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Corrosion Protection for Railcars

With over 50 years of experience in corrosion protection for railcars, Abtrex has strengthened its position in North America and throughout the world. We now have two rail-dedicated divisions in Cleveland and Orange, Texas.

Abtrex has an excellent reputation with leading railcar manufacturers in the United States. Both facilities are AAR M-1002 and M-1003 certified tank car facilities and meet all the requirements set by the Association of American Railroads’ Quality Assurance Program.

As a total rehabilitation complex for railcars, our customers see lower costs, shortened service time, and simplified logistics for all their rail projects.

The Importance of Rubber Lining

Every day, chemicals, food, agriculture, and power products are safely delivered to many key markets, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles to their destination. Choosing the right protection for the interior surface of your tanker car is key to the safety of your assets and the environment. Our corrosion-resistant natural rubber linings protect your equipment from leakage caused by aggressive solutions such as hydrofluoric, phosphoric, and hydrochloric acids. The pinhole-free method practiced in our shops guarantees the highest quality of lining application and protection of your railcar.

Types of Rubber Linings Used for Tank Cars

White Blended Rubber
White natural rubber is the best solution for food-grade and general chemical transportation. Some white rubber blends have less sulfur content which makes them great for water service vessels.

Soft Natural Rubber
Soft natural rubbers refer to natural rubber compounds usually in the range of 35 to 65 Shore A durometer hardness. This is a great solution for environments that have chemically aggressive substances or have been exposed to shock. Due to its protective properties against sliding abrasion, soft natural rubber is an ideal application in the transportation of liquids containing solid particles.

Chlorobutyl Rubber
This type of lining is a derivative of butyl rubber containing about 1% chlorine which provides excellent impermeability to gases and high tolerance to heat. The hardness is typically in the range of 45 to 65 Shore A durometer.  It is a great solution for oxidizing chemicals and super phosphoric acid.

Our Capabilities in the Rail Industry

Inspections and Repairs
Our relationship with many railcar manufacturers in the United States allows us to offer mechanical repairs, metal repairs, modifications, fittings removal, fitting and valves inspection, and all mandated certifications along with our lining repair and inspection services. All services are performed by AAR-certified specialists. Our ability to repair railcars in our facilities makes us a one-stop shop for your rail fleet.

Rubber lining inspections include holiday test (spark testing), hardness test, and visual inspections of the entire lining. The inspection process of your railcar interior protection is especially important in extending the lifetime of your lining. Identifying potential problem areas before they turn into serious issues can save you money on your railcar’s relines and shorten your downtime. Inspections and minor repairs between the mandatory qualification dates can preserve the life of a lining for up to 20 years. Learn more about our lining inspections.

Lining Removals and Relines
If the interior protection of your railcar requires a complete reline, our experienced crew will strip the old lining and prepare a blast profile to ensure the right adhesion to apply a new protective lining. The process of removing an old lining is carried out with the use of a robotic hydro blaster. This new technology allows us to remove the old protection with more proficiency and in less time.  The new lining will be thoroughly inspected, and appropriate documentation will be delivered to you directly.

Mobile Services – Inspection and Repairs
Abtrex offers field services. There is no need to ship your tank cars to our facility for lining inspection and repairs, instead, our crew will come to your site and conduct a full inspection and repair of interior linings. This is a huge advantage for our customers, and by providing these services at your site, we eliminate the cost of transporting tanks and can schedule around you, the customer, reducing downtime of your fleet.

Qualifications
Code of Federal Regulations requirements are done on internal coating and lining qualifications and inspections of the protection system in intervals of 5 and 10 years. Abtrex is fully certified to conduct these required inspections and deliver all necessary documentation.

Frequently, entire fleets must be qualified at the same time. This may lead to a shortage of tanker cars available to move necessary products. Thanks to our on-site capabilities, the service of qualification can be done at your facility so your railcars will be available one by one right after the inspection.

For questions or to request a quote, call us at 281-592-8800 or fill out our online form and someone will contact you.

Contact our Engineers

Other Industries We Service

Why Abtrex?

  • AWS & ASME Qualified
  • 5 Decades of Growth and Experience
  • Turnkey Abilities
  • Proven Project Management Skills
  • Numerous Strategically Located Bases of Operation
  • 24 Hour Emergency Response
  • Commitment to Continual Improvement