Update June 9th 2017

Dear HO Scale customers:

We have just received samples of the pre production HO Scale Potash Cars.

We have published the HO Scale cars here so you can get a glimpse of the quality job that was done in faithfully reproducing the new Canpotex Logo with gradiant. We only have a few left of the GRVS, Thunder Creek, and NRMA cars (a few means less than 12 each). Enjoy.

We were really pleased with the results. Remember these Canpotex cars are used for the "WHITE FLEET" cars only. Used to transport White Potash which cannot be cross contanimated with the regular Pink Potash.

Between the 12 CNPX 1000 Series and the 12 CNPX 150000 Series + the two NMRA and Thunder Creek Cars you can create a 26 car WHITE FLEET train.

For those of you who have already purchased the 1000 Series (Light Sour Cherry) and 2000 Series (Dark Sour Cherry) cars, this new set from Potash Corporation is the third set of cars made for them by NSC. Remember the Potash Corp cars are seen everywhere in North America, on all roads.

For those of you who are wondering who Agrium is, they are one of the three shareholders that own Canpotex. Remember in Canada and the US, all domestic deliveries of Potash are done with the individual mine owners cars, the Canpotex cars are used for all shipments going overseas.

We are expecting the cars to be shipped to us in about 60 days in August.

Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Announcing our next release of

NSC Potash Service 4300 cf 3-Bay Covered Hoppers

Dear NARC Customers:

The White Fleet is coming!

We are announcing this morning our second release of National Steel Car 4275 and 4300 cu ft Potash Hoppers.

At first glance you will ask “What’s different about this release?” And what is “The White Fleet?"

You will all remember the Special Canpotex car we announced for the Portland NMRA Show last year. Well, when the car was delivered we noticed NSC changed the car.

When we designed the NSC Potash Car we made 5 different structural variations. They were incorporated into the first release of the potash cars.

When National Steel Car received two new orders of cars from Canpotex (in the last two years), NSC modified the car not once but twice. The major visible difference is the change to 9 body panels from 8, and one version of the new cars has shortened side sills.

Potash Corporation has also just received 1,000 new cars in the 3000 series (reporting marks) incorporating the last set of changes to include 9 body panels.

We had a choice:  produce the NMRA Commemorative car on the wrong version or spend additional time and funds to build the correct 6th and 7th versions of the car. We decided on the latter.

So if you look closely at the images one set of CNPX cars are numbered in the 1000 series, with shortened sills. The second release of Canpotex cars are numbered in the 150000 series with full length sills.

And if you look at the new Potash Corp of Sask cars they are identical (structurally) to the CNPX 150000 series cars.

We will also include in this release the repainted Agrium Cars which are original Canpotex cars that have been sold to and repainted into Agrium graphics. For those customers who are wondering what Agrium is, they, i.e., Agrium, Sask Potash, and Mosaic are the three shareholders who own Canpotex.

So the second question you may have, “What is the White Fleet?”

Well you may or may not be aware of it, but there two different types of Potash sold by Canpotex, white and the more common red (pink).

And they cannot cross mix the two types of potash in the railcars. So many of the new CNPX 1000 and 150000 series Canpotex cars are dedicated to the “WHITE FLEET” used exclusively to move White Potash.

If you want like to learn more about the differences between White and Red Potash Click Here.

So all of these Canpotex cars (including the special NMRA car) can be run in a separate train moving White Potash.

You will see these dedicated “WHITE FLEET” trains on BNSF, UP, CN, and CP.

We hope to have these ready to ship to North America in June 2017. That is why we will have a short 30 days for customers to get their order in. The molds (tooling) are done, we will get paint samples in February and production four months later.

Thanks PWRS

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Agrium NAHX - 6 panel, long sill

12 road numbers, available in 2 different 6-car sets (A-B)

The first version of this car was developed and built by National Steel Car beginning in 1999. These cars were operated by Canpotex and were originally owned by GE Rail Services and had PTEX reporting marks. Three groups of cars were produced. 

• 600 cars were built between March 1999 and June 1999 with road numbers PTEX 20000 to PTEX 20599 
• 1320 more cars were built between November 1999 and April 2000 and have road numbers PTEX 20600 to PTEX 21919 
• 95 additional cars were subsequently produced and have road numbers PTEX 21920 to PTEX 22015 

These were distinctive with their alternating white and red reflective tape along the entire length of the cars sill. This paint scheme of the car was seen from 1999 to 2004 when the last of these cars were updated with yellow visibility marks instead of the red and white reflective tape.

