| GATX 38,500-gallon tank car 94683 had been built by General American Transportation Corp. in 1968 for vinyl chloride and butadiene service as a part of the GATX 94650-94706 series. It had a LT WT of 113,000 pounds and a LD LMT of 281,000 pounds, for a gross rail load of 394,000 pounds, and had an overall length of 82-07. These 57 cars were the second largest group of 6-axle tank cars, exceeded only by the 75 DUPX 29500-series cars; and were also one of the shortest-lived fleets of 6-axle tank cars, with a lifespan of less than 12 years. During 1979 and 1980 all of these cars were withdrawn from service; but their story didn’t end here. They were subsequently modified with 4-wheel trucks and returned to service as GATX 26701-26758. (Former GATX 98238 was also included in this group.) At least some of these cars operated into the 21st Century, but all were gone by mid-2013. |