GOGO News Editor Dan Dell'Unto: (with thanks to B.Frisina, D.Garcia and B.Miller)
GO Transit is rebuilding several of their remaining F59PH units. As of early/mid January, unit 559 has been overhauled and repainted at the VIA TMC and is almost ready to go. Also noted there for rebuild were units 558, 561 and 562. It is clear GO intends on keeping some of their F59PH units, although the exact amount is still unknown at this time.
Units stored in the yard in mid January were GO F59PH units 543, 544, 548, 549, 550, 552, 553.
Many GO F59PH units are now sporting an electronic bell, replacing the mechanical ones they have had for years. All the MP40s were delivered with electronic bells, and all the cab cars were refitted over time a number of years ago. It appears many (but not all) F59's were retrofitted over Spring/Summer 2010. Brand new MPEX (GO) MP40PH-3C 652 was spotted on an eastbound CP train in southern Ontario on January 23rd. MPEX 653 is also reported as on the way. GO Transit bicycle cars 2745 and 2746, used for storing bicycles on the seasonal Niagara Falls trains, have been converted back to regular coaches. It is unknown if 2743 and 2744 have been converted back as well. A new commuter rail station is planned for east Hamilton, Ontario when GO Transit gets its Niagara expansion project off the drawing board. According to reports, GO Transit is looking at constructing a station on the CN line at Centennial Parkway and would be naming it Confederation Station, as it would replace a station proposed for Fruitland Road in Stoney Creek, Ontario. Also, GO Transit would possibly shift all-day rail service between the Hamilton area and Union Station in Toronto, Ontario, which sees approximately 20 trains a day to the new station from Aldershot, Ontario. The agency had originally wanted to build a new station at James Street North in Hamilton. GO spokesperson Vanessa Thomas said the change in station sites is a result of comments the agency received from the public during summer information meetings in Hamilton and other communities. GO Transit had originally rejected Centennial Parkway because it could not be accommodated by a developer near the rail and road junction, east of the Centennial Parkway location. Currently, GO Transit is fine-tuning an environmental assessment and design study on a Niagara rail expansion, which it had launched during the start of 2010. While in Oshawa, Ontario Rob Gearns caught a GO Train departing Westbound with GO 651 pushing on the tail end.
AMTAMT News Editor Jean-Francois Turcotte: In recent weeks, AMT has been double-heading their ex-GO Transit F59PH's on the Montreal CP lines, pairing the GO Transit painted units, and the two repainted AMT units. Michael Berry caught a westbound AMT commuter train passing through Montreal West Station on Dec. 24th, 2010 with two repainted units. On Dec. 31st he caught another westbound AMT commuter train at the Westminster level crossing in Motnreal West with two RBRX leased units in their former GO livery.
Plans are in the works for a new Light Rail System from Montreal to the South Shore. Montreal’s Champlain Bridge is to be replaced by a new structure crossing the St. Lawrence River. The current structure, hosting 6 road lanes (of which one becomes a bus lane during rush hour), is quickly reaching the end of its useful life. Work would start on a replacement bridge by 2019. While the bridge falls under Federal jurisdiction, Quebec’s Minister of Transportation (MTQ) is pushing to integrate a new light rail line on the new structure to replace the unreliable and troublesome bus lane. This light rail line is expected to link the South Shore community of Brossard with downtown Montreal. It’s been floating around since the early 2000’s and the original routing would have it using the nearby ice boom to cross the river. As its name implies, the ice boom is a structure that breaks the ice floating on the river to prevent ice jams further east. However, the ice boom doesn’t cross the St. Lawrence Seaway (which is closed during winter), requiring an additional and very expensive structure to get across. The expected one billion $ price tag put the project in limbo. Routing the light rail line on the new bridge would be much simpler and cheaper, as costs would be shared.
AMT Vignettes: Marc G. Vallieres clicked these Hawker Siddeley-built former GO Transit Cab Cars (AMT 103 and AMT 203) in Downtown Montreal at Lucien L’Allier Station 8/18/2010 as well as AMT 109 on 4/6/2010. As Tim Organ pointed out, all have several sets of air horns. All AMT cab rolling stock are getting equipped with two sets of horns, we believe they are standard K3L or perhaps K3LA. One reason is St-Antoine residents (near St-Jérôme, QC), loudly complained about trains sounding their horn prior to departing the yard to test them. AMT agreed not to perform the 4am horn checks by providing a second set of horns as a backup on each locomotive and cab car. The AMT 3000's (and the future 1350's), will have a total of 10-chimes!
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2192847
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2009242 Now retired, Bi-Level Gallery Cab Car AMT 901 was built in 1969 by Canadian Vickers for CP Rail’s Montreal - West Island commuter service. Marc G. Vallieres photo shows it at Lucien-L’Allier Station about to depart on its last trip of the day up to St-Jerome, QC.
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2036349 Marc Chouinard wrote this report on the (ex-GO) AMT cars: http://www.myrailfan.com/collection/AMT/AMT_1000/AMT_1000.aspx
© CRO Fenruary 2011 |
