NEW MOTIVE - POWER:  CP has announced a new order for 61 ES44AC’s from General Electric.  They will be constructed at the GE plant in Erie, PA and are to be numbered CP 8900-8960.   Currently, there are no GE locomotive orders from any other Canadian railway.

On June 28th Matthew Hicks took this photo inside one of CP’s current Gevo cabs at Keith Yard in Calgary Alberta. 

 http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=242171&nseq=9

On the morning of May 31st Wayne D. Shaw shot this spectacular consist on CP train 247!  The early morning mist still obscures the Niagara Escarpment in the background, but has lifted enough to allow the sun to shine on this colorful lash-up  of  five SD40-2s and an SD60 trailing the GE AC4400CW.  Eastbound and approaching the 6th Line in the middle of the Hornby Dip are CP 8603, CITX 3066, SOO 6029, NREX 8401, CITX 3088, NREX 8090 and CP 6046.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=365810

 Andy Cassidy’s photo really accentuates the lines of the GE AC4400CW. Here we have a trip of AC4400CWs with the CEFX 1049 leading the CP 9511 and 9534 into Haig with grain Empties East At Haig, Mile 40.1, Cascade Sub  2011 05 25.  These are all GE AC4400CW's. As can be seen, the CEFX GE has had a replacement heater unit supplied by CP.

Paul Smith sent us photos showing CP SD40-2F 9015 and 9018 after the crude oil has been washed off following the level crossing collision with the oil tanker  lasy month in Alberta.  Pretty amazing how good they turned out, it is all in using the right stuff needed to clean the black oil off.  In early June the units were sent to Progress Rail for repairs.  The third unit in the collision an AC4400CW was cleaned up as well.

 Last month CP repainted AC4400CW 9733 into the new scheme without the CP Beaver.   It was seen at St-Luc Diesel Shop June 5th.

CP GP38-2`s 3038, 3048, 3066, 3111, and SOO 4446 arrived via CN to Progress Rail, Mayfield KY for overhaul and repaint.  Soo Line 4515 is currently Bad Order in St. Paul will be added to this group at a later date.    

The ethanol trains keep rolling and almost always with interesting power assignments!!  On May 31, Bill Sanderson caught CP eastbound ethanol train #666 pauses for a crew change at the depot in Smiths Falls, Ont.  The 85 tank cars plus one idler car behind the units are being powered by CPR SD40-2 #5698, CSXT ES44DC #5447 and CPR SD40-2 #6060.   #5698 is one of five SD40-2’s (#5671, #5672, #5690, #5697, #5698) assigned to the D&H in Binghamton, NY and equipped with special cab signals to operate on former NYC trackage in the northeast corridor. 

In mid-June, CP was finishing up their work to install a Centralized Traffic Control signal system on the Brockville Subdivision. During the week of June 13th, this new signal system will be undergoing testing,  It is expected the new system will be in service around June 17th for final testing.

On June 18th James Lalande caught CP 2100 was leading train 422 as it passed through St-Cloud, Ontario seen diverging to the CN Bala sub, into the directional running zone at the St Cloud diamond.

Doug McKenzie took the following shots at the CP Ogden Shop in June.  From what rumors we hear the paint booth could be the first victim and could be coming down as soon mid-July at the same time the Steel car shop closes.   The CPR Steam program may also be moving into the other half of the Steel car shop, which will allow them to store all their equipment under cover. 

These images of the Empress ES44AC 8877 and F9B 1900 were taken June 8th with a 19 car business train preparing to leave Calgary for Regina, Saskatchewan. CP President Fred Green and other dignitaries were aboard the 19 car CP business train which arrived in Regina June 9th. The occasion was the announcement that CP would be locating its new Regina intermodal terminal on a 300 acre site at the Global Transportation Hub on the western edge of Regina. This special train may have marked the first time all 9 cars of the steam program plus all 10 cars of the Royal Canadian Pacific were together in one consist, much less behind the immaculate 4-6-4 Hudson. (Cor van Steenis)

 The Revelstoke Railway Museum auctioned a July 3rd cab ride onboard CPR #2816 on the run between Golden and Revelstoke, BC.

http://www.railwaymuseum.com/Press%20release%20-%202816%20head%20end%20ride.pdf

 On June 23rd, Jim Dorst photographed the Empress leading a full consist of heritage units (4106, 3084, 1401, and 1900) into Golden, B.C.  Only CP 4107 and some sunshine was missing from the party. The consist was split, and CP 4106 and CP 3084 continued south along the Windermere Sub with a charter.  The remainder stayed overnight in Golden before making a run back to Calgary the next day.

On June 18th James Lalande caught CP 2100 was leading train 422 as it passed through St-Cloud, Ontario seen diverging to the CN Bala sub, into the directional running zone at the St Cloud diamond.

