Southern Pacific Lines

Coast Line Division 

“The Route of the Octopus”

 
 

General

AAR Car Deisgnations

Class “T” – TANK CAR TYPE

  1. T – Tank car. Tank car means any car which is used only for the transportation of liquids, liquefied gases, compressed gases, or

  2.     solids that are liquified prior to unloading. Car may be without underframe if container serving as superstructure is designed to

  3.     serve as underframe. If car has underframe, it must be designed only for the carriage of one or more enclosed containers (with or

  4.     without compartments) that form the superstructure and are integral parts of the car. All such containers must be securely

  5.     attached to the underframe when offered for transportation but may have demountable features. Before any car can be considered

  6.     a tank car hereunder, the design of all such containers thereon must have been approved 1) by the AAR Committee on Tank Cars

  7.     as having met all applicable AAR specifications and requirements and 2) by said Committee or, in appropriate cases, the

  8.     Department of Transportation, as having met all applicable specifications and requirements of Subpart 1 of the Regulations of

  9.     Transportation for Explosives and other Dangerous Articles.

  10. TA  tank car (ICC 103 series)



Tank Cars

Gallonage

  1. Tank cars were not identical and that stencil gives the gallonage of THAT car, not of the whole class. Multiple photos of a class prove this.

  2. Tony Thompson


  4. Classes of tank cars had a nominal capacity. "Nominal" in this case also means "theoretical" capacity. The measured capacity of each car varies somewhat because rolled steel sheets of that size have some slight variation, they are not perfectly circular in the mathematical sense. Even a 1/64" difference in a car that large could change the gallonage by a measurable amount.


  6. No doubt box cars also had variations, but since box cars tariffs were based on weight, the actual "cubic foot" capacity of box cars did not have to be measured -- they just went with the theoretical volume. Tank car tariffs were based on gallonage, so that had to be accurate. So, box cars got reweighed at regular intervals, but tank cars never did.

  7. Tim O'Connor



Paint

  1. black -

  2. silver - fuel service cars painted silver with black lettering in mid-50’s, (*see T/71)


  4. After 8/9/48, these cars were silver. SP’s mechanical circular No. 310-B issued 3/17/41, revised 8/9/48 states in part “Tanks of gasoline, switchlight oil and diesel fuel tank cars including dome, dome attachments and hand rail brackets, must receive two coats of Ready-Mixed Aluminum paint.”

Trucks

  1. Prior to WW II, SP usually painted trucks black. After the war, they tended to paint everything body color, i.e. boxcar red on cars which had that color body. Numerous postwar builder photos show trucks the same color as the car body.

  2. Tony Thompson

Underframes

  1. Prior to WW II, SP usually painted underframes black. After the war, they tended to paint everything body color. Tank car trucks remained black.

  2. Tony Thompson


Lettering & Numbering

  1. pre 48  - With white lettering

  2.      50’s - With black lettering


  4. silver - fuel service cars painted silver with black lettering in mid-50’s, (*see T/71)

Reweigh Date

  1. Tank car cargoes were billed by gallonage, not by weight, so the car’s light weight was of no importance (unlike all other types of freight cars). Prototype photos commonly show tank cars having weigh dates a decade, or even multiple decades, prior to the photo date. But when cars were repaired, they were ordinarily reweighed, and SP tank cars often do show that change.

  2. Tony Thompson

Gallonage Stencil

  1. Tank cars were not identical and that stencil gives the gallonage of THAT car, not of the whole class. Multiple photos of a class prove this.

  2. Tony Thompson

Brake Reservoir Lettering

  1. Tank cars are usually cars whose reservoirs are clearly visible. The COTS information stenciled on the side of the car where the reservoir was mounted and placed as closely to the air release rod as possible. The lettering size is 1-1/2 inches.

Diesel Fuel Service

  1. SP had a distinctive aluminum-end-stripe tank cars, assigned to diesel fuel service. The scheme comes with a 41-inch high aluminum stripe on the car ends, and the legends DIESEL FUEL OIL SERVICE on both sides and ends. All lettering is white except for black lettering on the aluminum stripe. The text block headed INSTRUCTIONS TO SHIPPERS was placed at the location on the tank indicated by Note 7 on the drawing.

Drawing

  1. Drawing on Page 326 of Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hopper, Covered Hopper and Tank Cars.


                           

Modeling Tank Cars

  1. Back in 2002, Tony Thompson published a short article in the Southern Pacific Historical and Technical Society magazine, Trainline (issue 71, Spring 2002), on a method to model SP tank cars in HO scale. The recent release of a decal set for such tank cars (see: http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2011/05/sp-tank-car-decals.html), combined with some changes in modeling practice since 2002, suggest that an updated and improved version of that article could be useful. This post is that update.


