AC&F Type 27 ICC 103 6,000 Gallon Tank Cars

 

"Tank car going over the retarder at the south hump at an Illinois Central Railroad yard," Chicago, Illinois, Nov. 1942, Jack Delano photo, FSA-OWI Collection, Library of Congress, Call Number: LC-USW3- 010536-D

Collectively, American Car & Foundry (AC&F) and General American Transportation produced the vast majority of tank cars that traveled the rails in the Steam and Transition Eras. AC&F settled on common design traits that were modified to suit various sizes and types of tanks. The notable feature was the underframe and AC&F designated various underframes as "standard" and applied a "type" based upon the first year it was produced (more likely marketed, as some slightly predated the year's designation.) One of the most common was the Type 27. Of the Type 27 tank cars produced, most were 8,000 or 10,000 gallon general service cars (ICC 103) and insulated (ICC 104) or insulated and pressurized (ICC 105) most commonly in ~6,000 or 10,500/11,000 gallon capacities. However, there were small quantities of cars built in smaller or larger capacities or even multiple compartments (what modelers colloquially refer to a "two-dome" or "three-dome," for example.)

R C Feld photo, John C LaRue, Jr Collection

When added to a model tank car fleet of more common-sized cars, these odd capacity cars can stand out in a consist and add a little variety. At the recent Chicagoland RPM, Resin Car Works released a 6,000 gallon ICC 103 Type 27 general service tank car ($60). According to the prototype info referenced in the box insert, there were only 77 of this prototype produced between 1931 and 1941. The RCW kit replicates the 33 cars built between August, 1940 and May, 1941, with truck centers of 21'7". The kit includes lettering for generic SHPX stenciling as well as SHPX cars lettered for Wolf's Head Refining. There is also an add-on that includes lettering for Chateau Martin Wines, with a cast brass frangible disk and attractive color lettering and logo. I opted for this scheme. There were five cars in series CMWX 101-105 in the early 1940s. By the early 50s there were only two cars, nos. 101 and 105 (note if you look for Chateau Martin's cars in the ORER, they are listed in the back section under "Commodities Car Co."

It looks to be a straightforward kit. When I build it, you will see it here...

Illinois Terminal 1937 AAR Box Cars

 

The photo shown above (Karl Geffchen photo, Aug. 1978, from the Fallen Flags site) was posted to the Railroad Modeling the 1970s Group on facebook with a query about details. I posted an answer there, but thought these cars would make an interesting post overall. So, here goes. I will cover the photo above first even though it is the last chronologically, since it is the genesis of this post. It is an ITC 1937 AAR box car that was modified with a wider door opening (six feet to eight feet, although it's possible it's seven; my most "modern" ORER is only from '61 so I am uncertain; if you know, please leave a comment below) and a side sill support spanning from body bolster to body bolster as well as additional bracing where the door posts meet the side sills. Presumably, it also received the underframe modification as shown in the last photos below. Note that this car is one of the members of the group with AC&F proprietary ("Carbuilder's") ends.

East St. Louis, Illinois, 1938, R. J. Foster photo, from Joe Collias

ITC 6041 was from the first group of 1937 AAR box cars acquired by Illinois Terminal (car nos. 6000-6099, 100 cars.) They were built in 1937 by AC&F and were quite "standard" in their details, including Youngstown corrugated steel doors with early Camel Roller Lift fixtures, square corner Dreadnaught ends, Murphy rectangular panel roof, double truss spring plankless trucks, Ajax power hand brakes and wood running boards and brake steps.

American Car & Foundry photo

ITC 6299 was the last car in the second group of 1937 AAR box cars, also from AC&F and built in 1941 (6100-6299, 200 cars.) These had Youngstown doors with Camel fixtures, Murphy rectangular panel roof, double truss spring plankless trucks, Equipco power hand brakes, wood running boards and steel plate brake steps. What made them unusual were the round corner AC&F proprietary ends, as shown in several of the photos herein.

circa 1955, Paul Dunn photo

Circa the mid-1950s, many cars were fitted with side sill support extensions, as shown above as well as bracing where the door posts meet the side sills (click on photo for a larger view.) The door opening remained at six feet. The placard boards were also lowered, as shown.

ebay purchase, undated

At some point in the 60s, cars received heavier side sill support sections, spanning the body bolsters, as shown above and in the first photo of this post. The door openings were increased and the doors were replaced with improved Youngstown corrugated steel doors. The underframe stringers were also augmented. The cars originally had one zee bar stringer on each side of the center sills and between the bolsters and the end sills incorporated a diagonal brace at each corner. As shown, these were augmented with two I-section steel stringers on each side of the original stringers and three I-section stringers on each side of the draft gear, replacing the diagonal braces.

ebay purchase, undated

Flat Car Friday - the same prototype?

Green River, Wyoming, Keith Ardinger photo

I have this Spokane International flat car on my list of projects, likely to appear in kit form (car nos. 5001-5075, built 1951 by American Car & Foundry.) I am hopeful that the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis has drawings and am awaiting their reply to my query. In the meantime, I have been examining my collection of flat car photos for fodder for this blog. I came across the photo shown below and was struck by the similarities to the SI flat shown above (below from St. Louis - San Francisco car nos. 95800-95899, built 1951 by American Car & Foundry.) Dimensionally, the cars are identical and the overall look plus the arrangement of details, notably the type and spacing of the stake pockets, leads me to believe that they were from the same design. I have also inquired about drawings of these Frisco cars to compare, should both be available. I am keeping a keen eye out to see if ACF built other flats like these at around the same time. More about the load on the SI flat coming in the following days, too.

P.S. The SP's F-50-16 class, while similar at first blush and built by ACF, is not the same design as the cars illustrated herein.

Fayetteville, North Carolina, Dec. 23, 1951, Col. Chet McCoid photo, Bob's Photo