CANADIAN PACIFIC

September 2011

Frank Jolin photographed CP ethanol train #666 leaning into a curve southbound on the old Napierville Junction near Lacolle, QC on August 4th.   A trio of SD40-2’s CP 5911, and ICE 6413 and 6414 lead the always interesting ethanol tank car train southbound  with loads destined for Providence, Rhode Island.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=371032

On August 22nd, Trey Holland was first to catch factory fresh CP 8900, the newest CP ES44AC at the GE plant in Erie, PA.  These new locomotives differ slightly from the previous CP GEVO order: Most evident option changes are the high mount number boards, and BNSF style cab-side windows, making these unique GE’s in CP’s fleet.  GE has intentionally standardized the GEVO production as far as possible.  Basically, all new GEVO’s ordered by all the Class ones will pretty much look the same. Currently NS have ordered the high headlight option at higher cost, but may later opt for the “standard” GEVO.      

 Other details in the photo: The stanchions now have a thicker design, and the locomotive has rear ditchlights factory installed.  CRO reader Aivo Merimets noted CP 8900 does not appear to have the PTC module seen on recent UP units, though its hard to say how the PTC equipment would look, as the PTC is custom for each railroad to meet there own needs and system. For example, NS's SD70ACes PTC equipment consisted of a few extra antennas and GPS modules on the cab roof, very unlike UP's recent order of SD70ACes with their "antenna farm”.  (Our thanks to Trey Holland and Aivo Merimets)  

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2691347

CP leased locomotives on the property in August:

 CEFX (AC4400CW) 1002, 1006, 1007, 1014, 1018-1020, 1023, 1024, 1026-1059.

 CEFX (SD40-2) 2786, 2791, 2797, 2802, 2803, 3105, 3109, 3112, 3117, 3120, 3121, 3127, 3128, 3130, 3133, 3137, 3139, 3143, 3145, 3148, 3149, 3151, 3155, 3163, 3164, 3166, 3168, 3172, 3173, 3175, 3176, 3181, 3182, 3183, 3184, and 3188.

 CITX (SD40-2) 2785, 2790, 2792, 2794, 2796, 2799, 2804, 3008, 3024, 3026, 3032, 3035, 3036, 3053-3067, 3070, 3071, 3073, 3074, 3075, 3077-3083, 3086, 3088-3092, 3095, 3097-3102, 3110, 3157, 3170, 3177.

 NREX (SD40-2) 4403, 5542, 5581, 5661, 5777, 5823, 6301, 6309, 7003, 7212, 7223, 7237, 7246, 7275, 7287, 7349, 7356, 7360, 7370, 7374, 7931, 8092, 8096, 8099, 8401.

 HLCX (SD40-2): 6206, 6299, 6340, 6341, 6844, 7003, 7008, 7009, 7161, 7191, 7193, 7205, 7230, 7231, 7233, 8033, 8085, 8089, 8139, 8163, 8176, and JFDX 8045.

CP had a minor derailment in the London Yard on the 26th but due to its location on the mainline it shut down most traffic. It happened about 3;30 and things were not back to normal until around noon. Walter Pfefferle caught them putting the multis back on the rails.

The same day he caught EMDX 2012 heading west to parts unknown. CRO will update its destination in next months issue.

Brian Thompson clicked Arizona Eastern E8 #6070 trailing on CP #242 at Galt, ON Wed. August 10, 2011. Other units in the consist are CP 8639, CEFX 3149, CITX 3081.  The E8 is destined to the Saratoga and North Creek Railway who will receive two E8’s:  Arizona Eastern Railway E8 6070 (In SP black Widow paint) is former CNW E8 5029B.  The other E8 still to come is former CNW 518,  ex-5030A.

Richard Marchi caught Arisona Eastern E8 #6070 after arriving at at St-Luc Yard (Montreal) on August 13th.  It was sent down the D&H the next day.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2677253

Walter Pfefferle caught paired SOO LINE SD60’s 6031 and 6034 at Woodstock, Ontario August 23rd.

