Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Model Railroad/Answer Key"

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(Deleted "expansion domes" for non pressure (which are no longer used in modern design) Clarified pressure car dome housing (sealed manhole was a weak description))
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[[Image:OP-13219.jpg|thumb|350px|right|[[Missouri Pacific Railroad|Missouri Pacific Lines]] all-wood stock car #52967, photographed at [[Pueblo, Colorado]] in March, [[1937]].]]
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[[Image:UTLX 204455 20050529 IL Rochelle.jpg|thumb|350px|A modern tank car in a westbound [[Union Pacific Railroad|UP]] train at [[Rochelle Railroad Park]], [[Rochelle, Illinois]], on [[May 29]], [[2005]].]]
 +
[[Image:Tank car UTLX 12283.jpg|thumb|300px|A tank car on display at the [[Mid-Continent Railway Museum]] in [[North Freedom, Wisconsin]].]]
 +
A '''tank car''' is a piece of [[railroad]] [[rolling stock]] designed to carry liquefied loads. Many variants exist due to the wide variety of liquids that can be transported. Tank cars can be insulated or non-insulated, pressurized or non-pressurized, and designed for single or multiple loads. Non-pressurized cars have plumbing at the bottom for unloading, and may have an access port and a dome, housing various valving on the top. Pressurized cars have a pressure plate, with all valving, and a protective cylindrical housing (dome) at the top. Loading and unloading are done through this opening.
  
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In [[railroad terminology]], a '''stock car''' is a type of [[rolling stock]] that is designed (as the name implies) for carrying [[livestock]] to market. Stock cars are designed to transport the animals while they are still alive ("on-the-hoof"), rather than after they have been [[slaughterhouse|slaughtered]] at a butcher shop or [[meatpacking]] facility. Generally, a stock car resembles a [[boxcar]] with slats missing in the car's side (and sometimes end) panels for ventilation; stock cars can be single-level for large animals such as [[cattle]] or [[horse]]s, or they can have two or three levels for smaller animals such as [[sheep]], [[pig]]s, and [[poultry]]. Specialized types of stock cars have been built to haul live [[fish]] and [[shellfish]] and circus animals such as [[camel]]s and [[elephant]]s. Until the [[1880s]], when the [[Mather Stock Car Company]] and others introduced "more humane" stock cars, loss rates could be quite high as the animals were hauled over long distances.  Improved technology and faster shipping times have greatly reduced losses.
+
Insulated cars (which may also incorporate heating or refrigeration systems) are used when the contents must be kept at a certain temperature. For example, the Linde tank car depicted below carries liquified [[argon]]. Cars designed for multiple loads have internal bulkheads to separate the contents. Non-pressurized multiple load cars are easy to spot as each compartment has an expansion dome.
  
−
==Initial use and development==
+
In some countries, such as the [[United Kingdom]], [[Ireland]], and [[New Zealand]], tank cars are called '''cylinder wagons''' or '''tank wagons'''.
−
Rail cars have been used to transport livestock since the [[1830s]]. The first shipments in the United States were made via the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad|B&O Railroad]] in general purpose, open-topped cars with semi-open sides.  Thereafter, and until [[1860]], the majority of shipments were made in conventional [[boxcar]]s that had been fitted with open (iron-barred) doors for ventilation. Some railroads constructed "combination" cars that could be utilized for carrying both live animals as well as conventional freight loads.
 
