CANADIAN NATIONAL

December 2011

 Motive Power News

CN ex-BNSF C40-8W ROUNDUP 

 Wearing full CN Livery with their paint shop and new releases.

 (as of December 1st, 50 of 67 finished - new units in red)

Trace locations November CN 2098-2199

         (CN ex-UP C40-8, ex-BNSF C40-8W)

 Report compiled by Joe Ferguson (with thanks):

http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2011/dec11/dec11traceresults.pdf

(4) inside the Centralia Paint Shop: 2140,  2171, 2182, 2195

(4) At Centralia - black CN #s with BNSF paint: 2142, 2150, 2158, 2160

(7) At Centralia, awaiting repaint (BNSF paint/numbers)

821 > 2172

825 > 2174

835 > 2179

849 > 2186

851 > 2187

855 > 2190

857 > 2192

The other recent releases, 2098 and 2173 were bagged by George at Centralia in fresh paint on November 8th.

Newly painted CN 2137 was moved November 11th from Centralia to Du Quoin, IL by SB train M336.  At the Du Quoin CN yard Nov. 12th, George noted six 2100-class engines: C40-8's 2102, 2120, 2129, and 2134 and wide cabs CN 2137 and 2149. These six, along with 2143 and 2146, are now at Quality Rail (Madison, IL) for hardware upgrades.

On November 7th George clicked CN 2180 at Centralia, along with freshly painted 2185.

CN repaints  2099, 2181 and 2184 were shot in Centralia in late October.

Sharp eyes spotted the DPU red light (near the right number board ) on C40-8 2108 shot by Henry Nye in Neenah November 13TH. This modification separates cooling for the prime mover and turbo intercooler.  GE confirms EPA Tier 0+ compliance is achieved through a combination of split cooling and Electronic Fuel Injection. Any locos still having mechanical fuel injection are upgraded to EFI. CN 2108 got its upgrade at Quality Rail; CN 2125 is getting the same upgrades at Woodcrest. Both CSXT and UP Dash 8's have also appeared in CRO with this cooling upgrade. 

In perfect bird's eye position above M341 November 25th, Henry zeroed in on newly installed split-cooling radiators atop CN C40-8W 2153 as it hung a left turn at Neenah WI.

At Du Quoin, IL on November 23rd Joe Ferguson found the last of the (ex-UP/CNW) CN C40-8's to enter service.  She sat in fresh CN  paint at Centralia, IL for many months, and is now at last operational.  The extra cooling modification for emissions work was performed by Quality Rail last month.  

CN ES44DC 2342 was involved in a mudslide / washout accident on the Chetwynd Sub in Northern BC earlier in the year, while operating on train A472. The locomotive sustained damage to right side and was seen on November 6th moving westbound on CN train 399, supported on and straddling two QTTX flatcars, with GE trucks removed. It is destined to a contract shop in Madison, Illinois, where CN has locos repaired and/or upgraded.

Walter Pfefferle caught CN 2152 trailing on CN 393 through Woodstock sandwiched between CN 5648 SD75I and SD40u CN 6017 mile 46 Dundas sub 11-25-2011

CN Locomotives Sold

On November 3rd ERS C-424 4204 (Ex-Ottawa Central, nee CP) was pulled from the CN Woodcrest storage line, and prepared for shipping via CN with SFEX reporting marks. CN sent it north to the DMIR in Proctor, MN in error, then redirected it eastbound.  As of November 28th it had returned to Markham Yard, and is again back at Woodcrest. Robby Gragg caught her in transit at Plainfield, IL on November 6th.

In mid-November, retired CN GP9RM`s 7008, 7030, and 7033 were relettered JLCX (J&L Consulting) at the Woodcrest Shop. 7033 was one of small number of GP9RM's repainted in the current CN scheme.  CN-IC SD40-2 6100 was pulled from the storage lines. This was one of two IC 6100`s removed from the auction sales list earlier this year.

CN Retired 10 units During 2011

CN GP9RM’s 4118, 7007, 7010, 7018, 7045, 7216, 7218 and 7259;

IC SW14 1501;

CN slug 272.

