Tank Cars (and Box Cars): Acids and Chemicals

The heavy industries of New Britain, particularly the hardware manufacturers, required the significant use of chemicals and acids. Among the processes utilized by New Britain companies included plating with brass, chrome, or nickel, galvanizing, and ceramic enameling.

Preparing steel involved cleaning and etching through a process called "pickling."

Cleaning and Degreasing

Fabrication and cutting meant the steel was coated in lubricating oil. Chemical baths were a quick way to accomplish this. Common chemicals for this included Caustic Soda, Trichloroethelyne (TCE), and Tetrachloroethelene (PCE).  All of which could be shipped via general service tank cars. Soda Ash was also used, and often shipped in covered hoppers.

Although this Proto 2000 car is an ACF prototype, other tank car companies like GATX acquired cars built by competitors through acquisitions. General service cars like this, with or without heating coils or insulation, are suitable for Caustic Soda service.

Most of the general-service ACF-built cars should be lettered for SHPX, though. GATX was the leasing arm of General American Tank Car Co. (GATX). Union Tank Car Co, and its leasing arm UTLX was the largest private tank car owner.

Another Proto 2000 model.  The Dow plant in Midland, MI produced Tricholoroethylene, among other chemicals and was served by the NYC (Michigan Central) and C&O (Pere Marquette). 

I have a Yarmouth Model Works tank car kit to build for the Semet-Solvay Division of the Allied Chemical Co. for Caustic Soda service. Located in Solvay/Syracuse, NY, it was primarily served by the NYC, along with the DL&W. Jim Kubanick did a wonderful job building this kit as described on the Resin Car Works blog. 

Pickling

After degreasing, the steel was "pickled" in an acid bath. This removes the mills scale, rust, and impurities on the surface of the metal to prepare it for finishing. The type of acids used depended on the material. For example, carbon steel could be pickled in hydrochloric, muriatic, or sulphuric acid. Stainless steel required nitric, phosphoric, or hydrofluoric acids. 

All of these would be shipped in rubber-lined tank cars. This required a different dome and unloading fixtures than a standard tank car. 

All of these acid tank cars were produced by Tangent. The Freeport, TX plant was served by MoPac. The Midland plant did not produce hydrochloric acid.

Although this looks like a general service car, there is fine lettering on the center sill indicating the car is leased to Dow as well. It appears that tank car companies would letter a car for a lessee if the lease was for 10 years or more. For shorter leases, small stenciling as on this car would be used.

This car does not list a commodity, only that it has a rubber-lined tank. Hooker sold Hydrochloric and Muriatic Acid from its Niagara Falls, NY plant. Muriatic Acid is a less refined version of Hydrochloric acid that may contain more impurities and a lower concentration. Both can be used for pickling steel. The Hooker plant was served by the Niagara Junction Railway (NIAJ) with connections to Erie, LV, and NYC.

I also have a number of Resin Car Works tank cars built for Sulphuric Acid service to build at some point. These include SHPX general service cars, and for DuPont which had a large plant at Deepwater, NJ served by Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (PRSL), a joint operation of the PRR and Reading.

No longer in production, these kits filled a huge hole in available tank car models until Tangent released theirs. They are two different prototypes. I purchased enough of the RCW kits and some undecorated Tangent kits to provide parts in case I find other potential prototypes.

Plating

Metal plating required the material used, which was typically ingots or anodes shipped in box cars.

Brass would most likely come from Waterbury, CT.  The American Brass Co. (part of Anaconda Copper Co.) was the largest producer in the US. Scovill Manufacturing Co. and Chase Brass and Copper Co. were also located in Waterbury. Shipping could be via trucks or rail.

Nickel bars would come from the International Nickel Co., producer of 85% of the world's nickel supply,  in Port Colborne, Ontario via the CN. Zinc for galvanizing would come from the New Jersey Zinc Co's Palmerton, PA processing plant on the CNJ. They were the largest producer of zinc and zinc products.

Copper was mined out west, but companies such as Belmont Metals in Brooklyn, NY (LIRR) specifically manufactured anodes for the electroplating process. 

Silver came from mines out west, Mexico (the largest producer), or British Columbia. Handy & Harmon in Fairfield, CT was the largest producer of silver anodes and other shapes for electroplating. 

For chrome plating, Chromic Acid would come from companies like Diamond Alkali Co in Painesville, OH. It was served by the FP&E with connections to B&O, NYC, and NKP.  

Another Tangent model, this car is suitable for Chromic Acid service. Diamond Chemicals 

The largest producer was the Mutual Chemical Co with plants in Fells Point/Inner Harbor (Baltimore) on the B&O with nearby connections to PRR, or their Jersey City plant on the CNJ. 