Dimensions

  1. For accurate HO scale dimension of grabirons, cables, hoses, vents, stanchions, etc... see:

  2. Diesel Locomotive Data                                    http://www.urbaneagle.com/data/RRstddims.html


  4. The information is gleaned from the Diesel Modelers' Mail List and the Freight Car Mail List and email contributors.

Modeling Details

Owl Mountain Models

  1. Owl Mountain Models is proud to offer a new line of durable detail parts for steam era SP cars. All models are based on prototype drawings, physical measurements, and photos & months of research.

Safety Vents

  1. #1001 Single 5" "L"-type Safety Vents (for use singly on tank cars under ~7K gal. or in pairs on tank cars over 7K gal.) SP classes O-50-1, -2 & -5. $4.95ea or $20/5pkg.


  3. #1002 "Twin" 5" "L"-type Safety Vents (for 7K to 12.5K gal. tank cars) SP classes O-50-6,-7,-8,-9. $4.95ea or $24/6pkg.


  5. These vents were M.C.B. recommended from 1904-1918, therefore were also used on other cars built for other companies and leasers. After about 1918 it became clear the L-shape part of the vent was not the most ideal way to vent expanding gasses from the tank as the could be submerged in the liquid in the cars. The more familiar 'top vents' were then used as seen on most manufactures' offerings. These detail vents are cast brass with etched flange details. Installation instructions included for selected SP classes, however the modeler should review prototype references for exact mounting location for their application.

  6. For more information go to:                           www.owlmtmodels.com


Athearn

  1. The Athearn tank car is clearly modeled from an SP prototype. With simple modifications, this model can be very accurate.


Modeling Tank Cars Lettering & Numbering

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

Jerry Glow Custom Decals

  1. He is now out of business. This decal set was available in both black and white. Both sets are necessary to do SP’s distinctive aluminum-end-stripe tank cars, assigned to diesel fuel service, because both black and white lettering was on those cars. The sets can also be used for plain black cars in general service, and for both all-silver fuel cars (not pictured), and yellow gasoline cars. Each set has enough material to do multiple cars.                                                     http://home.comcast.net/~jerryglow/decals.html

Microscale

    #87-1386 SP/SSW tank cars (does 20k and 23k modern tank cars).

    Tim O'Connor

Sunshine Decals

  1. Use the Sunshine PFE set of black reweigh and repack data to choose a 1942 reweigh date for a car.

Brake Reservoir Lettering

  1. Tank cars are usually cars whose reservoirs are clearly visible. The COTS information stenciled on the side of the car where the reservoir was mounted and placed as closely to the air release rod as possible. It is good to have a few reservoirs visibly stenciled. Most decal sets do not include any of the needed lettering.

  2. Tony Thompson                                               http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2014/04/brake-service-rules-and-modeling.html


  4.   


Early Tank Cars

CS-12

Drawings

  1. CS-12 Design                                                    Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 398

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 194


CS-12A

Drawing

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 197, 198

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 194, 196-199


CS-13

Drawing

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 200

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 201


CS-13A

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg.


CS-24

  1. SP 49400

Drawing

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 400

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 212-213


CS-25A

  1. SP 51196-51678

  2. SP 55838-55979

Lettering & Numbering

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                                Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 228

Drawing

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 214, 224

  2. CS-25A Design                                                  Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 399

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 212, 225-231

Modeling CS-25

  1. MW service as water car.

Westside (brass)


CS-32

  1. SP 51116-51195

Drawing

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 218

  2.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 400


Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 212, 219



Specific Tank Cars

0-40

  1. There weren't ever any cars classed as O-40, at least on SP.

  2. Tony Thompson   


  1. In a 1950 ORER shows a 31'- 8", 40 ton tank car numbered SP 47732. It's an ex-EP&SW car, built in 1907, and as it happens, an 8000-gallon car.

  2. Tony Thompson 


0-50-1

  1. SP #50000-50249


  3. Former O-50-1s or O-50-2s is part of a large numbers of these two classes were converted to roadway water cars in 1936 and 1937.

  4. Ken

Drawing

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 243

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 234, 237


0-50-2

  1. SP #50250-50874

  2. SP #50875-51079


  1. There was a former O-50-2 (SP 50674) that the car card states "Equipped for handling dry sand." (SPMW 3049 (3rd)). SPMW 3316 (2nd) was a 1909 AC&F box that was used in sand service around Taylor Round House.

  2. SP DTCTR


  1. Former O-50-1s or O-50-2s is part of a large numbers of these two classes were converted to roadway water cars in 1936 and 1937.

  2. Ken

Drawing

  1.                                                                       Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 235

Reference

  1.                                                                       Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 234, 236, 244-249

Paint

  1. There is a photo of O-50-2 water car conversion in SP Freight Cars Vol 5 on page 254. And in oxide red!


0-50-4

  1. ex- NWP cars

Reference

  1.                                                                        Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 234


0-50-5

  1. SP #51080-51132

  2. some ex- H&TC cars

Drawing

  1.                                                                       Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 272-273

Reference

  1.                                                                       Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 270-271, 274, 292


0-50-6

  1. SP #49100-49399

Lettering & Numbering  

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                              Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 306

Reference

  1.                                                                Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 270, 275-279, 292-294

  2.    See the class page:                                          http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/tank/o050-06.htm



O-50-7

  1. SP #48100-48199

  2. In the 1928 ORER, it shows they were renumbered as SP 61791-61888. 

  3. AC&F SP 12,000 gal. cars. Class O-50-7 was built in 1917-1918 and thus cannot have been Type 21.


  5. SP had many 12,000 gal. tank cars. According to Kaminski's book (pg. 61) a lot (Lot #8358) of 400 cars as ordered. Of that car order of 400 cars, Class O-50-7, 100 were for Pacific Lines (48100-48199) and the balance went to Atlantic Lines, shared among ML&T, LW, and GH&SA.


  7. Every tank car in those days was slightly different due to the riveting assembly. SP published gallonage tables to give exact values for each car; so did most tank car owners. Nominal capacity was 12,500 gallons.


  9. Train Shed Cyc. #12 shows only 6000, 7000, 8000, and 10,000 gallons. Much later SP did have an 8000-gallon class, but built by General American, not AC&F.

Lettering & Numbering  

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                                Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 281, 306     

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 270, 280-283

  2.     See the class page:                               http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/tank/o050-07.htm


0-50-8

  1. SP #48200-48399.


  3. They continued in service through the 50’s.   

Details

  1. All tank cars had single platforms. That is a platform below the dome on just one side + a ladder on that same side as seen from the B or brake end of the car.

safety valve

  1. SP cars of this class had the twin safety valve on the tank dome.  

  2. See:                                                                    Trainline #109, pg. 4 for drawing of elbow.                                                                     

brake system

  1. #48347 car's brake system was upgraded to AB. The valve was mounted underneath the running board on the left (dome walkway) side of the car, just about even with the A end of the dome walkway. It makes sense that the valve sits outboard, away from the center frame, since there has to be room to maintain the piping that was attached to the back side of the valve. There’s a lot of piping bridging the gap in open space between the valve and the frame. They added two angle braces under the running board, and mounted the valve on the angles.

  2. Pete Hall                         

Lettering & Numbering  

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                            Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 306

Reference

  1.                                                                       Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 270, 286-291, 295

Modeling 0-50-8 Tank Cars

  1. Remove the platform on one side to be correct.

Owl Mountain Models

  1. They make the twin safety valve for the tank dome.

  2.                                                                         http://owlmtmodels.com

Lettering & Numbering

Decals 

Jerry Glow Decals

  1. The Jerry Glow decal set will do any post-1931 SP tank car lettering (i.e. older cars which were repainted), and class numbers and built dates are included.

  2. Tony Thompson


0-50-9

  1. SP #47880-48079

  2. SP cars of this class had the twin safety valve on the tank dome.   

  3. See:                                                                   Trainline #109, pg. 4 for drawing of elbow.  

  4. They continued in service through the 50’s.                          

Paint

  1. These cars were painted all-aluminum or aluminum-end-stripe fuel paint schemes.

Lettering & Numbering  

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                                Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 306

Drawing

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 301

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 298-302, 304

Modeling 0-50-9 Tank Cars

Owl Mountain Models

  1. They make the twin safety valve for the tank dome.

  2.                                                                           http://owlmtmodels.com

Lettering & Numbering

Decals 

Jerry Glow Decals

  1. The Jerry Glow decal set will do any post-1931 SP tank car lettering (i.e. older cars which were repainted), and class numbers and built dates are included.

  2. Tony Thompson


0-50-10  

  1. SP #58000-58199      

  2. SP cars prior to this class had the twin safety valve on the tank dome.   

  3. See:                                                                   Trainline #109, pg. 4 for drawing of elbow. 

  4. They continued in service through the 50’s.             

Paint

  1. Tank cars were painted black.

Lettering & Numbering  

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                            Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 306

Reference

  1.                                                                       Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 298, 304, 313, 317

Modeling 0-50-10 Tank Cars

Owl Mountain Models

  1. They make the twin safety valve for the tank dome.

  2.                                                                        http://owlmtmodels.com

Lettering & Numbering

Decals


  2.                                


