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CAPE BRETON & CENTRAL NOVA SCOTIA RWY Sean Pendray, a CP employee in Lethbridge, AB, was visiting Nova Scotia this summer and came away with some nice photos of the still operating portion of Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway. I have spent so much time watching the machinations of the abandonment of the northern portion of the railway that I tend to forget that the railway is still operating from the large paper mill at Port Hawkesbury to the CN interchange at Truro. Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway road power resting at the station in Stellarton, NS. Note that 3327 is a Quebec Gatineau SD40-2. Sean Pendray photo.
The Trenton Switcher works Superior Propane. Sean Pendray photo.
And later, Nova Scotia Power's Trenton coal Generation plant. (LLPX 1504 GP15-1 & CBCNS 3022 GP40). Sean Pendray photo.
CN/CBCNS interchange yard in Truro, NS looking quite full since the arrival of a large SB CBNS transfer. Sean Pendray photo.
CENTRAL MAINE AND QUEBEC RAILWAY Harry Gordon reports that red barn CM&Q 9017 is now in the Derby Shop for mechanical work and a paint job. Almost certain to be the FURX leaser scheme, which, as I said last month, is a great disappointment. Harry caught two red barns on the southbound on the south edge of Millinocket on September 19th. Harry Gordon photo.
Two Larry's Truck Electric ex-BNSF, ex-ATSF GP35U's, have been declared surplus by CM&Q and are on their way back to Ohio. Harry Gordon caught them at Northern Maine Junction on Sept. 19th. They were replaced by GP38's from LTEX. Harry Gordon photo.
EASTERN MAINE RWY / MAINE NORTHERN RWY Mattawamkeag, Maine was the interchange for north and southbound freight from Pan Am Railways to Eastern Maine Railway for years. With the arrival of CM&Q on the scene, it became a bridge line between the two railroads, and the Mattawamkeag interchange with EMR was abandoned, though the track and yard remained in place. After several years of inactivity, other than the twice monthly Pan Am trains to its tie-grinding subsidiary, Perma Treat, the branch from Bangor to Mattawamkeag is being revived. NBM Rail Services, the track repair subsidiary of Irving's trio of railroads, is doing much of the track work, along with help from Pan Am track people from as far south as Portland, Maine. Work is proceeding west from Mattawamkeag, and has already reached Lincoln Center. At least fifteen cars loaded with new ties and four pieces of track equipment have been dedicated to this effort. Speed limit on the line as used by the company service trains was 5 mph. Even when the EMR/NBSR to PAR interchange was done at Mattawamkeag, the branch to Northern Maine Junction in Hermon,Maine was 10 mph track on its best days. A combination of very light rail and lots of bad ties, along with a roadbed that undulated hopelessly across carelessly laid ballast patches made the track appear unusable or abandoned to the untrained eye. The crude oil rush led to the use of six-axle units on the tank trains, including BNSF pumpkins, and they took a toll on the poorly maintained line until a derailment just west of the yard put an end to the big locomotives. Pan Am made a minor attempt to improve the track in the spring after that derailment, but in the meantime, the oil rush dried up, the paper mill at Old Town, Maine closed, and PAR apparently lost interest, except for the company service trains. Harry Gordon Photo.
