Built late 1880s
| UTL 34' Box Tank Car Built late 1880s | |
| Before the age of the automobile, the main products made from petroleum were lubricating and illuminating oils, kerosene, and fuel oil. All of these were often purchased in small quantities and shipped in less-than-carload lots. But leakage and odor made railroads loath to ship petroleum products in ordinary boxcars, so special cars like this one were used instead. These odd-looking 'box tank cars' had separate (square?) sheet iron tanks over each truck, and a space between the tanks that could be filled with petroleum products in small containers. Roof hatches facilitated loading, and the louvered vents in the car sides must have been a desperate (and sometimes unsuccessful) attempt to prevent the buildup of noxious fumes. Since the load was concentrated over the trucks, a single king post provided enough support for the car's truss rods. In 1887, box tank cars were being used by John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil to ship refined products from Ohio to California. By the early 1890s Rockefeller's UNION TANK LINE was running 200 such cars all over the country (or 199 after one of them blew up in 1895 in the Colorado Midland's yards at Colorado City). In 1899, the UTL fleet of combination box / tank cars reached its peak at around 500 cars (probably not all 34 feet long like this one), and some cars remained in service as late as 1909. Although these cars must have been a common sight as they carried petroleum products from Standard Oil refineries to industries and fuel dealers everywhere, photos of the cars are extremely rare. The Silver Crash Car Works HO scale 34' box tank car is based on UTL #1033 as it appears in a high-resolution copy of this photo from the collection of the Colorado Historical Society, taken by W.H. Jackson at Pueblo, Colorado around the turn of the century. Our resin box tank car is easy to build because the kit features yet another fine one-piece body casting from Barry McClelland of Railway Recollections. Despite its odd appearance, we think that this car is the safest yet developed for transporting petroleum products around your layout. Petroleum products will still have a strong tendency to spill or explode, so please exercise due caution when loading and switching these cars, and be sure to spot them well away from your depots and residential areas. Click on these photos for full-size images:
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| Outside Dimensions of Car | Length 34'3", Width 8'9" over sheathing, Body Height 8'7" from bottom of sheathing to top of roofboard at car end |
| Siding / Roof | 5¼" beaded siding / 2½" roof boards |
| Lettering | Our Silver Crash Car Works PAINTING DEPARTMENT official
lettering set for 'UNION TANK LINE Tank Cars and Combination Box / Tank Cars' has enough decals to letter one of these 'box tank cars' plus two
'boiler tank cars', one each from the early 1890s and the late 1890s. $4
if bought with the kit, or $5 on its
own. |
| Recommended Trucks | We are not aware of any photo showing the trucks on these cars, so for once you are on your own here. |
| Estimated Construction Time | Basic kit: 2 hours including grab-irons and brake wheel (not included in the kit) Options requiring extra time: underbody brake rigging on cars with air brakes |
| Kits Available From | Silver Crash Car Works ($27 plus postage) |
