CANADIAN PACIFIC

January 16th, 2011, Kevin Burkholder took this fantastic photo of CP’s ethanol train #666 rolling along the frozen Lake Champlain at Port Henry, NY.  CP train 666-801 is seen passing through this  well-known  D&H/CP photo location with SOO SD60 6034 leading the smartly matched trio of ICE SD40-2s, (6215, 6457 and 6413).

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=351961

Sold to RB Recycling in December 2010, ex-CP SD90MAC-H’s 9300-9303 will shortly all be delivered to the Lachine, QC facilty for stripping and then scrapping. During January only one had been moved by CP from St-Luc Yard to the RBRX facility.  Two months ago the quartet had been moved from storage in Winnipeg to Montreal in anticipation of their sale, and Luc Lanthier caught them all together at St-Luc Yard December 27, 2010

During January the following National Railway Equipment units were to be leased to CP: NREX SD40-2’s 5417 and  5431, SD50 5462, SD40-2’s 5581, 5661, 5668, 5760, 5777, 5823, 6300, 6301, 6309, 7349, 7356, 7360, 7368, 7370, 7374, and SD45T-2 9402.  At press time several had already arrived on CP property.

There have been recent rumors that Canadian Pacific is considering closing the Ogden Shop (Calgary, Alberta).  ALSTOM and CP who currently share the shop will have no working agreement after 2011 and could part ways. Until recently, Ogden shop has been used for CP’s heavy repairs of locomotives and cars, and is their only main shop still equipment-functional for this type of work. CP of course has the Weston Shop in Winnipeg, MB, (worked by Progress Rail now part of the conglomerate that bought EMD which is now part of Caterpillar).  Recently, CP has begun contracting out major repairs to the USA like RELCO in Albia Iowa that repaired CP 9554 and are now is doing an engine change on the D&H GP38-2 7304. As well St-Luc Yard in Montreal can do GE engine change-outs on the GE AC4400CW’s. News story from CBC Calgary:

Adding to the rumor mill last year (Jan 2010) CP built a new brake replacement shop at the Alyth Diesel Shop and in March 2010 CP raised the roof over two bays of the Alyth Diesel Shop to install a large overhead traveling crane and substantial other work was done to the pits inside the building.  Also, such a shop closure would seem to fit with the objectives in CP's recently announced capital plan for 2011, one of which is to consolidate repair facilities; as per the quote from CP's capital plan:

"Making strategic and targeted capacity investments to ensure that the efficiencies gained through our long train strategy, repair facility and yard consolidations are sustained as business levels return".

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2011/01/13/cp-cn-rail-strike.html

Cor van Steenis submitted these shots of the Ogden and Alyth Shop:

On January 26th at about 04:00AM CP train 221-25 struck train 220-24 in the siding at Buckskin, ON (CP - Mactier Sub), derailing 23 of the trains 90 cars.  Train 220-24 had 9102-5970-9008 and 62 cars, and departed MacTier Ontario about 02:45AM.  Train 221-25 had CEFX 1045-5983 and only 31 grain empties, and had left Elder, Ontario about midnight.  CP detour trains over CN began soon after with a CN pilot.

Jason Jongen recorded the following detours  over January 27-28. 

1st: CP detour 112 through washago (89.1 Bala Sub.) @ 00:24 January 27th CP 8816 ES44AC, CP 8576 AC4400CW, Stacks and a few racks.

2nd: CP Detour 111 through Washago (89.1 Bala Sub.) @ 00:47 January 27th CP 9737 AC4400CW, CP 9636 AC4400CW, CP 9767 AC4400CW and containers, 

3rd: CP detour 118 through washago at 09:28 mile 89 CN Bala sub. January 27th: CP 9100 SD9043MAC, CP 9132 SD9043MAC, CEFX 1047 AC4400CW with Stacks and Mixed on the tail end. 

4th: CP detour 113 through washago at 14:04 mile 89 CN Bala sub. January 27th: CP 8782 ES44AC, CP 9835 AC4400CW and Containers.

