Southern Pacific Railroad Tank Car
July 29, 2016
DESIGN: CS25-A (unknown car number)
Railroad tank cars are designed to carry liquid freight.
This tank car was designed by the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Standard Steel Car Co. The car was built in 1903 by the Standard Steel Car Co. to a Common Standard design.
This car is unique among Southern Pacific Railroad-owned freight cars as it was the first "All Steel" type of car on the railroad. Although there are two pieces of wood on the car, the frame and all other parts of the car are steel.
This tank car is 40' long, carries 12,500 gallons of liquid, and has a riveted tank. It also has a single dome which was used to hold the liquid contents when it expanded during hot weather.
This car was likely used all over the Southern Pacific Railroad system including the Coast Line of California.
The car was initially painted black and carried oil until it was painted Mineral Red and placed into the railroad's Maintenance of Way (M.O.W.) service. This probably occurred in the early 1930s. During M.O.W. use, this car carried water to locations where track construction, track repair or other types of work needed water. Although the car has been slightly modified and has sustained some accident damage, it remains very much as it did when delivered new to the railroad.
