ASME Certified · 40+ Years · St. Catharines, Ontario
Freight Air Reservoirs for Rail Air Brake Systems
Carbon steel reservoirs that hold the air a freight car brakes with. Formed, welded and pressure tested in St. Catharines, Ontario, then shipped to car builders and railways across North America and overseas.
Overview
What a freight air reservoir does
A freight car has no engine of its own. What it has is a brake system that runs on compressed air, and a reservoir is where that air waits. When the engineer makes a brake application, the control valve draws from the reservoir to push the brake cylinder. If the reservoir leaks, or the weld gives, the car doesn't stop the way it should.
That is the part Vineland Manufacturing builds. We have been making steel air reservoirs for the railway industry from St. Catharines for over 40 years, and we are an ASME-certified pressure vessel manufacturer. The plate comes in flat. Forming, welding, machining, coating and hydrostatic testing all happen in the same building, which is why we can trace any finished reservoir back to the heat number on the mill certificate.
- Carbon steel shells and heads, formed and welded in-house
- Pressure tested. Every unit, not a sample.
- Heat number stamped on the vessel, paperwork to match
- Coated and palletized for delivery straight to the car builder's line
Reservoir types
Auxiliary, emergency and combined reservoirs
Auxiliary reservoirs
Supply air for normal service brake applications. The reservoir the valve draws from on every routine stop.
Emergency reservoirs
Held in reserve for an emergency application, when the system dumps brake pipe pressure and needs everything it has.
Combined reservoirs
Auxiliary and emergency volumes in one shell with an internal partition. The most common configuration on modern freight cars, and the one pictured above.
We build all three in the standard freight sizes. If your program needs a non-standard volume or a different port layout, send the drawing. It runs on the same line.
Specifications
Built to your drawing
Standard freight sizes are stocked patterns. Anything else is built to the print you send.
| Application | Freight car air brake systems |
|---|---|
| Types | Auxiliary, emergency, combined |
| Material | Carbon steel |
| Sizes | Full range of standard freight sizes; custom volumes to drawing |
| Certification | ASME pressure vessel manufacturer |
| Testing | 100% pressure tested before shipment |
| Traceability | Heat number per unit, mill certificates on file |
| Finish | Coated in-house |
| Made in | St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada |
Process
How a reservoir gets made here
Forming and welding
Plate is rolled into a shell, heads are formed, and certified welders close the seams. Weld procedures are on file with ASME, and they get followed.
Testing
Each vessel is pressure tested. A reservoir is a safety part, so nothing is sampled.
Coating and shipping
Coated, stamped with its heat number, palletized and shipped. Some go across town to a car builder. Most cross a border.
FAQ
Questions we get asked
Are Vineland freight air reservoirs ASME certified?
They are. Vineland Manufacturing holds ASME certification for pressure vessel manufacturing. Forming, welding, machining, coating and testing all happen in the St. Catharines plant.
Which reservoir sizes do you manufacture?
The full range of standard freight sizes, covering auxiliary, emergency and combined reservoirs. Custom carbon steel vessels are built to your drawing on the same line.
Is every reservoir pressure tested?
Every one. 100% of reservoirs are pressure tested before they ship, and each unit carries its heat number so the steel can be traced back to the mill certificate.
Do you ship outside Canada?
Most of what we build leaves Canada. Vineland has supplied railways, car builders and OEMs across North America and overseas for more than 40 years.
What do you need to quote a reservoir?
A drawing or the standard size designation, quantity, and when you need them. Email sales@vinelandmfg.com and we will come back with pricing and lead time.
Request a quote
Send us the drawing.
Size, quantity and the date you need them by. That's enough for us to price it and give you a lead time.