Harry Gordon believes the goal is to return to four days for a rail car to travel from Waterville to Saint John. That is a long time to go perhaps 200 miles. The current additional day is caused by routing through Brownville Junction on CM&Q. Another business possibility is being rumored: In the last year, Pan Am has begun running container trains to and from Portland from its Waterville, Maine yard. Their partner in this operation is the Icelandic shipping firm Eimskip, a container ship line serving a new container facility in Portland, Maine. Containers are hauled to Waterville yard and go on the road there to and from locations in Northern Maine and Eastern Canada. Now it has been rumored that the upgrading of the Mattawamkeag Branch is being done so that the container trains can be extended to Saint John, NB. Frankly, I think the four days from Waterville to Saint John for existing traffic gets more credence, not to mention the haulage charges PAR pays to CM&Q for each car. One important point about the upgrade: Although at least 15 cars of new ties have arrived and are being installed and new spikes and plates are going in, the rail remains the same as it was in Maine Central days, i.e., very light and very worn. The bottom line is the railroad is being repaired and certainly not just for the movement of company trains. It is also significant that the line from Northern Maine Junction to Mattawamkeag on Pan Am does not appear to have been part of the TIGER grants to improve train speeds in Maine. My read of the grant award text says the money is for improvements from Portland to Bangor (NMJ). The NBSR/EMR westbound rounds the shore of Lambert Lake on September 20th. NBSR 6319 is a former QNS&SL unit. Paul Donovan photo
Later, the same train crosses the big bog at Eaton, Maine. The fall colors are starting to show. Paul Donovan photo.
MAINE NORTHERN RAILWAY A stop by Maine Northern Railway's Oakfield hub revealed a surprise. The former Maine Eastern Russell plow I noted at Brownville Junction last winter, which I thought had overshot Derby Shops and a date with the scrapper, is actually at Oakfield on MNR. When Maine Eastern lost the contract with the State of Maine to operated the former Maine Central Brunswick to Rockland, Maine branch, Central Maine and Quebec was the successful bidder to become the Maine state-owned trackage's designated operator. This isolated CM&Q operation utilizes two of the remaining CM&Q B23-7's. As I live in this region, the Russell plow is probably a good match for MNR, as the snowfall in MNR's operating territory of Northern Maine and western New Brunswick is almost always impressive NEW BRUNSWICK SOUTHERN RAILWAY After many tries, on August 31st, I caught the southbound New Brunswick Southern Railway train from McAdam to St. Stephen, New Brunswick delivering a cut to the Baileyville, Maine tissue and pulp mill railway in Calais, Maine. Not only was the NBSR caboose in the consist, but it was apparently UP Heritage day in St. Stephen as well. The bridge over which the locomotives and caboose are passing spans the St. Croix River, which forms the border from here north to Spednic Lake. Here, the train is shoving down the branch to the border headed for the interchange on the U.S. side. Paul Donovan photo.
After the gate is opened by the US Border Patrol. The cut from McAdam is shoved over the border into the former Maine Central/Pan Am yard. Usual power for the mill train is a single GATX MP-15 leased by NBSR. Paul Donovan photo.
After making the drop, the NBSR train picks up outbound loads from the mill and pulls them into Canada, closely followed by the MP-15 that was pinned in by its own outbound loads in the double track yard. Once the NBSR train has cleared up, the single unit backs down on the mill-bound cars and passes the former Maine Central roundhouse, long since converted to a manufacturing facility, and then returns to Baileyville yard. Paul Donovan photo.
