I’m enamored with the Rail Yard Models sulfuric acid tank car, and I’m looking for an excuse to get one. Can anyone help me determine what type of industry would take such a shipment? I model an East Texas shortline in 1982. Industries already present include a brick plant, manufacturer of refrigeration equipment, lumber mill, etc. Would the brick plant have a use for sulfuric acid? What type of industry suitable for East Texas in 1982 would use sulfuric acid?
Perhaps I’m stretching too much to include one type of car. But boy do those tank cars look nice.
On my Paceline Manufacturing I use Sulfuric Acid by tanker car (Or carboys in boxcars) to help clean the metals in the finish shop. I use Soda Ash afterwards to clean the acid off the metal. (Also delivered by covered hopper or bags in boxcars)
Sulfuric Acid is very destructive to metal tanks, eating away a certain amount of metal per year. They are usually stored in glass lined containers. Associated storage tanks have pump systems that constantly assure the storage tanks recieve the same volume of air as the acid is pulled out of the tank.
Also the pumps isolate pressurized (Negative) tank cars from the storage tanks during unloading of acids. The acids are usually handled in spaces that are totally proof against fire, acids etc.
I think the Buffalo Region of NY had many gas works that might produced the acid out of coal… but not certain of this. (Corrections welcome.)
Side note. When your eyes burn as you cut onions, it is because of the sulfuric acid that forms from the gas released by the onion. The gas has sulfer in it.
properties and uses of sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong acid, an oxidizing agent and a dehydrating agent. It is used to make many soluble phophates for fertilizers, ammonium sulfate and many other chemicals, including drugs. Newly made steel is cleaned with sulfuric acid to remove rust before the steel is coated with a protective layer of zinc, tin or enamel. It is also used in lead sulfate batteries. Many explosives are manufactured using sulfuric acid.
The following taken from Rail Yard Models should give you ideas:
“Molten sulfur is a commonly carried commodity that uses purpose built cars for transport. It’s most common uses are the production of sulfuric acid and other chemicals, fertilizers, gunpowder, matches, insecticides, detergents, dyes, fungicides and the vulcanization of tires. Sulfur is produced through direct mining of elemental sulfur or through the refining of oil and natural gas.
“At room temperature, sulfur is a soft, yellow solid, while molten sulfur turns a blood red color. In order to load and unload this material, it is heated until it becomes liquid. The car’s contents are kept from losing a great deal of heat in transit by a 6” thick layer of insulation. Heating of the material in the car during unloding is achieved by passing steam through a series of heating coils welded to the tank envelope hidden under the car’s insulation and thin metal jacket.”
So, this car was designed to carry molten sulfur, not sulfuric acid.
Sorry, my goof. The company also makes a sulfuric acid car too which is the one you’re probably discussing.
“Sulfuric acid is one of the most commonly hauled commodities on US railroads. Due to it’s high density, 100 ton loads can be shipped in relatively small cars. This specific type of sulfuric acid car was designed and built by Union Tank Car Company between November 1977 and March 1979 with most still in service today.”
The sulphuric acid car is neat, but I find the molten sulfur car (pictured on the company’s home page) even more appealing. Too bad the car is not in the era I model or I’d get a couple.
I like the molten sulfur car, too, but figured I’d have an easier time justifying a sulfuric-acid based industry in the part of the country I model (East Texas.)
I’m warming to the idea of a fertilizer plant. That might just work, as long as it’s not fertilizer from phosphate rock (isn’t that strictly a Florida-based industry?). I might need to explore fertilizer production now. I’m assuming that fertilizer would be shipped out in covered hoppers. I’ll do a little digging, and maybe I can find examples of a small to medium sized operation to emulate.
You’ve got to admit that’s one of the best things about being a model railroader–you get to learn the ins and outs of so many different industries.
I work in a industrial chrome plating shop and we always have sulfuric and hydrochloric acid on hand all the time. Like mentioned before, we use it to strip of chrome that is on parts, also for etching like mentioned. We aren’t a huge shop (only 85 employees), so we get the acid in barrels, but if you modeled a big enough industry you could definatly have the acid arrive in tank cars.
I used to switch out a fertilizer plant (now closed) in Madison, WI. Once in a while they would get a sulfuric acid car. A lot of phosphate (CSX family covered hoppers) and potash (Ammonium sulfate on the lists) cars in. Ammonium nitrate once in a while. Didn’t ship much out by rail, a car or two of compounds a month, probably used by other plants to make other things
Significant uses of sulfuric acid, more or less in order, are:
68% – Phosphate fertilizer manufacturing, where it’s used to convert phosphate rock to phosphoric acid
7% oil refining (petroleum alkylation)
4% – metals refining such as copper ore leaching, electrolytic solvent extraction of dissolved metals, and refining of uranium and vanadium
3.5% – manufacture of industrial organic chemicals
2.5% – manufacture of synthetic rubber and plastics
2.5% – manufacture of pulp and paper
9% – other such as lead-acid battery electrolyte, manufacture of explosives, dyes, glue; metal cleaning and pickling; electroplating; water treatment; and – I kid you not – food additive.
Major sources of sulfuric acid are sour-gas, sulfide ore smelter fumes, and crude oil.
How about modeling the company that manufactures the rail car itself?
Union Tank Car Texas Division [;)] or a UTLX Repair facilty. According to their website, they have 2 facilities in SE texas, in Pasdena and Baytown, I could easily see one in Lufkin, Tyler etc.