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ID Help With Container Car

Garth Groff and Sally Sanford <mallardlodge1000@...>
 

Friends,

The attached photo of a container car is well beyond our era of interest. I was hoping to learn more about the car itself to see if it would barely scrape into our last year or so.

The car in question is CCKX 281. The only reference I can find to this reporting mark is California 
Contemporary, Inc., which doesn't seem right. I shot this in the SP/UP Roseville yard near the RIP track around 1987. I suspect the car is loaded with toxic waste of some sort.

Any help with the car's origin and who it belonged to would be appreciated.

Yours Aye,


Garth Groff  🦆
Tim O'Connor
 


CALCIUM CARBIDE containers. Not waste, but evidently nasty stuff.


On 5/12/2020 7:08 AM, Garth Groff and Sally Sanford wrote:
Friends,

The attached photo of a container car is well beyond our era of interest. I was hoping to learn more about the car itself to see if it would barely scrape into our last year or so.

The car in question is CCKX 281. The only reference I can find to this reporting mark is California 
Contemporary, Inc., which doesn't seem right. I shot this in the SP/UP Roseville yard near the RIP track around 1987. I suspect the car is loaded with toxic waste of some sort.

Any help with the car's origin and who it belonged to would be appreciated.

Yours Aye,


Garth Groff  🦆

Attachments:

_


--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
James Brewer
 

Garth,

The reporting mark CCKX is not listed in my July 1958 ORER.  A google search of reporting marks indicates it is assigned to CCKX Incorported!

 https://trn.trains.com/railroads/abcs-of-railroading/2006/05/railroad-reporting-marks

A further google search of CCKX led to http://www.cckxleasing.com/

In my quick look I couldn't find when this company began operations.

Jim Brewer
Claus Schlund &#92;(HGM&#92;)
 

Hi Garth,
 
Back in the 1990s and early 2000s I used to regularly get to check out the railroad cars being handled at the former SP yard in South San Francisco. A car much like this one, perhaps even the SAME one, would show up every once in a while. I checked it out at the time, and my memory is that these containers contain calcium carbide.
 
I think one of the containers, closest to your camera, might be stenciled PACIFIC CARBIDE.
 
As I recall, the containers had a footprint of around 4ft square. As you can see in your image, there is a set of angle bars over the top of the containers to hold them securely in place during transit. Calcium carbide is used in the industrial world to make acetylene gas. There was a industrial gas business not far from the yard I mentioned, I think the business was called County Welding, they may have been the recipient of this material and may have used it to make acetylene on site.
 
As a final item, link to a discussion regarding calcium carbide freight cars...
 
 
Hope this helps!
 
Claus Schlund
 
 

From: Garth Groff and Sally Sanford
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 7:08 AM
To: main@realstmfc.groups.io
Subject: [RealSTMFC] ID Help With Container Car
 
Friends,
 
The attached photo of a container car is well beyond our era of interest. I was hoping to learn more about the car itself to see if it would barely scrape into our last year or so.
 
The car in question is CCKX 281. The only reference I can find to this reporting mark is California
Contemporary, Inc., which doesn't seem right. I shot this in the SP/UP Roseville yard near the RIP track around 1987. I suspect the car is loaded with toxic waste of some sort.
 
Any help with the car's origin and who it belonged to would be appreciated.
 
Yours Aye,
 
 
Garth Groff  🦆
Schuyler Larrabee
 

I have a small (16”long) model cannon that my dad used to fire every once in a while, which used Calcium Carbide as the explosive force.  I don’t know how to use it (which may be just as well , . . 😊 ) but I do remember that it made one hell of a loud bang when it fired.  I don’t remember what the shot was, but I do remember it went a good long way.  I’ve often thought I should let it go but then I worry that somebody would fool around with it and get hurt.

 

I think that CC can also be used in headlamps used in mines, but not sure about that.

 

Schuyler

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Tim O'Connor
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 9:19 AM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] ID Help With Container Car

 


CALCIUM CARBIDE containers. Not waste, but evidently nasty stuff.


On 5/12/2020 7:08 AM, Garth Groff and Sally Sanford wrote:

Friends,

 

The attached photo of a container car is well beyond our era of interest. I was hoping to learn more about the car itself to see if it would barely scrape into our last year or so.

 

The car in question is CCKX 281. The only reference I can find to this reporting mark is California 

Contemporary, Inc., which doesn't seem right. I shot this in the SP/UP Roseville yard near the RIP track around 1987. I suspect the car is loaded with toxic waste of some sort.

 

Any help with the car's origin and who it belonged to would be appreciated.

 

Yours Aye,

 

 

Garth Groff  🦆

Attachments:

_

 


--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts

Tim O'Connor
 


I remember those toy cannons! I think vinegar or some other liquid was added to set off the reaction.


On 5/12/2020 10:24 AM, Schuyler Larrabee via groups.io wrote:

I have a small (16”long) model cannon that my dad used to fire every once in a while, which used Calcium Carbide as the explosive force.  I don’t know how to use it (which may be just as well , . . 😊 ) but I do remember that it made one hell of a loud bang when it fired.  I don’t remember what the shot was, but I do remember it went a good long way.  I’ve often thought I should let it go but then I worry that somebody would fool around with it and get hurt.

 

I think that CC can also be used in headlamps used in mines, but not sure about that.

