One of the industries we have on our club layout is the G. Roberts Printing Inc. building from Walthers.
In the builing description it says “a very large firm might also choose to receive ink in talk cars”
I’ve been looking all over the web, looking to see who might have shipped ink in tank cars in the 1970s and 1980s. I can’t find anything.
Tangent models makes a tank car that might be the right one, but I’d like to see a prototype photo of such a car, either in a siding, or at the manufacturer. What companies did this, what cars did they own or lease, and what kind of reporting marks might there have been. Any ideas?
My GATX Tank Car Manual (2nd ed.) is dated 1966. In one section it has a commodity list, gives the ICC section number for regulations, then “classed as” for type of commodity, and then specifications for the tank car.
There are hundreds and hundreds of commodities – really interesting and a good source of ideas for someone wanting a “different” industry on their layout.
Anyway … Ink. The regulation in 1966 was 73.144. Classed as F.L. meaning Flammable Liquid. Specifications: 111A100-W-1; 103-W.
I think of a 103-W as being a more or less plain Jane classic 8000 or 10,000 gallon (and some larger) tank car with full center sill and side running boards.
111A100-W-1 would suggest the larger 18,000 and 20,000 gallon tank cars with end stub sill but no center sill or side running boards. Some with multiple compartments.
What I glean from this is that ink was certainly regarded as a potential tank car load, and the rules and requirements were in place to tell what kind of car it should be shipped in. Does that mean there was even one such tank car in “ink service?” No, but I think it makes it probable.
Printer’s ink if shipped by rail, would no doubt be shipped by boxcar. Most likely by truck. Printer’s ink is not a liquid …
The chemicals to MAKE printer’s ink could very well be shipped by tank cars, but that would be a rather large chemical plant, not an end user printing plant. Look at the rail siding of any large (and I mean LARGE) printing plant … all box cars. I worked in a decent size print shop for 25 years. It was at least the size of the Walthers building and we got one transport truck per day.
Mark,Our industries as a rule is to small for rail service and some to small for a 53’ trailer and Roberts Printing is no exception…Roberts would need to be at least 2’x3’ just to look like it needs rail service.
Several years ago I attended a clinic on designing a ISL and the clinician suggested placing industries along the backdrop so they can appear to be larger. A example would be to slice Roberts Printing in two equal parts and placing them along the backdrop and now you have a large industry that gives the illusion it needs rail service.
In reality we should use the larger industry kits like Roberts for rail served industries and leave small industries like the Pikestuff warehouse as nonrail served…
one of the MR videos. It is called Taking Care of Business - SMS Rail Lines. About 20 minutes in they show tank cars being switched into a company called Central Ink. Doesn’t look like a giant place to me.
That building looked it could receive a boxcar and the building could be a low relief.
Mark R.
The chemicals to MAKE printer’s ink could very well be shipped by tank cars, but that would be a rather large chemical plant, not an end user printing plant.
Actually I think a small facility would work. Take a look at:
one of the MR videos. It is called Taking Care of Business - SMS Rail Lines. About 20 minutes in they show tank cars being switched into a company called Central Ink. Doesn’t look like a giant place to me.
Again all things railroad nips me in the caboose. I should know better by now and to add insult to injury that looks to be the size of a Pikestuff warehouse.[banghead]
Also the lading was ink according to the information at the bottom of the screen.
That’s an interesting video. I just had to look at the park on Google Earth. Lot of small facilities with lots of rail cars. The plastics plant, Central Ink, (which may have changed owners and name) and Royal Sugar, just to name a few.
Mike,My Slate Creek Rail is based on Progressive Rail and a tad of SMS…These roads was what I was looking for my idea of a switching road that served a industrial park and PRS was in MR as a Railroad you can model and IIRC SMS was in Trains Magazine or maybe Railfan.
Larry, after watching this video, and other areas I’ve searched, such the appliance park complex, I sure can understand why you like ISL’s. Tons of action!
AAR Rule 90 prohibited cars built before July 1, 1974 from being used in interchange service unless it has been rebuilted per AAR Rule 88. The Code of Federal Regulations prohibits use of a freight older than 50 unless the owner gets an exception from the FRA. A car built in 1928 is unlikely to be in use in the 1970s or 1980s. Cars built in 1942 were probably hard to find by then.
Here is the former US Ink plant in San Leandro (since closed). There is no sign they received anything in tank cars but they did receive carbon black in the specialized covered hoppers.
Page 33 of “Classic Freight Cars–The Series” Vol. 3, “A Rolling Pipe Line of Colorful Tank Cars” by John Henderson has a photo of ACFX 89658, a two compartment large (25,000 gal. plus) tank car leased to Sun Chemical Corporation’s General Printing Ink Division. The car is black with an orange band containing the black company name. Judging by the ink spills emanating from the manways, it only carried black ink. According to the photo caption, the car was built in 1972 and photographed in Maybrook NY the same year. This car would dwarf George Roberts Printing. An older 6000 gallon capacity car might be a better option, if you intend on rail shipments of ink.
On the other hand I attended college in Phillie and walked by the Bulletin (newspaper) building every day. It was rail served and I never saw a tank car spotted there. The Omaha World Herald (newspaper) is still rail served and only recieves paper by rail. While its possible for a printer to get ink by rail, its certainly not universal.
I just had to look into Central Ink, or as I found out, it’s Central Ink & Chemicals, CIC Inc.
Corporate headquarters in West Chicago, IL., and 6 other facilities around the country, Illinois,Wisconsin, Florida, California, Minnesota, and the one we are looking at, in New Jersey.
Looking at their products, they take ink and refine it into specialty ink products for use in the printing industries.
What this thread is telling me is that if a company makes inks, then it recieves chemicals of basic inks in tank cars, produces retail or wholesale ink and ships that out in boxcars or by truck. The end consumers of inks (printing presses) don’t appear to use tank cars of ink.