The trackage from Baileyville to Calais is a former Pan Am isolated activity. At one time, Maine Central operated the 100 or so miles from Bangor to Calais as the Calais Branch, but all but this tiny remnant are long since abandoned, and portions have been converted to a hiking/biking trail. Pan Am locomotives requiring inspection had to be hauled to McAdam on the NBSR train, moved west to Mattawamkeag for interchange to Pan Am, then taken to PAR's Waterville, Maine shop. Pan Am sold this trackage to the mill, and a single locomotive and necessary crews are provided by NBSR for the Calais Baileyville leg. The mill received a $250,000 (US) U.S. DOT TIGER Grant this summer to upgrade the mill trackage and yard, and once again New Brunswick Southern subsidiary NBM Rail Services is doing the work. As the mill now has two brand-new machines on-line as of August, the amount of inbound and outbound cars is increasing. The Baileyville Yard is being upgraded to reflect this new traffic. The locomotives at McAdam that operate the several-times-a-week St. Stephen branch train change all the time, but are always four-axle units. Sometimes it's a pair of GATX MP15's, sometimes a pair of GATX GP-38-2's, and occasionally a mix of GATX and NBSR units. It's a great opportunity to see an operating caboose probably one of the last places in North America for that. When not on the road, locomotives and caboose can be photographed at the McAdam, NB yard. NBSR's westbound job September 20th switches the yard at McAdam, NB. Paul Donovan Photo. NBSR 6319 pulls a cut from the east end of McAdam Yard on September 20th. The westbound left McAdam with a respectable 89 cars and three SD40-2's. Paul Donovan photo. T he McAdam Station Museum is trying to raise $130,000 for a new roof. They have done a spectacular job of renovating the station inside, but a storm with high winds in March 2016 did a great deal of damage to the roof. The plan is to put metal on in place of the asphalt shingles. If they are successful in raising the money, I am hoping they will use metal the same color as the existing shingles. If you wish to donate, they can be reached on Facebook, or on the web at http://mcadamstation.ca Paul Donovan photo. Special thanks this month to Harry Gordon and Sean Pendray for their photos and information. If you have any information or photos on the Eastern Regionals, I can be contacted at cdonovan32@aol.com. SYDNEY COAL RAILWAY NEWS EASTERN VIGNETTES
ALGOMA CENTRAL RAILWAY - (RAILMARK) BARRIE COLLINGWOOD RAILWAY (BCRY) CANADA SOUTHERN RAILWAY
(CASO)
CANDO RAIL SERVICES ESSEX TERMINAL RAILWAY
(ETR)
GODERICH - EXETER
RAILWAY (GEXR)
Walter Pfefferle caught GEXR power tied up over the Labour Day holiday Weekend sitting at the station in Kitchener, Ontario September 5th, 2016, both wearing matching Rail America paint.
Two days earlier on September 3rd, Chad smith clicked GEXR 432 at Kitchener with the former Southern Pacific Tunnel Motor (GEXR 3054) leading.
Chad also shot GEXR 3394, 3393 and 3054 at Stratford, on August 28th, 2016.
GODERICH -
EXETER RAILWAY VIGNETTE
This great Arnold Mooney photo from December 8th, 1992, shows the GEXR newborn era, with GEXR 177 and 180 with a long load of salt cars battling an Ontario Winter! The scene shows the train ready to depart for Stratford, ON as crew finish some last minute chatter. Business at left, Champion, was a popular outfit in town, bright yellow road graders often parked waiting for shipment south. Volvo moved in after Champion left, and I believe the property is now vacant. .
HURON CENTRAL RAILWAY (HCRY)
NATIONAL STEEL CAR - Hamilton Ontario ONTARIO NORTHLAND RAILWAY (ONT) Ontario Northland Transportation Commission has obtained a contract from engineering firm CANARAIL to refurbish luxury passenger-rail cars for the Rocky Mountaineer tourist train. Since 2014, CANARAIL has delivered five refurbished cars to Rocky Mountaineer. The new contract will enable CANARAIL to deliver 11 additional cars over the next four years, according to an Ontario Northland press release. The work will result initially in 50 new jobs at Ontario Northland's remanufacturing facilities in North Bay Ontario and up to 80 new jobs over the contract's term. In less than two years, Ontario Northland's remanufacturing division has expanded from focusing solely on passenger-car refurbishment to securing freight-car, locomotive and wheel repair contracts. The arriving Ontario Northland 213 has arrived and is winding its way into Cochrane Yard on September 5th. (Mike Robin photo).
Ontario Northland Northbound train 213 is powered by ONT SD75I 2101, as it rolls into Cochrane, ON passing newly refurbished PBX coach ONT 650 on August 17th. (Mike Robin)
Fully refurbished Polar Bear Express coach ONT 650 is captured by Mike Robin at Cochrane Shops just moments before her public debut at the nearby station on August 17th. This coach was originally numbered ONT 612. (Mike Robin).
ON Rail liveried SD40-2 (ONT 1734) spends Labour Day on 4 track at Cochrane Shops Sept. 5th.
