Anyone know what type or prototype this tank car with the reporting mark SOEX is? It’s an older tank car that’s been sitting dormant in the city of Springfield, IL for over 20 years and used to be filled with something called creosote.
http://www.sj-r.com/bakke/x1298144776/Dave-Bakke-Be-the-first-on-your-block-to-own-a-railroad-car
Trains Magazine Railroad reporting marks
A complete directory of railroad reporting marks (commonly found on freight cars), from A to Z
Published: May 1, 2006
SOEX Shell Oil Company
from Wikipedia:
"Creosote is the portion of chemical products obtained by the distillation of a tar that remains heavier than water, notably useful for its anti-septic and preservative properties"
There are a number of different types derived from different bases, wood, coal, petroleum… Uses vary depending on type. See Wikipedia for more…
From the City’s Request for Proposal:
"A. The railroad tanker car has a listed empty weight of 78,100 pounds. The
railroad tanker car is empty of product. It contained creosote approximately
20 years ago when creosote was pumped from the tanker and applied to utility
poles. There appears to be some residual creosote product remaining on both
sides of the outside middle portion of the tanker car. The manufacturer of the
creosote material is unknown; however a general material safety data sheet
(MSDS) on creosote oil is attached hereto and incorporated herein."
The use of the creosote as a wood preservatine on wood utility means that it most likely contained coal tar creosote. The car is probably an old car purchased by the city for creosote storage.
It probably carried some other product when owned by Shell. However; if the car was used by Shell to carry cr
Conroe Creosoting Co, Conroe TX ca 1982
Retorts in which poles, pilkings, posts, etc pressure-treated.
My N-scale model based o n Conroe Creosoting-
Info on KOPPERS tank cars for creosote:
KPCX 3016 Koppers Coal Tar blt 1940s 1 dome 10,000 gallon
listed 54 Register series 3000-3074. Homepoint: Folansbee, W.Va.
"A Rolling Pipeline of Colorful Tank Cars: Classic
Freight Cars Vol.2" p.50 color pix
traffic note: Koppers has a tar products plant in Houston,
others outside the region.
and its own wood treating plants in
Alexandria, LA Crossett ARK Fordyce, ARK
Houston,TX North Little Rock, ARK Texarkana, TX
per Moody’s Industrial Manual 1955
N model of Koppers tankcar used to deliver coal tas creosote.
Texarkana cresosote plant photrographed from Amtrak Texas Eagle, 1996:
Ties stacked for seasoning and air-drying before treatment
That’s a terrible picture, but the tank saddles (bolster supports) look like the Union Tank Car design.
Link to RR Picture Archives of SOEX tank cars: