Anyone want a "Whale"?

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:22 pm

An acquaintance forwarded this from another group. Seems some folks think it's a preservation candidate. I tend to agree, as soon as I find a place with unlimited track space and a desert climate.... (Sorry about the URLs, it seems our host server is chopping up the URLs as spam or whatnot...)

Quote:

And here are a few pics of the car that is sitting in Columbia AL right
now, DUPX 12405. They are truly unique pieces of rolling stock and it will
be a shame if a group isn't able to preserve one. Anybody know why they are
being scrapped??? I noticed this particular one was built in 1970. Has
it become too expensive to maintain compared to newer equipment??? Perhaps
not up to speed with updated EPA requirements? ?? Just curious why they
seem to have reached the end of the line.

Anyway, here are a couple of long shots in cloudy shadowy conditions. I
have been wanting to get back and get some pics in sunshine but all the rain
down here of late has delayed that. Here are two long shots:
http://bsmith3608.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1867874

http://bsmith3608.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1867875

Here is an end view. Note the walking platform on one side that runs the
entire length of the car:
http://bsmith3608.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1867876

Here is a view of the handbrake area. Notice how the hand brake seems to
have a "splitter" that perhaps allows the handbrake to be set on both set of
trucks on this end of the car:
http://bsmith3608.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1867877

Here are some details of the cars weights and limits. This pic shows the
load limit and light weight. These numbers indicate that when this car is
loaded to it's capacity it's total weight would be right at 525,000 pounds
or a little over 260 tons. Amazing:
http://bsmith3608.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1867878

Here is the built date, June 1970. Glad everything around here that was
"built" prior to this date isn't being "eliminated" . If so we would be
missing several members including myself. Guess it goes to show us older guys
are tougher than an 8 axle 70 ton (when empty) tank car.
http://bsmith3608.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1867879

And one more showing the capacity in gallons. I understand these cars
were used primarily to haul chemicals used in anti-freeze and the plastics
industry. However for perspective, the capacity of the large tank trucks you
see delivering gasoline is typically around 9000 gallons whereas this tank
car has a capacity of over 38,000 gallons or over 4 times what an over the
road tank truck can handle. Truly amazing beasts. Sad to see them go.
Hopefully somewhere one will be preserved for history. However given the
shear weight of these monsters I bet they fetch a pretty penny on the scrap
market.
http://bsmith3608.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1867880

Edit: Fixed Links

tomgears · **Posted:** Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:33 pm

Very interesting. None of the linked photos are working.

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

If anyone is really serious about acquiring one of these, please reach out to me via PM.

Rob

Don C. · **Posted:** Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:45 pm

It would make a great water car for the Big Boy that some people would like to see restored.................

Don C.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Dec 14, 2009 3:57 pm

Try this for photo links:

http://bsmith3608.rrpicturearchives.net ... %201867874

Now just change the last digit of the URL one number higher for several photos....

tomgears · **Posted:** Mon Dec 14, 2009 5:10 pm

Where were they built? Maybe a state railroad museum might like to have one.

Ted Miles · **Posted:** Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:43 pm

Folks,

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania has a big tank car that the call the "Rail Whale"

Might this car be part of the same class?

Ted Miles

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:20 pm

Ted Miles wrote:

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania has a big tank car that the call the "Rail Whale"

Might this car be part of the same class?

Same general concept, different design/class/fleet.

JimBoylan · **Posted:** Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:11 pm

Galveston (Tex.) Rwy. Museum has a similar car, a pregnant whale, it floats in hurricanes.

Tim Andrews · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 9:04 am **Posts:** 90

In answer to the question "why is it being retired?"

This car will reach forty years in July of 2010 and will no longer be able to be interchanged, the so called "Forty Year Rule". Without a rebuilding that will could add 10 more years to its life, it will be pretty much stuck on the railroad where it sits. That is why we see older cars in service captive to the owning railroad and MOW equipment that is way over the limit (At least one railroad is still running some equipment flats that date from the 30s). There are waivers and other ways to get overage things to a museum but it becomes more difficult as time goes by.

