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...

Transition Era Texas Oil (Texaco) Tank Cars - Part One

In 1935 the sizeable Texaco tank car fleet, just under 6,000 cars strong, was sold to General American and leased back to Texaco. The reporting marks remained unchanged, using T.C.X. However, throughout the 1940s, as cars were repainted, the billboard "TEXACO" scheme was abandoned in favor a simple black car with only the basic information, like that shown on TCX 6852 shown above (Hamlet, North Carolina, October 14, 1951, Col. Chet McCoid photo, Bob's Photo.) 

TCX 6852, built in April 1929, also illustrates a couple of other details worth noting. The AC&F 10,000 gallon Type 27 tank cars built in the late 1920s had shorter, fatter tanks, similar to those of the Type 21 design, albeit with three instead of four courses and four tank bands. TCX 6852 is an example of such a 10,000 gallon Type 27. After about 1930, 10,000 gallon Type 27 tank cars featured longer, narrower tanks with only two tank bands. Another interesting detail are the Dalman two-level trucks without Barber lateral motion devices.

TCX 7892, built in May, 1927, is another AC&F 10,000 gallon Type 27. It illustrates the billboard scheme, with silver tank and black stenciling. I also included this photo because the details of the Texaco dealer (along with the Signal dealer at left) are notable for modelers, including the pumps, barrels, sign, etc. Will Whittaker photo at Woodland, California, December 17, 1939.

TCX 4154 also effectively illustrates the simplified post-GATC takeover scheme. It was built by Petroleum Iron Works in May, 1927. Hamlet, North Carolina, October 14, 1951, Col. Chet McCoid photo, Bob's Photo

This last photo is included because it illustrates an interesting Texaco detail stenciled on the ends of cars. Note the rectangle at the right of the tank head (end) containing "F" over "10". TCX 6852 above has "R" over "10", TCX 4154 has "R" over "8" and TCX 7892 also has "R" over "10" on the head. The numbers almost certainly refer to the tank capacity with "8" = 8,000 gallons and "10" = 10,000 gallons. While it is supposition the "F" might refer to fuel while the "R" could refer to refined products. No doubt, one of you can offer some additional details and/or corrections. Photo by Esther Bubley in Casper, Wyoming in 1948.

Information about decals for the GATC era to follow in Part Two