Jerry Glow Decals

  1. The Jerry Glow decal set will do any post-1931 SP tank car lettering (i.e. older cars which were repainted), and class numbers and built dates are included.

  2. Tony Thompson

  3.   

O-50-11 Gasoline Service    

  1. SP #58200-58399

  2. All tank cars had single platforms. That is a platform below the dome on just one side + a ladder on that same side as seen from the B or brake end of the car. Therefore remove the platform on one side to be correct.


  4. Cars in this service have had side ladders and dome platforms removed.

Paint

  1. Tank cars were painted in the same buff color used on S.P. buildings  prior to 1956, (Colonial Yellow, Common Standard 22).

  2. Tanks (gasoline) buff with black underframe.

Lettering & Numbering

  1. With black lettering (gasoline service)

  2. For a lettering diagram see:                               Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 322

Reference

  1.                                                       Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 298, 303, 312, 314, 316-317

Modeling 0-50-11 Tank Cars

Paint

  1. Tanks (gasoline) buff with black underframe.

  2.     15 drops- Floquil Armour Yellow

  3.         1 drop- Roof Brown

  4.     or mix 50% Floquil RR133- SP Armour Yellow and 50% RR11- Reefer White

Lettering & Numbering

Decals 

Jerry Glow Decals

  1. The Jerry Glow decal set will do any post-1931 SP tank car lettering (i.e. older cars which were repainted), and class numbers and built dates are included.

  2. Tony Thompson


O-50-12 Gasoline Service    

  1. SP #58400-58574


  3. O-50-12is a 12,500 gal. car.

  4. In 1928 General American built SP’s Class O-50-12 class cars (O for oil car, 50 for 50 tons capacity). It is 36’ long.

  5. All tank cars had single platforms. That is a platform below the dome on just one side + a ladder on that same side as seen from the B or brake end of the car.


  7. Cars in this service have had side ladders and dome platforms removed. These cars were the first with longitudinal tank seams.


  1. When the Class O-50-12 cars were built in 1928, the cars were largely in revenue service. The SP continued to haul gasoline in revenue service, but the special paint scheme was no longer needed, since the usual safety placards could notify crews and workers that the cargo was or had been gasoline. By 1953, there appear to have still been some yellow cars. Photos of yellow cars, which of course represent a really small sample, don't seem to extend past 1955. There is ample evidence that some older tank cars evaded repainting for a lot of years, so that also would permit some leeway in modeling the yellow cars. 

  2. Tony Thompson 

Paint

  1. Tank cars were painted in the same buff color used on S.P. buildings  prior to 1956, (Colonial Yellow, Common Standard 22) Tanks (gasoline) buff with black underframe.


  1. All 175 cars of which were in fact delivered in Colonial Yellow for gasoline service. The dome and ends and bottom sheet were all painted that color.

  2. Tony Thompson


  1. Although most of the Class O-50-12 yellow gasoline cars remained so painted as of the end of World War II, most had been repainted black or in one of the fuel schemes by the early 1950s.

  2. Dave Sieber


    Diesel fuel oil service car were painted black with 41” wide aluminum end stripe.

    (*see Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 327)

Lettering & Numbering

  1. With black lettering (gasoline service)

  2. Railroad initials, rather than the spelled-out road name, was introduced in 1946, because practically all photos of the yellow tank cars are in the pre-1946 scheme.

  3. Tony Thompson

Gallonage Stencil

  1. Tank cars were not identical and that stencil gives the gallonage of THAT car, not of the whole class. Multiple photos of a class prove this.

  2. Tony Thompson


  4. For a lettering diagram see:                                Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 322


  6. Lee Gautreaux's site shows O-50-12 cars being 12,000 gallons and built in 1934. These are errors.

  7. Tony Thompson


Drawing

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 340

Reference

  1.                                                        Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 298, 303, 312-313, 320-321


  3. Photo of SP 1320 lettered as a supply car is a O-50-12 tank car with a pump added on one end.

  4.                                                        (*see Railway Review, 9/18/26), entitled “Traveling Gasoline Station Supplies Track Men”.


Modeling 0-50-12 Tank Cars

Athearn

  1. There are several minor discrepancies between the SP car and the Athearn model. The most evident is the height of the dome. Also evident are different hand brake equipment and safety valve arrangement. All are easily changed. Other details, such as grab irons and underbody parts, can also be improved. The subtle change, not evident in every photo, relates to dome walkways. The SP cars only had walkways on one side, the left side as viewed from the B or brake end of the car (as shown in the photo above). This model does come with the longitudinal tank seams.


