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BNSF MANITOBA: BNSF 1505 is seen waiting for clearance by the BNSF Manitoba Railway sign, to head south across Taylor Avenue, and enter onto the CN Rivers Subdivision to interchange cars with CN at Fort Rouge Yard. After dropping off their cars, they will do some shunting, then bring some cars back north to interchange with CP at Westview Yard on the CP La Riviere Sub. 12/28/2015. (Taylor Woolston photo).
ALBERTA PRAIRIE RAILWAY Craig Smith shot (Former CN) Alberta Prairie Railway GMD1 (APXX 1118) at Stettler Alberta in September 2015 with his IPad.
J&L CONSULTING (JLCX): JLCX 136 is back in lease service after repairs were completed in Edmonton, AB JLCX 383 is at MIDWEST LOCOMOTIVE SERVICES in Kansas City, MO JLCX 713 is now at MIDWEST LOCO coming from the Pas, MB JLCX 888 is also at MIDWEST LOCO JLCX 1202 remains on lease to VITERRA. JLCX 1344 is at UNITED GRAIN in Vancouver, WA JLCX 200o is at MIDWEST LOCO JLCX 2001 is at MIDWEST LOCO JLCX 2049 is at MIDWEST LOCO JLCX 2509 is available for lease after repairs in Assiniboia, SK.. JLCX 2886 is leased to LONG CREEK RAILWAY JLCX 3510 is at MIDWEST LOCO JLCX 4004 is at RONSCO in Coteau-de-lac, QC JLCX 9115 is at MIDWEST LOCO SOUTHERN RAILWAY OF BC: Nick Acciavatti posted this shot of SRY caboose A5, and SRY GP9u 128 (ex-CP 1583, nee-CP 8671), sitting at Nanaimo, BC and marking the first time since the 1990s a working "Van" had been seen on Vancouver Island.
CONDO RAIL SERVICES: Tayler Woolston caught the eastbound CEMR freight in Winnipeg MB on December 24th with FIVE locomotives! CEMR 5396 - SD40-2 CCGX 5201 - SD38AC CCGX 5311 - SD40-2W CEMR 4002 - GP9RM CEMR 4000 - GP9RM His video is also posted here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpwGPfyv62k
ONTARIO
ESSEX TERMINAL RAILWAY (ETR): On January 19th, Luke Bellefleur shot ETR 108 rolling parallel to the road by the CP Windsor Yard in Windsor, ON January 19th, 2016.
ONTARIO SOUTHLAND RAILWAY (OSR): Ontario Southland Railway OSRX 1400 OSRX 1401 cruising through Beachville ON heading to Woodstock ON Jan 27 2016
On January 25th, 2016, Walter Pfefferle snapped Ontario Southland Railway (OSRX) FP9Au's 1400 - 1401 rattling across the diamond at CN Carew in Woodstock Ontario.
Chad smith took this great shot on January 16th of this Ontario Southland Railway eastbound rolling through Beachville, Ontario with OSRX 1620 and 182.
The same day, Ontario Southland Railway units OSRX 1620 and 182 are seen crossing Dundas St in Woodstock, Ontario, approaching the Canadian Pacific yard.
Here we have two former CP units working together again! On January 9th, Chad Smith caught Ontario Southland Railway 182 and 1620, just leaving Woodstock.
Walter caught the same train at Woodstock ON. On January 12th, Aboard (Ex-CP) Ontario Southland Railway GP9u 1620 Joe must be thinking it is summer as he cruises along with the window open, even though the outside temperature is only -10C! Taken on January 12th, 2016.
CIT-owned CEFX 6537, which was at Ontario Southland Railway in Salford Ontario for many months having BOA traction control and quick start installed was sitting in the CP Woodstock yard waiting to be lifted by CP. January 7th, 2016.
