Rail Tank Car Gaskets


Rail tank car gaskets supplied by CRG are engineered to address the challenges relating to the safe railway transportation of commodity and aggressive/hazardous chemicals. These gaskets are used in rail tank cars to service the following sealing applications:

  • Manway lids

  • End caps

  • Inlets and outlets

  • Hatches

  • Vents

  • Valves and nozzles

  • Flanges

The importance of rail tank car gaskets

Since 2016, there has been a significant push from governments in both the USA and Canada to reduce the risk of leaks from rail tank cars used to transport a variety of materials. In 2012, according to the American Association of Railroads, 46 percent of the non-accidental release (NAR) of contents from rail tank cars involved a tank car’s manway system, whose lid is usually sealed with a gasket secured by four bolts.

Reducing rail tank car NAR’s requires using gaskets on manways and other inlets/outlets that are especially designed to resist chemical attack while withstanding the vibration and stresses associated with rail transport. In addition, because of their location on a rail tank car, these gaskets must be capable of tolerating temperature extremes, as well as exposure to UV light and moisture.

Because of these requirements, the material used to fabricate rail tank car gaskets must be selected carefully. In addition, the gaskets must be sized correctly and railroad maintenance personnel must always follow the correct procedures for installing and torqueing a gasket into service.

CRG rail tank car gaskets

CRG fabricates rail tank car gaskets that service a range of material transports, including those involving commodity chemicals, crude oil and ethanol, food-grade cargoes, and aggressive and toxic materials. These gaskets are fabricated from high-quality Tealon® PTFE sheet supplied by our materials partner, Teadit North America, and are described below.

Style 1570 rail tank car gaskets

Style 1570 gaskets are fabricated from a structured sheet produced from virgin PTFE resin filled with hollow glass micro spheres. This sheet is equivalent to Garlock Gylon® 3504, a material which has been specified in the past for rail tank car gaskets.

Style 1570 gaskets are suitable for rail tank car applications involving the transport of aggressive fluids, including hydrocarbons, acids and caustics, solvents, refrigerants, etc. The high compressibility of style 1570 gaskets makes them particularly suited for applications involving stress and vibration, such as are found in rail tank car service. The excellent malleability of these gaskets reduces the need to repair and rework small irregularities or damages to the sealing surfaces in order to achieve a leak-free seal. The gaskets are simple to install and can be removed easily without leaving any residue.

Style 1570 rail tank car gaskets from CRG will handle a service temperature range of -268°C to 260°C. These gaskets are not subject to ageing or weathering, and can be stored indefinitely. Style 1570 gaskets are made from PTFE material which has obtained a number of approvals, including FDA, TA-Luft, DVGW, Chlorine Institute, ROTT and HOBT-2.

Style 1510 rail tank car gaskets

These gaskets are a more economical alternative to style 1570. The structured PTFE sheet from which these gaskets are fabricated is similar to style 1570, except that the glass micro spheres are larger. These gaskets are chemically inert against all substances over a pH range of 0-14, including the most aggressive chemicals and lyes. They are also flame resistant and can be used in the presence of oxygen. Style 1510 rail tank car gaskets will support a service temperature range of -268°C to 260°C, are not subject to ageing or weathering, and can be stored indefinitely.

Ordering rail tank car gaskets from CRG

CRG can service a range of rail transport sealing needs. Our rail tank car gaskets are made under controlled conditions in our production facility certified to ISO 9001:2015. Gaskets are cut using the latest CNC waterjet or flash/flex cutting equipment, ensuring conformance to specifications and tolerances. Only the highest quality materials are used, such as the Tealon® materials described above. No order is too small or large, and we are equally adept at supplying small quantities as well as handling large production runs.

To find out more about how CRG can service your rail tank car gasket needs, please contact our sales team at crg@canadarubbergroup.com.