  3. Modify by raising the dome. The Athearn dome, about 10 scale inches from the top of the tank to the top of the cylindrical part of the dome, should be about 21 inches. Also, there should be two safety valves, not the three that are on the Athearn dome, and they should be paired behind the manway hinge, not spaced evenly around the circumference of the dome. Sacrifice an Athearn 3 dome car and add one dome to the top of the other. Remove the vents and leave just one.


  5. Remove the extraneous double rivet rows on each side of the dome, which represent the location of tank dividers in a triple-compartment car, but which should not be present on a single-compartment car with one dome. The model shows three outlets, there should only be one.


  7. Remove the platform on one side to be correct. Add Precision scale hand brake. The Athearn handrail supports are oversize and not located at the same spacing as SP’s tank car handrails.


  1. The first step was to disassemble the tank from the underframe. Upgrade the car’s underframe by adding brake piping and rodding. Shave off those incorrect rivet rows, and removing the extra dome platform on the right side of the car. 

Paint

  1. The Athearn yellow is not the same as the correct SP Colonial Yellow. The most visible deficiency here is that the bottom sheet of the tank is black (a natural result of the Athearn division between tank top and bottom), but the prototype tanks were entirely yellow (actually the depot color, Colonial Yellow). Airbrush with Tru-Color’s paint no. TCP-153, Colonial Yellow. The dome and ends and bottom sheet all need to be painted that color. Be careful with the underframe, they are often brittle at this late date.

  2. Tony Thompson

References

  1. Method developed from ideas of R. Hendrickson  Western Prototype Modeler, Vol, 3, May-June 1977, p. 17 

  2.                                                                               Trainline, issue 71 (Spring 2002)

                                                                                  http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2011/05/modeling-sp-tank-cars.html

                                                                                  http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2014/04/modeling-sp-tank-cars.html

Lettering & Numbering

Athearn Lettering

  1. The stock Athearn lettering is not accurate. It is generally too large, and also the Athearn car number, belongs to Class O-50-13. I am not aware that any cars of that class were actually assigned to gasoline service; most were from Class O-50-12.

  2. Tony Thompson

Jerry Glow Decals

  1. The Jerry Glow decal set will do any post-1931 SP tank car lettering (i.e. older cars which were repainted), and class numbers and built dates are included.

  2. Tony Thompson

Sunshine Decals

  1. Use the Sunshine PFE set of black reweigh and repack data to choose a 1942 reweigh date for a car.


Pecos River (brass)

Paint

  1. Tanks (gasoline) buff with black underframe.

  2.     15 drops- Floquil Armour Yellow

  3.         1 drop- Roof Brown

  4.     or mix 50% Floquil RR133- SP Armour Yellow and 50% RR11- Reefer White


O-50-13 Gasoline Service    

  1. SP #58575-58774


  3. O-50-13is a 12,500 gal. car.

   O-50-13, was built by General American in 1942. It is 36’ long.

  1. “Railroad Issues Gasoline from Supply Train Tank Car”. (*see Railway Age, 4/25/25)

  2. The railroad had placed a 6000 gallon tank on a 40’ flat car and built a small shed on the end for a pump. The car was used in the supply train to resupply track workers with gasoline.


  4. All tank cars had single platforms. That is a platform below the dome on just one side + a ladder on that same side as seen from the B or brake end of the car. Therefore remove the platform on one side to be correct.


  6. Cars in this service have had side ladders and dome platforms removed.

Paint

  1. Only tank cat delivered in gasoline paint scheme.


  3. Tank cars were painted in the same buff color used on S.P. buildings  prior to 1956, (Colonial Yellow, Common Standard 22) Tanks (gasoline) buff with black underframe.


    Diesel fuel tank car SP #58691 was painted aluminum above the bottom sheet.

Lettering & Numbering

  1. With black lettering (gasoline service)

  2. For a lettering diagram see:                              Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 322

Gallonage Stencil

  1. Tank cars were not identical and that stencil gives the gallonage of THAT car, not of the whole class. Multiple photos of a class prove this.

  2. Tony Thompson

White Diamond on Tank car

  1. In the 1950’s, cars in sugar service were lettered with a large letter “S” in white diamond. Below the car number is stenciled “FOR LIQUID SUGAR LOADING ONLY”. In later years, many of these cars were in fuel service.


