Dennis Storzek wrote:

I THINK the IRM data plaque is incorrect about the tanks being stainless; that much may be true, but I was under the impression they were glass lined, the glass being fused to the substrate much like porcelain.

What are called "glass-lined" steel articles do indeed have a porcelain surface, which is strongly bonded to the steel. It would make no sense for the steel tank itself to be stainless, as the porcelain is the entire interior, although external piping probably IS stainless. The likely material for the tanks is in fact mild steel. The porcelain enamel lining is predominantly a glassy material, thus the shorthand "glass-lined." Bathtubs and sinks can be made with the same process.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, tony@...
Publishers of books on railroad history