Hey all Was wondering if any fellow SP fans out there now what the "S" in the white diamond means on the dome of certain SP tanks cars. Below is a pic of one such car built in 1942 by GATC, O-15-13 class. Thanks for any help. Thom
I believe the "S" was for a "syrup car" or food products like molasses. There were a few in south Texas, but most were in California. Many of these were finally in captive service and used for a number of tasks.
Russel The non potable water stencil was added for MOW service. The "S" was on the car when it was in regular service. Thom
As Flash mentioned, "liquid sugar" products. In the 60's, a lot of these cars were assigned to diesel fuel/fuel oil service, and later non-potable water service for use with "fire trains" In mountain territories, these cars would be staged every few miles, during summer months, by order of the National Fire Service. Many of these cars are still in service, many still wearing their 50's paint.
Flash I think your right. Im looking at specs for the 0-100-2. These had the S painted on the side. It says... "re #'d to SP 67600-67609 ca. 1968 for liquid sugar service"
True, Russell. No doubt a specialized load. I could not confirm the information about the "S" marking, but I learned a lot about molasses and corn syrup. I presume that the private companies like ADM have replaced all the railroad company cars for that purpose. Did you know that molasses, properly refined, contains no sugar? That's not like any molasses I had for breakfast!