Other chemicals required for the electroplating process were cyanide salts such as Sodium Cyanide or Potassium Cyanide from DuPont in Niagara Falls. These would be shipped in bags, barrels, or drums in box cars. The Niagara Junction Railway that served the plant had connections to the ERIE, LV, and NYC.

Enameling

Appliances and cookware was finished with ceramic enamel at Landers, Frary & Clark. This process started with a "frit" of borax, silica, feldspar, quartz, and/or soda ash. There were companies that produced the frit to be sold to manufacturers and shipped in bags, barrels, or drums in box cars.

Pemco Corp in Baltimore on the Canton Railroad, interchanging with the B&O at Penn Mary Yard. They also connected with the PRR.

O. Hommel, in Carnegie, PA, and Vitro Manufacturing, in Canonsburg, PA, were both served by the Pennsy. 

The products would be degreased and/or pickled, then sandblasted with sand or aluminum oxide before being sprayed or dipped in the liquid enamel.

Other Chemicals

There were other common chemicals used, such as Denatured Alcohol for cleaning/degreasing. A dye could be added to mark dies for cutting as well. Methanol was used for stripping lacquers and resin from wood foundry molds as well as cleaning and degreasing. Isopropyl alcohol was also used for cleaning.  Many solvents such as Mineral Spirits, Toluene, Xylene, Acetone, Ethyl and Butyl Acetate, etc. were also used. While these could all be delivered in tank cars, they were more likely shipped in barrels or drums via box car. 

Tank Cars: Chlorine and Fluoride

I have several of the Broadway Limited chlorine tank cars (and have sold off many more).  They are well done models of an interesting prototype. These are the type of models that I'll go ahead and purchase since it can often be difficult to find once they've sold out. Broadway also has a habit of selling only multi-packs instead of individual cars. Here are several examples:

My theory has been that since New Britain chlorinated their town water supply, they may have received the chlorine via rail. With a population of nearly 75,000 it seems plausible. Is it?

Chlorine

Chlorine tank cars undoubtedly traveled the New Haven. Liquid chlorine was primarily used as a bleaching agent in paper and textile production in this era. The larger paper and textile mills in Holyoke would have received tank cars of chlorine. The textile mills of the region, such as the American Thread Co in Willimantic, may have too.

There also were several chemical companies in Connecticut. The Naugatuck Chemical Co. in Naugatuck, Berkshire Chemical Co. in Bridgeport and H. Kermit & Co. in New Haven all would have received chlorine in large enough quantities to warrant tank cars. 

But routing to these locations via New Britain would be unlikely. Much of the chlorine was produced in and around Niagara Falls, NY.  For Holyoke, cars would have needed to be routed:

Maybrook > New Haven > New Britain > Holyoke

Springfield > Hartford > New Britain > Holyoke

But with the B&M serving Holyoke directly, and the B&A indirectly, these routes seem very unlikely.

Town Water

By the 1930s most New England towns using surface water supplies also disinfected town water using chlorine. The process injected chlorine gas via pressurized tanks. Tanks of 150-lb or 1-ton were used, or somewhere around 80-100 gallons. 

There were special "multiple unit tank" cars that were flat cars designed to haul multiple canisters. MTS imported a brass model. Topps even released a trading card of one.

This would be an interesting car, but for a small city of 75,000, a 1-ton tank typically lasts from 2-weeks (summer) to over a month (winter). One car would be a years' worth. It is feasible for the car to operated in an LCL manner, delivering a few cannisters to each of several towns, though. But they could also be shipped via box car, and that's probably the more likely option. Very few of these cars were built, and were probably made for a specific service. 

For full tank cars, industries that use a commodity in bulk will typically have substantial storage on-site.  For example, if an industry is served by rail and has a several-thousand-gallon fuel oil tank identified on a Sanborn map, it's reasonable to assume they received bulk fuel oil in tank cars. Yes, it could be delivered by truck, but it would be less expensive to get it direct via rail.

But liquid chlorine, or chlorine gas, is quite dangerous to store. Apparently large mills often used the tank cars themselves as storage. As a result, they often don't have storage tanks noted for chlorine. I see bleaching rooms noted, but not storage.

But it doesn't appear that I'll need either in New Britain. Could I reletter these cars for other services? The answer is, not easily. I may keep one for a through train.

Fluoride

New Britain was the first municipality in CT to fluoridate their town water, in 1950.  Fluoridating municipal water was first done using Sodium Fluoride, a byproduct of aluminum processing. This is shipped in sacks in powdered form via box cars. ALCOA in New Kensington, PA was a major supplier, served by PRR.  Another potential source is DuPont in Wilmington, DE on the Reading.

