Cement bins?

[wcfn100]

Found the CCBX car that I think the photo is probably of.

CCBX 801-815

iw - 46' 10"
iw - 9' 1"
ih -  1' 5"

Note B - Have capacity of 12 Calcium Carbide containers.


Jason

[sirenwerks]

The Linde Air Products Company

CCBX - (Carbide and Carbon Corp)

Containers for Calcium Carbide

edit: I can find an identical car that list the length as 46'.

re-edit: SHPX container flat (visually the same car) il - 45' 10"; iw - 9' 1 7/8"; ih - 1' 6 1/2";  built by ACF

Jason

Linde makes sense. Calcium carbonate was a key ingredient in creating acetylene, which is what I think Dave Scheider's referring to as well. It's also used in refining iron,  as an absorbent in diapers, as grit in scouring cleansers and toothpaste, as a filler on some plastics, in ag lime for its carbon, and as a catalyst agent in paints.

Bryan

[cfritschle]

If I recall correctly, calcium carbide was used as the fuel for miners lamps during the early 1900s. It reacts with water to produce acetylene gas. Note sure whether mines went through enough of it to require rail delivery but it maybe it could go in carloads to a distributor.  

Best wishes, Dave  

Dave,

Acetylene is also used for the fuel in oxyacetylene cutting torches.  A very common item at any place where steel or iron needs to be cut.  

I used to see gondolas with similar containers pass through Nampa, Idaho about 20-30 years ago, but I could not find any in my photo collection.

Thank you Jason for confirming my memory was not completely gone!

Carter

Edit:  It is much safer and less space intensive to ship calcium carbide as a solid than it is to ship acetylene gas.

Another edit:  The acetylene in the bottles used with the cutting torches is dissolved in acetone and a porous medium because it is so explosive.  A tank car of pressurized acetylene gas would literally be a rolling bomb looking for someplace to go off.  ???

[TrainCat2]

Edit:  It is much safer ... to ship calcium carbide as a solid than it is to ship acetylene gas.

Only when you are shipping the acetylene by CSX.   ;D

[Mark5]

Nice work Jason.

[Bob Bufkin]

Only when you are shipping the acetylene by CSX.   ;D

CSX needs the acetylene to cut up their derailed cars.