Air Products Tank Car

Air-Products Tank CarArtist Name

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Railroad tank cars are used to transport liquids, solids and compressed or liquefied gases. They are basically horizontal tanks that sit atop a steel frame and “trucks” with rail wheels and springs. Tank cars have domes - some with a single dome and others with multiple domes – which house fittings used for loading/unloading.

While 19th century U.S. tank cars initially hauled water for use by steam locomotives and for domestic use, crude oil and refined oil byproducts, and had a capacity of only a few thousand gallons, these cars have evolved to carry many different products in large volumes, including:

Food products such as high fructose corn syrup, edible oils, tallow, etc.;
Energy products including crude oil, ethanol, gasoline, diesel fuel, natural gas (liquefied petroleum gas or LPG) and others;
Chemicals such as anhydrous ammonia fertilizer, sulfuric acid, chlorine, solvents, paint components, alcohols;
Compressed and cooled gasses.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) divides tank cars into three categories:

Non-pressure tank cars or “general service” tank cars that carry a wide variety of liquid and solid regulated (hazardous materials/dangerous goods) as well as non-regulated commodities.
Pressure tank cars built with thicker tank walls to withstand internal pressures, making them stronger than non-pressure tank cars. Typically, they transport liquefied compressed gases, inhalation hazard products, reactive materials and some corrosive materials.
Cryogenic liquid tank cars are vacuum insulated with an inner container (tank or bladder) and carbon steel outer shell (tank). These cars transport extremely cold liquefied gases such as hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, argon and ethylene that having a boiling point of -130F at atmospheric pressure.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has very detailed regulations regarding the classification, specifications and safe use of tank cars, especially those carrying products that have the potential to pose a risk to people and the environment. Most tank cars are owned by private companies, including tank car leasing companies. Generally, the capacity of today’s tank cars is limited by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to no more than 34,500 U.S. gallons, with a gross weight of 263,000 pounds on the rail.

Our tank car was owned by Air Products, and prior to that by Union Tank Car using UTLX or UTCX reporting marks.