Oil Tanks

Recently found information prompts the creation of a correction post regarding the one published on this account on February 21, 2025, related to the tank cars that were part of the Panama Railroad rolling stock. Tank car No. 2504, currently located at the entrance of the Panama Canal Railway Company’s passenger terminal in Corozal, was built in 1917 by joining two dismantled steam locomotive boilers. It had a fuel capacity of 7,800 gallons. Two of this model were manufactured, and this is the only surviving unit.

Tank car No. 2506, currently located at the entrance of the administrative offices of the Panama Canal Railway Company in Corozal, was built in 1918 using the same method but with smaller boilers, resulting in a tank with a capacity of 6,000 gallons of fuel. Like the previous one, two units were built, and only one has been preserved. Both tank models were built on the bases of 25-cubic-yard dump cars manufactured by the Western Wheeled Scraper Company in 1907 for the construction of the Canal, as part of a 300-unit order.

The cost of manufacturing these four tank cars was $8,217.13 in 1917, equivalent to role="main" tabindex="-1"74,935.08 in 2025.