SHORTLINES, REGIONAL

 INDUSTRIALS

Western Canada

NREX 3GS21B-DE 2020 arrived on the Great Sandhills Railway (GSRY) on October 11th.  This locomotive had finished up two months of tests on the RMR (Rockey Mountaineer) in BC and will now test on the GSRY.  NREX B23-7's 4221, 4227, and 4253 are expected to move the GSRY back to NREX.  One of the trio NREX 4227 has failed, but they are still using the other two for now. GSRY also has GMTX GP39-2 2674 and 2693, and the NREX B23-7's.  The three GE's will leave for Silvis, IL after GSR receives another GMTX GP38-2 from the Kelowna  Pacific in October or November.

On October 3rd Tim Schwartz noted the following Hudson Bay Railway train heading into Flin Flon, MB.  The units had just finished spotting the frac sand and where backing to the Channing Trestle where they had dropped the rest of the cars. This was the amazing set of power: 

HBR 3550

HBR 3002

KRC 2401

KRC 2402

OMLX 34

OMLX 713

OMLX 9570

 

Mark Perry has been on the Emerson now for a couple of months and every trip he sets out and picks up cars at Viterra's Canola crushing plant in St. Agathe, MB.  The plant is a long way off the highway and the plant track is quite a hike if you want to try and get shots of their blue GE 45/50 ton switching around their plant [not sure of the B/N and B/D for this unit, anyone?  Mark at last got a shot of it from his unit in late October after they  set out some cars for them on the south leg of the wye and they came out to fetch them. Note the engineer had come outside just to be in Mark's shot!

 

 

CWR Vignette: 

 

The Central Western Railway in May 1994, was an interesting shortline.  Especially after  they acquired an ex-SP GP20!  It still had its full SP light package and paint in 1994. The ex-CASO GP9 had been painted in the CWR "Coast Guard" paint scheme.  The northbound is shown switching at Meeting Creek, AB.  Today the station and at least one elevator is preserved at Meeting Creek, along with a thousand feet of track. (Phil Mason photo)

 

Ontario

Former Algoma Central coach 5483 has been delivered to Trillium, and is the second of three ex-VIA coaches to be coming.  As of October 2nd  ex-ACR 5483 and 3236 were on Trillium's property in the Ontario Niagara Region. 

On October 5th Walter Pfefferle caught Arcelor Mittal - Dofasco 418 (Hamilton ON) traveling as NREX 418.  The consist on CN train 331 included: CN 2578, 2552, 2450 NREX 418 and was clicked at Putnam Road, on the CN Dundas sub 10-5-10.

Ontario Southland Railway http://www.osrinc.ca/ is gearing up for two new customers in Ingersoll Ontario which is new business and a shot in the arm for the railway.

An existing plant is being converted to a new distribution/frozen food warehouse that will have two siding tracks and possible 30 cars per week traffic. The siding is built on an existing right of way that had the track removed many years ago, This facility is nearing completion and expected to come online in the next couple of weeks. The customer is a major player in the Canadian market and needed a local distribution warehouse instead of hauling everything from Toronto. 

 

Photos of the siding as it progresses can be found at

http://railfan.thegrebs.com/Ontario-Southland-Railway-New-Business

The second new customer may not be ready to go till Spring as they are building a new building just north of the St Thomas sub. It will be locate just over the bridge on the CN/CP connecting track in Ingersoll. No word on traffic yet but they will have at least one siding.

OSR took over the St Thomas sub from CP in December 2009 and has been upgrading the lines since then. They continue to repair and improve the St Thomas sub and have put in thousands of new ties and many feet of new rail to bring it up to their standards. 

Nice to see new rail and customer turning to rail for their needs. 

OSR prides themselves on providing superior customer service and these new customers are a result of that commitment.

In early October Goderich-Exeter (GEXR) leased CN SD40-2 5381 and SD40-2W 5276 arriving as the power for GEXR #432. (CN 5381 is ex- UP 4102/6102 nee-Mo-Pac 802/3102).  These units are leased for one month while two GEXR units are at Mac Yard (Toronto) for repairs.  

Ontario Northland “Northlander” images from Wayne D Shaw:

 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=341171

 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=341197

 

On October 10th at MP 41.6 on the Webbwood Sub W. D. Shaw clicked Huron Central GP40-3 3802 and slug 802 at McKerrow, Ontario.

