Interesting

I really liked the info on the pre WWI tank cars

A very good addition to

A very good addition to Tony Thompson's description is this documentation of UTLX history - http://utlx.com/pdf/TankCarHistory.pdf, which you can find on homepage of Union Tank Car Co.

Outstanding

An outstanding article; I learned a lot. Thanks Tony!

Terrific in depth article

Tony gives more info than is easily found in reading several RR cyclopedias.

Is there any chance that Tony would follow up with modern tank cars ?

How about the 70s?

I'd like to see an article covering tank cars of the seventies. 

Good stuff, prototype information is always helpful. 

Randy

Tank Car History and workings

I will keep going back to this great source of info.

Thanks for it!!!

Regards,

Jeff Jaekel Knoxville, TN

Hm, another item to add

How do existing kits rate in terms of accuracy - say old Blue box Athearns for example?

Tank Car Basics - Part 1

This was an impressive article researched and written on Tank cars.  I couldn't stop reading this enthralling article.  The historical perspective to the development of these interesting cars was well prepared and thought out for the readers.  I can’t wait till the next installment regarding placards.  Thank you for this great and value packed service.

Excellent article Tony, I

Excellent article Tony, I enjoyed it tremendously. I would like to see some more information regarding car types like you posted with inservice dates and manufactured dates. I am trying to pin down the new car types in the late fifties and prior to 1960 when the cars really began to change a lot in make up of types. That info on 1957 changes was great it would just be interesting to see how many of the new types began to make up the fleets over the next few years and who made them.

You don't get a gold star you get 5 of them!

The Tank Car Article

Well Done Tony

This is a great article and will rank in the long term with those published by Richard.   It is an outstanding treatise on Tank Cars and will be the go to article in future.   Thanks Tony much appreciated there is a lot of work in producing that article.

Rob McLear

Outstanding Tank Car Article...Can't wait for Part II.

I learned a great deal about tank cars that I didn't know.  Certainly an exhaustive article.  Looking forward to part II.

It did raise a question again for me that I've long wondered about:

Unloading at bulk oil and gas dealers.  Gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene.  Were these all unloaded by gravity, or a combination of gravity and pumps to get into both horizontal and vertical tanks common at bulk oil dealerships?

Thanks, Tony, for your usual excellent information on a subject about prototype practices.

Chuck

I second that 1970s request

Its been pretty difficult trying to learn about the kinds of cars that are "post transition",  but much older than the current day equipment.    I have a hard time identifying which cars are valid for my given time period. 

Really Nice Article

I read the article because, while I'm modeling modern era, it's always good to have some history. I will add my voice to those asking for information on modern tank cars. My industry takes in tank cars of honey, which I know is very dense. I've been using corn syrup cars because corn syrup has similar attributes to honey. I have no idea if that would be correct or not.

Jim, I think I remember the answer you need from a clinic.

"How do existing kits rate in terms of accuracy - say old Blue box Athearns for example?

James Eager"

I attended a clinic on tank cars, but I don't remember where.  I think the clinician pointed out that the standard single dome tank car from Athearn is accurate for some cars, but the multi-dome tank cars Athearn made were just single dome cars with extra domes added on.  Each dome would represent a separate compartment, so multiple compartment cars would be longer than the Athearn car.  There were different type of domes for different cars and from the different manufacturers, so you would need prototype pictures to match the Athearn blue box or other tank cars to prototype.

OK

Since most of my tank cars are single dome Athearns, I am in good shape then.  All but 1 of my tanks are single domes, plus I have a couple of 60' ones as well.  Sounds like I am not too far out of whack.

I remember a good article

I remember a good article from this magazine one year ago.

http://mrhpub.com/2015-02-feb/port/files/140.html

Tank Cars

Good show Tony but I guess the time frame you addressed did not include the "Harriman Standard tank on a flatcar" though some of these survived on the S•P in MofW,fire train and domestic water service into the '50's.

Keep the good stuff coming, John

Interesting article

Along with Tony's website, I find the articles very interesting and informative. I might not go to the detail that Tony does, but at least I do have a better understanding of what is involved with tank cars. And Tony has a good way of putting across the articles without making it sound boring!

Fantastic!

What an excellent article, Thanks Tony and MRH!

And Please consider this another vote for a late 60's- 1970's version of the same article...

Thanks!

I am researching into what the prototype car would have been for a lone tank car that was in oil service in Bermuda in the 1930's. I know it was 5000 gallon capacity and have a couple of photos of it. Thanks to your article I know more about the construction standards of the time and can make a better educated guess as to it's construction.

Tank cars

Excellent. I really enjoyed the article. I would like to see an article on scratch building tank cars in 0 gauge, similar to that appearing in this issue on hopper cars.

Kerry

In Queensland Australia

Educational

Well written. The moniker, " The Professor ", could easily be applied to Mr. Thompson for the level of research and ability and willingness to communicate that knowledge to the rest of the "Hobby". Very much like a teacher, he always urges us to follow up and continue that research by pointedly limiting the scope of his presentation with references to where the greater knowledge can be found. I have to admit that I am a "groupee" of his as I am an avid follower of his blog, "Modeling the SP". However, this is an article that covers the more general,industry-wide (non-SP) development of tank cars. I can't wait to read the second part of this essay.

Tank Car Article

EXCELLENT article on one of, if not my most favorite pieces of rolling stock.                                                                                                                                                                                         I model the Canada Southern in 1953, and the St. Clair branch that ran into the oil fields in and around Oil Springs and Petrolia, Ontario. Tank cars are a huge part of my operation and I have over 60 just in "assigned service" between Petrolia, Oil Springs and an interchange with the C.& O., which takes some of the the cars to Sarnia.

I learned quite a bit from this article.

Nicely done.

Thanks Tony!

Excellent article; very well researched and very well written. I've been in the chemical trucking business and a model railroader for many years and enjoyed learning more about things I see every day.