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6.5 Tankcars?

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6.5 Tankcars?
Posted by ericsp on Saturday, May 8, 2010 2:32 AM

I found the quote below on USAF's C-5 Factsheet.

"The Galaxy has 12 internal wing tanks with a total capacity of 51,150 gallons (194,370 liters) of fuel -- enough to fill 6 1/2 regular size railroad tank cars."

I think the Wright brothers were still flying when a "regular size" tankcar has about 7,869 gallons.

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Posted by CShaveRR on Saturday, May 8, 2010 4:47 AM
Yup--I remember those "8000-gallon" standard ARA-III tank cars (and, yes, I believe Orville was still alive when I was born). I think I even saw some old ARA-II cars in service--those had the valve off the side of the dome...remember domes?

Believe it or not, there were still some 8000-gallon 111A100W tank cars built in the early to middle 1970s, for corn syrup service. But I agree--aviation fuel to fill those wing tanks would be carried in two modern tank cars, at most.

Carl

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Posted by tree68 on Saturday, May 8, 2010 8:17 AM

Wow!  I'd never really thought of it that way, but I could drive around 900,000 miles on that much fuel...

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, May 8, 2010 9:40 AM

CShaveRR
Yup--I remember those "8000-gallon" standard ARA-III tank cars (and, yes, I believe Orville was still alive when I was born). I think I even saw some old ARA-II cars in service--those had the valve off the side of the dome...remember domes?

 

Carl: Would like to know when that item was written?. One standard configuration of mobile airport fuel tankers just happens to be 8000 Gallons. Full of fuel they would weigh 110 - 120K #s.  Have 4 steer tires and some number of back tires. (No problem on an airport). There  are greater capacities but I don't remember those capacitys. Usually airports that have high capacity aircraft now go to hydrant fueling and the fueliing truck or just maybe a trailer will only weigh 10 - 20K #s.

Maybe  the author got his number from the air?

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