  
−
[[Image:Santa Fe stock car train rev.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Stock cars make up part of an eastbound [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe]] freight train in [[March]], [[1943]].]]
+
==History==
 +
<gallery>
 +
Image:RR-1331.jpg|The narrow domes on these [[East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad]] tank cars mirror the designs of the first all-steel units.
 +
Image:OP-16236.jpg|Texaco, Inc. (TCX) #723, a single-dome tank car designed for transporting [[gasoline]], passes through [[Amarillo, Texas]] on [[April 4]], [[1936]].
 +
Image:OP-16233.jpg|This double-dome tank car has two separate interior tanks, which allow different products to be transported in the same car.
 +
Image:OP-19582.jpg|This unusual three-dome tank car has an oversized center dome.
 +
</gallery>
  
−
Getting food animals to market required herds to be driven distances of hundreds of miles to [[railhead]]s in the [[Midwest]], whereupon they were loaded into [[stock car]]s and [[transport]]ed eastward to regional [[processing]] centers. Driving cattle across the plains led to tremendous weight loss, and a number of animals were typically lost along the way. Upon arrival at the local processing plant, livestock were either [[slaughter]]ed by wholesalers and delivered fresh to nearby butcher shops for retail sale, smoked, or packed for shipment in barrels of salt.
+
Tank cars have always been specialized pieces of equipment. The interior of the car is usually lined with a material to isolate the car's structure from the contents, such as [[glass]]. Loading a liquid into a car that is designed to carry something else is unwise and sometimes dangerous. Even after a thorough cleaning, traces of the previous contents may remain. Loading a [[pesticide]]-carrying tank car with [[cooking oil]] is one example. The cooking oil will at best be unpalatable and at worst become toxic.  
  
−
The suffering of animals in transit as a result of hunger, thirst, and injury were considered by many to be inherent to the shipping process, as were the inevitable loss of weight during shipment. A certain percentage of animal deaths on the way to market was even considered normal (6 percent for cattle and 9 percent for sheep on average, according to a congressional inquiry), and carcasses of dead animals were often disposed of along the tracks to be devoured by scavengers, though some were sold to glue factories or unscrupulous butchers. Increased train speeds reduced overall transit times, though not enough to offset the deleterious conditions the animals were forced to endure.  
+
As a result of this specialization, tank cars have always been "one-way" cars. Other cars, like [[boxcar]]s can easily be reloaded with other goods for the return trip. Combinations of the two types were attempted, such as boxcars with fluid tanks slung beneath the floors. While the car could certainly carry a load both directions, the limited size of the tanks made this style unsuccessful.
  
−
When the railroads and cattle industry failed to act quickly enough to correct these perceived deficiencies, the government and even the general public went into action. Claims were made that the meat of neglected animals was unfit for human consumption.  In [[1869]], [[Illinois]] passed the first laws requiring that limited the animals' time on board, and required them to be given 5 hours' rest for every 28 in transit. Other states such as [[Ohio]] and [[Massachusetts]] soon followed with similar legislation, though effective federal laws would not be enacted until the passing of the Federal [[Meat Inspection Act]] of [[1906]].
+
Because of their one-way nature, tank cars are simply dead weight half of the time, making them unappealing to major railroads. Virtually all tank cars are owned by companies serviced by railroads instead of the railroads themselves. This can be verified by examining the [[reporting mark]]s on the cars. These marks invariably end in ''X,'' meaning that the owner is not a [[common carrier]].
 +
{{Sect-stub}}
  
−
[[Image:OP-19552.jpg|thumb|left|300px|A [[Union Pacific]] wood stock car fitted with metal ends.]]
+
==Timeline==
 +
* [[1865]]: Flats with banded wooden tanks mounted on top are employed for the first time to transport crude oil from the fields of [[Pennsylvania]].
 +
* [[1869]]: Cast iron tanks (with an approximate capacity of 3,500 gallons per car) replace wooden tanks.
 +
* [[1888]]: Tank car manufacturers sell units directly to the oil companies, with capacities ranging from 6,000 gallons to 10,000 gallons.  
 +
* [[1903]]: Tank car companies develop construction safety standards; more than 10,000 tank cars are in operation.
 +
* [[1915]]: A classification system is developed by the tank car industry to ensure the correct match of product being shipped to car type. Some 50,000 tank cars are in use.
 +
* [[1920]]: Welding technology replaces riveting in tank car construction, enhancing the safety of cars. 
 +
* [[1930]]: 140,000 tank cars transport some 103 commodities (in addition to oil) to market.
 +
* [[1940s]]: Virtually every tank car is enaged in oil transport in support of the war effort.
 +
* [[1950]]: Pipelines and tanker trucks begin to compete for liquid transport business.  
 +
* [[1963]]: The Union Tank Car Company (UTLX) introduces the "Whale Belly" tank car.
  