In 1951, municipalities started to switch to hydrofluorosilic acid. This was shipped in rubber-lined tank cars. Although I have listings identifying cars that were assigned to this service, I don't have any photos or other information to indicate what they looked like. I suspect they are acid tank cars, similar to the Tangent offering, but the dome and/or fixtures may have been different. This was a byproduct of phosphate processing for fertilizer and was centered around that industry in Florida.

Since I don't have any information as to which process New Britain used, along with a lack of information regarding the tank cars used, I'll stick with box cars of Sodium Fluoride.

Covered Hoppers

Something different before more tank cars. Covered hoppers were a small, but growing, class of cars. 

Cement

In this era, the most common commodity for covered hoppers was cement. Once again, New Britain doesn't have a local bulk cement company that would receive such cars. Building Supply companies would have received bagged cement in box cars.  It wasn't unusual for cement to be delivered in covered hoppers for large projects, though. So it would be feasible to have some delivered to the bulk tracks.

The LNE was a major shipper of cement. Some sources I've identified include Lehigh Portland Cement Co in Sandt's Eddy, and Fogelsville, PA.  Atlas Cement Co. in Northampton, PA served by N&B and connecting to the LNE in Bath. The DL&W also interchanged at Bath, but the primary connection for eastbound traffic was the LNE.  Alpha Cement Co. in Martins Creek, PA was also served by the LNE.

Intermountain produced an LNE car, and I'll pick one up if I see one although it needs different door hardware. I have an F&C resin kit to build for a different prototype. 

Sand

The large industries of New Britain received other commodities that were often shipped in covered hoppers, though. Sand being the most common one.

The city may have received sand for roads in the winter. I'm modeling early November, so this is a good option. However, cinders were also often used, and would have been readily available from the power houses of the many industries. It's unclear what New Britain was using at the time.

Whibco was one of the largest producers of sand. They were based in New Jersey, but had facilities in Marion, MA and Provincetown in Cape Cod, both on the New Haven. Boston Sand & Gravel in Scituate, MA is another possibility, also on the NH.

Outside of New Haven territory, Whibco had locations in NJ (served by the PRSL, a Pennsylvania/Reading joint operation), and Slingerland and Selkirk, NY which were served by the D&H. 

This D&H covered hopper is the Intermountain model of the very common ACF 1958 cu. ft. design. 

In a 1950 memo, New Haven covered hoppers 117000-3 were assigned to Marion for sand service. This is the Intermountain car, but with different door hardware. The Intermountain model that has been released is the later paint scheme, however. I have an undecorated one to modify in the future.

However, another use for this type of sand was sandblasting. Russell & Erwin had such facilities, and Stanley Works probably did too. 

Russell & Erwin was moving away from casting in 1950, but Stanley Works also needed casting sand.  Sand for industrial casting, such as for cast iron, needed to be more uniform and was a higher grade. New England sand typically wasn't suitable.  The Pennsylvania Glass Co. in Mapleton or McVeytown, PA was a common supplier, both served by the Pennsy.  Mifflin Sand Co, also located in McVeytown, was acquired by Pennsylvania Glass in 1952.

The PRR H32 is a Bowser model.

Aluminum Oxide

Items were also blasted with Aluminum Oxide (also called "Alumina") instead of sand. The Aluminum Ore Co was located in Bauxite, AL and owned the Bauxite & Northern Railroad that interchanged with the MP.

This is another Intermountain model.

Soda Ash

The other most common commodity that is likely to have come to New Britain is Soda Ash. This was used as a cleaner/degreaser for steel and other metals prior to pickling in an acid bath. As a base, it was also used to counter acids prior to being released into the local environment or runoff. As a likely source, I've chosen the Solvay Process Division of Allied Chemical and Dye in Syracuse, served by NYC and DL&W. Diamond Alkali in Painesville, OH was served by FP&E (PRR) and NYC, with connections to the B&O and NKP. Another possibility is Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. in Barberton, via PRR, B&O or Erie.

Soda Ash is a much lighter commodity than sand, so the PRR H32, released by Broadway Limited, is a reasonable option.

I have pictures of the NYC Enterprise-design covered hopper in Berlin. The model is by Rapido.

Spring Mills Depot released this B&O wagon top covered hopper. They are hard to find, but F&C still produces a resin kit.  

Road Salt

Road salt was also starting to be used in larger quantities. Until anti-caking agents were developed in 1956, it couldn't be stockpiled. So it would be delivered on an as-needed basis. I don't have any evidence that New Britain had started to use it during my era, but this was a time where its use across New England was increasing exponentially.

