Tank car

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A tank car (

History

Timeline

The following major events occurred in the years noted:

• 1865:
  Pennsylvanian oil rush. Laurence Myers of Philadelphia invented the Rotary Oil Car, as he named it. It was an improvement on a patent from 1851 of a freight car for transporting coal. The new invention patented on July 18, 1865, was for the transportation of crude oil and petroleum. It was the first appearance of an oil tank on a railroad flatcar. Three books mention his invention.^[1][2][3]
• 1869: Wrought iron tanks, with an approximate capacity of 3,500 
  imp gal
  ) per car, replace wooden tanks.
• 1888: Tank-car manufacturers sell units directly to the
  oil companies
  , with capacities ranging from 6,000 to 10,000 US gal (23–38 m³; 5,000–8,300 imp gal).
• 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 car type to product being shipped. Some 50,000 tank cars are in use.
• 1930: 140,000 tank cars transport some 103 commodities.
• 1940s: Virtually every tank car is engaged in oil transport in support of the war effort.
• 1945–1950:
  American Car & Foundry and General American
  .
• 1950:
  Pipelines and tank trucks
  begin to compete for liquid transport business.
• 1963: The Union Tank Car Company introduces the "Whale Belly" tank car.

Usage

North America

Many variants exist due to the wide variety of

Tank cars are specialized pieces of equipment. As an example, the interior of the car may be lined with a material, such as glass, or other specialized coatings to isolate the tank contents from the tank shell. Care is taken to ensure that tank contents are compatible with tank construction.

As a result of this specialization, tank cars have generally 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 in both directions, the limited tank size made this unsuccessful.

A large percentage of 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.

Within the rail industry, tank cars are grouped by their type and not by the cargo carried. Food-service tank cars may be lined with stainless steel, glass, or plastic. Tank cars carrying dangerous goods are generally made of different types of steel, depending on the intended cargo and operating pressure. They may also be lined with rubber or coated with specialized coatings for tank protection or product purity purpose. The tank heads are also stronger to prevent ruptures during accidents. The whale-belly type is giving way to higher-capacity (longer), yet standard-width, AAR Plate "C", cars.

All tank cars undergo periodic inspection for damage and corrosion.

All tank cars operating throughout North America today feature AAR Type E

DOT-111

The

DOT-114 tank cars are used in North America to carry pressurized gases.

Milk cars

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

Milk is now commonly chilled, before loading, and transported in a glass-lined tank car. Such tank cars are often placarded as "Food service use only".

Liquid hydrogen tank car

Tank cars of this type are designed to carry

A pickle car was a specialized type of tank car designed to carry pickles. This car consisted of several wooden or metal vats (typically three or four) and was often roofed. Pickles which are preserved in salt brine were loaded through hatches in the roof.

Tank containers

A tank container, also known as ISO tank, is a specialized type of container designed to carry bulk liquids, such as chemicals, liquid hydrogen, gases and food grade products. Both hazardous and non hazardous products can be shipped in tank containers. A standard tank container is 20 feet (6.10 m) long, 8 feet (2.44 m) high and 8 feet (2.44 m) wide. The tank, which is made from stainless steel, is held within a box-shaped frame with the same shape as an intermodal container. This allows it to be carried on multiple modes of transport, such as truck, rail and ship.

Torpedo wagons

A torpedo car or bottle car is a type of railroad car used in

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

Vinegar is now moved in ordinary tank cars lined with glass, plastic, or alloy steel.^[10]

"Whale belly" cars

In the early 1960s, the

Where

It is also preferable if each tap (valve) is recessed within the body of the tank so as to present a reduced knock-off hazard during a derailment. ^{[citation needed]}

Tank cars have been involved in many rail disasters, including the

in Italy in 2009.

Outside North America

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2021)

Outside of North America, tank cars are also known as tank wagons or tanker wagons. In the United Kingdom tank wagons were traditionally four-wheel vehicles. Some long-wheelbase four-wheelers are still in use but bogie vehicles are now used as well.

• British tank wagons
• 
  An old Esso Tanker, at the Nene Valley Railway, England
• 
  Long-wheelbase four-wheel tank wagon in England
• 
  Modern British tank wagons, photographed in 2013
• 
  Consett tank wagon #41 in the Beamish Museum

See also

Notes

References

• Herron, Jim (April 2002). "History Of The Rail Tank Car". e-Train, the online magazine of the Train Collectors Association. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
• OCLC 26130632
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tank railway wagons.

• Rail Whales
• Modern Tank Car Homepage
• Liquid Hydrogen Transport by Rail
• Tank car dimensions
• Guide to Rail Cars
• Bureau of Transportation