−
[[Alonzo C. Mather|Alonzo Mather]], a [[Chicago]] clothing merchant who founded the [[Mather Stock Car Company]], designed a new stock car in [[1880]] that was among the first to include amenities for feeding and watering the animals while en route. Mather was awarded a gold medal in [[1883]] by the [[American Humane Association]] for the humane treatment afforded to animals in his stock cars. [[Minneapolis]]' '''Henry C. Hicks''' patented a convertible boxcar/stock car in [[1881]], which was improved in [[1890]] with features that included a removable double deck. '''George D. Burton''' of [[Boston]] introduced his version of the humane stock car in [[1882]], which was placed into service the following year.  The Burton Stock Car Company's design provided sufficient space so as to allow the animals to lie down in transit on a bed of straw.
+
==Specialized applications==
 +
===Gas transport===
 +
[[Image:OP-20296.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Tank cars such as [[Canadian National Railway]] #51860, shown passing through [[Quebec|Québec]] in August, [[1937]] were designed to transport [[industrial gas]]es under high pressure.]]
 +
[[Image:Linde-raix708a.jpg|thumb|300px|right|This [[Linde]] gas tank car transports its cargo in liquid form, and is equipped with a refrigeration unit that prevents the contents from evaporating.]]
 +
<br style="clear:both;">
  
−
Certain costly inefficiencies were inherent in the process of transporting live animals by rail, particularly due to the fact that some sixty percent of the animal's mass is composed of inedible matter. And even after the humane advances cited above were put into common practice, many animals weakened by the long drive died in transit, further increasing the per-unit shipping cost. The ultimate solution to these problems was to devise a method to ship dressed meats from regional packing plants to the East Coast markets in the form of a [[refrigerated boxcar]].
+
===Milk cars===
 +
[[Image:BFIX 520 20050716 Illinois Railway Museum.JPG|thumb|300px|right|Borden (BFIX) #520, a restored milk car on display at the [[Illinois Railway Museum]].]]
 +
A milk car is a specialized type of tank car designed to carry raw [[milk]] between farms and processing plants.
 +
<br style="clear:both;">
  
−
==The advent of the refrigerator car==
+
===Pickle cars===
−
[[Image:Pullman Livestock Car late 1800s.jpg|thumb|225px|left|An early [[Pullman Company|Pullman Palace Car Company]] livestock car design from the late 1800s.]]
+
A pickle car is a specialized type of tank car designed to carry [[pickle]]s.
  
−
A number of attempts were made during the mid-[[1800s]] to ship [[agriculture|agricultural]] products via rail car. In [[1857]], the first consignment of ''dressed'' beef was carried in ordinary [[boxcar]]s retrofitted with bins filled with ice. [[Detroit]]'s '''William Davis''' patented a [[refrigerator car]] that employed metal racks to suspend the carcasses above a frozen mixture of ice and salt.  He sold the design in [[1868]] to '''George Hammond''', a Chicago meat-packer, who built a set of cars to transport his products to Boston.  
+
===Tanktainers===
 +
[[Image:Railroad car with container loads.jpg|thumb|300px|A [[Union Pacific Railroad]] "Bulktainer" and another [[containerization|container]] aboard a [[flatcar]].]]
 +
A tanktainer is a specialized type of [[containerization|container]] designed to carry bulk liquids on standard [[intermodal freight transport|intermodal]] equipment.
 +
<br clear=all>
  