5th: CP detour 114 through washago at 19:14 January 27thP: CP 8534 AC4400CW, CP 9801 AC4400CW,CP 8621 AC4400CW

6th: CP detour 115 through washago 02:55 January 28th: CP 9700 AC4400CW, CP 8560 AC4400CW, CP 8578 AC4400CW, 

7th: CP detour 119 through washago at 08:54 mile 89 CN Bala sub. January 28thP: CP 8652 AC4400CW, CP 8575 AC4400CW, Racks and Stacks.    

8th: CP detour 220 through washago at 13:32 mile 89 Bala sub. January 28th: CP 9125 SD9043MAC, CP 9003 SD40-2F, CP 5765 SD40-2.

9th: CP Detour 222 by Washago at 03:19 on January 29th: CP 9105 SD9043MAC, CP 6033 SD40-2, CP 5871 SD40-2, which is believed to be the last of the detours over CN.

Following an engine fire late last year on December 28th, burned AC4400CW 8561 arrived at St-Luc Diesel shop for major repairs.

A Gary Knapp “Night Meet”! Swinging through the broad curve past the station at Port Henry,NY is train 253 with a rare sight these days on CP’s D&H …. four SD40-2s! What used to be an everyday occurrence on the CP 1990’s-era D&H, we can appreciate this January 10th 2011 image when “GE” rule.  Former CP Rail RS-18u #1801 dominates the right side of the scene repainted as Lake Champlain & Moria RR. #22, with an ore car and original LC&M caboose all comprise this display train commemorating the hometown iron ore railroad. Now abandoned, the LC&M interchanged iron ore with the D&H for decades here. The area behind 253 hosted a sizable yard during this time. CP train 253 train has CP SD40-2’s 6016, 5910 and 6080, with leased CITX 3095 trailing on 01/10/11 at 04:00AM.

James Gardiner submitted SOO GP4o-2 4420 which he caught at Galt, ON., on January 22nd.

Former CNR Business Car 93, now named TIOGA PASS, is scheduled to arrive in Canada on CP around the 9th of February from Montana,  and will head to the military base at Suffield, Alberta to escort an Army train move later in the month.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1989911

Deane Motis submitted this terrific shot of CP AC4400CW 9734 at  Exshaw, Alberta  (2/8/10)

As of Jan. 24th, 2011 - BNSF Powder River Coal started  to move North through the Coutts-Sweetgrass border crossing and up to Lethbridge and Calgary, AB  on CP.  Then move up to Edmonton, AB and then West, on CN, to Prince Rupert, BC.  BNSF run through power is expected to be used on these trains. 

Peter J. Wilson took these great shots: At Brickburn (Edworthy Park) across the Bow River from Montgomery, AB he shot of AC4400CW 9640. It had just come into Calgary from the west after encountering snow in the mountains. The other photo was taken from the Sarcee Trail and both shot in early January 2011.

 At Castlegar, BC on April 10th, 2009, Ruth Parfeniuk shot CP SD40-2 5867 leading SD40-2F’s 9022, 9007, and SD40-2 6012 with 65 cars. This daily train services the Teck Cominco smelter at Trail BC (formerly owned by the CPR) and the Celgar pulp mill in Castlegar. The cars on the siding behind are waiting for pickup when this train returns from Trail later the same day.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/valleyflowerpower/3429997007/in/set-72157616131964611/

Kicking up the fresh snow, CP SD40-2 6015  is seen leading train 426 on the CP Galt Sub at Mile 9.7 on January 12th, 2011.  (Jonathan Matthew Angeles) .

Andy Cassidy submitted this shot taken January 4th at O-Yard on the V&LI (Vancouver & Lulu Island) Line in Vancouver BC. TheseCP SW1200RS's (1237-1239) were just recently re-assigned there, and are on the stub track.

Over the next few weeks the majority of the CPR surplus heritage passenger and baggage cars are to leave Ogden Yard, Alberta sometime in mid-January for Lethbridge, AB.  All of the cars are to be moved out except for four which are to be scrapped on site at Ogden.

