On October 25th, Mark A. Perry photographed the BNSF train at CN's Fort Rouge Yard (Portage Jct) in Winnipeg, MB. Note bilingual BNSF Operation Lifesaver Caboose BN 12580, clearly 1representing our Franco-Manitoba colleagues as well!
The former Kelowna Pacific Railway is back in business:
The KPR had been shut down for a few weeks, when Randy Zarowny took these shots. He saw two GP38's (GMTX 2632 and LLPX 2261) which was dismantled the year before, to what state it was put back together we can't say, however it looks that the trucks have been rebuilt. A few days later the KPR Hirail service truck returning from Lumby to Vernon, and then again later the same truck returning from the Armstrong direction. CN will soon run the line from Kamloops to Lumby, and not the Kelowna branch. The ex CPR branch from Sicamous hadn't been run since the OVR had pulled out.
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Spectra Energy a natural gas processing plant located at McNeill AB (near Burstall, SK), has received an SW1200 from the USA and is now renumbered to DLCX 121. The locomotive was delivered to the Spectra facility by the Great Sandhills Railway.
In September, a new oil switching company was set up in Wilmar, SK. The motive power is ex-CN GP9RM CANAC 7061, (but it has not been renumbered yet), and CEFX GP15D 1507, which is subleased through CANAC.
Released from Lambton Diesel Specialist and enroute to Winnipeg, MB in September is ex-CP SW1200RS 1240, now painted in Cando Contracting livery and renumbered CCGX 1007.
In August, DESX GP10 8308 (ex-IC nee-Mid South Rail) was leased to the Great Sandhills Railway for service. DESX also leased LTEX GP15-1 1450 from Larry’s Truck Electric, and then in August sub-leased it out to Richardson International, an industry in Saskatchewan.
RPOX 1320 is now leased to Richardson Seeds Canada and arrived in Yorkton, SK in September. This genset started life as an NW2 in 1949 at EMD La Grange, IL, and has worn many identities including Southern Pacific NW2 3210.
Andy Cassidy photographed BNSF 2910-340-3143 in idle at the New Westminster Terminal, at Mile 145 on the CN New Westminster Sub May 30th.
Great Western Railway Recap: By Ken McKutcheon
Earlier this year in Saskatchewan the GWR received its two newest locomotives, ex AOK B23-7's 4062 and 4064. The 4064 arrived Assiniboia on April 25th and sent out on its maiden voyage April 26th. Along with leased units CP 4419 and 4514 ran as light engines to Shaunavon for a crude train.
Photo One shows them dropping down the hill westbound from Aneroid to Ponteix.
On April 30th, along with 2003 and 575, 4064 handled the weekly grain supplies. Photo Two shows the colourful consist approaching Lafleche.
On May 2nd, the 36 car loaded grain train is seen in Photo Three leaving Kincaid behind the 575 4064 2003.
Meanwhile, the companion locomotive, AOK 4062 arrived Assiniboia May 8th and would not make its first trip until September 30th, spending all of the summer either out behind the shop waiting for parts or inside being worked on. On its maiden voyage Sept 30th, 4062 was teamed with 4064 and 13 grain empties for a run down the Fife Lake Sub to Rockglen. Photo Four show the 4064 and 4062 climbing the hill into Scout Lake.
Photo Five, a roster shot of the 4062 at Rockglen.
Photo Six the lite eng movement northbound at Lisieux.
The other work horses on the Great Western Railway are the two B40-8's, GWR 575 and 563. Of the five M420's on the roster GWR is lucky to have one running at any given time and really blessed if they can get two gurgling together. As of Oct 7th: GWR 575, 563, 4064, 4062, 2003 and 2001 were all serviceable. A trio of MLW’s are at the shop: GWR 2000 O/S Generator Auxiliary Drive. GWR 2002 O/S Top Deck Rebuild, and 2004 O/S Engine Change.
Southern Prairie Railway Recap: By Ken McKutcheon
2013 has been a busy year for the SPR Tourist Railway in that they received two new pieces of equipment.
Alco T-6 (SLSX) #46 arrived in Assiniboia June 26th, and CP train K31 with CP 9004 4414 and 3014 after the move from New Westminster, BC to Assiniboia, SK. It was originally Portland Terminal 46 and then NBTX 804 in North Vancouver. Photo One depicts the train arriving Assiniboia.
On July 6th the Sleeper-buffet-lounge No. 1089, Cape Tormentine, built by Pullman-Standard in 1954, and arrived at Assiniboia, SK on CP K31 powered with 3053 4424 3068 and 3071. Photo Two shows the train arriving Assiniboia.
Shortly after arrival in Assiniboia both pieces of equipment were moved off GWR/CP property out to Willows on the Red Coat Railway. Photo Three shows SLSX 46 and Cape Tormentine at Willows, SK.
In addition to making their regular runs between Ogema and Horizon/Pangman, SPR was also called upon by the communities of Lafleche and Shaunavon to help them celebrate their 100 year centennial events on June 28th and July 19th respectfully. The equipment used for this was 44 tonner 15, coach Mt. Holly and cab PGE 1836.