CHATHAM-KENT RAILWAY: Chatham-Kent economic development officials are still pounding the pavement trying to find an operator for a short track rail line owned by the municipality. Just over a year ago Chatham-Kent approved a motion to purchase the former CSX rail line. Councillors justified the purchase by pointing to the potential economic development benefits that would come from owning a rail line that runs from Wallaceburg to Dresden to Chatham. Council purchased the rail line for approximately $3.6 million, under terms of the 2013 asset purchase agreement. Stuart McFadden, Chatham-Kent's deputy director of economic development services, said Chatham-Kent has tried to find an operator for the rail line. "We've engaged a few different operators, we've shared information with them. They've done their due diligence and ultimately they have come back and told us that currently there is not enough economy on the rail line to operate it," McFadden said. He said Chatham-Kent must either find new business or the people on the rail line must do more business for any chance of the line to operate once again. "Right now it's status quo." Chatham-Kent's economic development department has been working on drumming up business along the rail line, McFadden said. "If we land one of those (files) then you'll see a lot of trains up and down that rail line," McFadden said. "Until that happens and you see more economy, it's going to stay the way it is." McFadden said there has been no talk about lifting up the rails, as they still believe the rail line is an asset. A staff report from last year stated that if efforts to make the rail line viable aren't successful, council could consider selling the track's materials and gravel. A few of the crossings on the rail line have been lifted, but that's because they were in poor shape, McFadden said. Some money has been spent on cutting down overgrown brush along the rail corridor, as the rail hasn't been used in a few years. "It's our responsibility. It's our asset and we have to follow our own rules when it comes to bylaws and weeds and everything else," McFadden said. Part of the reason why Chatham-Kent purchased the rail line was because the municipality is being considered for a $1.2-billion fertilizer facility that could potentially bring 350 technical jobs, as well as 1,200 construction jobs and between $2 million to $3 million annually in tax revenue. Chatham-Kent officials said without a rail line it's unlikely that a fertilizer plant would be built within the municipality. In 2006, CSX Transportation notified the municipality that it was discontinuing rail service; council then made the decision to acquire the line for net salvage value. In 2013, council approved the purchase. The previous year, the municipality appealed the $6.48-million net salvage value set by the Canada Transportation Agency, calling the price too high. The municipality eventually entered into a settlement with CSX Transportation, with the net salvage fixed at $4 million. An agreement with CP for the sale of the fixtures, but not the land, was arranged. The municipality was left with a commitment of $800,000. -- with files from Postmedia Network (Story via IFPress.com) RING OF FIRE RAIL PROJECT: It is possible the wheels might finally be rolling for the Ring of Fire project, at least from the point of view of KWG Resources Inc., one of the key stakeholders in that mining venture. KWG, a Canadian mining exploration company, has worked out a deal with China Railway First Survey and Design Institute (FSDI) for a feasibility study on a railway corridor into the project. The Ring of Fire refers to a large mining development located about 600 kilometres northwest of Timmins, in the remote McFaulds Lake area. The prospect is identified mainly as a chromite project, valued in the tens of billions of dollars. There are huge deposits of other metals there too, but so far none of the significant mining companies involved has moved forward with any sort of a mining operation. KWG and Noront Resources are the main players in the project. Bruce Hodgman, a vice-president and communications director for KWG, told Postmedia that the plans for the rail corridor would involve a link from the Ring of Fire south to the amalgamated community of Greenstone, Ont. (Geraldton, Longlac, Beardmore). The distance would be roughly 350 kilometres over land that was staked out by KWG. "We're the company that actually staked those claims, the high ground that leads into the Ring of Fire if you will; that sand ridge that leads right from Greenstone up to the project itself," Hodgman explained. "So it is the only feasible corridor because it has high ground and of course we have so much swamp up there it doesn't make any sense to go anywhere else." He said KWG spent between $15- and $20-million on pre-engineering, surveying and soil-testing work on that corridor to make sure it could support a railroad. With that, the company presented the information to China Rail, which in the past 60 years has created nearly 48,000 kilometres of rail through some of the world's most difficult terrain. "They've had a look at that data and have decided they want to move forward and by moving forward it means they want to do a feasibility study on the rail corridor," said Hodgson. He said KWG president Frank Smeenk would be travelling to China in January to discuss issues of financing the study and what sort of return on investment