Passenger Trains > What is Stainless about Stainless?

I rode No 14 north yesterday and made the usual "fresh air" platform walk at Klamath Falls, OR.
Approaching the head end I was amazed to see that the newest car on the train, a Viewliner series baggage car, was looking rather rusty.
These photos are from the shady side of the train and not the best light, but you can see how the new car has a brown patina of oxide compared to the 30+ year old Superliner and the Platinum Mist paint of the locomotive.
Maybe we can date photos in the future by how rusty these "Stainless Steel" cars appear.
Question: Are the cars in the whole Viewliner series showing this color shift?  Living out west I don't see them.
P.S.  I don't want to bother with a detailed trip report because the new/classic dining is just rolling out now.  The crew was competent, we were on time or close to it, and like all trips I enjoyed seeing the geology, flora, fauna, industry, historical landmarks, and familiar railroad elements.  The worst experience by far for me was to see the huge new encampments/dumps under some highway overpasses.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/21 21:56 by railstiesballast.

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There's different grades of stainless steel like 316 and a 366 ones I can remember. I've forgot the different grades but some have more shine, some a harder some more pricey etc. It's been to long for me to remember since my welding days. SS is non magnetic also. Someone should know better on this subject then me. 

There are certainly different grades of stainless with different levels of resistance to corrosion. Surface treatments such as polishing etc will also have an effect on appearance.

There are families of stainless steel based on the crystal structure.  Some are non-magnetic, others are weakly or strongly magnetic.
Grades reflect choices of additives and processing, and result in different properties for corrosion resistance, appearance, strength, fatigue life, weldability, etc...


 

I imagine they could spray something on that to clean it up better.

VIA's 66 year old Budd's look good by comparison.

Lol ... First World problems.

Buhl56 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are families of stainless steel based on the
> crystal structure.  Some are non-magnetic, others
> are weakly or strongly magnetic.
> Grades reflect choices of additives and
> processing, and result in different properties for
> corrosion resistance, appearance, strength,
> fatigue life, weldability, etc...

Here's a chart of stainless steel grades which I found that might give some idea about the varieties and categories:

Stainless Steel Grades Chart PDF -- Types of Stainless Steel (mchoneind.com)

Molino Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lol ... First World problems.

Well, yes . . .  But we're just here to talk about trains and I did learn a few things that I didn't know about stainless steel!

John



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/21 05:02 by Korigaoka1811.

Wonder if Budd used the same type of stainless steel that Pullman did that CAF did?

Thanks for the replies. 
Now the question becomes whether Amtrak will consider this result (of a rusty looking carbody) when specifying their next orders of equipment.

Maybve they don;t run them through the car wahsers as often?

railstiesballast Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the replies. 
> Now the question becomes whether Amtrak will
> consider this result (of a rusty looking carbody)
> when specifying their next orders of equipment.

Are they really rusting?  If so then the life of these cars may be cut short if what they got wasn't truly stainless steel?  Perhaps a mess up in the formula or mixing at the foundry?

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

I remember someone remarking that the stainless steel used on the Union Paciific Pacfic class 10-6 sleepers was of a different type than the stainless steel used on other roads 10-6s because the cars were painted vs. unpainted.

Can anyone confirm this?

OCV

Don't confuse 'dirt' with 'patina' . . .
 

there are many many types of stainless 

From one who owned a Budd car for 21 years and did much of the repair work, stainless steel comes in several grades.  To make a long story short, depending upon the grade, its hardness and resistance to corrosion varies widely.  My experience was that as hardness increases, so does its resistance to oxidization.  But don't equate oxidization to rust -- the former is just a haze-like film that accumulates upon the surface.  If you have a stainless railcar that looks slightly orange/brown, take a bottle of swimming pool acid and cut it by adding 1 part pool acid to 5 parts water.  Then take a plastic bristled broom and dip it into the mixture and just agitate it over the stainless surface (you don't have to scrub it hard because the chemical reaction will do all the work).  Then hose it off.  The stainless will brighten up in a lovely way.  

Disclaimer:  Be sure to observe local rules about the discharge of chemicals and hazardous waste.  Depending upon where you do this kind of wash, you may have to contain your effulent (wastewater) or at least, further dilute it.  The end result will be pleasing.

-John

I remember Max Ephraim at EMD telling me the story of how as a young engineer, there was an unveiling for the new F7 with its stainless steel grilles planned and he was working to shine them up. After getting them bright and shiny, he left for the day; when he came back the next day they were all rusting looking. He polished them again with the same result the next day, finally realizing he was using steel wool to do the polishing - the little bits of the steel wool stuck to the stainless were rusting overnight.

They didn't call them "Brightliners " for nothing (high nickel finish)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R32_(New_York_City_Subway_car)#/media/File:R32_C_at_34_Street_Penn_Station_with_0_train_rollsign_from_Joker_filming,_March_2019.jpg

These indestructible and loved cars were retired in 2020 after 55 years, but still looked new. 

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Buhl56 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > There are families of stainless steel based on
> the
> > crystal structure.  Some are non-magnetic,
> others
> > are weakly or strongly magnetic.
> > Grades reflect choices of additives and
> > processing, and result in different properties
> for
> > corrosion resistance, appearance, strength,
> > fatigue life, weldability, etc...
>
> Here's a chart of stainless steel grades which I
> found that might give some idea about the
> varieties and categories:
>
> Stainless Steel Grades Chart PDF -- Types of
> Stainless Steel (mchoneind.com)

Scrap yards will pay MUCH higher prices for non-magnetic stainless steel than magnetic stainless steel.  It may not apply to these passenger cars, but in many cases I've seen rust patina on stainless, and it was actually rust that had run down onto the stainless from some non-stainless metal source from above.