On Oct 19, 2022, at 8:35 AM, Bob Chaparro via groups.io <chiefbobbb@...> wrote:

A friend asked me:

"A basic question as I have never understood tank car operations. Would a refinery or producing oil field use tanks cars from only one fleet, such as all UTLX cars or all GATX cars. Or were cars a mix?"

I didn't know so I ask here.

As with so many things, the answer is, “It depends.” All the various Standard Oil operations around the country did continue to use UTLX cars as their main tank car fleet, and few other oil companies did so — until the 1950s, when UTLX began to branch out and lease to non-Standard companies. By far the biggest leasing fleet was GATX, not only in assigned leases (when the car was often decorated for the lessee) but in otherwise unmarked “pool” cars. A distant second was SHPX, same situation with leases, and a distant third behind them was NATX.

Bottom line, UTLX cars would mostly carry Standard products, even after the 1950s. Then any other oil company that had leased cars, from GATX or whomever, would of course mostly use those, but if a little short of cars, would use pool cars from their lessor, or maybe even get hold of pool cars from a lessor that did not provide their main fleet. The need to move products outweighed details of tank car ownership.

Tony Thompson

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Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io [mailto:main@RealSTMFC.groups.io] On Behalf Of Dave Parker via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2022 4:26 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Tank Car Question

Dave:

Confining my answer to HO scale, non-insulated, GATC-built cars sporting GATX reporting marks (and no company lettering reflecting a long-term lease):

1.  Tangent's 1917-design cars in both 8000 and 10.000 gallon sizes.  GATX would have had thousands (how many thousands I cannot say) in the 1920s, and "many" would have survived until 1952.  But, for reasons I can't explain, Tangent has yet to offer these cars in a plain-Jane GATX scheme.  I solved this with a couple of RTRs finished with 1934-era decals that I made myself.

2.  GATC "type 30" cars with longitudinal course built in the 1930s +/-.  Sunshine did these in the 8000-gal size if you can find one and aren't squeamish about price.  Frank Hodina built one by cannibalizing two Tangent underframes and then attaching a tank cast by Tom Madden:  http://blog.resincarworks.com/gatx-type-30-tank-car-project.  I don't know if Tom is still making those tanks available, but they are very nice. To date, I have not attempted a Type 30 build.

3.  Tangent has also offered some welded GS cars from 1948+ that I know very little about (well past my era).  Here, I believe the plain GATX scheme was available.

There were also a couple of intermediate GATC designs with longitudinal courses dating to ca 1922 and 1926 IIRC.   I am not aware of any models, although I do know that David Lehlbach (Tangent prez) has a keen interest in GATC cars along with a very large collection of relevant photos.

Hope this helps.
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Dave Parker
Swall Meadows, CA