I’m looking at the horrifically bright yellow Atlas 33,000gallon propane tank car I got yetserday and wondering… did the real RR require these cars to be run a number of cars behind the loco or ahead of the tail of the train for safety?
TIA [8D]
Yes, there is a standard. CSX requires all placarded cars (mainly tank cars) to be run at least 5 cars back from the locomtive(s). The only exceptions are: if you do not have enough cars to make that happen (so you put it at the rear) or if you are switching. SAFETY FIRST!
They are nice looking cars eh. You must have the Superior Propane car, I have 3 of them and run them together in the middle of a bunch of black ones. They really stand out.
I found the same requirement (plus, “5 cars from any occupied car,”) in Rights of Trains. That covers cabeese, as well as rider cars of any description - and also indicates that this rule was in effect when the CSX’s predecessor was still running Greenbriars.
In addition to tank cars, placarded cars can be box (or other) cars carrying explosive, flammable or poisonous materials - all the things that cause highway trucks to display those diamond-shaped ‘hazardous cargo’ signs.
I would imagine that nuclear waste would be the ultimated placarded commodity. If Yucca Mountain ever goes into operation, I may get to see that.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Rule generally require:
A loaded dangerous tank be no closer then the 6th car from a locomotive, occupied caboose or business car.
An empty dangerous tank be no close then the 2nd car from a locomotive, occupied caboose or business car.
Different spacing rules apply for cars other then tank cars, and during switching operations.
Nick
Actually there are a number of high-level nuclear waste cars on the rails right now. I have also seen a number of 20 and 40 ft half-height containers with radioactive placards - and only tarps to hold “it” in! I imagine these are very low-level shipments, carrying things like building demolition debris that “might” be contaminated but is placarded just in case.
KL
If I remember correctly, cars carrying flammable liquids or gases also must be 5 cars from any car with an engine (reefers for example) if the engine is operating.
As a side note, toward the end of the life of the Oil Cans from Mojave (formerly Bakersfield) to Carson, they were required to have a buffer car between the locomotives and the cars carrying crude oil. These cars were placarded for a flammable liquid. The Oil Cans from San Ardo (Wunpost) are placarded for a combustible liquid and do not have a buffer car, at least the last time I saw them.
Also, I have a couple of tan Atlas 33,000 tankcars decorated for Suburban Propane. Perhaps that is what you have. I could not find anything yellow of Superior Propane (http://www.atlasrr.com/HOFreight/ho33ktank.htm). Suburban Propane’s tankcars are now black and carry SPGX reporting marks. Although I am sure they also lease other cars.
I will occasionally see a boxcar with flammable liquid placards. There is no number so I am guessing they are carrying a bunch of different chemicals in drums. I have also seen boxcars placarded for calcium carbide, used to make acetylene.
DL tanks need only one buffer between them and any car with an operating diesel unit. They also must not be next to any shiftable loads. Note in these instances, DE tanks can serve as buffer cars.
Nick
THANKS ALL! [8D]
Nick, What’s DE and DL? Dangerous Load and Dangerous Empty?
I have the Surburban cars in tan and now the Superior in eye-stunning yellow. I think that they’re the brightest cars I’ve ever seen. This one went onto the trader’s shelf to replace a Hooker chemicals Atlas 3bay cylindrical hopper I’d just bought… and came straight back off again into my collection [:P] Which leads me into the question… shpuld that Hooker car have ordinary gates for the load to drop out or pipe fittings like the Athearn Centre Flow hoppers? [%-)] TIA [8D]
Sorry…reverted to industry shorthand there.
Yes, DL means Dangerous Load, and DE, Dangerous Empty.
Nick
I can’t find anything on Atlas’s website about the Superior Propane tankcars. What are the catalog numbers? Yellow tankcars sound interesting.
The type of discharge gates that the Hooker hopper should have depends on what it is supposed to be carrying.
EricSp
The car I have is Atlas item #559008 Car reporting mark UTLX88074. I believe that there are two other numbers as usual. I had never heard or seen anything about this car either - which is why I grabbed it fast - The “new” date on the car side is 1961. Mine came from Macs Models in Scotland. www.macsmodels.co.uk national code01436-679444. On saturday they had another of the same number back at the shop.
“interesting” is certainly the word. The yellow is BRIGHT while “Superior” is in red that makes the cherry red on the SOO loco I got at the same time look dull and the “propane” is in a similarly violent blue. You need shades on to look at this car. [:D] I’ll probably try to run it in a long string of boxcar red and grey cars. [:P] I have a string of the Accurail CNW 3 bay covered hoppers; it will look bright cut into them.
Hope that this helps [8D]
Did the same body shape/style of covered hoppers get different outlets… as far apart as plain gates and pipe connections???
TIA
[8D]
Thanks for the information. My research indicates that these cars are a custom paint job by a company called “Canadian Hobbycraft”.
The covered hoppers of a single type can have different discharge gates. In fact, a hopper may have a new load assigned to it and have its discharge gates changed. GE Rail Services has changed many former ACF Center-flow hoppers from plastic pellets to grain and therefore has changed the gates on these cars.
Thanks for the info [8D] on hoppers… I may change mine to plastic pellet loading for my Android building facility (been watching too many movies - Bladerunner - and reading too much Adams).
Does that mean the Superior cars are Canadian cars? [%-)] – The box is bog-standard Atlas with no additional markings… but Mac’s do specialise in Canadian stuff.
Do you find it weird communicating accross 1,000s of miles in seconds?
[alien]
I believe you are correct. When I bought mine there was only 3 numbers available. They also did a 6 car run of BA (anybody remember them?) tank cars as well. I have all six of those but these one’s are white.
Got a pic please?
I think Hooker Chemical was primarily a chlor-alkali company. They were bought out by Occidental Chemical, which is primarily a chlor-alkali company. They may have made PVC, otherwise, I doubt Hooker would have made plastic.
Superior Propane is based out of Toronto. Appearently they still paint their trucks bright yellow. http://www.superiorpropane.com/external/bins/splash.asp
It must be a conspiracy.
Sure, here you go.