The Restof mine of International Salt Co. in York, NY was the major source for this commodity. It was the largest salt producing mine in the US, and second largest in the world.  Located on the Genessee & Wyoming it had connections to several railroads. But the Erie to Maybrook is the most likely routing to New Britain. DL&W or NYC are other possibilities.

The Erie model is also an Intermountain ACF 1958 cu. ft. car, with the "closed" side design.

Tank Cars: LP Gas

Another common tank car found on model railroads is the LP gas car, because of the Atlas and Kadee models. These two models are of different prototypes. The Atlas car has some accuracy issues, and some of them are lettered for cars that are correct for the Kadee model instead. But it is still a very well detailed model.

The cars in this service are insulated and pressurized. As a result, they have a "bonnet" that housed the loading/unloading connections instead of an expansion dome. The Liquified Petroleum Gas industry was growing in the early '50s. But for many towns like New Britain, it was still not a common commodity.  Coal and Fuel Oil were the predominant home heating fuels. In addition, as Town Gas started to be phased out, the fact that an underground piping system was already in place for many customers made a switch to natural gas easy.

As a result, there are no LP gas dealers in New Britain in my era. But Fafnir Bearing received LP Gas (or possibly the closely related butane) and had several tanks and a dedicated track for tank cars. 

The Fuelane Corporation was promoting their LP gas for cooking. Operating out of Liberty, NY  it seems an appropriate choice for New England. All three of these are Kadee models. 

This is the Atlas model. I think the gray is a little light, but nothing that some weathering can't fix.

The Kadee Warren car is in a simpler scheme.

This is another Atlas model, weathered by Gerry Schaefer. This car is lettered for another commodity hauled in these types of cars - Anhydrous Ammonia. Stanley Works may have used this in furnaces for hardening and tempering steel tools. It was also used as an industrial refrigerant, among other things. Kadee also has cars lettered for Mathieson Chemicals that would be appropriate for this service.

Tank Cars: Industrial Oils

Other petroleum products fall under the category of Refined Petroleum, NOS. 

Lubricating and Cutting Oils

A common product required by the many machine shops and manufacturers of New Britain is lubricating or cutting oil. These could be shipped via box car in 55-gallon drums. It could also be delivered via truck from a regional distributor such as L.F. Powers Co. in Waterbury.  But with the amount required by some of these industries, I think it's reasonable to consider tank cars too.

These types of oil would not require heater coils or insulation and would be carried in general service tank cars. 

The major gasoline and oil companies also produced lubricating oils in their refining processes. This Tangent car is lettered for Sinclair. I particularly wanted to use the Proto 2000 Socony-Vacuum car for its attractive Mobilgas scheme.

Any of the other general service cars, with or without lagging (insulation) or heater coils can be assigned for this service too.

Coal Tar

There is also a petroleum product that I can potentially ship out from New Britain. Town Gas companies, like the New Britain Gas Light Co., generated a lot of coal tar.  This is a byproduct of both the coal gas and carburetted water gas process. In turn, coal tar could be used to make creosote, road or roofing tar, solvents, and some early plastics such as Bakelite.

This Koppers tank car is a Red Caboose model. This model is accurate for only a handful of prototypes for SL-SF, USAX, JTBX, SHPX (for Bakelite), and, conveniently, Koppers. For some reason, though, all of the available models are lettered for the wrong series, and the reporting marks are wrong. It should be KPCX 2500-2522 for the 23 cars built in 1951. I also have a couple of kits to build and I'll correct the reporting marks and road numbers.

Also note that Intermountain has released their Type 27 tank car in the Koppers livery. I don't have any information on the other builds of tank cars, other than this series was insulated, unlike the Intermountain model.

Of the ex-Red Caboose 10,000 gallon welded tank cars that Intermountain produces, the only scheme that is accurate is the USAX (US Army) one. 

Another one they could run is the SHPX 16754-16773 series with heater coils that was leased to the Bakelite division of Union Carbide. They would have received coal tar from town gas operations too. Their factory was in Bound Brook, NJ with another plant opened in Marietta, OH in 1951.

Coal tar was shipped to Koppers Tar & Chemical Division facilities in Everett, MA and Providence, RI. The Everett facility was owned and operated by Barrett in '20s. I didn't find a date for when it switched to a Koppers operation, but it was before my modeling era. 

Baird & McGuire in Holbrook, MA also purchased coal tar from town gas companies in the region. They would use cars from GATX, SHPX, or UTLX. The Bakelite plant in NJ is another potential destination. 

Heater coils were required to be able to unload the thick coal tar. Lagging may or may not be used. Around 80% of the Koppers owned cars were insulated, and all had heater coils.

General service cars with heater coils would also be used in this service.