  3. A picture of  a black tank car in Tucumcari New Mexico in the early 1970's, had a white diamond painted on the dome with an "S" painted on too. The original reporting marks were painted out, and it was already into the SPMW system.


  5. The car was used in liquid sugar service, something to do with transporting liquid sugar between sugar processing centers or factories. It was indicated that the diamond S emblem meant the car was equipped for use in liquid sugar service, but no guarantee that it was at any particular moment. This nomenclature on the dome signifies bottom outlets modified to be SUITABLE for liquid sugar service. Although SP modified quite a few of its tank cars this way, relatively few were in such service at any one time. There are myriad pictures out  there of diamond-S cars carrying fuel oil and lubricants.

  6. Tony Thompson

  7.                                                                          Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 334-337

Reference

  1.                                                                          Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 318, 332

Modeling 0-50-13 Tank Cars

Athearn

  1. Modify by raising the dome. Sacrifice an Athearn 3 dome car and add one dome to the top of the other. Remove the vents and leave just one. Remove the platform on one side to be correct. Add Precision scale hand brake.

  2. Western PM May/Jun. 1977 - SP O-50-13 Tankcar #62798 - 62995 - Athearn 40ft tankcar detail.

Pecos River (brass)

Paint

  1. Tanks (gasoline) buff with black underframe.

  2.     15 drops- Floquil Armour Yellow

  3.         1 drop- Roof Brown

  4.     or mix 50% Floquil RR133- SP Armour Yellow and 50% RR11- Reefer White

Lettering & Numbering

Decals 

Jerry Glow Decals

  1. The Jerry Glow decal set will do any post-1931 SP tank car lettering (i.e. older cars which were repainted), and class numbers and built dates are included. It will also include the diamond "S" for the Liquide Sugar cars.

  2. Tony Thompson


White Diamond on Tank car

Jerry Glow Custom Decals

    Jerry Glow will try to include the equivalent in the new decal set he will sell.


Microscale

    Use the Microscale decal set MC-4044 for this diamond-S. The Microscale set also does include the lettering for these cars,    

    common in the 1950s though uncommon in later years, which stated “FOR LIQUID SUGAR LOADING ONLY.”


O-50-14   

  1. SP #47680-47729

  2. These 36’ cars hold 8000-gallons. It was built by General American. It’s riveted constructed the tank and is strapped on and resting on wood blocks.

Trucks

  1. Barber stabilized ASF trucks (very similar, though not identical, to the ASF A-3).

Paint

  1. 0-50-14 ‘42 & ‘55 paint schemes (some ‘55 have ACL labels)

Lettering & Numbering

  1. With black lettering (gasoline service)

Drawing

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 341

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 320, 341-343


  3.     See the class page:                               http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/tank/o050-14.htm

Modeling 0-50-14 Tank Cars

Details

Trucks

  1. Kato makes an excellent HO model of the Barber stabilized ASF trucks (very similar, though not identical, to the ASF A-3). There is also evidence that Athearn's "Bettendorf" truck was intended to be an A-3, as it has many of the features, but is fairly crude compared to the Kato version.

  2. Tony Thompson


  1. The closest HO sideframe match is the Intermountain ASF (not an A-3) but Branchline's "Barber S-2" truck is close and it sports the appropriate "ride control" wedges. But from a good photo it appears the prototype truck had a spring plank and neither of the above models includes that feature.

  2. Tim O'Connor

Athearn

  1. One approach would be to cut down the length of an Athearn tank car underframe (and replace practically every detail on it) and use an Intermountain 8000-gal. tank, but the tank will be somewhat wrong.

  2. Tony Thompson 

Intermountain

  1. The Intermountain ACF 8,000 gallon tank is nearly identical to the GACC tank in length, diameter, dome and rivet seams. You could fabricate new hand rails, and bash the underframe using the Intermountain center sill and Athearn saddles/bolsters and use the IM walkways.


  3. But this tank is not recommended for the following reason; The Intermountain Tank has molded on straps which are in line with the bolsters. The bolsters, of course, are determined by the wheelbase of the car, and GATX tank cars were of a different wheelbase. You could remove these straps (much like Sunshine models did for their UTLX X3 tank) and redo them in the correct location, but it is a delicate job with lots of rivets to avoid and replace. Try the Red Caboose/Drake brass tank car.

Red Caboose


W.A. Drake (brass)

Lettering & Numbering

  1. The Drake brass car is lettered O-50-14 and the gallonage is 79xx. It's painted in the 1955 scheme w/ gothic letters and large "S".