−
In [[1878]], [[Gustavus Franklin Swift|Gustavus Swift]] hired engineer '''Andrew Chase''' to design a ventilated car, one that proved to be a practical solution to providing temperature-controlled carriage of dressed meats, and allowed Swift &amp; Company to ship their products all over the [[United States]], and even internationally. The refrigerator car radically altered the meat business. Swift's attempts to sell Chase's design to the major railroads were unanimously rebuffed, as the companies feared that they would jeopardize their considerable investments in stock cars, animal pens, and feedlots if refrigerated meat transport gained wide acceptance. 
+
===Vinegar cars===
 +
[[Image:OP-16131.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Two double wooden-tank vinegar cars owned by the Speas Co. wait for their next assignment in [[Denver, Colorado]] ''circa'' [[1965]].]]
 +
A vinegar car is a specialized type of tank car designed to transport [[vinegar]].
 +
<br style="clear:both;">
  
−
In response, Swift financed the initial production run on his own, then &mdash; when the [[United States|American]] roads refused his business &mdash; he contracted with the [[Grand Trunk Railroad]] (who derived little income from transporting live cattle) to haul the cars into [[Michigan]] and then eastward through [[Canada]]. In [[1880]] the ''Peninsular Car Company'' (subsequently purchased by [[American Car and Foundry Company|ACF]]) delivered to Swift the first of these units, and the ''Swift Refrigerator Line'' (SRL) was created.  Within a year the Line's roster had risen to nearly 200 units, and Swift was transporting an average of 3,000 carcasses a week to Boston.  Competing firms such as [[Armour and Company]] quickly followed suit.
+
==="Whale Belly" cars===
−
 
+
[[Image:Whale belly tanker.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Sherritt Fertilizer #33091, a typical 33,000-gallon capacity "whale belly" tank car.]]
−
[[Image:Unloading a stock car rev.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Sheep are unloaded from the upper level of a [[Wisconsin Central]] stock car in [[Chicago, Illinois]] in [[1904]].]]
+
In the early [[1960s]], the [[Union Tank Car Company]] (UTLX) introduced a series of "whale belly" tank cars which offered increased capacity over the standard cars of the day. Capable of carrying 33,000 gallons (as was the case with [http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/csox31084.jpg Citco #31084]) to as much as 50,000 gallons, the largest of these cars (such as [http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/utlx83699.jpg UTLX #83699], now on display at the [[Galveston Railroad Museum]]) first hit the rails in 1963 and remained in service for over 20 years. These behemoths were 89 feet in length and weighed 175,000 lb. empty; the cars, which rode on four 2-axle trucks to distribute the additional weight, were used to transport such diverse substances as [[liquefied petroleum gas]] (LPG) and [[anhydrous]] [[ammonia]].
−
 
+
<br style="clear:both;">
−
'''Live cattle and dressed beef deliveries to New York ([[tons]]):'''
 
−
{| class="toccolours"
 
−
|-
 
−
|
 
−
|align=center | <small>''(Stock Cars)''
 
−
|align=center | <small>''(Refrigerator Cars)''
 
−
|-
 
−
|align=center | &nbsp; '''Year &nbsp;
 
−
|align=center | '''Live Cattle &nbsp;
 
−
|align=center | '''Dressed Beef
 
−
|-
 
−
|&nbsp; 1882
 
−
|align=center | 366,487
 
−
|align=center | 2,633
 
−
|-
 
−
|&nbsp; 1883
 
−
|align=center | 392,095
 
−
|align=center | 16,365
 
−
|-
 
−
|&nbsp; 1884
 
−
|align=center | 328,220
 
−
|align=center | 34,956
 
−
|-
 
−
|&nbsp; 1885
 
−
|align=center | 337,820
 
−
|align=center | 53,344
 
−
|-
 
−
|&nbsp; 1886
 
−
|align=center | 280,184
 
−
|align=center | 69,769
 
−
|}
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
<small>The subject cars travelled on the [[Erie Railroad|Erie]], [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad|Lackawanna]], [[New York Central Railroad|New York Central]], and [[Pennsylvania Railroad|Pennsylvania]] railroads.
 
