Potash

[ericsp]

I read with interest the article about DRGW commodities. However, I think that there might have been an error and omission about the potash hoppers. The FMC Chemicals hoppers that come out here have FMLX, TGSX, and SSIX (leased, with FMC logo) reporting marks. I have not seen FMCX. The NRHS http://www.nrhs.com/reporting_marks/aar_reporting_marks.htm lists FMCX as First Mississippi Corp. Was the FMCX supposed to have been FMLX?

Also, I have seen several SMNX, owned by Solvay Minerals, hoppers that go to Wyoming. I am guessing these are carrying postash.

[ericsp]

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers' (ASME) magazine has an article about find problems in machines before they break. In part of it they talk about a machine at FMC's Green River, WY trona plant. It had an overall shot of the plant. It was covered with trona (as were the machines, which is what was causing the problem). It would make for an interesting and time consuming modeling project.

[CShaveRR]

Here on the eastern end of UP, we don't see Wyoming potash...it's all soda ash, from Solvay (SMNX, ASHX, and leased cars), OCI (STAX--used to be Stauffer--and leased cars), FMC (FMLX, TGSX), and General Chemical (leased cars). We do see plenty of potash, but it originates in Canada.

FMC does make some sort of feed-related product that is occasionally shipped through here; that might account for the FMLX car at the feed lot.

[Junctionfan]

The only potash cars I have seen is the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan cylindricals with PCSX and CGLX reporting marks as well as CanPoTex cylindricals and centerflows with PTEX reporting marks. Those SMNX cars I think carry soda ash and lime. The FMC ones I believe carry fertilizer or soda ash. I have not seen and Trona hoppers for along time.

[slotracer]

Green River area is pretty much all soda ash...was 5 mnfgs but FMC bought Texas Guldf and closed it 5 years ago. There is some fertilizer concerns in the Rock Springs area, I cannot recall who anymore, smaller volumes of Muraite of Potash, Sulfate of potash if I recall, nothing anywhere close to the scale of unit trains of potash coming out of the mines in Western Canada. m Green river ships appx 8 million tons of soda by rail annually.

I have seen frequent confused references between soda and potash. As Mark Referenced, Potash is almost exclusively used as a plant fertilizer. Soda ash is mostly used as a flux agent in the glass making industries, but also is a filler in detergents, a water treatment ingredient and is a safe source of sodium for chemical applications.

Solvay has nothing to do with the fertz industies and last I heward FMC was at best a minor player there. OCI and General have nothing to do in the Fertz amrkets either, unless something changed recently.

[Allen Jenkins]

Farmland Chemicals (FMC), also has a huge phosphate fertilizer production facility, including rail and truck operations in Mulberry, FL on the CSX. The FMC runs an Ortner two bay open hopper, (like the Florida East Coast Rwy), probably ne SCL. The 100t ACF is common to Farmland, sometimes marked Farmland Co-op. Primarily rail customer, daily service to the Port of Tampa is expected. Normaly the potash cylindricals backhaul phosphate product, as the two commodities may share non-edible, washed hoppers, potash south, diamonium phosphate fertilizer ingredients north bound.acj.

[ericsp]

It is not easy to see the rail spurs at the local glass plants, except for the two that no longer use rail. However, I usually see DGHX hoppers at the other two. It looks like most of the soda ash used out here comes from North American Chemicals, probably from its Mojave Desert (Trona) plant.

[Anonymous]

They ship Potash from Norton(New brunswick)to Saint John using
any type of Hopper car they can aquire as seen cars designed for European or
South American roads.Ive seen by being two blocks from the yard and six from
the terminal cars of GT ICG IC WC N&W even older cars repainted and lettered.
the terminal is shunted by a GP-18.