Re: yellowcake

Eric-
Standard Chemical was a predecesor to one of the big vanadium (and later uranium companies), either Union Carbide Mining & Metals Division, Foote Minerals, or the Vanadium Corporation of America (I'll look in my files if you are interested).
The Placerville district vanadium producers used both acid and alkaline leach processes to extract the vanadium from the ore (creating a product called "red cake"). In either case they would have required xome liquid chemicals, but I am not sure that the technology was in existence to transport acid in tank cars back in the 1920's-1930's. So, by the process of elimination I would guess that they were used to transport the alkaline leach material. I'll see what I can find on this. I don't think that they would have shipped out red cake in anything but a dry form, as they would be paying for the shipment of water in the concentrate that wuld be a waste product.
Are you, or Cliff Mestel amking a HOn3 model of this tank car?
More later.
Ted Wilton