−
 
 
−
<small>Source: ''Railway Review'', [[January 29]], [[1887]], p. 62.
 
−
 
 
−
==Specialized uses==
 
−
===Fish cars===
 
−
In the [[1870s]] the railroads of [[United States|America]] were called upon to transport a new commodity: live fish.  The fish were transported from hatcheries in the [[Midwest]] to locations along the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coast to stock the rivers and lakes for sportfishing.  The first such trip was made in [[1874]] when Dr. [[Livingston Stone]] of the '''U.S. Fisheries Commission''' (which later became the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]]) "chaperoned" a shipment of 35,000 [[shad]] fry to stock the [[Sacramento River]] in [[California]].  The fish were carried in open milk cans stowed within a conventional [[passenger car]].  Dr. Stone was required to change the water in the cans every two hours when fresh water was available.  The majority of the fish made the trip successfully and the result was a new species of shad for western fishermen.
 
−
 
 
−
[[Image:The Stillwell Oyster Car 1897.jpg|thumb|310px|left|The 30-ton-capacity "Stillwell Oyster Car," built by Pullman in [[1897]], was a wooden [[tank car]] designed by Arthur E. Stilwell for (as the name implies) transporting live [[oyster]]s from [[Port Arthur, Texas]] to [[Kansas City, Missouri]] by rail.]]
 
−
 
 
−
In [[1881]], the Commission contracted and built specialized "fish cars" to transport live fish coast-to-coast for stocking.  The technologies involved in hauling live fish improved through the [[1880s]] as new fish cars were built with icing capabilities to keep the water cool, and aerators to reduce the need to change the water so frequently.  Some of the aerators were designed to take air from the train's steam or air lines, but these systems were soon deprecated as they held the potential of reducing the train's safe transit; the air lines on a train were used in later years to power the [[air brake (rail)|air brake]]s on individual railroad cars.
 
−
 
 
−
Fish cars were built to [[passenger train]] standards so they could travel at higher speeds than the typical [[freight train]]s of the day.  Also, by putting fish cars into passenger trains, the cars were held at terminals far less than if they were hauled in freight trains.  Fish car service, throughout their use, required that the fish keepers ride along with the cargo; a typical fish car crew consisted of five men, including a "captain" who would coordinate the transportation and delivery, several "messengers" who would serve as freight handlers and deliverymen, and a cook to feed the crew.  The cargo's need for speedy transportation and passenger amenities for the crew necessitated the cars' inclusion in passenger trains.
 
−
 
 
−
Fish car operations typically lasted only from [[April]] through [[November]] of each year, with the cars held for service over the winter months.  The cars became a bit of a novelty among the public and they were exhibited at the [[1885]] [[North, Central and South American Exposition (1885)|New Orleans Exhibition]], the [[1893]] [[Chicago World's Fair]], and the [[1901]] [[Pan-American Exposition]] in [[Buffalo, New York]].  As fish cars became more widely used by hatcheries, they were also used to transport regional species to non-native locations.  For example, a fish car would be used to transport [[lobster]] from [[Massachusetts]] to [[San Francisco, California]], or to transport [[dungeness crab]] back from [[San Francisco]] to the [[Chesapeake Bay]].
 
−
 
 
−
[[Image:Montana State fish car rev.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The ''Thymallus'', a "fish car" of the '''[[Montana]] State Fish Service''', ''circa'' [[1910]].  The attendants are loading stainless steel milk cans filled with fish onto the car.]]
 
−
 
 
−
The first all-[[steel]] fish car was built in [[1916]].  Fish car technology improved again in the early [[1920s]] as the milk cans that had been used were replaced by newer tanks, known as "Fearnow" pails. The new tanks were about 5 [[pound]]s (2.3 [[kilogram|kg]]) lighter than the milk cans and included integrated containers for ice and aeration fittings. One 81-[[foot (unit of length)|foot]] (26.7 [[metre]]) long car, built in [[1929]], included its own electrical generator and had enough capacity to carry 500,000 young fish up to 1 [[inch]] (2.54 [[centimetre|cm]]) long.  Fish car use declined in the [[1930s]] as fish transportation shifted to a speedier means of transport by air, and to trucks as vehicle technology advanced and road conditions improved.  The US government operated only three fish cars in [[1940]], with the last of this fleet taken out of service in [[1947]].
 