Ken Lanovich digitally captured WC Sw1500 1502 and GTW SD40-2 5934 through the east fence of Woodcrest  October 27th.  As well as Chicago Rail Link Gp9 903 November 1st and NIPSCO Sw-1 #27 were at the throat of Markham yard Nov. 18th.

Operation Lifesaver IC SD40-3 6201 drew the L510 local assignment from Duplainville to Fond Du Lac, WI October 29TH. Ed Weisensel caught the 12-car local approaching its setout and pickup at the Ackerville CN-WSOR interchange yard.

Chris Wilson videoed and photographed CN train Q149, rolling through Newtonville, Ontario on November 10th.

Q149 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGFmJK3SkOc

Chris also took this nice roster shot of CN GMDu 1412 at CN Mac Yard November 21st. 

Powered by CN North America painted SD40u 6016 and SD40-2W 5339, CN train 907 reverses up the cow path under the conductors protection at Hamilton, Ontario November 4th, in order to head east towards MacMillan Yard in Toronto.

Deja vu? On November 7th Wayne Shaw caught train 450 heads south through Utterson (Huntsville, Ontario) with the same power set Dan Tweedle caught at Hamilton West a few days ago … only reversed.

Myles Roach clicked  matching blue GTW GP38-2 4917 and GP9R 4622 in the small Shaefer road yard in Dearborn MI. August 8th

It is always a nice surprise to see the blue-liveried GTW power in Canada, even dirty ones!  Geoff Williams bagged GTW GP38-2 5831 on CN train 583 at London East November 19th. Walter Pfefferle also caught it running west through Paris Ontario earlier in the day.

Paul Burgess clicked CN C40-8 2117 South on M397 passing through Danforth, IL October 29th, the former UP nee-CNW toaster looking fine in CN uniform.

On November 5th, Patrick DeLarue photographed CN O48221-04, the TEST train at Tarte siding (Pelletier Sub.) at Rivière-Bleue, Québec. Burly CN C44-9W 2669 is certainly overkill for the light load behind, test cars 15007-15008.

Craig Allen submitted this photograph of BCOL C44-9WL 4644 leading CN train 148 through Norval, ON (Halton Sub MP 19.17) on November 21st.

Mark Forseille clicked beefy CN SD70M-2 8815 between assignments at Port Coquitlam, BC on May 30th as a tired CP AC4400CW looks on. In October near the same spot, Mark caught CN 8826 coupled to an SD60F.

A rarity occurred on 11/11/11  when five CN SD60F's were all at Thunder Bay, Ontario (Lakehead Region) on the same day:  CN 840 had 5522 + 5551 on an overnight grain train, and CN 436 a mixed freight had 5552 + 5539 + 5529. (Images courtesy of B. Skedgel and Craig Konopski)

Andy Cassidy clicked this birds eye view of CN SD60F 5501 and CN SD60F 5508 at  New Westminster Yard, at Mile 16 on the Lulu Island Industrial line July 27th.

A brand new Brant 600HP highrail truck/loco was displayed in the parking lot at the CN Woodcrest shop November 17th.  Ken Lanovich.

CN Vignettes

Looking like a postcard from the past CN 580 cruises by the Grand River after servicing Johnson & Johnson in Brantford Ontario. They are running on the old Lake Erie & Northern tracks as they rumble past downtown Brantford Ontario. The date was November 9th 2011.

On August 1, 1966, Doug Hately recorded train No. 10 at the station in Bowmanville, Ontario. CN FPA4 6786 and a GP9 lead the head-end baggage cars.  

In the early Conrail years, CR often had a lot of CN power on hand.  Jack D. Kuiphoff clicked CN M636 231 at Croxton, NJ. November 21st 1976. 

Doug also shot this impressive westbound CN express/TOFC train easing over the CP bridge at Port Hope, Ontario August 7th, 1970. The detour was due to a derailment on the double track CN Bridge at Port Hope, which spans alongside only a few hundred feet south of the single track CP bridge.

John Reay clicked a westbound VIA train that had just come to a stop in a cloud of steam after being nailed by the hotbox detector at Newtonville, Ontario March 3, 1986. CN train 393, led by HR616 2105 and two six-axle MLWs, are seen passing the stopped VIA train’s head-end.

© CRO December 2011