White Tank Cars

Tom:

Your comment about the ATSF water cars jogged my memory.

In a "previous life" I worked for a company that had a potash mine and refinery near Carlsbad, NM.  The mine itself was located at Nash Draw - southeast of Carlsbad and about 48 rail miles from the refinery which was due east of Carlsbad. 

We had no potable water supply at Nash Draw so Santa Fe provided us with an ancient riveted, full sill tank car that, as I recollect, had a build date from the late '30's.  The car was painted silver and stenciled for "Potable Water Only" and something to the effect it was not authorized for use in interline service. 

The daily ore shuttle that delivered the raw potash ore to the refinery would bring the empty Santa Fe tank car over one or two days each week.  The refinery would load the car with potable water and the next day's shuttle train would pull that along with empty ore cars and deliver everything back to the Nash Draw mine site.

When I look at one of Lionel's "steam era" single dome tank cars, I always think about that ancient, full sill, riveted Santa Fe tank car.  😉

Curt

I'm thinking around 2002. That blue car looks like a 1999 Ford Escort. The picture dates

franktrain posted:

colorado hirailer posted:

Got any photos of a Coors white (or any color) tank car.  What time period did they operate in?  Have not seen that ..

I found this photo(google) of the Coors tank cars. My guess early 1990's

2002.

John:

Add some appropriate New Mexico desert dust weathering and that’s our old water car!  👍

Thanks for posting this!  You have just given me something to start searching for on eBay.  😉

Curt

juniata guy posted:

Tom:

Your comment about the ATSF water cars jogged my memory.

In a "previous life" I worked for a company that had a potash mine and refinery near Carlsbad, NM.  The mine itself was located at Nash Draw - southeast of Carlsbad and about 48 rail miles from the refinery which was due east of Carlsbad. 

We had no potable water supply at Nash Draw so Santa Fe provided us with an ancient riveted, full sill tank car that, as I recollect, had a build date from the late '30's.  The car was painted silver and stenciled for "Potable Water Only" and something to the effect it was not authorized for use in interline service. 

The daily ore shuttle that delivered the raw potash ore to the refinery would bring the empty Santa Fe tank car over one or two days each week.  The refinery would load the car with potable water and the next day's shuttle train would pull that along with empty ore cars and deliver everything back to the Nash Draw mine site.

When I look at one of Lionel's "steam era" single dome tank cars, I always think about that ancient, full sill, riveted Santa Fe tank car.  😉

Curt

Curt, K-Line offered a twin pack consisting of a silver tank car with black graphics and a black tank car with silver/white graphics.  The upper case R behind the road number may indicate it was not for interline service.  We run the silver car in our MOW train.  John in Lansing, ILL

I live in the middle of ethanol land.  I've never seen anything but black tank cars hauling it.

Kent in SD

I didn't read all the posts, but a few years ago I downloaded a PDF called "TankCarHistory".  I think it was from UTLX:

https://www.utlx.com/utlx-history/

but scrolling thru the images there I don't see the same ones as in the PDF.

In the PDF, the 1st image of a white tankcar is from 1949.

Not white, but if Menards ever wanted to make this I'd buy one: