Some tankers have a larger diameter at the ends than in the middle where the fill cap is. Why? Liquid has a level profile unless filled under pressure. Is there an air space at the ends that serves some purpose? This shape surely adds some to the cost of mfg of the unit. (Topic has probably been on before, if so please excuse).
Northtowne
Are you sure they are bigger on the ends, or are you seeing cars that are built with a "bend" in the middle?
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
I think the bottoms are level but I will take a closer look. Why would they be bent? At a factory where I worked years ago I watched sheet metal layout men make round pipe fittings that had a slightly different diameter on the ends to connect different pipe sizes. I think I can see the steel round sections that are welded together to make the tanks and even the weld seam diameters grow slightly larger as they build out to the ends of the tanks.
To drain better...
We have started specing all new tank trailers with a 1 inch drop in the middle. Why when your pumping out from the middle having the lowest point be that spot makes it very easy to force whatever liquids your moving to it.
If the enlarged height is in the middle, you've hit on the right answer. You'll find the outlets at the low point.I thought we were done seeing them, but this past week I saw a couple of newer cars that are narrower toward the center. This isn't for unloading, but to keep the cars within Plate B or Plate C. The longer the car is, the narrower the maximum width must be to fit the car within the plate (why do you never see a Plate D on a car? That plate is the one that governs the coordination between length and width, as well as the length of the whelbase). Most modern cars get the width they need by moving the openings away from the centers.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
CShaveRRMost modern cars get the width they need by moving the openings away from the centers.
Makes spotting them fun at times.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
zugmann CShaveRR Most modern cars get the width they need by moving the openings away from the centers. Makes spotting them fun at times.
CShaveRR Most modern cars get the width they need by moving the openings away from the centers.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Murphy Siding(I gotta be honest here. I couldn't figure out why it would be fun to spot one. "Hey! Look- It's one of those modern cars with the openings away from the center." )
Kinda like putting gas in a 50's/60's car. Where the heck is the fill on this one?
tree68 Murphy Siding (I gotta be honest here. I couldn't figure out why it would be fun to spot one. "Hey! Look- It's one of those modern cars with the openings away from the center." ) Kinda like putting gas in a 50's/60's car. Where the heck is the fill on this one?
(I gotta be honest here. I couldn't figure out why it would be fun to spot one. "Hey! Look- It's one of those modern cars with the openings away from the center." )
Like behind the taillight? Or the license plate?
tree68 Kinda like putting gas in a 50's/60's car. Where the heck is the fill on this one?
The arrow on the gas gauge is a relatively recent addition. It helps when you get a new car and the fill is on the opposite side compared to the old car. At any rate, it takes a while to get used to having the fill on the other side.
The modern equivalent of hiding the fill behind a taillight or license-plate frame is hiding the button or lever for the locking gas-tank door inside the car. They have been in the center or front of the driver's door, down by the seat, up under the dashboard, in a row of pictorial controls, even inside the glove box. Often made in a color matching the background to make it impossible to see at night.
Rental companies need to make stick-on glow in the dark arrows that point to the control...
Ever had to call rental company for a fuel door that would not open?
Usually they had manuals in the glove compartment that would explain where the release was.
Much more fun was the '91 Sovereign, which has a locking gas filler door without... as it turns out... any internal release at all (you pull up on the driver's door lock handle to unlock the doors and trunk). Fascinatingly English is that there's a dash control to lock the doors, but not to unlock them. You can release the flap by going in the trunk -- but the pot-metal trunk latch loves to stick in latched position, making you dependent on the electric trunk unlock to be able to get to it...
The '90 had a large plastic lever to open the flap, down next to the driver's seat. This disintegrated the second time I pulled it, so I got proficient at opening the trunk and knowing exactly where to push to open the latch. Until the English steel and English welds failed and the door came off in my hand -- not a bug but a feature, in this case!
I still remember the joys of discovering '70s fuel-crisis locking gas caps... when you had no key. THAT is a sinking feeling that no manual can help.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.