Tank cars

[chadmichaels]

Who makes "UTLX" tank cars? I can't seem to find any anywhere. All im finding is GATX and that. Also im kinda new to understanding railroad and model railroading, what do those initals mean? TILX, UTLX, GATX etc

 

[Trucklover]

UTLX stands for Union Tank Car Company

TILX stands for Trinity Industries Leasing Company

Im not sure what GATX stands for but there a Railway Equipment Finance Company based in Chicago, Illinois

As for the makers of the models, Walthers, Athearn and Atlas are a few that make them, at least in HO scale

 

[kenw]

GATX stands for General American Transportation. they do not make tank cars but lease them and lots of other rail equipment, including engines.

Wikipedia has a farily good article on them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American_Transportation_Corporation

It also explains the X (meaning it is owned by a leasing company)

 

[DirtyD79]

Basically everything Trucklover said. As I understand Trinity makes many of the real life railroad tank cars although I think GATX makes their own since their name means General American Tankcar. As for the X meaning the freight cars are owned by a leasing company it also applies to every other type of freight car too.

 

[Rico]

GATX is actually General American Marks Company
(GATX CORP.) is General American Tank Line

 

[UP2CSX]

As for the X meaning the freight cars are owned by a leasing company it also applies to every other type of freight car too.

Actually, the "X" means any piece of rolling stock not owned by a railroad. That's why you'll see CSX reporting marks as CSXT. The big brains that came up with CSX name apparently never thought of that unintended consequence when it came to reporting marks.

 

[Trucklover]

Okay, this is something that i have never been able to find, maybe im just not looking in the right place, but can someone please tell me what the heck CSX stand for?

 

[kenw]

Okay, this is something that i have never been able to find, maybe im just not looking in the right place, but can someone please tell me what the heck CSX stand for?

technically, nothing. In a stretch, Chessie Sytems...X. X is common in marketing: Sounds neat.

RSX
GTX
RX7
MX5
....

 

[UP2CSX]

Correct, the company paid a consulting firm several million dollars to come with a company name that meant nothing and hadn't already been trademarked or copyrighted. As Ken said, the CS could be interpreted as Chessie System but the CSX officially says it doesn't and the name has no meaning. I suspect Ken is right about the "X" part too...makes it sound kind of racy. You can tell how many railroaders were involved in the final selection.

 

[jbaakko]

I was always told Chessie Seaboard, and the X for how the two crossed for CSX. The Chessie & Seabord (Family lines) are the two major companies that formed CSX.

Whats funnier is that until 1997 C&O and B&O were not technically CSX, according to CSX:

On November 1, 1980, the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries Inc. united and CSX Corporation was born.

In 1983, the foundation for today's CSX continued to solidify. The Seaboard System Railroad Inc. formed after the members of The Family Lines, SCL, L&N, CC&O and the Georgia Group (excluding the Western Railway of Alabama), formally merged on January 1.

In 1984, CSX grew beyond rail as it acquired control of a barge unit, American Commercial Lines Inc. That growth continued in 1986 when the ocean vessel company Sealand joined CSX Corporation.

On July 1, 1986, the Seaboard System Railroad Inc. became CSX Transportation Inc.

In 1997, the B&O merged completely into the C&O. On September 2 of that year the C&O officially adopted the CSX Transportation name.

 

[Trucklover]

Hmmmmm interesting information guys, thanks for sharing