 

 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=341023

 

Geoff Elliott submitted this photo of Trillium Railway (St. Thomas and Eastern) RS18u #1842 sitting in the yard in Tillsonburg, Ontario on October 22nd.

 

Quebec

The Port  of  Montreal's new genset RPRX  RP20BD 1001 arrived in Canada on NS train 098 October 13th. On NS 098 was a special move from the US to lift 1001 up to Fort Erie, ON with two NS units.  Bruce Kerr took this shot October 10th at Enola, PA, after it had arrived on 10/9 on NS train 044 behind NS 2775.  It left Enola early on the 11th behind NS 6554-3419 and later  departed Binghamton, NY as Train 057 behind the same two locos  that later moved the RP20BD from Buffalo, NY on 10/13 as train 098 up to Fort Erie, ON. Once in Canada, CN lifted the engine to Toronto, and the genset arrived at Montreal Taschereau Yard on October 17th.

 

http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2010/11/rprx1001brucekerr.htm

QGRY SW1500 #1500 left IMTT the last week of September and has been returned to the Quebec Gatinaau Railway.  IMTT are now using their ex-East Jersey RR SW8.

Michel Daoust, the Chief Mechanical Officer of Tshiuetin Rail Transportation sent the following great shots to CRO.  On the 4th of October, following the regular TSH Schefferville scheduled train at 08:00, was a second TSH passenger train, which left Sept-Iles at 09:30 hrs with  125 tourists that had arrived at Sept Iles aboard the “Norwegian Spirit” cruise Ship. They came to see the Innu camp set-up at mile 18 and enjoy fresh smoked salmon, beaver meat, and  enjoy the traditional music, dancing and culture.  The consist had TSH F40  701 leading northbound, coach cars 1004-1003, baggage car 1401, and trailing unit for HEP usage TSH 601, which was lead unit controlling for the return movement southward to Sept-Iles station. The next cruise ship is expected October 18th,  They ship leaves Boston, MA and  visits Quebec City, Sept-Iles, St-Jean NB, Halifax, NS and then returns to Boston. The Norwegian Cruise Line is one of several ocean liner tours now coming up the St-Lawrence River to Sept-Iles, QC.  A brand new docking pier to accept these ships was just inaugurated in September 2010.

 

 

 

The Norwegian Cruise Line http://www2.ncl.com  

On October 19th along the Magog Lake near Sherbrooke QC Patrick Taillon took this great shot of a super Montreal Maine & Atlantic lash-up with an assortment of GE's and an ex-BCOL SD40-2.

Atlantic Canada

By David Othen

 

In early October the CN test train traveled to Halifax, NS, Saint John, NB and Gaspé, QC.

The former CN business car Metis has been reported on a New Brunswick Southern Railway train and is presumably owned by NBSR. The daily CN freight from Halifax to Montreal & Toronto, CN#121, is reported to be leaving later in the evening and to be longer than earlier in the year. This means that CN#120 has often had to wait in Moncton until 5:30 or 6 am because there is no siding long enough to accommodate either train between Moncton & Halifax.

 

The VIA “Park” car on the Ocean for the Tourist Sleeper Class service made its last revenue run of the summer season from both Montreal and Halifax on Monday October 11. The other two Park cars used for the service dead headed back from Halifax on October 13 & 14 respectively. It appears from the VIA website as reported by Tom Box that the Park cars will run again this year over the Christmas season.

 

IRSI in Moncton, NB has modified one of the Renaissance Baggage cars that was originally used in the corridor and fitted a large sliding door in each side. I am told that this door is large enough to allow palettes to be loaded if needed. Currently the car is running on one of the three Ocean train sets and leaves Halifax on Fridays and Mondays.

 

The Windsor & Hantsport Railway is now running three 16 car gypsum trains 3 days per week carrying white rock from Wentworth Road to the loading dock at Hantsport. It is now reported that one ship will come to Hantsport in November and possibly one ship in late December. I also hear that the Co-Op feed company that receives corn and grain shipments via the WHRC has received its last shipments by rail to Windsor, and has advised CN they will no longer need switching at Windsor Junction. The loaded grain cars that are at Windsor Junction are being returned to be unloaded in Fairview yards (Halifax). One customer will continue unloading there, and the other two will be unloading their shipments in Truro. All three firms will truck from the unloading point to the feed mills in the Annapolis Valley. This means that there will probably be one more train between Windsor and Windsor Junction to bring back the empty cars and then the line will fall into disuse.

© CRO November 2010