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.