Sunshine Models Vinegar Tank Car

A Fleischmann/Standard Brands wood vinegar tank car is the latest HO scale resin kit release by Sunshine Models. The kit is available with either Fleischmann black, Standard Brands red or black decals for $39.00, plus $4.00 shipping for up to five kits.

One of the most unique cars on North American railroads was the wood vinegar tank car. A combination of steel underframe, steel and wood tank saddles, a horizontal wood tank with a myriad of tie rods banding it, along with aluminum paint made for a truly distinctive piece of rolling stock.

The role of the vinegar tank was to move concentrated vinegar from the raw material source to food processing plants. Vinegar was derived from yeast production and also was produced from fermented wine, malt barley and cider.

Vinegar production was sprinkled throughout the country. Some of the more familiar regions were New York state, the Ozarks, Washington state and California. Numerous other areas of the U.S. - some small and obscure - produced it as well.

The typical vinegar movement was from agricultural territory to food processors, where it was diluted or added to food products. Food processing plants were generally located in the large population regions, such as the Northeast and upper Midwest, to reduce the transportation costs of moving finished products.

The wood tank rode on sets of saddles. The major pair were over the bolsters and were constructed of steel. Typically, a second pair were over the crossbearers, also constructed of steel. Wood saddles supported the tank over the crossties.

Since the wood structure of the tank was relatively fragile, it was heavily buttressed at the ends. A scaffold of 'H' beams protected the tank from movement during the sudden jolts associated with regular freight car handling. Two large 'X' bands secured the 'H' frames diagonally.

The wood tank was held together by a series of roughly thirty rods under tension, similar in fashion to those on a wood water tank. Tension was applied with cast clamps, threaded with nuts, to accept the threaded ends of each rod.

The largest fleet of vinegar tank cars was employed by Fleischmann, a yeast and vinegar manufacturer. The cars were owned by its subsidiary, the Fleischmann Transportation Co., which used the reporting marks FTCX.

In 1927, Fleischmann Transportation had 149 cars with a single wood horizontal tank . The cars were numbered 1013-1299, but various numbers in the series were vacant.

As new cars were added, they were assigned numbers on the top end of the range. In 1932, Fleischmann owned 161 cars ranging from 1180-1460. In 1941, the number of tanks had decreased to 126 cars.

In 1929 Fleischmann had formed Standard Brands, Inc. for the purpose if buying the stock of Fleischmann. Immediately after World War II, Standard Brands assumed ownership of the fleet of vinegar cars. Reporting Marks began to change to SBIX, but the numbers on the cars remained the same. The process continued through 1947 with the change completed by the Oct. 1948 Equipment Register. When the name change was complete, there were 117 SBIX wood cars in the number series 1343-1608. In 1953, there were 105 cars numbered 1448-1646. In 1956, there were 92 cars in the range 1481-1668. By 1965, there were 44 cars in the series 1563-1684. In the mid-1970's they had been taken out of service.

The Fleischmann cars were painted aluminum with black serif or Roman lettering. Most cars photographed rode on planked cast side frame trucks with a four spring package, but some used the ARA Type Y trucks, similar to the Pennsy 2DF8.

Standard Brands used red lettering initially, but Fleischmann's serif lettering style was retained and the layout remained unchanged. In the 1950's a sans-serif (block) lettering style began to appear and the lettering color was changed to black. Aluminum paint for the entire car remained standard. Trucks were painted aluminum, also, but dirt and grime obscured this feature.

Sunshine's anniversary kit is highly detailed. The vinegar tank car kit consists of a pre-formed tank. A solid underframe and end frames and detail parts. All necessary brass wire and plastic rod are provided. Decals for either black Fleischmann or red or black Standard Brands are included.

Castings are vacuum-formed gray urethane. All parts except trucks and couplers are provided. A six page Prototype Data Sheet and four pages of instructions with in-process photos are included. For a more detailed discussion of the history, full description of the kits and an order form, send an SSAE to Sunshine Models.

Kits are available directly from Sunshine Models, Box 4997, Springfield, MO 65808. Shipping is $4 for one to five kits in the US. Missouri residents add 6.475% sales tax.