Tag Archives: Freight Car Friday

Freight Car Friday #64 – CGTX 15941

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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.

Freight Car Friday #63 – CGTX 70638

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CGTX 70638 tank car placarded sulphuric acid at Sault Ste. Marie July 12, 2013

Another common industrial acid is sulphuric acid – indeed it is probably one of the most common industrial chemicals shipped by rail. Uses of sulphuric acid are almost endless, but include chemical digestion of wood fibers for paper making and the production processes of fertilizers and numerous other chemicals including hydrochloric acid (as seen in last week’s Freight Car Friday).

Sulphuric acid is often produced in massive quantities as a byproduct of the smelting and refining of metal ores. Based on the (lack of) compression in the truck springs this and the neighbouring white PVCX acid tank car are heading north empty, for interchange to the Ontario Northland for furtherance to the copper/zinc smelter at Noranda, QC.

Same car two days later at Hawk Junction July 14, 2013, continuing its progress northward.

Freight Car Friday #62 – Hydrochloric Acid Tank Cars

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RCRX 1074 tank car for hydrochloric acid service near Watford, ON February 20, 2011

Hydrochloric acid is a commonly produced industrial chemical that has applications in many chemical and industrial processes including steel making. In steel mills it is used to remove rust, scale and other surface impurities from finished steel.

While the car above was not photographed on the Algoma Central, it is representative of a common type of car in hydrochloric acid service. (Note that the Athearn 20,900 gal. RTC acid tank car is pretty much bang on for this prototype.) I did see a couple of similar SHPX cars at Hawk Junction, but didn’t get a good photo; I could also see some similar tank cars from a distance in Steelton yard from the Canyon Tour Train.

A related byproduct of using hydrochloric acid in the steelmaking process is the production of ferrous chloride as a waste product. This corrosive chemical has uses in water treatment systems, and a CN conductor friend of mine recently mentioned that he occasionally delivers a tank car of ferrous chloride from Sault Ste. Marie to the water treatment plant in downtown Toronto. Ferrous chloride (and related compounds like ferric chloride) is also shipped in tank cars of a similar size and design to hydrochloric acid.

ACFX 72346 tank car placarded for ferrous chloride at Sarnia, ON October 10, 2011

Freight Car Friday #61 – CN 136559

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CN 136559 is a 52’6″ inside length gondola that was built in 1972 by Canadian National’s Point St. Charles shops in Montreal. An overall pretty standard mill gondola, it features drop ends and a wood floor. The design and rib spacing is quite similar to other cars built for CN, CP, British Columbia Railway and Ontario Northland by National Steel Car and Hawker-Siddeley in the late 1960s to early 1970s.

At Hawk Junction July 19, 2017, loaded with steel pipe from Essar Steel.

Freight Car Friday #60 – BR 50222

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BR 50222 is an interesting woodpulp service boxcar with a storied history. The car was originally built for the Southern Railroad (SOU) by Pullman-Standard. The “waffle” pattern of the car sides accomodated load tie-down attachment points on the inside of the car. Southern acquired a large number of these “waffle-side” boxcars from Pullman-Standard, and this design would become a real signature car on that railway. Only a few other identical examples were built for some of the “Family Lines” railways which later became part of CSX.

This particular car was sold by Southern to Helm Leasing (HLMX) and was reconditioned for woodpulp service with end reinforcement and carbody vents in the corners and then saw service on BC Rail as BCOL 850222. When BC Rail let the lease expire, they were renumbered BR and dropped the leading 8 from the car number. Currently these BR cars are commonly seen in woodpulp service for Canadian Pacific.

At Hawk Junction, July 19, 2017.