Tank Cars

SHPX

GATX

HOKX

SCCX

SCPX

UTCX

UTLX

And many more.  Most tank cars belong to leasing companies or to shippers.  The car type depends on the commodity.  What industries do you have on your layout and what era are you modeling?

The most efficient way to ship a product is to fill a car to its weight capacity.  For liquids the volume needed to reach maximum weight capacity changes with the density of the product.

For 50 ton cars an 8,000 gallon tank car is the right size for a very dense liquid like 50% caustic soda.  A pressurized tank car of 11,000 gallons capacity is the right size for 50 tons of chlorine but can not be loaded to its weight capacity with a lighter liquified gas like propane.  A 50 ton tank car for a light refined liquid like gasoline or diesel could hold up to 16,000 gallons.

In the 1960s new tank cars were built for a gross rail load of 263,000 pounds.  While most cars of that GRL are referred to a "100 ton" cars some tank cars carry less of their specific commodity.  A chlorine tank car with a 263,000 pound GRL is about 17,000 gallons and referred to as a 90 ton car since it has a strong and heavy shell.  A 100 ton caustic soda tank car will hold about 16,000 gallons.  Petroleum tank cars will be in the 25,000-30,000 gallon range.  100 ton propane tank cars hold 33,000 gallons.

Thanks Ted!!! I model oil and diesel fuel and propane and diary products.

Somewhere in my photo archives I have picture of a very short (maybe 30') single-dome tank car with a SMALL diameter black tank lettered for Dow Chemical. It was in the boat yard at Ludington ready for loading on one of the C&O ferries. That was maybe circa 1981. Dow Chemical (Midland) was a pretty good source for loads for the C&O/Chessie System. Always thought it would make a great model for the model trains since it was short.

Neil    

Propane shipments use WHITE tank cars...

Marty

Thanks GTW and Martin for the info. 

Propane shipments use WHITE tank cars...

They are often painted white but it is not a requirement.  You will see plenty of black tank cars placarded 1075.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.n...ture.aspx?id=1006944

Somewhere in my photo archives I have picture of a very short (maybe 30') single-dome tank car with a SMALL diameter black tank lettered for Dow Chemical.

Probably the highest density commodity that used to be shipped by tank car was engine anti-knock additive for gasoline.  Tetraethyl lead even sounds heavy.

The Ethyl Corporation uses the EBAX reporting mark.  Several Ethyl Corporation tank cars have been made in O scale.  I'd like to find one of the MTH modern 8,000 gal premier tank cars in the gray and green paint scheme.  If you have a refinery or petroleum product blending facility on your layout it would fit your customers needs.

Of the O scale tank cars available today I would suggest a few standouts.

For 100 ton cars:

The Lionel ethanol tank cars are excellent models.

Both the Atlas and MTH funnel flow tank cars are very well detailed models.  If you have a food or beverage facility on your layout they are perfect for corn syrup service.

The Atlas chlorine and propane tank cars are excellent.  The MTH 33,000 gal premier propane tank car is accurately proportioned and offers a lower priced/less finely detailed alternative to the Atlas car.

For 50 ton cars:

The Atlas and Lionel 8,000 gallon tank cars are both nice models.  The Atlas car is better weighted.

The Atlas 11,000 gallon tank car is a wonderful model of a pressurized tank car for hauling liquified gasses.  They are ideally sized for chlorine but were used for anhydrous ammonia and propane too.  If you have a chemical plant, fuel dealer or fertilizer dealer on your layout these cars will fit right in.

The MTH Railking tank car also deserves honorable mention.  It is a nice model and reasonably priced.

Very interesting....but what were those long lines of black tank cars outside refineries

in the '30's and '40's?  I have seen several photos in the distance, but none are close

enough to see the lettering, which I am guessing might be UTLX, etc.  Wonder what are good models of tank cars that would have served refineries in that era? Maker?

Thanks again Ted!!!! 

Colorado

Union Tack Car was founded to supply Standard Oil with tank cars.  After the split up of Standard they leased cars to others.  UTLX tank cars can be found almost anywhere.

Other car builders lease cars as well.  The leasing arm of American Car and Foundry is Shippers Car Line.  SHPX tank cars are everywhere too and have been for decades.

For modeling the 1930s and 40s oil industry the best O scale cars that we have are the Atlas, Lionel and MTH Railking 8,000 gal tank cars. 

Here is the Atlas 8,000 gal tank car in SHPX.  It is product number 8660.  Cars in basic black are very common in the real world but the models tend not to sell as well as more colorful cars.  Grab black leaser cars when you can find them!

MTH made a diecast railking tank car in basic black for Shell some years back.  A scale oriented friend has one and it fits in nicely with his steam era Atlas cars.

While 10,000, 12,000 and 16,000 gallon tank cars were used by the oil industry we only have them available in O as kits or in brass.  As you go back in time the more likely you are to find a car used for a commodity where it did not have sufficient volume to be loaded to maximum weight capacity.  The Atlas 11,000 gallon tank car represents a type that was used for propane prior to the advent of the very large tank cars that came along in the 1960s.

Here is the Atlas 8206 UTLX 11,000 gal tank car.

I always thought something like this:

would make a fine addition to somebody's 'O' lineup.

---PCJ