will be expected by the Chinese. Hodgman said there is no firm estimate on the cost of the study at this point in time. "If you're talking strictly ballpark, I would put it in the ballpark of $10-million," said Hodgman. He said the expectation is that China Rail will finance the study. Hodgman said by financing the feasibility study, the Chinese "will be looking for payment in either A) ferrochrome, or B) stainless steel ingots or billets, or possibly some combination of those products." If an agreement is reached on the study, Hodgman said he is hoping the study itself would take less than a year. "Because we've already generated all that engineering data, because we spent $15 million to $20 million on drilling bore holes along that corridor and analyzing the material, I'm optimistic it would take something more in the range of give or take six months." Following that, there would be an environmental assessment and a permitting process, which would easily take longer than a year. The hope is that in a couple of years time, a new rail link will be created over the muskeg, allowing materials to be shipped in for the creation of the mines. It would also allow the mining companies to begin shipping out chromite, an essential mineral for the creation of stainless steel. "We have the ability in Canada to use cheap natural gas to make ferrochrome, to use cheap Quebec or Manitoba electricity to make stainless steel, by incorporating Canadian iron ore and Canadian nickel and Canadian ferrochrome that we now have access to," he said. Hodgman added that the current plan is to create a plant in Greenstone, for primary processing of the chromite. "That's our plan. We are in discussions with Greenstone to actually place a facility right there where our railhead meets with the east-west gas pipeline," he said. He said KWG has developed a process, with patents pending, that will allow the company to use natural gas to convert chromite into ferrochrome, instead of using extremely expensive electricity. "Because we can do that we can now process this material in Ontario," he said. Although some critics might suggest that KWG is selling out Canadian resources to the Chinese, Hodgman said that is not the case. "I would say if in fact yes we were just shipping our raw resources, unprocessed to China, then I would agree with that statement," said Hodgman. "What we're talking about is processing in Canada, creating jobs in Canada, generating tax revenue in Canada." Hodgman said instead of sending raw products out to other countries, finished products such as stainless steel could be produced here in Canada. "We can re-invent stainless steel, something that has disappeared from Canada for decades," he said. "This is good for all Northern communities. I believe they will all benefit from this," Hodgman added. Timmins Mayor Steve Black agrees. "I believe getting the Ring of Fire into production anywhere will be a tremendous impact to all of Northern Ontario. With that being said, obviously the closer to Timmins a processing facility is the more direct benefit there is," said Black. "However Greenstone, for KWG, makes sense from an existing infrastructure standpoint when it comes to rail access and proximity to the site and this location has potential to benefit the Northeast significantly," said the mayor. Black said he believes the rail project will still take lots of time and approvals before it becomes reality. "Ultimately it would be great for the province to make a decision of what infrastructure set up would open up access to the mining area and have the most beneficial impact to First Nations communities in the North and then partner with the companies to see actual progress," the mayor continued. Hodgman agreed that the role of First Nations would be significant and a likely scenario would see First Nations actually managing and overseeing the rail corridor. He said this would result in social benefits and economic benefits flowing through to First Nations communities. "This is benefit for all of Ontario. This is not just for KWG," he said. Hodgman said the new rail corridor would not be only for KWG, but would also be used by Noront and any other mining company with a stake in the Ring of Fire. Hodgman is clearly optimistic about the negotiations with the Chinese in January. "The Chinese are coming. You know, they want these raw materials and if it takes them building the railway and getting paid back in ferrochrome, then I think it is a win-win situation for Ontario and for the Chinese," he said. "I think it is important that we say this is good for the benefit of everybody. It's not just the KWG story. This is something that is good for the First Nations, for Northern Ontario, for all the mining companies. This is good for everybody."
INDUSTRIALS: Esso Polymers is using GMDD #1 which is still in its GMDD-plant paint scheme. Esso's former switcher (Ex-CN 7920) is out of service and at the Lambton Diesel Service shops in Sarnia. VIPX has been seen using 1201 (ex-RLHH) and 1007 (ex-DOW) in Hamilton. It's believed VIP rosters four locomotives now. VIP switches the CN Farm Track, and customers along that spur, as well as in their two large yards. GODERICH - EXETER RAILWAY (GEXR): GEXR train 431 was bagged on January 16th by Chad Smith, on the CN Halton Sub at Georgetown, Ontario with GEXR SD40T-2 3054 (Ex-CEFX 9392 exx-SP 9392, nee-SSW 9392) and GEXR SD40-2 3394 (ex-GATX 7369, exx-UP 4186, nee-MP 3186 ).