Former CP SD40-2 5643 is seen repainted JLCX 5643 and is now leased to Prairie Mines and Royalty Ltd, a division of Sherritt Coal, operates a 12 mile railway between their Poplar River lignite mine and SaskPower's Poplar River power station.  They have two locomotives, LLPX 6949 and PRMX 6973, both SD40-2's.  The 6973 is need of repair and rebuilding.  (See more of this story in SHORTLINES)

On June 23rd a CP freight derailed 17 freight cars in the Kootenay region of the Rocky Mountains near Albert Canyon, Alberta. Click on the link to get details, photos and a video:

http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/revelstoketimesreview/news/124324369.html?mobile=true

This image was taken by Kevin Dunk while at work up in Golden, BC.  While heading to  the old CP Rogers pusher station Kevin caught the eastbound Rocky Mountaineer approaching with RMR 8011 ‘Pride of Kamloops’ (nee-CN GP40-2LW 9595 and RMR GP40-2 8017 (ex-PC 3114) racing through Golden for Calgary with the latest paint scheme on the Rocky Mountaineer Railtours trainset.

John Leeming caught RMR 8014 Westbound at Mile 117-8 on Shuswap Sub June 1st, with CP AC4400CW 9750 assisting.  The other photo shows the RMR train arriving at Lorne Street Station in Kamloops, BC.  Leased to the RMR, genset NREX 2020 was in the shop for repairs in early June and has returned to service.  As well CN SD60F 5511 was  borrowed in early June on  the Kamloops to Calgary RMR train and operated as the trailing unit.

On May 31st, A. J. Shewan learned that a barge had struck the Mission CP Railway bridge around 12:30pm and got wedged into the abutments. He clicked some photos of the bridge and the barge wedged in and uploaded them to his pbase site. Feel free to have a look. http://www.pbase.com/ashewan/barge    As the bridge was not damaged, the first train through was a CP Westbound about six hours after the incident

The first train through was after 6pm sometime in the form of a CP westbound. 

CP Caboose in the UK! 

 CP Caboose #434677 is currently at Halifax NS awaiting shipment to England. It is scheduled to be loaded aboard MV Atlantic Cartier on June 27th. ETA Liverpool on July 5th,  It's final destination is the Mangapps Railway Museum at Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, where it will join a large collection of British rolling stock and will form the centrepiece of the museum's display of historic Canadian railway artifacts.  The caboose was purchased from Rail Merchants International of Fairfield, IA and has made the 2000 mile journey to Halifax on it's own wheels. The final 450 mile British leg will be on a road transporter.  For further info: contact John Jolly at jajolly@tiscali.co.uk   or phone #44 1621 784898.

 CP VIGNETTES:

GREAT SHOT!  Stanley W. Short took this great “Meet”  with CP RAIL SD40 5508 passing on the mainline with “The Empress of Agincourt” RSD17 8921 woth a transfer in West Toronto on May 30th  1980.

GREAT CATCH!  CP Rail #85-leaving Ottawa Walkey Yard-05/02/87.  CP had leased some Santa Fe GP38's due to a power shortage.  Some were Canadian leaders, and some were not as this one. Bruce Chapman had the St-Luc Shop foreman  Tom Wilson, line up #85 with C424  4200 and the ATSF unit, after he told Brucethe ATSF geep couldn't lead. Tom didn't really like putting the 4200 in the lead as CP crews often whined about the poor seats in this unit. CP 4200 had been CP's first “2nd generation” MLW, numbered 8300 at the time, later renumbered 4200, and it had received some parts from retired RS10 8474, which had been in a derailment at Stardale Ontario on the M&O Subdivision in 1964. The A CN unit is rare on a CP train but CP had also leased some RS18's from Canadian National. One of them had been used at Gatineau Quebec, across the river from Ottawa, in the Canadian International Paper plant that CP switched. Bruce noticed that our magnetic board in the old Operations Centre had no 'date stickers' on any of the CNR units that were on lease and they'd been on lease for some time. So he asked the mechanical supervisor who was sitting at the back corner desk of our office in Windsor Station, Montréal: «When is CNR 37xx due inspection?"  He got out the St.Luc data sheets, and here it was due that very day for its 92-day inspection.  So I had to bother poor old Tom at St.Luc to see if he had any clunkers that we could put on the tail end of #85 to come off at Gatineau to change out an inspection.  After the usual grumbling, he came up with another CN RS18, and I asked him to put it on the tail end of #85's power on idle for Gatineau, which he did. Then Bruce called local railfan Ross Harrison saying that #85 had a Santa Fe unit trailing, in case he wanted to take any pix. Ross was up on the Bank Street bridge at the west end of Walkley Yard and got #85 backing into the yard. For some reason, the Montreal train dispatcher had run him as a work extra from Gatineau to Ottawa and return, don't know why, but that's why he is flying white flags. (But this is CTC territory, and white flags were not required in CTC territory, but then what do train crews know??)

I'll surely get a blast for that one!!  Bruce was surprised when Ross sent the pix with the CN unit on the train, but apparently the CP crew was trying to save a switch move at Gatineau, so they set off the good unit, and lifted the inspection unit on the way west.

On July 27, 1993, Bill Sanderson shot this CP westbound Calgary-Vancouver grain train #351 snaking its way through the bowels of the Lower Kicking Horse River Canyon.  The 103-car freight is being powered by SD40-2's #5869, #6026 and #5723 on the head end with #5708 and #5930 operating under Locotrol at mid-train  The train is passing the west end of Glenogle siding near Mile 29 of the Mountain subdivision, about six miles east of Golden, B.C. 

@CRO July 2011