Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Historical inquiry: Tank cars and placards

20680 views
30 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • 3,139 posts
Posted by chutton01 on Thursday, October 17, 2013 11:05 AM

tstage

Greetings, fellas!

I've been putting together a Proto 2000 10K gallon tank car and began musing about the detailing.  When did railroads begin to implement placards on tank cars?  Is my understanding correct that those placards were removable - i.e. depending on whether the tank car was empty or "purged"?

I poked around the Internet some but didn't really find much information to answer my questions.  I appreciate the help.  Thanks...


OK, when you poked around and found this blog entry, you probably noted this mention
Luckily for modelers, there is an authoritative and complete magazine article on this subject, by John Ryczkowski, in Mainline Modeler (Volume 14, January 1993, pages 68–73). John clearly describes the various placards of different eras, and makes clear that my modeling year of 1953 was very different from more recent years. Any modern modeler reading this post can find detailed descriptions and images of contemporary practice all over the Internet, but for older material, you’ll pretty much have to consult John’s article.
.
The question is where to find that Mainline Modeler article online...

Moderator
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Northeast OH
  • 17,249 posts
Historical inquiry: Tank cars and placards
Posted by tstage on Thursday, October 17, 2013 9:39 AM

Greetings, fellas!

I've been putting together a Proto 2000 10K gallon tank car and began musing about the detailing.  When did railroads begin to implement placards on tank cars?  Is my understanding correct that those placards were removable - i.e. depending on whether the tank car was empty or "purged"?

I'm assuming that most modern tank cars are generally designed/designated for the transportation and dispersal of a particular commodity.  Was this also the case for the earlier riveted and welded tank cars (e.g. 8K and 10K versions) back in the 1910s-1940s?

I poked around the Internet some but didn't really find much information to answer my questions.  I appreciate the help.  Thanks...

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!