 

Schuyler



--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
Edward
 

For a short while it was also used for locomotive and automotive headlights designed to burn acetylene.
It was used until electric light bulbs and their elements improved enough to survive rough use from the vibrations and shocks encountered. 
Ed Bommer
Tony Thompson
 

Schuyler Larrabee wrote:

I think that CC can also be used in headlamps used in mines, but not sure about that.

   Yes, I remember it well from my excursions into caving. Bright and dependable light.

Tony Thompson
Andy Jackson
 

The "cans" look like ones used to move "dirty dirt". BNSF used similar cars when the dirt under the old hydraulic retarders was hauled away to be burned to get rid of the fluid & returned clean.
mark_landgraf
 

When you add water to CC you get acetylene gas that is most commonly used in welding. 

Yes it was used in hand lamps, headlites on cars and locos as well as mining helmets. 

The gas becomes well unstable at greater than 15 lbs of pressure. 

Mark Landgraf


On Tue, May 12, 2020 at 2:41 PM, Andy Jackson
<lajrmdlr@...> wrote:
The "cans" look like ones used to move "dirty dirt". BNSF used similar cars when the dirt under the old hydraulic retarders was hauled away to be burned to get rid of the fluid & returned clean.
spsalso
 

Below is a shot I took of CCKX 268 in Emeryville CA, in March or April of 1976.

In reading Claus's blog article, I saw the mention of electric arc furnaces.  Interestingly, there was one about half a mile south of the photo location.  I spent a goodly bit of time hanging around the edge of the facility, but don't recall seeing such a car entering, leaving, or inside.  But I've missed lots of other things, too.


Ed

Edward Sutorik
spsalso
 

Just to be clear, the electric arc furnace was for steel making:  Judson Steel.

My January 1976 ORER shows the CCKX mark as being owned by California Contemporary, Inc.  It appears CC was the owner, not the shipper.  Oddly, all 95 cars they owned appear to have been container flats, similar to the subject cars.  They owned NOT ONE furniture shipping boxcar.  Weird, eh?

Home points are listed as ACF, Portland; Reading Railroad, Reading; Cape Fear Car Service, Fayetteville; New Haven RR, Maybrook; and Fabricated Metals, Modena PA and San Leandro CA.

Note that San Leandro is about 10 miles south of my photo location.


Ed

Edward Sutorik
Schuyler Larrabee
 

Aren’t these all in the future . . .???

 

Schuyler

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of spsalso via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 5:18 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] ID Help With Container Car

 

Just to be clear, the electric arc furnace was for steel making:  Judson Steel.

My January 1976 ORER shows the CCKX mark as being owned by California Contemporary, Inc.  It appears CC was the owner, not the shipper.  Oddly, all 95 cars they owned appear to have been container flats, similar to the subject cars.  They owned NOT ONE furniture shipping boxcar.  Weird, eh?

Home points are listed as ACF, Portland; Reading Railroad, Reading; Cape Fear Car Service, Fayetteville; New Haven RR, Maybrook; and Fabricated Metals, Modena PA and San Leandro CA.

Note that San Leandro is about 10 miles south of my photo location.


Ed

Edward Sutorik

Claus Schlund &#92;(HGM&#92;)
 

Hi List Members,
 
Edward wrote: “Home points are listed as <snip> San Leandro CA. Note that San Leandro is about 10 miles south of my photo location.”
 
San Leandro is also quite close to South San Francisco where I saw these cars, altho it is on the other side of San Francisco bay.
 
I found the photos I myself took, these were taken probably in the late 1980s or early 1990s. The car reporting marks on the car I photographed are CCAX, not CCKX, but the car and the container loads look more than very similar.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Claus Schlund
 

From: spsalso via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 5:17 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] ID Help With Container Car
 
Just to be clear, the electric arc furnace was for steel making:  Judson Steel.

My January 1976 ORER shows the CCKX mark as being owned by California Contemporary, Inc.  It appears CC was the owner, not the shipper.  Oddly, all 95 cars they owned appear to have been container flats, similar to the subject cars.  They owned NOT ONE furniture shipping boxcar.  Weird, eh?

Home points are listed as ACF, Portland; Reading Railroad, Reading; Cape Fear Car Service, Fayetteville; New Haven RR, Maybrook; and Fabricated Metals, Modena PA and San Leandro CA.

Note that San Leandro is about 10 miles south of my photo location.


Ed

Edward Sutorik

Tony Thompson
 

Just to be clear, the electric arc furnace was for steel making:  Judson Steel.

      Well, really for melting and casting steel. Judson had a foundry, a bridge and structural steel shop, a machine shop, and a nuts & bolts shop.

Tony Thompson
Jim Betz
 

Hi,
  Those cars are all marked for Linde and have a "W 1402" hazard lable.
With just that information it should be possible to identify what is in 
them.  However, these are far too late for this group's rules.
                                                                                                   - Jim
Doug Auburg
 

Re: ID Help With Container Car
From: Tim O'Connor
Date: Tue, 12 May 2020 06:19:09 PDT


CALCIUM CARBIDE containers. Not waste, but evidently nasty stuff

 

Calcium carbide used to be the source of acetylene gas for welding & cutting – just add water.  (i.e. your containers had better be very water tight or bad things happen.)

 

Doug Auburg
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