The morning sun rises over the canary yellow of Ontario Northland's Arrow Paint Scheme units at Cochrane Shops on July 2nd. (photo submitted by Mike Robin),
Let's hope that ONT GP38-2 1805 takes it's time to get repainted. As the last GP38-2 in the Ontario Northland Chevron Paint scheme, she is likely earmarked for it.
ONTARIO NORTHLAND RAILWAY VIGNETTES ONTARIO SOUTHLAND RAILWAY (OSR) On September 9th, Walter Pfefferle caught a very different view of OSRX FP9Au 6508 sitting along with OSRX GP9u 1620 Ontario Southland Railway shop, Salford Ontario.
The last GP9 built in North America, constructed at GMDD London in 1963 as ACR 172, later to become ETR 102 (2nd). She is now on the Ontario Southland Railway at the Salford Shop for repairs. Apparently OSR bought the unit from Essex Terminal some time ago, but it needed a replacement generator.
ORANGEVILLE - BRAMPTON
RAILWAY (OBRY)
OTTAWA VALLEY RAILWAY (RLK) Here are Ottawa Valley RLK 3410 and RLK 3409 pulling westbound into the CP yard at Sudbury, Ontario with their train from North Bay, on Friday, September 16th, 2016. RLK 3410 is an SD40 rebuilt to Dash 2 standards (nee FURX 3046, CP 754, SOO 754). RLK 3409 is also a rebuilt SD40 (nee FURX 3040, EMDX 6429, CR 6289, CNJ 3065, B & O 7486). The bridge in the background is the Bridge of Nations in Sudbury ON with a flag of each nation represented in the population of Sudbury. (John Jeffery photo).
Far from home rails, QGRY 2008 is seen hitching a ride on the CN 450 train out of North Bay September 9th 2016. QGRY has made the trip from the HCRY line through the Ottawa Valley Railway line to be switched over through the Ontario Northland Railway yard to the CN transfer track and is destined to the (GEXR) Goderich - Exeter rail system.
On September 14 OVR F61 train works the east end of the yard, as they build their train for the trip to Grimmer, Quebec. Once there, they will pick up the return train and make their way back to North Bay, ON.
Paired together again we caught the LLPX 2241 and LLPX 2221 pulling this short freight train east through Mattawa (on the North Bay Sub), then North to Grimmer Yard (at Temiskaming, QC)
Hauling a short freight train into Sudbury on September 12th, the OVR crew blow for the level crossing located at mile #6 on the Cartier Sub, with RLK 3410, and 3409 as their motive power.
SOUTHERN ONTARIO RAILWAY (SOR) ONTARIO VIGNETTES CANADA SOUTHERN (CASO) VIGNETTES NEW YORK CENTRAL VIGNETTES PENN CENTRAL VIGNETTES TORONTO HAMILTON & BUFFALO VIGNETTES TRILLIUM RAILWAY CO LTD
INDUSTRIALS The Little Engine that could! Often overlooked are the little "Critters", small industrial locomotives which never ventured out for traditional mainline service. Most common were the 44 Ton units, small enough to be operated by one person, as railway trade unions dictated decades ago. Big brother #615 is a larger GE 80 Ton unit, purchased new for Hamilton's massive Stelco Steel complex in 1951, and was later on transferred to Stelco's Welland Pipe Plant. Martech Rail Services now works the area and #615 is still wearing the original Stelco paint scheme. (Dave Howard photo)
CHESSIE IN CANADA Once upon a time there was more to railroad activity in Brantford than CN and street running. Witness this scene, TH&B crewman protecting Market St in downtown Brantford in order for the Nanticoke Steel Train to make its way thru on the TH&B line that once traversed this city (the Waterford Sub) This new steel traffic put a strain on what meager roster the TH&B had, so parent CP brought in some leased Chessie System units to help alleviate the problem. Here we see B&O 4801, C&O 3885 and 4828 heading toward Waterford on a rather dull mid-afternoon. On the left is the former TH&B station turned "Iron Horse" Steakhouse. Unfortunately a kitchen fire gutted the business, as can be seen by the gaping holes in the roofline. No doubt the credit can be given partly to such sturdy brick construction that this historic building was saved and rebuilt.
