RAILforum: 3 questions I keep forgetting to ask

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Posted by cnotp (Member # 342) on :

1) What is potash and what is it used for?

2) Why are couplers always rusty, even on new equipment?

3) Why do some coiled steel loads need to be protected while others ride in open gondolas or coil cars?

Just wondering...

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Jeff
Norfolk Southern CNO&TP Home Page

Posted by fwarailfan (Member # 355) on :

Potash is mostly used as a fertilizer. Check out this link. They explain how it's made. http://www.potashcorp.com/faqs/products/potash/index.zsp

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David
Fort Wayne Railfan Page

Posted by Cairo (Member # 294) on :

To answer the question of what is potash, it is a type of salt. Table salt is Sodium Chloride; potash is Potassium Chloride. It is typically found in the same places as normal salt. It is usually a crystal or powder, just like table salt. Incidentally, the reason that potash is usually a reddish color is due to iron traces in the deposits. Potash is mainly used in fertilizer production.

Couplers are usually rusty because by law you are not allowed to paint a coupler. Paint could conceivably hide a crack, so it is not permitted. Raw steel castings get a thin layer of surface rust very quickly, so even when the cars are being built, the couplers are rusty.

Posted by richarddschivley (Member # 274) on :

cnotp: Let me try and help answer your questions....

#1: Potash, I beieve is, potassium hydroxide, it is a chemical, a white caustis solid, KOH, used in making soft soap. #2: I believe the reason couplers always seem to look rusty is that the only part that makes any contact is the closing-grip area, where the couplers join together. The other exterior parts never receive any real wear, and the un-machined areas simply rust do to the iron ore in it's make up. #3: I'm not completely sure on this one, but some steels, such as "stainless", won't rust in wet weather. Some other rolls of steel have a fairly good coating of oils, on them while being manufactured. Other rolls of materials, such as aluminum, also will not rust, as I'm sure you already know. I hope I've been some help to you. Richard