CP NEWS:

Goodbye to the OVR bypass route:   

 Back in February 2011, CP was able to abandon the Chalk River Subdivision from Scott, mileage 0.5, just north of Smiths Falls, through to Chalk River, and the North Bay Subdivision from Chalk River to Mattawa, Ontario.  Part of the line had major rehabilitation in the early 2000’s; CP paid Rail America $73 million to get out of the lease from CP, and CP has not run any trains since. As the line lay dormant, this move cut off the last CP shortcut transcontinental link between Quebec and Western Canada.   

 On August 3rd, 2011 CP began lifting the (Continuous Welded Rail) CWR rail east of Pembroke at mileage 86, and are expected to reach mileage 60, just west of Renfrew, by September 2011.  This will entail 14 CWR trains lifting the rails eastward to Smiths Falls, and next year, the trains will run eastward from Mattawa lifting all the rails, ties, spikes, etc.   This rail will be re-layed in the area of Wilkie, Saskatchewan, where CP has a secondary mainline.

Too little - too late?  On August 10th local NDP candidate Brian Dougherty launched a “SAVE RAILS” online campaign as part of his effort to raise a public outcry to prevent the removal of the Ottawa Valley's only rail line:

http://www.magma.ca/~drcanrt/110810ndprail.html

Montreal IMS yard project on-hold: 

 CP has put the Les Cèdres Intermodal Container-Trailer Yard project on ice indefinitely because of reduced commercial traffic.  Lachine IMS is currently sufficient.  Two years ago, the region’s planning and development brain trust couldn’t stop talking about the region’s future as a transportation, warehousing and distribution centre. “Twenty, thirty, forty” was a favored buzz phrase at the 2010 regional planning summit, a reference to the three arteries that will crisscross the region once Highway 30 is competed in December, 2012.  The centrepieces of the inland port were to be Canadian Pacific’s 550,000-container-a-year intermodal terminal in Les Cèdres and Canadian Tire’s twin million-square-foot distribution centres in the Coteau du Lac industrial park. Everything was based on the assumptions that

Asian goods would continue to pour into eastern Canadian markets and that our region’s future lay in distributing them.  The Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC organized two fact-finding tours to France, including a trip to one of Europe’s largest inland ports, so MRC mayors could see for themselves what the region’s future could look like.

Today, corn, hay, vegetable crops and landscaping plantings continue to thrive on the site of CP’s 313-hectare terminal, while a dozen kilometres to the west, the UPA, Quebec’s powerful agricultural union and the CPTAQ, the province’s agricultural land protection commission, have gone to court to halt construction of the second Canadian Tire warehouse. (Avrom Shtern)

As mentioned at the top, CP eliminated their last transcontinental link  between Montreal and the west.  The Chalk River Subdivision along the Ottawa Valley North of Smith Falls is no more. All rail traffic must now be routed via Toronto, meaning an extra 300 miles.  Time sensitive traffic from Vancouver could be affected.  As well, provisions must be made for extra capacity crossovers and flyovers at Lachine IMS for the future Train de L'Ouest.  Roll-on-roll-off non-reinforced Expressway conventional trailer service between Montreal-Toronto-Detroit remains at St. Luc Yard via Jean Talon, Decarie and the Ferrier gate near Blue Bonnets. Why?  The Great Recession/Depression.   All this means Lachine IMS near A13 and A20 stays put and there will be no reduction in rail traffic to St. Luc Yard unless the economy tanks completely and possibly increased frequencies down the road. 

 At Kirkwood Yard near Binghamton, NY in the second week of August, Jody Moore bagged three CP GP38-2’s, with a commonality. Despite the variation in CP paint schemes, all these GP38-2’s are D&H alumni: STL&H 7308, D&H 7312, and CP 7307.

CRO Editor William Baird  (shown below) and Maxime Boule noted the following units at the St-Luc Diesel Shop (Montreal, QC) on August 18th. 

