1960s and earlier oil unloading

[steveturner]

Good afternoon gents. Getting a bit confused in my old age. I have a few tanks for a service area and i am using 8/10000 gallon fuel tank cars. Do they empty from bottom or top. Do i need a walkway or just pipe connections by the track to fill the couple of storage tanks. Looking for the simple and plausible. I have the Grandt line tanks and they came with a stand with a couple of pipes . Thanks for any help you can provide.Steve

[edwardsutorik]

They empty from the bottom.

Here's a discussion of the topic:

cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/173539.aspx


Ed

[keystonefarm]

Most empty from the bottom . If storage tanks are underground then gravity will do the job. If storage tanks are above ground then pumps will be needed. However there is a way you can empty a tank car from the dome lid to an underground tank. It's called a siphon. The suction line is placed down the dome opening to about the tank car bottom. Then the line is filled with product from the top of the suction line to a valve located by the underground tank. Once the line is full the valve by the tank is opened and the product will be siphoned from the car into the underground tank. The reason for this is faster car unloading two outlets for the product. You can also fill two tanks at the same time. This allows the oil business to return the empty car earlier avoiding per diem. --- Ken

[steveturner]

Thanks for the replies guys. The Grandt line came with a standpipe affair to empty and the walthers kit came with a teeter totter affair....didnt find much about those systems.Anyways i shall do as suggested and have a pipe and valve by the track..its just for a couple or three cars to unload fuel. Wondering any leads on valves and pipes i might use. Looks like pipe to a small pumphouse then pipe to tanks to make it look like something.Thanks again for your help..Stay safe...Steve

[edwardsutorik]

MIght start here:

www.walthers.com/piping-kit

but I suspect those are too big.

I used "valves" in the Walthers advanced search. There were plenty of others. Maybe Tichy has something.




Ed

[steveturner]

Thanks..the Walthers kit looks interesting but no size given.Anyone use it.Steve

[edwardsutorik]

here's a couple of useful pics:







Looks like the hose might be a 6" one. OD might be 7". That's .08" for HO--5/64" in fractions. You wouldn't want to stray too far away from that dimension. Smaller (1/16") might be even closer.

Seems like a tough size to find valves and nineties for. Steam engines tend to be smaller (Precision Scale) and refineries larger (Plastruct). You can probably build your own. Nineties can be done with slices of electrical insulation. Valves can be faked up with this and that and maybe some bondo.



Ed

[steveturner]

Thanks Ed ..very nice..gets the juices flowing. Thats what i am thinking with the valves and above ground pipes to the tanks. Size for sure an issue on ordering

[steveturner]

I also foun=d this but no size given modeltechstudios.com/pipefittingsvarietymodularsetwithvalveselbowsandpipeteesho187scaleunpainted.aspx

[steveturner]

Rusty stumps..feed from track to tank trackside would 1/8 fitting be big enough...Not sure what 1/8 works out to in inches. Here is the link..Rusty Stumps..............https://www.rustystumps.com/pipefittings.php

[edwardsutorik]

Here's a guy on Shapeways who makes a large-ish valve:

www.shapeways.com/product/YJWVJHLA2/globe-valve-12mm-holes-scale-model?optionId=66510227&li=marketplace

As we all know, he can shrink it down. You could ask if he would do a size useful to you. Should be a lot cheaper, per unit. He's doing a 12mm size. I think you need a 2mm size.


Ed

[edwardsutorik]

Jan 22, 2021 11:58:28 GMT -8 steveturner said:

Rusty stumps..feed from track to tank trackside would 1/8 fitting be big enough...Not sure what 1/8 works out to in inches. Here is the link..Rusty Stumps..............https://www.rustystumps.com/pipefittings.php

I had a look. I think I'd go with his 1/16" line. Very promising!

The hoses (as opposed to the pipes) can be done nicely with 1/16" solder.



Ed

[steveturner]

Thanks Ed i was thinking 1/8 pipes to the tanks..i just measured the shaft of a micro brush that we use you know the ones ...they are 1/8 look good to fill the tanks. Not sure how to convert ..what does 1/8 and 1/16 give me in inches for pipe diameter.1/16 for hose looks good. The micro brushes used would make the piping HA!. Appreciate your input Ed.The Rusty stump fittings look good..wonder if they are crisp. Steve

[steveturner]

Ed i have the Walthers industrial small tank and pipe kit 933-3105.. i got curious the pipe in the kit from tank to tank is 1/16 dia...so based on that the pipe from track to tanks 1/16 would be ok?.Its like from track to tanks is a few inches and i will need to throw in a pump house..pipe in pipe out. Steve

[cemr5396]

I unload tank cars where I work, we have a 4" rubber hose to go from the car to the pump, and from there it's a 4" steel pipeline all the way to the tanks.

[edwardsutorik]

Steve,

I would use 1/16" (about a 6" pipe in the real world). I do not see why 1/8" (a foot in the real world) would be used here.


Ed

[steveturner]

Thanks gents .Ordered the 1/16 fittings Ts .90s.45s etc 6 of them and some 1/16 rod from my hobby store. Feel good and thanks for the help.Its all in the small details.Bugs me tanks sitting there and no pipes etc. Thanks brad for your input. Dig up a shack for a pump house. Steve

[keystonefarm]

Piping/hoses would be 3 or 4" . - Ken

[steveturner]

One more question i am not clear on..when pipe reaches track side tanks vertical and horizontal..where does the pipe generally enter to fill the tank...the hatches what are they specific for. Simple question for those in the know..not for me.Thanks

[edwardsutorik]

I'm not in the know.

I believe the liquid would be inserted at the top of the tank. That could be done with an external pipe or an internal pipe. So there could either be a pipe going up the side (more likely, I think) or up inside, where you wouldn't see it.

Don't forget. There's an in pipe and an out pipe: two.

The out pipe would be at the bottom.


Ed

[cemr5396]

In my experience with storage tanks, the inlet pipe comes in at the bottom about a foot or two from the bottom of the tank. From there it can either continue towards the center and discharge there, or it may simply end just inside the tank wall. I have never seen a storage tank where the liquid was pumped in at the top.