CGTX 15941 tank car placarded sodium hydroxide (a.k.a. caustic soda) at Hawk Junction July 13, 2015
Continuing the theme of chemical tank cars on the Algoma Central is CGTX (GATX Rail Canada, formerly Canadian General Transit) 15941, one of a pair of tank cars in sodium hydroxide (also known as caustic soda) service passing northbound through Hawk Junction on train 573/571 on July 13, 2015.
A common use for sodium hydroxide is in the pulp & paper industry; the likely destination for this pair of cars is one of the pulp mills served by the Canadian Pacific along the north shore of Lake Superior, via the interchange at Franz.
The black and white ‘saddle shoe’ paint scheme indicates that the car is leased to Olin Corporation. CGTX 15941 appears to have been recently repainted as the white tends to grime up rather quickly. Olin applies the saddle shoe scheme to both sodium hydroxide and chlorine service tank cars.