Eastern Railroad Discussion > Oil industry rebuffs new oil train rules

NY Times via Reuters:

American Petroleum Institute seeks review by the DC Circuit.  The challenge was expected as new rules on phase outs, steel thickness, etc are revealed

Oil ndustry

I can see Warren Buffet and Carl Ichan salivating on their desk blotters
and doodling designs for a 66,000 gallon tank car with bulkheads for a
well type flatcar. with tank train connections rebuilding the old tanks by
making splicing them and simply adding two more 2 axle trucks to the
frames, cocktails and dinner anyone?? 

 

leonz Wrote:
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> I can see Warren Buffet and Carl Ichan salivating
> on their desk blotters
> and doodling designs for a 66,000 gallon tank car
> with bulkheads for a
> well type flatcar. with tank train connections
> rebuilding the old tanks by
> making splicing them and simply adding two more 2
> axle trucks to the
> frames, cocktails and dinner anyone?? 
>
>  

Some of the older tank cars actually had connections, linking car to car. Helped in unloading, but arithmetically  increased the number of points where leaks or spills could originate.

In Buffett's case, he often talks out of both sides of his mouth. He says he tries to avoid layoffs in his companies, but he invests with 3-G which has slaughtered people at Heinz. Tells us "American taxes are too low, and  thinks they should be raised" and then invests with Burger King to move their HQ to Canada, saving billions in US taxes.

 

Nobody in authority seems to want to address the dangerous gases entrained in shale oil which make this commodity so dangerous.

RRTom Wrote:
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> Nobody in authority seems to want to address the
> dangerous gases entrained in shale oil which make
> this commodity so dangerous.

Not completely true.

Both the feds and the North Dakota government have set max levels for several volatile gases shipped in rail cars and in pipes.  But, the levels are still way too high.  I believe the tightened ND laws went into effect within the past few weeks.

The inter-connected cars have been operating for a couple of decades without the same issues that Bakken Crude has been having.

Its more of the cargo than the trains. That Bakken Crude is very explosive compared to normal Crude. The lighter material is easier to go boom! I think we need a way to make this Crude Oil a little thicker. Then the tankers wouldn't just go bam immediately almost.

Posted from Android

TCnR Wrote:
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> The inter-connected cars have been operating for a
> couple of decades without the same issues that
> Bakken Crude has been having.

That actually provides evidence for another point. That millions of barrels of oil move safely through the system year after year without difficulty.

The safety rate is 99.999% +  as I recall.

TCnR Wrote:
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> The inter-connected cars have been operating for a
> couple of decades without the same issues that
> Bakken Crude has been having.

There was a major incident in Canada involving a gasoline TankTrain:

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/1999/r99h0010/R99H0010.asp

Ray

Shipping undiluted heavy crude and raw bitumen by rail is on the increase in Canada.

http://business.financialpost.com/news/energy/canadian-oil-trains-shift-to-carry-less-volatile-crude?__lsa=f1c8-066a

Big E Productions did a program of CN's mainline East from Montreal which had the gasoline Tank-Trains and it was surprising how fast they go, 50-60mph. There were also blocks of them moving around Burlington, VT. Not sure if either service still exists. Conrail ran an 84 car fuel oil train for about 20 years between the Port of Albany, NY and Oswego. I do believe it did wreck once but I do not remember that it caught fire.

GATX invented the Tank-Train concept and had a pattent on it but it expired years ago. Anybody could build them now. But obviously the tank car builders or users must not think it is a good idea for shale oil moves, and with the volatility of the Bakken oil that is probably a wise decision.

Locally, even after the newspaper said the number of oil trains to Delaware City would increase, stiring up all the NIMBY's, it actually seems from listening to railroad radio net that they have reduced. Today the aframax tanker EAGLE SIBU will dock at Delaware City with oil from an unknown source. But judging from empty trains passing there has been no reduction in Philadelphia oil. They got back up and stored a loaded train here last weekend.

The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers have a letter to the editor in today's NY Times. They note that their industry has invested billions in new train equipment while the rails have dropped the ball on their end.  Human failures, track failures etc have been cited as causes of recent problems

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