Union Tank Car Company
Union Tank Car Company (UTLX) is a North American tank car lessor, manufacturer and repairer owned by the Marmon Group, a Berkshire Hathaway company.
Last updated September 15, 2026
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Overview
Union Tank Car Company, known as UTLX, has provided tank car equipment and services across North America since 1891, together with its Canadian affiliate Procor. Its core operations are full-service railcar leasing, tank car manufacturing and railcar repair. UTLX states it owns the largest tank car fleet in North America and operates the largest railcar repair network in North America. Its manufacturing plant is in Alexandria, Louisiana, and it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, owned by the Marmon Group, a Berkshire Hathaway company.
History
Union Tank Car Company traces its beginning to August 27, 1859, when Col. Edwin Drake brought in the first drilled oil well at Titusville, Pennsylvania. In 1865 the first generation tank car was introduced to transport petroleum products. In 1870 JD Rockefeller and Henry Flagler established Standard Oil Company, and in 1873 Standard Oil acquired the Star Tank Line fleet. In 1891 Union Tank Line was formed to operate the Standard Oil Company tank car fleet. In 1909 the federal government broke up the Standard Oil Company Trust and Union Tank Line Company became a publicly held corporation. In 1919, to avoid the inference that Union Tank Line operated a railroad line, the company's name was changed to Union Tank Car Company. In 1952 the company increased its North American footprint through formation of Canadian affiliate Procor. In 1954 it introduced significant tank car design improvements, eliminating under frames, tank bands, running boards and expansion domes. In 1957 it began to build tank cars through a partnership with Graver Tank. In 1967 it introduced the Funnel Flow car design. In 1969 it opened its first manufacturing plant in East Chicago, Indiana, and began tank car leasing services in Mexico. In 1978 it introduced mobile tank car repair capabilities. In 1981 the Marmon Group acquired Union Tank Car Company. In 1995 it increased production capacity by 30 percent with the purchase of a manufacturing plant in Sheldon, Texas.
Products and positioning
Recognized leader within the community of builders, lessors and shippers of railroad tank cars.
Tank cars
Railcars manufactured at the Alexandria, Louisiana plant for lease or sale.
Full-service railcar leasing
Leasing fueled by the largest fleet of tank cars in North America.
Railcar repair and maintenance
Repair shops and mobile repair units at more than 100 locations.
UTLX Link-Net
Fleet management tools providing repair service requests, mechanical information, fleet management reporting, car tracing, billing and payment information, and leasing information.
Recent events
Quala and UTLX partner on rail car services in Pasadena[5]
Reported:
Quala and UTLX partnered to offer rail car cleaning and maintenance services at Quala’s Pasadena, Texas location. The services were available immediately.
Sources5 sources
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