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NARC - N Scale - NSC Potash Service 4275 Cu. Ft. 3 Bay Covered Hopper - Version 3 - Canpotex (CITX) (Gray w/Black Lettering, Green Logo, Yellow Visibility Stripes) 24 Road Numbers Available In 4 Different 6 Car Sets (A-D) (SKU 11-12003001)

Available On: February 1, 2016

Version 3 Car

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.

The third production run of these cars was produced for CIT Group/Capital Finance Inc. and included 1000 cars. These are Version 3 cars and introduced non-wraparound ladder rungs

  • These care were produced between October 2007 and June 2008 and include road numbers CITX 151000 to CITX 151999

Modeling use for prototype accuracy:

  • The Canpotex CITX scheme can be modeled from late 2007 to present and can be mixed with all paint schemes with the exclusion of the early Canpotex PTEX scheme which had be phased out by the introduction of these cars

Version 3 Car Prototype Features:

  • Car length of 47 feet
  • Car capacity of 4275 cu. ft.
  • Circular roofwalk tread pattern
  • Long cross roofwalk panels running the full width of the car between short side roofwalk panels
  • Raised roof hatches
  • 12 running board supports
  • 8 side panel sheets
  • Full length side sills
  • A car end configuration 1
  • B car end configuration 1
  • No wraparound ladder rungs
  • Rounded shape gaps between hopper bays
  • Barber S2 DH trucks

Design changes in Version 3 cars:

  • No wraparound ladder rungs in place of wraparound ladder rungs found on Versions 1 & 2

Model Features:

  • Fully researched and prototypically accurate details
  • Many separately applied detail parts, including photo etched brass and lost was castings
  • Accurate painting and lettering, including correct graphics, fonts and locations as per prototype
  • Micro-Trains couplers
  • High performance trucks and metal wheelsets for reliable operation
  • Properly weighted for smooth tracking and superior performance
  • Each 6 car set includes 6 unique road numbers that will never be produced again.
  • 4 different 6 car sets A - D

More Information

For more information about the National Steel Car Potash Service 3 Bay Covered Hopper and their use by Canpotex & PotashCorp, including prototype videos & modeling notes, click on the links below:

NSC Potash Service Hopper Guide

Canpotex Hopper Reference Page

PotashCorp Hopper Reference Page

(Photo by: M. Nelson)











$179.98 US