ARCELOR-MITTAL / QUEBEC CARTIER MINING
Here are the confirmed ARCELOR-MITTAL Passenger Car numbers each with AMMC reporting marks.
Generator car - AMMC 105871 Baggage car - AMMC 105879 Coaches AMMC 105866, 105867, and 105868
CENTRAL MAINE AND QUEBEC (CMQ) On September 21st, CMQ SD40-2F 9021 was released the Derby Paint Shop in Derby, in Milo Maine wearing full Central Maine and Quebec colors. As well two other ex-CP Red Barn's are inside the shop, as CRO went to press. CMQ 9023 will be the second unit and is currently in primer grey in the Derby Paint Booth, and CMQ 9024 is currently inside the shop being stripped, oddly right next to repainted BAR F3A 502 waiting for some TLC and repair work. Ironically Central Maine & Quebec SD40-2F (CMQ 9021) was released today, on 9/21, the first of 10 SD40-2Fs being painted this fall for the Central Maine & Quebec Railway. This is a one-of-a-kind photo by Kevin Burkholder, in that the unit is being taken back into the shop to tweak the blue color and to redo the lettering to avoid having it cut on the box behind the conductor side of the cab. The unit are painted 1 unit every 5 days and should emerge in early October and be joined soon after by CMQ 9022 and 9024. Another unknown SD40-2F entered the Derby Shop for stripping on September 26th. Then the remainder of the CMQ SD40-2F fleet will be painted with all complete by the end of November. The CMQ 9021 is formerly CP 9021.
Two months ago, Cadrail released GP38-3M (CMQ 3812) in the new blue scheme this is one of several LTEX locomotives on long-term lease and is the only one that is in CMQ livery. Everyone is waiting to see CMQ 9021 and QMQ 3812 posed together!
On September 21st, Francois Jolin photographed Central Maine & Quebec #2 rumbling high above Eastman, QC with an eclectic CMQ/LTEX loco consist. Note that trailing is CAD rebuilt and overhauled LTEX GP38-3 3812 on the last day of summer 2016. She is the only leased LTEX unit in the CMQ paint scheme.
The same day Francois Jolin clicked Central Maine & Quebec #630 on the trestle at Eastman Quebec led by LTEX GP35u 2536, and three other multi-coloured leased geeps.
Led by ex-CP Red Barns, Central Maine & Quebec #1 rounds a curve between Milan and Scotstown, Quebec, as it heads west towards Montreal on the CM&Q Sherbrooke Subdivision at sunset on August 27, 2016 (Francois Jolin).
With back to back Red Barn's CMQ #2 is shown departing the yard in Farnham, Quebec on September 9th and heading eastbound for Maine, with 204 axles.
Always interesting, the Central Maine and Quebec is a railfanning dream railroad. Here in the Eastern Townships on the CMQ Adirondack Sub, Francois Jolin shot Train #1 led by CMQ SD40-2F 9017, a second SD40-2F and two back to back PRLX former Tunnel Motors at Farnham, QC on August 6th.
MONTREAL, MAINE and ATLANTIC (MMA) MONTREAL MAINE & ATLANTIC VIGNETTE NEW ENGLAND CENTRAL (NECR) On September 8th, NECR train 611(-08) heads south across the Millers River representing every scheme currently operating on the New England Central - save the ex-Florida East Coast Blue - NECR train 611-08 is seen high above the Miller River in the name sake town of Millers Falls, Massachusetts. Train is led by NECR SD40-2 3405, NECR SD40M-2 2714, CSO SD40-2 3771 and NECR GP38 3857 and is under the control of engineers Brian Sklarsi and Ken Hawkins. Kevin Burkholder used hi Camera Drone to capture this Image.
