New Potash Cars

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Today,1-26-10,at 4:34p.m.,heading north through Fond Du Lac,Wi,there was observed a brand new covered hopper,that was made by GATX and the Potash Corp.The car number is:GACX 31860.The car is painted GATX blue,and has the MAKE - A - WISH Foundation lettered on the side of this car.The exact lettering says; MAKE A WISH Share the Power of a Wish.This is an awesome car.Now lets see if Microscale cant make the decals for this railcar!!!

2

Sounds like an interesting and unusual, perhaps unique, paint job. And that a company would letter a car to promote a cause like that is indeed “awesome”. But…

  1. The car is not new. It was built in 1995 or 1996 for ConAgra, and was given its present number in 2008. It’s part of a series of over 400 such cars, GACX 31500-31935. The others in this group have the “Potash Corp.” lettering and a stylized “P” logo, but they’re painted pink–or, as they say on the cars themselves, “Sour Cherry”.

  2. The car is now owned by the General American Marks Company (“GATX”), and is leased to the Potash Corporation (or PCS, the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan). It was built by Trinity Industries about 14 years ago, but, thanks to the new paint job, probably carries no identifiable markings that would tell you that. The style of car is fairly common; similar cars could be built today.