−
 
 
−
In [[1960]], [http://www.midcontinent.org/collectn/woodpas/wfc2.html Wisconsin Fish Commission "Badger Car #2"] was sold to the [[Mid-Continent Railway Museum|Mid-Continent Railway Historical Society]], where it was restored and is today a part of the Society's collection of historic rolling stock.
 
−
 
 
−
===Circus use===
 
−
Many circuses, especially those in the [[United States]] in the latter [[19th century|19th]] and early [[20th century|20th]] centuries, featured animals in their performances. Since the primary method of transportation for circuses was by rail, stock cars were employed to carry the animals to the show locations.
 
−
 
 
−
[[Image:Rbbx2.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Animal cars from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Train "Blue Unit" in November, 1998. The animal loading ramps stow directly under the doors on the underside of the car.]]
 
−
The [[Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus]], which still travels America by rail, uses stock cars to haul their animals. When a Ringling Brothers train is made up, these stock cars are placed directly behind the train's [[locomotive]]s at the front of the train to give the animals a smoother ride.  The cars that Ringling Brothers uses to haul the elephants are custom-built with extra amenities for the animals, including: fresh water and food supply storage, heaters, roof-mounted fans and water misting systems for climate control, treated, non-slip flooring for safety and easy cleaning, floor drains that operate whether the train is moving or not, backup generators for when the cars are uncoupled from the locomotives, and specially-designed ramps for easy and safe loading and unloading. Some of their stock cars even have built-in accommodations for animal handlers so they can ride and tend to the animals at all hours.
 
−
 
 
−
<br>
 
−
==Modern conversions==
 
−
The [[Union Pacific Railroad]], in an effort to earn more business hauling [[hog]]s into [[Los Angeles, California]], converted a large number of [[boxcar]]s into stock cars.  The conversions were done by removing the boxcars' side panels and replacing them with panels that included vents that could be opened or closed.  Strings of 5-10 of these cars were hauled at the rear of conventional freight trains in the area.
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
* Dieffenbacher, Jane (2002), ''[http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyherkim/fairfield/matherfamily.html Mather Family of Fairfield, NY]''. Retrieved [[March 24]], [[2005]]
+
* {{Web reference|title=History Of The Rail Tank Car|work=e-Train, the online magazine of the Train Collectors Association|URL=http://www.tcamembers.org/articles/tickets/tankcar/|date=December 3|year=2005}}
−
* Gilbert, Stephen J. (1998), [http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/1998/jun98/hatch.htm "The Badger Fish Cars & Dr. Fish Commish: Fish stocking via rail"], article from ''Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine''. Retrieved [[May 31]], [[2005]].
 
−
* ''[http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Timeline/1880s/TimeLine1880.htm Railroad History Timeline 1880]''. Retrieved [[March 23]], [[2005]].
 
−
* Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, ''[http://www.trainweb.org/carl/CircusTrains/CircusTrainFacts.htm Circus Train Facts]''. Retrieved [[March 23]], [[2005]].
 
−
* U.S. Government Printing Office ([[1979]]), ''[http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/fishcar.Html The Fish Car Era of the National Fish Hatchery System]''. Retrieved [[March 28]], [[2005]].
 
 
* White, Jr., John H. (1993). ''The American Railroad Freight Car''. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.  ISBN 0-8018-5236-6.
 