Ready tracks Available:

CP ES44AC 8834, 8875,

CP AC4400CW  8516, 8555, 8622,9672,

 CP GP9u 1547-1549 (one of  four working yard sets)  

Inside or behind St-Luc Diesel Shop:

ICE SD40-2 6405

SOO SD60 6035 (Cadrail)

CP SD9043MAC 9157  (Cadrail)

CP AC4400CW 8554, 9503, 9512, 9618, 9648, 9650, 9706, 9800,

CP GP7u 1509

CP GP9u 1630, 1649. 8219.

CP SD40-2 5940, 5947 

Repairs or Mods at the back shop:

CP AC4400CW 8503, 8574, 9512, 9558, 9615, 9644 .

TUUS at the back shop

CP AC4400CW 8561 (no prime-mover or long hood)

CP GP9u 1626, 1639, 1649, 8214,

TUUS Dead Line at the Coal chute:

CP GP9u 1519, 1612, 1615, 8224, 8242 

CP Slug 1022.

CP AC4400CW 9817, HLCX SD40-2’s 8033, and 8163 are seen departing St-Luc Yard for Binghamton, NY on August 18th.

On August 5th Doug McKenzie clicked retired CP slug 1000 awaiting a scrapping torch at Ogden shop. Doug also caught SW1200RS 1230, 1249, GP9u 1638, SD40-2 5950, Ogden Shop switcher, SW900 6711, and GP9u 1697 sitting just outside the main shop building.

Kevin Dunk submitted another fine shot of last months Children’s Wish Foundation excursion.  This time with the Canadian Rockies looming over the scene, GP38-2 3084 and F9B 1900 are seen southbound blowing through Parsons on the Windermere Sub. 

Kevin also caught the RCP running in an odd direction of travel.  As there is no turning loop in Cranbrook, the whole train needs to back down the Cranbrook Sub from mile 107 to approx. mile 94 where the train can then use the east leg of the Fort Steele wye and proceed northward up the Windermere Sub to Golden.  His image has 4107 and 3084 backing down the grade to Ft Steele, Kevin will have to thank the engineer for leaving the headlights on for the photo!

CP VIGNETTES:

Canadian Pacific 2-8-2 5192 was one of 95 P1b Class locomotives built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1913. They were rebuilt to class P1-e in 1926. They had 63" drivers, 23 x 32 inch cylinders, boiler pressure of 190 lbs, and could produce up to 43,395 lbs of tractive effort. These engines were used for slow and fast freight as well as for passenger service and served until the end of steam. This picture from my collection shows CPR 5192 running extra in October 1948 at Mattawamkeag, Maine.  The WB train is on the CP main, the next track is the B&M main line, and then yard track 3.   (Photo by Juice Junkie, and location info by George Pitarys)

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=370754&nseq=14
 

Steve shared this image taken in 1950 of the last Roundhouse built in Canada!   The CPR St. Luc Yard Roundhouse was constructed  in 1949 in Cote-St-Luc, which had yet to be developed at the "then" outskirts of Montreal.  Poking their noses out are 15 stored serviceable steam locomotives with stacks covered while four new yard switchers wait to go to work. Ironic that the roundhouse the steam locomotives were almost out-of-date when this photo was taken.  Just out of view at the bottom of this photo, construction would begin in 1953 on the state-of-the-art St-Luc Diesel Shop, which was completed and fully operational in 1956.   Today, the long turntable is still a vital part of the shops daily operation, often used when preparing outbound lead and trail loco consists.  Sadly most of the roundhouse was demolished a few years back, but nine stalls remain on the right side of the roundhouse, (nos. 29-37).   

Ron Visockis photographed CP Rail FA2 4097 in Montreal,  QC on  July 25th, 1973, using his old Minolta SLR.  The MLW Cab units looked good in both CP Rail Action Red and CPR Tuscan Red and grey.

Andy Cassidy photographed CP Rail S-3 6523 at Smiths Falls Yard on August 22, 1977. 

 Lined up outside the GMDD plant in London, Ontario, Frank Smeltzer  clicked brand new CP SD40-2F’s 9000 and 9009  in April 1989.  Note the brass painted bell, most CP Rail units had red bells.  ((Thanks to Jim Parker).

© CRO Sept 2011