Which tankcars for home heating oil?

[garethashenden]

Modelling New England means I need heating oil. Out of the available cars which is best? Atlas/Bachmann/MTL all do tank cars for the right era (1950) but I'm not sure what they would have carried.

Also, how do I choose reporting marks? I'm going to have a small fuel dealer that can take one car at a time. Would they have had a contract with large firm where I'd see the same reporting marks showing up all the time or would it be a case of buy it from whomever is cheapest when they need it?

[Blazeman]

Your option how the dealer is supplied. Could have an annual contract with a major for supplying that season's needs, or be a spot player. And keep in mind, now and then the suppliers can sub-lease cars from each other or swap product. So it's very conceivable you could have cars from more than one company being placed at the distributor. No real reason to tie yours options down to one set of cars.  Just don't put a Dow, Pennsalt, or Hooker car into the industry.

[bbussey]

Fairly certain you can use any tank car with an ICC-103, ICC-103A, ICC-103C, ICC-103W, ICC-111A100W1 or ICC-111A100W3 or ICC-111A100W2 designation.  The strict guidelines are outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America in the hazardous transportation section, if you wish to identify specific ICC sub-classes (if any) that are strictly for petroleum oil.  I would think that equipment marked for a specific road or private company would not be a regular presence.  If you want to play it safe, go with a GATX, UTLX or SHPX plain-black car that fits the classification.  There would be few if any "billboard" tanks on New England rails by 1950 such as the Micro-Trains TEXACO or SHELL or PHILLIPS66 anyway, so a plain-Jane black tank is probably the most prototypical. 

Also, beware of the gallon capacity markings on whatever tank car model you choose.  The InterMountain car is 8k, the Micro-Trains triple-dome car is 8k, the new Bachmann car is 10k, the Atlas car is 11k, and the Micro-Trains single-dome car is 12k (I think).  With a small-sized customer to serve, I suggest assembling a fleet using a combination of the three smaller models (IMRC 8k, MTL3D 8k, BM 10k).

[garethashenden]

Thanks guys. I've got one Bachmann car and I'll go for another one and some of the Intermountain ones. Aren't the Atlas cars for propane? I have a couple but didn't think they were what I wanted.

[Blazeman]

I can't speak to what cars, if any, were used in the 50's for LPG, but the regs call for 105J and 112J cars. These days, all are in the >30,000 gallon size with a length over couplers of 67 feet. Importantly, a current reg is no bottom outlets on those LPG cars.

[bbussey]

Current regs, yes.  But sub-class 105J and class 112 in general and 112J did not exist in the 1950s.

[bbussey]

Thanks guys. I've got one Bachmann car and I'll go for another one and some of the Intermountain ones. Aren't the Atlas cars for propane? I have a couple but didn't think they were what I wanted.

Correct on the Atlas tanks.  Not appropriate for what you are seeking.

[Spikre]

 
  sure that there would be some Propane dealers in larger towns/cities by 1950.
   heating oil would generally be shipped in single Dome cars in the 6000,8000,
  10,000 gallon range,but there could be some 2 or 3 dome exceptions now and
  then.
   the smaller the dealer or town,generally the smaller size car they would get.
  and many also sold Coal,so some 50-55-60 ton double hoppers from one of
  the Anthracite roads like Lackawanna,D&H,CNJ,LV,Reading,O&W,or Erie woudnt
  be out of place.
      Spikre
         
     

[garethashenden]

  sure that there would be some Propane dealers in larger towns/cities by 1950.
   heating oil would generally be shipped in single Dome cars in the 6000,8000,
  10,000 gallon range,but there could be some 2 or 3 dome exceptions now and
  then.
   the smaller the dealer or town,generally the smaller size car they would get.
  and many also sold Coal,so some 50-55-60 ton double hoppers from one of
  the Anthracite roads like Lackawanna,D&H,CNJ,LV,Reading,O&W,or Erie woudnt
  be out of place.
      Spikre
         
     

Yeah propane is a possibility but it's a small town in the country. Maybe 4000 residents, something like that. Coal is definitely happening as well. Got to get more hoppers though, thanks for the roadnames!

[carlso]

For those wanting to read about Union Tank history of tank cars, the following has some good pictures and reading:

http://www.utlx.com/pdf/TankCarHistory.pdf

Carl


Corrected the link 6:50pm 1/14/15

[eja]

For those wanting to read about Union Tank history of tank cars, the following has some good pictures and reading:

www.utlx.com/history.htm

Carl

404 - File or directory not found.



Try this

http://www.utlx.com/index.asp

and then select About UTLX

[John]

a good resource is the opsig industry database .. its a list of known industries on railroads for various time frames .. so if you want to know what propane dealers there were in maine in 1950, it should be able to tell you ..

Its a free windows download here   http://www.shenware.com/dlindman.html

see the attached file, and load it into a spreadsheet

[bbussey]

@John, very nice data to have.

[John]

@John, very nice data to have.

it sure is .. for proto modelers its perfect source for what was in the town and line .. in some cases it also gives the ZTC map spots.. for guys like me .. its good to know what kind of industries were served, and also a good source of names ...

[nkalanaga]

Texaco still had their 103s in service in 1970, although the only ones I've seen pictures of were black.  There's no reason they couldn't have had some of the silver billboard style cars, as they weren't banned, like billboard reefers years ago.

As for what cars to use, the simple answer is that almost any tank car with a frame and a dome would work.  Modern "frameless" stub-sill cars were rare in the 1950s, and pressure-style "manways" wouldn't have been used for fuel oil then.

If you want a real oddity, and like kitbashing, buy one of Republic Locomotive Works Nn3 D&RGW "Gramps" cars and standard gauge it.  At least two were still in service with UTLX in 1969, and Jim Sands got a picture of them, 58008 and 58041.
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/utlx/utlx58041ajs.jpg