ORFORD EXPRESS PORT OF MONTREAL (POM) QUEBEC CENTRAL RAILWAY
QUEBEC - GATINEAU (QGRY) On September 2nd, Peter Ernstsohn shot four Quebec-Gatineau painted SD40-3 locomotive (all ex-CN SD40's) arriving at CP St-Luc Yard the morning of September 2nd, at 8:25AM. The SD40-3's were QGRY 3325, 3326, 3347, and 3334, and are shown at the Jean Talon/Wilderton crossing.
On the QGRY Lachute Sub on September 9th, Luc Lanthier shot QGRY 2006, and QGRY 2005 rolling through the trees Eastbound with 19 rail cars in tow.
QUEBEC NORTH SHORE & LABADOR (QNS&L) ROBERVAL & SAGUENAY TSHIUETIN RAILWAY (TSH) INDUSTRIALS QUEBEC VIGNETTES ARNAUD RAILWAY VIGNETTE QUEBEC CARTIER MINING (QCM)
(By Mark Forsielle)
ARCHER DANIELS
MIDLAND (ADMX)
BC RAIL VIGNETTE
BCR C424 812 is a trailing unit behind BCR SD40-2 756 in a mixed freight manifest departing North Vancouver for Prince George BC in February 1988. BCR 812 is former E-L 2462 and is one of 12 C424's (EL 2451 to 2462), that BCR purchased after Erie Lackawanna gave up the lease on theirs. (Mark Forseille).
MLW-built M420W (BCR 646), sits in storage at Squamish, BC in July 1998 along with the remaining M420W's and M420B's. BC Rail had just purchased a dozen GE B36-7's from Santa Fe (in 1995), so the MLW's were stored and later all sold. (Mark Forseille).
Editors Note: Unit was purchased by Ontario Southland Railway and may one day run again. Now stored at Mount Elgin Ontario.
A pair of BC Rail GE-built full cowled Dash 8-40CM's submitted by Mark Forseille. BCOL 4601 was shot at the BCR Diesel Shop in Prince George, BC back in August 24th, 1996.
BCOL C40-8Mu 4603 (CN upgraded to Dash-9), is on a transfer at Booth near Coquitlam, BC, (taken shortly after the Canadian National takeover), on January 12th, 2005.
BIG SKY RAIL
BNSF - BRITISH
COLUMBIA
Well the BNSF Braid Terminal provided Andy Cassidy with another great catch the morning of September 3rd, 2016. On a swing by the terminal on the way home, this little guy was sitting out in the open just waiting for me and my camera. Fortunately I had my Canon G1X on hand. It does a good job on stills and slow moving action. I didn't have my Nikon handy as I don't leave it in the vehicle unattended anymore since the last one got swiped. The FWDX 0002 is a Tractive Power Corp TP70 Industrial Switcher, and the unit was built by Curry Rail Service in 2015 for Kinder Morgan in North Vancouver. This unit was built from a portion of SD40-2 CP 785 (one truck and a frame section). It has a CAT 475 C9.3 Engine that is Tier 3 rated. This is the second of these things to roll through here. I missed catching the first one (#5601 a TP56) that is in now active service out in Cloverdale, BC on the SRY Fraser Valley Sub. For more information on these unique switchers check out Ray Kennedy's Old Time Trains web site, at this link: http://tinyurl.com/hdoh6ak
These locomotives are designed to fill the light industrial market, built using common off the shelf parts, and can be maintained by any heavy duty mechanic. As far as I know there have been 3 units built, with the first one TP56 built in Squamish at the BC Rail shop. The units designed by Frank Donnelly, long time electrician at the BCR for the Royal Hudson, and creator of the Green Goat. The first unit built was done by Frank and Al Broadfoot, steam mechanics for the 2860, 3716, and other projects cobbled this baby SD from common parts so that a short turnaround time can be provided for maintenance and repair. Although small in size, it is heavy duty in its construction to take the pounding that is common in railroad operations. The other two were contracted from Curry Rail Services of which Curry operates one as a shop switcher. TP70 FWDX 0002 did some time at Kinder Morgan (Vancouver Wharves) but fell out of favor for being too light to pull 50 plus car around the loop track, this would normally be of little concern on tangent track. So it was banished to Surrey BC for storage in the same yard where its baby brother is happily working for its owners Parrish & Heimbecker. FWDX 0002 is destined to Western Milling in Hanford, California, and the first photo shows the TP 70 in North Vancouver, leaving the CN/BCR yards; (These photos are by Randy Zarowny, with thanks).