  2. Tim O'Connor


  4. I'm aware of the cars with later paint scheme being correct, and once the error was discovered at "Drake," there were decals put into the boxes of the early paint scheme so modelers could correct

  5. them. My own Drake car in original paint was wrong, and I've been correcting a bunch of Otis McGee's cars which were wrong, so I've seen a number of incorrect ones. Luckily my decal set makes it easy to fix.

  6. Tony Thompson


Lettering & Numbering

Decals 

Jerry Glow Decals

  1. The Jerry Glow decal set will do any post-1931 SP tank car lettering (i.e. older cars which were repainted), and class numbers and built dates are included.

  2. Tony Thompson


  4. Gallonage for O-50-14 is also included, which may be useful if you got ahold of  one of the W.A. Drake HO brass cars intended as that class, but lettered on both ends to have "Capacity 00000 Gals." and classed as "O-40-1" (there was no such class built).

  5. Tony Thompson


0-70-1

  1. SP #63000-63007


  1. 70 ton tank cars were originally 50 ton cars that had received new trucks. The cars became O-70-1. Only part of them were converted; a bunch of them remained as 50-ton cars.

  2. Tony Thompson 


    Some were converted for acid service.

Reference

  1.                                                                         Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 346

Modeling 0-70-1 Tank Cars

Red Caboose

  1. 10,000 gallon Type 103W tank car, add our dome platforms with brackets and a four piece  Apex walkway that wraps around the car. Replace your plastic walkway or overlay it with the new stainless steel walkway.


O-100-1 Tank Car

  1. SP #67250-67251


  1. These O-100-1 class cars were 20,000-gallon cars with frames, and other early 1960s SP car classes, are already written up in my next freight car volume.

  2. Tony Thompson

Paint

  1. Tank cars were painted black.

Reference

  1.                                                                         Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 346

Modeling 0-100-1 Tank Cars

Atlas

  1. The new Atlas 20,000 gal. tank car is good for an SSW car! This is a large 60's era general service tank car.


  3. SP had several tank cars approximately this size. One of the things about this car is it is an early frameless. Some of the cars in that size have the underframe. This car may be a good start for a kitbash of the SP lube oil cars. These were 4 compartment, but the diameter is real close.


  5. In the book is also listed SP #67250/1 (2 cars) at 20,704 (actual g. for Atlas car, BUT there is a poor photo of the car and it appears to be a framed car. Looks very close to the old Athearn 62' tank though shorter (52+ft.) So we still need info. The Atlas car could have gone to SP later than my books ‘65 date. No builder info.

  6. Tony Thompson




O-100-2 Tank Car

  1. SP #67500-67517

Paint

  1. Tank cars were painted black.

Lettering & Numbering

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                                Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 352

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 346-347


O-100-3 Tank Car

  1. SP #63100-63104

Paint

  1. Tank cars were painted black.

Lettering & Numbering

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                                Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 352

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 346, 348


O-100-4 Tank Car

  1. SP #63105-63127

  2. SP #63128-63135

Paint

  1. Tank cars were painted black.

Lettering & Numbering

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                                Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 352

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 346, 349-350


O-100-5 Tank Car

  1. SP #67275-67276


  1. There is a footnote in my Feb. ‘65 book on a third car. SP #67275/6 (2 cars) have an apx. 20,100 capy. The note states the gallonage is apx. as the cars are not yet delivered. They are listed as for lube oil. At 57' 8" they are substantially longer. These are the two 4-compartment cars, Class O-100-5.

  2. Tony Thompson

Paint

  1. Tank cars were painted black.

Lettering & Numbering

  1. For a lettering diagram see:                                Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 352

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 346, 350-353


O-100-7 Tank Car

  1. SP #67300-67309

  2. SP #67310-67349

Paint

  1. Tank cars were painted black.

Reference

  1.                                                                           Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Tank Cars, pg. 346, 353



Special Tank Cars

Wine Tank Cars

General American 40' wood milk tank cars

  1. These are classic General American- built 40' wood milk tank cars as typically leased by General American- Pfaudler under GPEX reporting marks (some of the earliest cars were leased by GA under GARE reporting marks prior to GA's forming the car- leasing joint venture with Pfaudler). Some cars have unusual reinforcement done to both the visible end and side. This was an ad hoc patch job for sheathing that was in poor shape. The cars have double doors. In later years some of the surviving cars of this type were rebuilt by GA with narrow single doors as started appearing on the steel rebuilds in the '30s. One CMWX car (#122) of this GA design come with a single door.

Paint

  1. "Another Carload" scheme that appears to have been used on only the earliest wood cars of General American design; the intermediate (later 1950s?). There was also a variant of the first scheme that was published previously elsewhere where the "Another Carload" slogan appears in script rather than a block font.


