AGRX-802 is Wainwright Rail Park’s latest acquisition. The car was donated by Bunge in Nipawin Saskatchewan, where until recently had provided additional raw canola oil storage for their Nipawin edible oil refinery.
Original data found on the car shows it built in 1926 as GATX21050. At some period it was leased to Philips Petroleum, as evidenced by markings on the frame.
Also still in evidence is the last testing date of October 17, 1972 by CGTX in Red Deer, a tank car maintenance facility.
The car is in remarkably good shape for it’s age with only a slightly bent handrail, and a broken wooden end walkway. The paint and lettering is well weathered.
The car was sold to an agricultural industry in Saskatoon in 1976, and acquired by Bunge predecessors in Nipawin before its donation.
Morley Muldoon Transport offered to donate the transportation of the tank car to Wainwright. On July 24th, 2006 , Plil Valleau, and Don McGuire and a winch truck & trailer driven by Sean McAfee of Morley Muldoon Transport left for Nipawin.
Arriving at Nipawin we made contact with Leo Wiebe, our contact at the Bunge facility, and were led to the tank car. It was winched onto the trailer and secured for the long trip home. Height was of no concern on the Saskatchewan Highways (we had been given a route by Sask Transportation, but getting out of Nipawin proved a challenge.
We arrived home in Wainwright about 8PM that night in the midst of a summer thunderstorm. The truck was secured in Muldoon’s south yard on Airport Road for the night.
The next day (July 25th) the tank car along with a 40 ton crane and a bed truck arrived at Wainwright Rail Park. The car was placed on the rails by early afternoon.
A similar tank car (AGRX801) was available at Nipawin, but had been derailed. The logistics involved in lifting, transporting and repairing the damage caused us to turn down that offer. Bunge is selling the tank to a local farmer, and it is hoped we may be able to acquire the trucks and other hardware after the tank is removed from Bunge property.
Our thanks to Morley Muldoon for his support of Wainwright Rail Park, and to Morley Muldoon Transport employees Sean McAfee, Michael Oracheski, Don Russell, D. J. Evans, and Lindsay Timbor for their assistance with this project, and to Leo Wiebe and Bunge Canada in Nipawin for the donation of the car.