The cab Controls of the TP 56 and TP 70 at Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd.
On September 3rd, when Andy Cassidy visited the BNSF Terminal to catch a few shots of the little black critter FWDX 0002 that we posted above, he also caught a Northbound BNSF Train coming to the terminal. He was standing at the North end of the building on the old platform when he came along. As he's mentioned before, his new Canon G1X is not a good camera for fast action shots. But luck was with him as this train came down at a walking pace and stopped right at the terminal as if posing for a shot or two. Then he slowly pulled North and down into the BNSF New Yard around the corner from Braid to Brunette. The other bit of luck was that the lead unit was a new Tier 4 GE, BNSF 3945. I have seen a handful of these units come through to date. I don't think I've caught one CN version up close as of yet, but they are around. The rest of the units in the consist were: BNSF 4263 (GE ES44C4), and BNSF 6182 (GE ES44AC).He also snapped a shot of the BNSF Mechanical Department Safety poster at the corner of the building. Pretty good stats. He believes they only have a handful of Mechanical staff though. These shots were taken on September 3rd, at Mile 145.0 on the CN New Westminster Sub.
BNSF VIGNETTE - BRITISH
COLUMBIA
The International is shown in Vancouver, BC, on July 6th 1961. The day before Kevin Piper's first birthday! KEVIN PIPER COLLECTION
GN F7 367C was shot in Vancouver, BC, on November 3rd, 1968. Often used in international service, it was leased to Amtrak until 1974 and patch numbered BN 9736.
BNSF - MANITOBA LTD
(BNML)
BNSF NORTHERN MANITOBA
VIGNETTE
CANADIAN RAILSERVE
(CRLX)
CANDO RAIL SERVICES
CENTRAL MANITOBA
RAILWAY (CEMR)
Taylor Woolston shot CCGX 5232 (An original SD40) Ex-CN 5232 (Original SD40) at the Prairie Dog Central on May 15th, 2016.
No longer owned by CEMR, it has since been repainted and now works for Prairie Rail Solutions (Prairie Dog Central) in freight service. They received the unit in January 2015 and it was painted into that PRS/PDC scheme sometime around May 2016, working in the CN zebra stripes for over 1 year and 7-months for the PRS/PDC.
CENTREPORT CANADA INC
ESQUIMALT and NANAIMO VIGNETTE
HUDSON BAY RAILWAY
(HBRY)
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY (GWRS)
GREATER WINNIPEG
WATER DISTRICT (GWWD)
A truck driver was charged after a collision that derailed a GWWD freight train near Hadashville, Manitoba on September 19th. The collision took place at a controlled level crossing where the GWWD and Highway 11 cross just north of Highway 1 at about 3:30 on a Monday afternoon. The driver of the gravel truck and two train operators involved in the crash were taken to hospital with minor injuries and released. The crash heavily damaged the tracks, the RCMP said. e train is owned by the City of Winnipeg's Water and Waste Department and was not carrying any dangerous material. The city said no fuel was spilled from the locomotive an MLW-built Alco RS23 switcher. According to Fire Chief Tom Nixon, the driver of the gravel truck is a volunteer firefighter in the R.M. of Reynolds "He had a hard time seeing because of the sun," said Nixon. "He heard the whistle and he tried to veer off to the right to miss the lights, when he missed the lights the train hit the box of the gravel truck." The City of Winnipeg said the crash damaged the train, its ramp car, and the track. Damage to city property is estimated at $75,000. On Septemver 20th, the RCMP announced that they had charged the 25-year-old driver of the gravel truck with failing to stop at a railway crossing. Police said all traffic control equipment at the crossing was working at the time of the crash. There is no traffic control arm at the crossing. CTV Photos and viseo here: http://tinyurl.com/jonq843 INDUSTRIALS
J&L CONSULTING (JLCX)
LAST MOUNTAIN RAILWAY
PACIFIC GREAT EASTERN (PGE) VIGNETTE
PARRISH & HEIMBECKER
Taylor Woolston captured PHLX 15 (a rebuilt SD20), sitting at the east end of CN's Fort Rouge Yard on October 26th, 2015. It had come into Winnipeg on CN 533, and was waiting for the BNSF Manitoba to take it to CP. It was then lifted to the P&H inland Mill in Moose Jaw SK.
