The service pre-dated SCL, the tank cars were originally stenciled to return to Rockland on the ACL. Note attached photo of Sou 341 stored at the food terminal in Chattanooga, the “ACL” stencil is quite visible.

Also note the car has a full center sill, a feature of the ACF cars, the GATX cars were frameless.

The cars were rubber lined to carry phosphoric acid. The lining was a maintenance problem, particularly when men went inside the tank to clean out sludge…..using a pick and shovel….duh!

Ike

On Dec 13, 2019, at 7:50 PM, Justin May <westpointroute@...> wrote:

Here is a useful website documenting Rockland. It was an old mine from the 1920s and finally shut down in 1994. These shipments would have also been handled by SCL locally prior to 1983.

https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/show-mrds.php?dep_id=10240937

http://www.sulphuric-acid.com/sulphuric-acid-on-the-web/acid%20plants/US%20Agri-Chemicals%20-%20Fort%20Meade.htm

Rockland Mine was located north along State Road 630 West and east of CR555 in Ft. Meade, Florida (3225 State Road 630 West).

The mine was a property of U.S. Agri Chemical and was a Phosphoric Acid plant after playing out the phosphate deposit.

Justin May

On Dec 13, 2019, at 18:21, George Eichelberger <geichelberger@...> wrote:

Marv:

There was a full article on these cars in TIES magazine a few years ago. Someone needs to help find which issue.

It has always been unusual for any railroad to own revenue tank cars. There were two groups of 100T capy cars blt by ACF and GATX, painted Southern freight car brown. They were in captive service between Rockland, FL and Vertagreen, near Sheffield, AL. (Rockland was east of Mulberry, FL off SR 60). I lived in Sarasota and Brandon at the time so I was able to photograph them parked beside the highway quite often.

The attached photo of Sou 323 was taken at Chattanooga 8-93 long after the Vertagreen service ended. They could not be used to ship flammable materials (like diesel fuel) so they were used to store used oil at Citico (and probably other shops).

Ike

<Sou 323-2.jpeg>

On Dec 13, 2019, at 10:13 AM, Marv Clemons <mclemonsjr@...> wrote:

Back in the mid-60s Southern routinely handled several tank cars of Vertagreen liquid fertilizer on the rear of Nos 7 & 8, the KC-Florida Special, between Brunswick GA and Birmingham AL.  Does anyone know the history of these cars, more specifically the points of origin and destination?

Thanks,
Marv Clemons