Tank cars and a Commercial soap manufacturer

 I just returned from an ops weekend up in New Jersey. Of the many things I saw, and want to copy, are industries, in tight spaces. Particularly on one layout, tucked into a corner was “Lever Brothers”. I think I pulled a dozen tank cars out of there! (Plus a couple boxcars)

I model 1952, what cars would a soap manufacturer receive? If you are shipping products to a soap manufacturer in tank cars what types tanks are you using?

I own a fairly extensive fleet of tank cars. I did cull off most of the colorful petroleum company tank cars in favor of plain solid black tank cars. My reasoning was that I bright red Mobile Gasoline tank car would have limited use, but a solid black UTLX tank car could reasonably be spotted at any industry receiving products in a tank car.

I have quite a few of what I call “chemical tank cars”, they are insulated tanks, many Athearn or Atlas. Of late quite a few manufacturers are producing a wider variety of tank cars for my Era. 

I invested in a somewhat large fleet of Hooker Tank Cars, 8k Gal. and 6k Gal.which seems to be in contradiction to my effort to get rid of colorful tank cars. My logic there is the Hooker Chemical Tank is so common, and WOULD be seen at a myriad of industries I model. 

The paper mill I model would require significant tank car traffic to supply the chemicals used in paper production. The tank car yards of the paper mill can now be populated with orange Hooker tanks as well as plain black chemical tanks.

At this point I believe I need to research the soap business to determine what might be shipped in tank car quantities, but I think I might be safe spotting any of my black tank cars as well as a few of my chemical tank cars at Lever Brothers with spurs to several buildings or door spots, not being too specific as to what you are spotting where and why. Operating crews will simply see a waybill that reads “Lever Bros., Track two, spot one.” And that’s probably good enough.

Those same tank cars can probably be returned to staging only to come out again later being routed to a fuel wholesaler!

After a quick search I find that commercial soap manufacturer requires two main ingredients: animal or vegetable fat and an alkali, most commonly sodium hydroxide.

During the process glycerin is produced as a bi-product.

Perfumes might also be added to the finish product. 

So a soap manufacturer will receive tanks of beef tallow, sodium hydroxide, boxcars of packaging materials and shipping containers, tank cars of perfume. It would ship tank cars of glycerine, and boxcars of finished products.

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