POTASH CORP
On September 13th Saskatchewan's Potash Corp and Alberta's Agrium Inc announced they will merge into one company. The Potash Corporation and Agrium Inc merger is a deal that would create a global agricultural giant with an enterprise value of $36 billion US. The deal would bring together Saskatoon-based PotashCorp's huge fertilizer mines with Agrium's extensive global direct-to-farmer retail network to create an agricultural colossus. The new firm would be the world's No. 1 producer of potash and No. 2 producer of nitrogen fertilizer with operations in 18 countries and more than 20,000 employees worldwide. Under terms of the proposed deal, existing Potash shareholders would get 0.4 shares in the new company for every Potash share they own. Agrium shareholders would see their shares converted into 2.23 shares in the new and as yet unnamed company, which would be headquartered in Saskatoon but also have offices in Calgary. At those ratios, Potash shareholders would own 52 per cent of the new company, while Agrium owners would hold the other 48 per cent. The deal is expected to close in mid-2017. "I look at the strategic fit and I look at combining the world's largest fertilizer with the world's largest agricultural retailer," said Chuck Magro, the CEO of Agrium and the man who would have the same role at the new company. "That makes an awful lot of sense to me." Howver there was some bad news as well in September when Potash Corp suspended operations at its N.B. mine, in New Brunswick in the east cutting 430 jobs. Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (AKA Potash Corp), is a Canadian corporation based out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The company is the world's largest potash producer and the second and third largest producer of nitrogen and phosphate, three primary crop nutrients used to produce fertilizer. By the end of 2007, the company controlled 22% of the world's potash production capacity, 2% of nitrogen production capacity and 6% of phosphate supply. The company is part-owner of Canpotex, which manages all potash exporting from Saskatchewan. (Wiki) Agrium Inc. was founded under the name Cominco Fertilizers, Ltd. in 1931 and changed its name to Agrium, Inc. in 1995. In 2010, Agrium acquired the Australian company AWB 1.2 billion Australian dollars 1 . In 2011, following this acquisition Agrium AWG sells the grain business activities to cargill for an undisclosed amount but estimated close to 870 million US dollars. In 2013, Agrium acquired 210 sales sites in Viterra subsidiary of Glencore. In July 2016, Cargill announced the sale of its large distribution of inputs and agricultural products, including 18 outlets in the US for $ 150 million to Agrium. (Wiki).
PRAIRE DOG CENTRAL (PDC)
On September 3rd, Michael Berry snapped the GE 35-tonner (PDC 864) at the Prairie Dog Central Railway's base of operations at Inkster Junction. It is a GE 35-tonner that was built for Manitoba Hydro.
RICHARDSON GRAIN
TERMINAL
GMTX 403, a GP15-1 leased from GATX Rail Locomotives, is still working the Richardson Pioneer grain elevator at Carseland, AB., on the Canadian Pacific Brooks Subdivision east of Calgary, AB. It was built in September 1979 at EMD LaGrange as Conrail 1619, and became Norfolk Southern 1407 when NS took over its portion of Conrail in 1999; from there it went to GATX. (Cor van Steenis).
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SOUTHERN RAILWAY of
BC (SRY)
SRY/E&N RAILFREIGHT
NEWS
WESTERN VIGNETTES SOUTHERN
RAILWAY of BC (SRY) VIGNETTE
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