* White, Jr., John H. (1993). ''The American Railroad Freight Car''. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.  ISBN 0-8018-5236-6.
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
−
* [http://users.rcn.com/jimdu4/stockcar.htm Capsule History: Rutland Stock Cars] &mdash; how the stock car was developed, improved and used by one railroad in [[New England]].
+
[[Image:OP-3471.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Chicago and Northwestern Railway tank car #6093 sits on a siding in [[Lusk, Wyoming]] on [[August 1]], [[1947]].]]
−
* [http://www.trainweb.org/hotrail/rrbx.html Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Train &mdash; Blue Unit] &mdash; photos and descriptions from November, 1998.
+
[[Image:Carro cisterno de Ferrovie Eritrea.jpg|thumb|300px|right|A ''carro cisterno'' (tank car) of the [[Eritrean Railway]] (''Ferrovia Eritrea'', or ''FE''), date unknown. The 2-axle car is 7,000 [[mm]] (23 [[feet]]) long, and has a 6,650 [[kg]] (14,660 [[lb]]) load capacity.]]
−
* [http://www.sacramentohistory.org/search.php?topic=801 Sacramento History Online &mdash; Transportation/Agriculture] &mdash; photos of livestock transportation subjects in northern [[California]] in the early part of the [[20th century]].
+
* [http://tankcarhomepage.railfan.net/ Modern Tank Car Homepage]
−
* [http://www.sdrm.org/roster/freight/stk43009/ Union Pacific Railroad #43009] &mdash; photo of a 3-level stock car built for [[Union Pacific Railroad]] in [[1964]] and a short history of the hog hauling service to [[Los Angeles]].
+
 
  
 +
{{Rail-stub}}
 
{{Freight cars}}
 
{{Freight cars}}
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[[Category:Freight equipment]]
 
[[Category:Freight equipment]]
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+
[[ja:&#12479;&#12531;&#12463;&#36554;]]
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[[de:Gedeckter Güterwagen]]
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[[de:Kesselwagen]]
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[[eo:Kanistra vagono]]

Revision as of 14:59, 7 December 2005

A modern tank car in a westbound UP train at Rochelle Railroad Park, Rochelle, Illinois, on May 29, 2005.
A tank car on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin.

A tank car is a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry liquefied loads. Many variants exist due to the wide variety of liquids that can be transported. Tank cars can be insulated or non-insulated, pressurized or non-pressurized, and designed for single or multiple loads. Non-pressurized cars have plumbing at the bottom for unloading, and may have an access port and a dome, housing various valving on the top. Pressurized cars have a pressure plate, with all valving, and a protective cylindrical housing (dome) at the top. Loading and unloading are done through this opening.

Insulated cars (which may also incorporate heating or refrigeration systems) are used when the contents must be kept at a certain temperature. For example, the Linde tank car depicted below carries liquified argon. Cars designed for multiple loads have internal bulkheads to separate the contents. Non-pressurized multiple load cars are easy to spot as each compartment has an expansion dome.

In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand, tank cars are called cylinder wagons or tank wagons.

History

  • RR-1331.jpg

    The narrow domes on these East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad tank cars mirror the designs of the first all-steel units.

  • OP-16236.jpg

    Texaco, Inc. (TCX) #723, a single-dome tank car designed for transporting gasoline, passes through Amarillo, Texas on April 4, 1936.

  • OP-16233.jpg

    This double-dome tank car has two separate interior tanks, which allow different products to be transported in the same car.

  • OP-19582.jpg

    This unusual three-dome tank car has an oversized center dome.

Tank cars have always been specialized pieces of equipment. The interior of the car is usually lined with a material to isolate the car's structure from the contents, such as glass. Loading a liquid into a car that is designed to carry something else is unwise and sometimes dangerous. Even after a thorough cleaning, traces of the previous contents may remain. Loading a pesticide-carrying tank car with cooking oil is one example. The cooking oil will at best be unpalatable and at worst become toxic.

As a result of this specialization, tank cars have always been "one-way" cars. Other cars, like boxcars can easily be reloaded with other goods for the return trip. Combinations of the two types were attempted, such as boxcars with fluid tanks slung beneath the floors. While the car could certainly carry a load both directions, the limited size of the tanks made this style unsuccessful.