OTTAWA VALLEY RAILWAY (RLK): On January 21 st, Patrick McKie shot Ottawa Valley railway crews working in the yard with the spreader (RLK 0001) and RLK GP38-2 2054 as they plow they North Bay Yard out for the 1st time this season.
LLPX 2221 along with RLK 2054 and RLK 3048, roll out on to the main heading to build their east bound train on January 4th 2016 as RLK 3409 & RLK 3410 are seen in the distance building the west bound train.
OVR 431 lead by RLK 3410 is captured just before breaking through the snow back at mile 6 of the cartier sub, - January 18th 2016.
OVR 431 Blast through the weekend snow banks at mile 10 of the Cartier sub - January 18th 2016.
CONDO RAIL SERVICES: Condo Contracting 1001 is shown moving a cut of brand new tank cars bound for storage. The Barrie -Collingwood Railway doesn't usually operate past noon, but with more tank cars to be delivered the next day, they were forced to hang around and organize the tiny interchange yard. CP Mactier/CN Meaford subdivisions. Utopia Ontario, November 2015 The Barrie-Collingwood Railway (reporting marks BCRY) is an Ontario shortline operating between the towns of Innisfil and Utopia in south central Ontario, and uses leased units from Cando Rail Services. (Taylor Woolston photo).
ONTARIO NORTHLAND RAILWAY (ONT): Mike Robin clicked this nice image of ONT Geeps 1603 and 1601 prepped and ready to kick off the 4 pm yard job at Cochrane January 1st, 2016
It's New Year's Day at Cochrane Shops where we find GP38-2's 1801 & 1808 at the fuel stands after working 421-622 the day before.
ONTARIO NORTHLAND RAILWAY VIGNETTE: Jim Parker took this beautiful shot of ONT FP7A / RS10 at Concorde, ON in October 1966. If you like this you will love our January CRO Ontario Northland Vignettes photos section!
QUEBEC CENTRAL MAINE AND QUEBEC: On January 7th, 2016, a Tunnel Motor and a Red Barn team up to hail on the Central Maine & Quebec Train #1 over the CM&Q Sherbrooke Subdivision. Francois Jolin shot PRLX SD40T-2 2826 and former Canadian Pacific SD40-2F 9011 leading the consist across the trestle bridge at Eastman, QC on a glorious winter day
On the CM&Q Newport Sub on January 7th, Francois clicked the (Farnham-Newport train) Central Maine & Quebec #710 heading south at West Brome, QC, led by LTEX GP35u 2535 and CEFX GP38-2 420.
QUEBEC-GATINEAU RAILWAY: Luc Lanthier submitted the following QGRY trains he caught on January 15th, 2016 on the (ex-CP) Lachute Sub.
EASTERN REGIONAL RAIL NEWS Central Maine & Quebec News: The last leased GP20D on CM&Q, unit 2023 (save 2022 subleased in Quebec) departed Northern Maine Junction on Pan Am Railways on December 22nd on its way back to the lessor. The GP20D's were replaced by leased and purchased GP38-2's and GP35U's. Photo by Harry Gordon. Also departing Northern Maine Junction in late December on Pan Am Railways were three of the former MM&A B39-8's purchased at the MMA auction in the summer of 2015 by scrapper/dealer Larrys Truck Electric in Ohio, as well as two CM&Q B23-7 units (2000 & 2001) headed for the Rockland Branch. Central Maine and Quebec Railway began to operate the former Maine Eastern Railroad, from Brunswick, Maine to Rockland, Maine, on January 1st. This is a state-owned railroad operated by a designated operator. At least two of CM&Q's workhouse B23-7's were transferred in early January to the isolated branch via Pan Am Railways. First train, of 7 loads and three empties, headed by CM&Q 2001, operated from Brunswick to Rockland, Maine on January 14th, here shown along the Wiscasset, Maine waterfront. Harry Gordon photo.
