they now have their Operator series Trinity 31,000 gallon crude oil tank cars in stock. This looks to be a modern tank car with a price about as low as we'll get for this kind of thing, at least outside of what you can find at swap meets.

This is a really modern prototype. I looked at the number series available and then went to the hundreds of tank car photos I have in my files -- especially in the last six years or so, once I got a digital camera, I've shot lots of tank car photos, especially at Pepper Avenue in West Colton. I have very, very few photos of this style of car. The ones I've gotten are all from a single cut of VMSX cars, but ScaleTrains has a number of other reporting marks.

It's the protective end shields, hard to see on an all-black car from this angle, that makes them unique. The shield is easier to see on the end of the car to the left, which is from the same series. This car must be brand new in this shot, taken in November 2013.

I plan an expedition to a hobby shop tomorrow. If they have them in stock, I won't have much choice, will I?