As an additional note, the vast majority of cars built in, or before 1970, are no longer to be interchanged. I don't know the statistics but a huge number of cars (including most unequipped 70 Ton, Siding door boxcars) will be forced into retirement over the next ten to fifteen years. With the industry not reinvesting in these "plain Jane" cars the number of railroad owned cars will plummet. That will certainly make it tough on shortlines (which rely on industrial product products for a large percentage of income) to make a buck. If they go out of business there will be fewer places to operate the vintage passenger trains that we support.

Tim Andrews
TVRM
Chattanooga

Stationary Steam · **Posted:** Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:32 pm

Yes where was it built? If it came out of the general American Tankcar plant in Masury, OH (could be listed as Sharon, PA) then I certainly might have a home in mind for it.

Mark Jordan · **Joined:** Fri Nov 07, 2008 11:21 am **Posts:** 490

An off-topic sidenote:

At Stearns, KY, while employed at Kentucky & Tennessee / Big South Fork RR we interchanged cars from NS on a daily basis. These were "company service" cars (gondolas) that were hauling contaminated debris (ties, ballast, dirt) to a landfill. While our mileage on K&T was only a half mile to the receiver, it did count as an interchange. Several times, we encountered friction bearing Bettendorf style trucks that were still riding on the brass. Era/years 2000-2003.

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

I'll say again, I am willing and maybe able to help get one of these. I can't afford it myself, I am after anthracite road pieces, but I can try to help in this particular case.

Rob

Stephen S. Syfrett · **Posted:** Tue Dec 15, 2009 2:31 am

I got a call from a friend who works for a local railroad telling me about these very cars, to see if I was interested in trying to get one for the museum. I saw 2 of them going west out of Albany on NS one night last week. Now I know where they went. In the dark I could barely see that they were 8-axle cars, but I could certainly tell they were long and skinny tanks. According to my friend, these DuPont marked cars are to be scrapped here in Albany. Trouble is, if the scrapper has already bought them, I doubt there is a way to purchase one without pretty deep pockets.

On another tank car note, UTLX 69399, an AC&F product of 6-55, insulated and with recessed ends, was hauled off to the scrapper on November 6. It had been purchased by a local industry to hold hot liquids (it was marked "HOT WAX") but whether it was ever used or not I don't know. It was in decent shape overall, but had been sitting in dirt on the center sill for at least 4-5 years. In any case, it was supposedly offered to the museum if we would move it, but I was unaware of the offer since it came to our Executive Director, who is decidedly not a fan of the railroad collection at our 'heritage center". I could have at least salvaged the draft gear and couplers, although all brake equipment was long-gone, and no trucks. Anyway, just a notice in case anyone is interested.

As for the "40 year rule", on Monday I saw a Canadien National cylindrical hopper CNLX 8105 sitting right behind the depot on NS tracks. Nothing unusual, except for the build date of 2-65 and no stenciling to indicate extended service work has been completed. Truck side frame casting dates were a bit younger...3-68.

ebtrr · **Posted:** Tue Dec 15, 2009 12:58 pm

Stephen S. Syfrett wrote:

On another tank car note, UTLX 69399, an AC&F product of 6-55, insulated and with recessed ends, was hauled off to the scrapper on November 6. It had been purchased by a local industry to hold hot liquids (it was marked "HOT WAX") but whether it was ever used or not I don't know. It was in decent shape overall, but had been sitting in dirt on the center sill for at least 4-5 years. In any case, it was supposedly offered to the museum if we would move it, but I was unaware of the offer since it came to our Executive Director, who is decidedly not a fan of the railroad collection at our 'heritage center". I could have at least salvaged the draft gear and couplers, although all brake equipment was long-gone, and no trucks. Anyway, just a notice in case anyone is interested.

Ponderous. How do people such as this get to be in charge of museums - connections? Seems like "professional management" screws up museums as often as volunteers do.