An 18-car train of windmill blades traversed the Searsport Branch from Northern Maine Junction to the port on January 15th, after coming over the Moosehead Sub from Quebec. The windmill components headed to Searsport are for storage, not export. Photo by Harry Gordon. Arriving Searsport, both ends of the train are visible. Harry Gordon photo. The 10 SD40-2F's purchased from Canadian Pacific are conspicuous by their absence, save for 9011, which has been working as a trailing unit between Brownville Junction and Montreal. Corrosion of the cab floors and other ailments has kept them tied up in the Derby (Maine) shop. As I have previously reported, the shop is operating with a skeleton crew. Under ownership by both Bangor and Aroostook and Montreal, Maine and Atlantic, Derby shops not only maintained each road's locomotive fleet, but did contract work for other railroads and transit authorities. It's starting to appear as if the units will not make a significant appearance before Spring. New Brunswick Southern Railway News: A visit December 28th to McAdam, New Brunswick, junction of New Brunswick Southern Railway's main line from Brownville Junction, Maine to Saint John, New Brunswick and the St. Stephen Branch, offered a chance to see NBSR caboose 434919 passing the famous preserved stone Canadian Pacific passenger station on its way out of town. The graffiti covered caboose was one of the first cars to be "tagged" at McAdam some years ago, but now tagging has become epidemic at the former Canadian Pacific facility. Paul Donovan photo. The RCMP have been patrolling the McAdam Yard on a random basis following a January outbreak of tagging on stored box cars, reported by St. Stephen, NB radio station TIDE. Although both the location and temperatures would seem to be deterrents to spray painting of graffiti on the cars, whoever is doing it was both prolific and persistent: I noted one string of 8 box cars, all newly spray painted in similar patterns from end to end, ready to depart McAdam westbound. I associate this type of vandalism more with Los Angeles than McAdam. Power laying over for the St. Stephen branch train this day was two leased GMTX MP-15's, 211 and 203. Modelers should note that 211 has acquired a hand-me-down NBSR apple green set of horns. Photo by Paul Donovan
NBSR continues to "green up" its locomotive fleet. Former Conrail SD40-2 6332 now sports a new coat of green paint as it arrives McAdam, NB on January 14th. When the NBSR westbound train from Saint John arrives at McAdam, usual in the early afternoon, it switches the yard, picking up cars off the St. Stephen Branch, and acquires a U.S. crew from Eastern Maine Railway, who handle the train the seven miles from McAdam to and beyond the U.S. Border at St. Croix, NB. Paul Donovan photo.
A couple of hours later, 6332 crosses Route 6 at the U.S./Canada border as it continues its journey on the Eastern Maine Railway. For the last few months, and more often than not, for those of you chasing, the westbound EMR train arrives at U.S. Customs at Vanceboro for an electronic and visual check at 3:00Pm Eastern Standard Time. Paul Donovan photo
Business on New Brunswick Southern Railway/Eastern Maine Railway has been good. Trains are usually 80 cars or more in both directions. The drop in value of the loonie against the U.S. dollar usually means an increase in the amount of dimensional lumber and wallboard moving west and south over the pair of roads, as the price of these materials from the Maritimes becomes more competitive. Cold weather and snow are finally beginning to accumulate throughout the region, although in no way as much as last winter. January temps were relatively high, and snow removal not the problem it was last year, when several days would pass without a train operating over NBSR's east-west mainline. Doing its best imitation of last year's prodigious snow and cold, Lambert Lake, Maine hosts the westbound NBSR/EMR train on January 19th. Just two units on east and westbound mainline trains is very unusual on NBSR/EMR as traffic has grown. Photo by Paul Donovan.
Maine Northern News: A nice shot by my friend Harry Gordon of activity on Maine Northern On January 21st. This is the southbound Maine Northern freight from Oakfield, Maine to Brownville Junction, passing the distinctive architecture of an abandoned potato storage warehouse at Dyer Brook, Maine. This was a popular photo location in Bangor and Aroostook days, and several additional warehouses stood here when most Aroostook County potatoes moved by train. Maine Northern has become a reliable feeder of forest products, primarily pulp, wood chips and dimensional lumber, to both CM&Q and parent NBSR.
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