 Since that time, some of these cars have been sold to Agrium. These cars have been repainted in the current Agrium scheme and have NAHX reporting marks.

 Agrium was formed to facilitate the reorganization of the fertilizer division of Cominco Ltd (Consolidated Mining & Smelting Company) and the acquisition of the fertilizer assets of Alberta Energy Company in 1993.

 Agrium is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta Canada and operates worldwide with a value of over $14 Billion.  Agrium is a partner in "Canpotex". 

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Potash Corp (POTX) - 9 panel, long sill, 3000 series

12 road numbers, available in 2 different 6-car sets (A-B)

The Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, also referred to as PotashCorp was formed by the Government of Saskatchewan in the 1970's to effectively mine Potash and benefit the province as a whole. It has since become a publicly traded company. It is the largest  potash producer in the world. PotashCorp has expanded beyond both Saskatchewan and Potash and is now the third largest producer of nitrogen and phosphate. Currently, PotashCorp produces approximately 20% of the world supply of Potash with smaller amounts of other minerals and elements. 

 It is by far the world's largest producer of potash, producing 20% of the world's supply. It is also the world's largest fertilizer producer, the third largest phosphate producer and the third largest nitrogen producer. PotashCorp is also the largest supplier and owner of Canpotex.

 While much of the Potash that PotashCorp produces and sells is carried by Canpotex for export from their west coast ports, PotashCorp has their own rail operations as well. The primary port PotashCorp uses is Saint John, New Brunswick in Canada. PotashCorp also has shipping operations in the Great Lakes region and some Potash is delivered by barge on the Mississippi River. Additional Potash exports are made from ports down the Atlantic coast as far as Tampa Bay, Florida in the United States.

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Canpotex (CNPX) - 9 panel, long sill, 150000 series 

(These are WHITE FLEET cars)

12 road numbers, available in 2 different 6-car sets (A-B)

Canpotex (CNPX) - 9 panel, short sill, 1000 series

(These are WHITE FLEET cars)

12 road numbers, available in 2 different 6-car sets (A-B)

Canpotex was was formed in the early 1970's to market and export the vast amounts of Potash mined in Saskatchewan. Canpotex, which is short for Canadian Potash Exporters, oversees the entire Saskatchewan potash exporting industry with the exception of the United States and Canadian markets. Currently, Canpotex is responsible for approximately one third of the world's supply of Potash.

 Canpotex does not directly mine the Potash it transports, but instead works with producers in Saskatchewan including the Mosaic Company and the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan. It operates a fleet with thousands of railcars in North America. These cars operate in large unit trains from Saskatchewan to the two main Canpotex export facilities in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada and Portland, Oregon in the United States.

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Introduced in 1999 by National Steel Car, this car is seen in large numbers across Canada and the United States. It was developed specifically to address the need for additional rail transport capacity caused be the growing Potash market.

Previously, the majority of Canadian Potash rail transport was accomplished with the larger Hawker Siddeley 4550 cu ft Cylindrical Hoppers and similar cars from National Steel Car and Marine Industries. 
Though the car is a newer design, it has less capacity than the Hawker Siddeley style cars. However it makes up for this in a shorter car length of only 47 feet versus the Hawker Siddeley style cars at 59 feet. This allows a train of these cars to carry more Potash then a train of comparable length made up of the Hawker Siddeley style hoppers.

These car operates at a gross rail load of 286,000 pounds, the current maximum limit. However, they are actually designed for a gross rail load of 315,000 pounds. They are currently produced with 100 ton nominal capacity trucks to suit present 286,000 lb. gross rail loading. If the maximum weight limit is increased, these cars can be upgraded with 125 ton trucks allowing for maximum cargo capacity going forward. 

 These cars are currently operated in large numbers by both Canpotex and the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, and in smaller numbers by other operators. To date, over 7,000 have been produced in six versions. These cars are seen on a daily basis traveling across the Canadian Pacific, Canadian National, BNSF, CSX, NS and Union Pacific rail networks.

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Reservations Due By: December 31, 2016

Expected Release: September 2017