  1. "For Goodness Sake" scheme appeared on both the GA wood cars and later Merchants Despatch (MDT)-design wood cars; and the final (ca. 1960s).


MDT Design 40' wood milk tank cars

  1. It represents their later style underframe with the distinctive exposed-channel side sill with outward-facing flanges. It too has some non-standard strapping around the side and end, again presumably to hold deteriorating sheathing in place. This style of car was owned outright in large numbers by Bowman in Chicago and Borden in New York (and elsewhere). MDT did not lease their milk cars like GA did, they built for outright sale only.

Paint

  1. "For Goodness Sake" scheme that appears on both the GA wood cars and later Merchants Despatch (MDT)-design wood cars; and the final (ca. 1960s).


  1. "America's Finest" scheme appears on the MDT wood cars and General American-built steel cars.

Borden Butter Dish

  1. Many of the Borden cars were later rebuilt to the famous butter dish design that we have all seen in many publications. Although models of the butter dish cars have appeared over the years,

Modeling Borden Butter Dish

  1. No model of the original cars as typified by this CMWX car have appeared to date.


General American 40' All-Steel Milk Tank Car

  1. The General American milk tank car was a postwar 40' all-steel design. This car too was once leased by General American-Pfaudler under GPEX reporting marks. This was once a car leased by Hood in Boston as GPEX 1068 and CCCo simply kept the car number when they purchased the car from GA-P and repainted it.

Paint

  1. "America's Finest" scheme that appears on the MDT wood cars and General American-built steel cars.

Modeling General American 40' All-Steel Milk Tank Car

Intermountain

  1. Models of this car are being done by Intermountain.

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

  1. Decals are not available.


Reference

  1. There is a soft cover book titled "Serving the Golden Empire" by Joe Dale Morris sold by the SPH&TS which covers the Clovis "Friant" Branch which has five pictures of trains with wine tank cars in consist. Also included are maps and write ups about the wineries found along line. Pics of tank cars shows loading/unloading at the Italian Swiss Colony winery in Clovis/Tarpey.


  3. For tank car and hopper car pictures taken on the Friant branch, might be possible to order enlargements from Stan Kistler of the photos he has in Joe  Morris' book about the branch. Let him know what you're looking for. Unfortunately, Mr. Kistler has been selling off many of his negatives.


  5. Stan Kistler's address is PO Box 977, Grass Valley, CA 95945.

Modeling Wine Cars

AHM

  1. You're better off looking for the AHM 6 dome tank, and adding wire grabs, etc. Very cheap compared to the other.


  3. The car is ludicrously wrong in size and proportions, and has no remotely close prototype. It's about 12,000 gallons in effective size, something never approached by any real car. The domes are correspondingly enlarged and are equally wrong. Take into account the fact that it's an insulated car; if it were not insulated, it would be even more oversize.

  4. Tony Thompson    

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

  1. Some Champ decals and you're done.

  2.   

Precision Scale

  1. They make a brass wine car model, The Thomas model is similar to a Precision Scale import. A GATX tank would have a different underframe. Thomas may have followed an ACF design, but ACF 6-dome tanks have lower, wider domes.

Red Caboose

  1. Red Caboose already makes a single dome Roma Wine tank car. They also make a Roma Wine wood reefer:

  2. Red Caboose is more often than not prototypically accurate.


Chateau Martin Wine Cars

  1. These cars are actually AAR Class BMT (tank) cars, not reefers, but externally look like other reefers. Ordinarily they are used as insulated box cars in service, in other words not iced.

Paint

  1. The photos of the Chateau Martin cars depict the three known paint schemes of these cars: the original (1950s and perhaps earlier).

Modeling Chateau Martin Wine Cars

  1. With any California layout’s location, a Chateau Martin wine car is almost obligatory.

F&C

  1. F&C produces resin kits in HO scale and at one time the NHRHTA sold a private-label version of the F&C model.

Laconia

  1. Restore a Laconia kit for one of these cars.

Paint

  1. The distinctive virtue of the Laconia version is an accurate “claret red” color, not the horrid deep purple of a more recent commercial model.

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

  1. Decals would be a problem (Walthers sold decals eons ago).


Italian Swiss Colony Winery


Roma Wine Type 6 Dome Tank Car

  1. View a Roma Wine type 6 dome tank car on the siding at Glendale at the following video. Go to 11:13 on the video.

  2. http://archive.org/details/PET0981_R-1_LA

  3. Chris


  5. It appears to be a six compartment GATC Type-30 car. It was difficult to make out much more than that from the film.

  6. Gene Deimling





 
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