The surplus heritage cars at Skiff, Alberta (except for three) were all cut up on site, starting in mid-December 2010 and concluding late-January 2011.

The former CPR Bassano station was tentatively scheduled to be moved by road to the railway museum at Beiseker, Alberta on January 10th, 2011.

CP Vignettes:

CP train #903 is seen at the Oshawa, ON depot May 18th, 1965 with Bessemer & Lake Erie F7A #717  leading a CP GP9 and FA2. CP had leased several B&LE F-units during the mid-1960’s, and were often used as leaders on Montreal-Toronto-Windsor trains. (Doug Hately photo)

Ron Visockis submitted this great shot by Tom Farence of (Fairbanks-Morse/CLC) Canadian Locomotive Company-built H16-44 #8716  looking splendid in CP RAIL Action Red at Sudbury, Ontario in 1974.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=266877&nseq=4

On a nice warm summer day, Doug Hately caught Westbound CP Rail M636 4740 leading a pair of leased B&O Geeps, wearing Chessie System paint. The train is seen crossing Scugog Street in Bowmanville, ON, July 10th, 1984.

Two terrific slides from Cor van Steenis’ collection of the “CANADIAN” at the lower spiral tunnel, (when you could still photograph a train at that location). It was  still a CP train at this time, but two months later, (Oct 29th 1978) VIA Rail took over passenger service on this route until that service was abandoned in Jan 1990 and the CANADIAN began to run on the northern CNR route. First photo was taken from the Trans-Canada Highway and the other from the wooden visitor trestle that used to protrude into the Kicking Horse valley from the spiral tunnels viewpoint parking lot. Today the right-of-way is so overgrown that these images can not be repeated and the wooden trestle has been removed by Parks Canada.  (See more of Cor’s historical photos in our “VIA Vignettes” section).

In late-1967 Canadian Pacific operated its first train with robots (remote control radio sending & receiving units) and slaves (radio controlled remote motive power units) to increase its tonnage per train over the mountain ranges of western Canada. These units were intended to replace many of the manned helpers-pushers in this service. The first robot was converted express-baggage car # 4465 (later re-numbered to Robot 1000 and then 1001). It was painted in a tuscan and gray scheme similar to the locomotives of that era (later painted blue). After some trials and tribulations with determining the best location for the slave units, trains of up to 14,000 tons were run over the Mountain Subdivision with the slaves and robot at a mid-train location. A typical consist of that era would be four SD40-2's on the point and two SD40-2's with a robot at mid-train and 100 cars.

CPR built a total of 33 robot cars, painted blue with the multi-mark in red and white: Robot 1001 - 1005 were built from express cars in the late 1960's and were all retired by 1975; Robots 1006 - 1016 were re-built in 1971-72 from retired CPR Canadian Locomotive Company 'B' units (see photo of Robot 1012 at Yoho and Mount Stephen), all were retired by 1985;  Robot 1016 was a boxcar type shell built in 1972 on the frame of a wrecked CLC H16-44 #8719, it was retired in 1984: Robots 1017 - 1031 were built in 1974 by CP's Montreal Angus Shops from new boxcars (see photo of Robot 1024 at Field), all were retired by 1991; Robot 1032 was built in 1977 from a converted boxcar, was numbered CPHX 1032 and owned by Ontario Hydro (see photo of Robot 1032 at Field). This robot was used on unit coal trains hauling from the southeastern British Columbia coal fields to Thunder Bay, ON.; it was retired in 1991. Finally, a second Robot 1005 was built in 1978 from retired CPR MLW FPB-2 'B' unit # 4463 to replace the wrecked first 1005; it was retired in 1991. The last robot units on the CPR were leased Remote Control Cars from the British Columbia Railway, such as RCC-3, formerly CPR CPB16-4 # 4455 (see photo of RCC-3 at DeWinton, AB); these were retired by 1990. By 1983, CP had started to place the radio control sending and receiving equipment in the nose of its SD40-2 units and robot cars were phased out of service.

http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2011/feb11/robotscvs.htm

© CRO February 2011