Because of their one-way nature, tank cars are simply dead weight half of the time, making them unappealing to major railroads. Virtually all tank cars are owned by companies serviced by railroads instead of the railroads themselves. This can be verified by examining the reporting marks on the cars. These marks invariably end in X, meaning that the owner is not a common carrier. Template:Sect-stub

Timeline

  • 1865: Flats with banded wooden tanks mounted on top are employed for the first time to transport crude oil from the fields of Pennsylvania.
  • 1869: Cast iron tanks (with an approximate capacity of 3,500 gallons per car) replace wooden tanks.
  • 1888: Tank car manufacturers sell units directly to the oil companies, with capacities ranging from 6,000 gallons to 10,000 gallons.
  • 1903: Tank car companies develop construction safety standards; more than 10,000 tank cars are in operation.
  • 1915: A classification system is developed by the tank car industry to ensure the correct match of product being shipped to car type. Some 50,000 tank cars are in use.
  • 1920: Welding technology replaces riveting in tank car construction, enhancing the safety of cars.
  • 1930: 140,000 tank cars transport some 103 commodities (in addition to oil) to market.
  • 1940s: Virtually every tank car is enaged in oil transport in support of the war effort.
  • 1950: Pipelines and tanker trucks begin to compete for liquid transport business.
  • 1963: The Union Tank Car Company (UTLX) introduces the "Whale Belly" tank car.

Specialized applications

Gas transport

File:OP-20296.jpg
Tank cars such as Canadian National Railway #51860, shown passing through Québec in August, 1937 were designed to transport industrial gases under high pressure.
File:Linde-raix708a.jpg
This Linde gas tank car transports its cargo in liquid form, and is equipped with a refrigeration unit that prevents the contents from evaporating.


Milk cars

Borden (BFIX) #520, a restored milk car on display at the Illinois Railway Museum.

A milk car is a specialized type of tank car designed to carry raw milk between farms and processing plants.

Pickle cars

A pickle car is a specialized type of tank car designed to carry pickles.

Tanktainers

A Union Pacific Railroad "Bulktainer" and another container aboard a flatcar.

A tanktainer is a specialized type of container designed to carry bulk liquids on standard intermodal equipment.

Vinegar cars

File:OP-16131.jpg
Two double wooden-tank vinegar cars owned by the Speas Co. wait for their next assignment in Denver, Colorado circa 1965.

A vinegar car is a specialized type of tank car designed to transport vinegar.

"Whale Belly" cars

File:Whale belly tanker.jpg
Sherritt Fertilizer #33091, a typical 33,000-gallon capacity "whale belly" tank car.

In the early 1960s, the Union Tank Car Company (UTLX) introduced a series of "whale belly" tank cars which offered increased capacity over the standard cars of the day. Capable of carrying 33,000 gallons (as was the case with Citco #31084) to as much as 50,000 gallons, the largest of these cars (such as UTLX #83699, now on display at the Galveston Railroad Museum) first hit the rails in 1963 and remained in service for over 20 years. These behemoths were 89 feet in length and weighed 175,000 lb. empty; the cars, which rode on four 2-axle trucks to distribute the additional weight, were used to transport such diverse substances as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and anhydrous ammonia.

References

  • Template:Web reference
  • White, Jr., John H. (1993). The American Railroad Freight Car. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. ISBN 0-8018-5236-6.

External links

File:OP-3471.jpg
Chicago and Northwestern Railway tank car #6093 sits on a siding in Lusk, Wyoming on August 1, 1947.
File:Carro cisterno de Ferrovie Eritrea.jpg
A carro cisterno (tank car) of the Eritrean Railway (Ferrovia Eritrea, or FE), date unknown. The 2-axle car is 7,000 mm (23 feet) long, and has a 6,650 kg (14,660 lb) load capacity.


Template:Rail-stub Template:Freight cars ja:タンク車 de:Kesselwagen eo:Kanistra vagono

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