On the June 27th westward run over to Lafleche the SPR was called upon to dump a few cars of ballast for Red Coat Rail just east of Verwood. Photo Four shows the five (5) ex CN gravel hoppers, SPR 15, Mt Holly and PGE 1836. It is anticipated that SLSX 46 will be up and running for 2014.
With the increase in Crude Oil business both the CP and GWR have been kept busy. CP's Expanse Sub see's at least one train per day now, sometimes two. Their grain customers include flow thru elevators for Cargill at Congress, Paterson and Viterra in Assiniboia, SK, as well well as grain and crude empties for GWR. All this has brought back the SD40's and GP38's. Generally speaking, the flow thru elevators get the big GE's and loaded trains are robotized in Assiniboia. The GWR traffic, more often than not, arrives behind everything and anything else available for power. It's been a great year for railroad photography.
Earlier in the year CP utilized their Gravelbourg Sub for grain car storage, storing cars from Hodgeville eastward for 20 + miles. During August/Sept with a grain car shortage CP began running trains up the Gravelbourg to retrieve empties in helping relieve the crunch and supply the GWR and their Expanse Sub elevators. Trains coming of the Gravelbourg Sub face north toward Moose Jaw when junctioning onto the Expanse Sub. Of course, this necessitates a reverse move of 20 miles to get down to assiniboia. To accomplish this they use a caboose (riding platform) which is stored at Mossbank. Some sample power hookups.
Photo One. CP 2200 paid a one time only (so Far) visit to Assiniboia July 13th.
Photo Two. CP 9006 6041 Assiniboia May 1st.
Photo Three. CP 6024 3105 Cab 434412 returning lite to Mossbank after having stored empties on the Gravelbourg Sub. May 13th.
Photo Four. CP 6021 5949 and cab leaving Mossbank for empties on the Gravelbour Sub. Sept 20th.
Greater Winnipeg Water District (GWWD) MLW RS-23 was shot in October 1st by Mark Perry heading east through East Braintree, MB with a train headed for Waugh, MB.
Consumers Coop in Regina, SK is leasing CCGX SW1200RS 1007 (ex- CP 1240 nee-CP 8140) to be delivered to the oil facility there but in the meantime they have leased CP GP9u 1560 until CCGX 1007 gets repaired in Winnipeg and gets delivered.
ESSEX TERMINAL VIGNNETTE: ETR GP9 108 (ex-Cartier #59), is about to stretch it's legs after the Essex Terminal maintenance crews did some work to the unit after her arrival on the property earlier in 1990. ETR 102 is along to assist should ETR 108 have issues. ETR 108 still works hard today on the ETR, but 102 is sidelined currently. Hopefully business will pick up sufficiently soon they can get 102 repaired and back out working as it should be. This photo was taken by Geoff Elliott on April 16th, 1990.
Last month, the ONTARIO SOUTHLAND RAILWAY (OSR), added a new extension to their Salford shop trackage to increase their storage capacity for another six locomotives. As well, work continues on the recently acquired OSR FP9Au 1401, specifically main generator issues.
Walter Pfefferle photographed OSR S13 501 and 502 CAMI at Ingersoll ON October 16th PHOTO OSR 501 WP
SLM Recycling a scrap dealer in Welland, ON purchased six retired CP SLUGS (CP 1012, 1013, 1024, 1152, 1156, and 1159), Several have already been delivered.
We're at Cochrane Yard October 11th for a pretty action filled Friday afternoon where we see the 4pm yard job weeding out a recently bad ordered lumber load out of the consist of southbound 414 on South Yard 1 with GP9 1601 as northbound 213 with SD75I 2103 leading today sets off northbound tonnage on South Yard 3 and makes tracks for the hand off to Cochrane Shops' Hostler.(Mike Robin)
The only way you could make this T&NO Pacific type 4-6-2 701 look any better is to fire up the boiler and put her on the mainline. It took over a year to complete and the wait was totally worth it. The T\own of Englehart pulled out all the stops back in 2012 and began refurbishing the steam locomotive which was retired from duty in 1957 and has since called this spot next to the Englehart railway station home. This fall, the project was completed with computer cut vinyl lettering, logo and pinstripes applied by a New Liskeard sign company in early October. Once word spread about the completion of the 701 project, I very much needed to take a special trip to Englehart just to see the completed 701 with my own eyes and on October 23rd, I arrived with camera in hand. All I can say is, once again, Englehart should be very proud of the remarkable job done in turning the town's very familiar landmark into a truly beautiful piece of Ontario Northland history. (Mike Robin)
National Steel Car (NSC) is having tanks built by Trenergy for 10 tank cars. The P5 facility is to be starting up soon to build the actual cars and they will be sent to be in service and if the customer(s) like them, there will be 300 cars built. There is a potential market for 6,000 cars, and if so the NSC facility will completely manufacturing the cars in the future.
The Huron Central Railway's "Espanola Turn" powered by a trio of HCRY GP40-2LW's (3010, 3012, 3013) have just arrived at McKerrow Yard, after switching the Eacom Lumber Mill at Nairn Centre. Here, they will sort out the loads that arrived on last night's train from the Sault, and then head into Espanola to switch the Domtar Pulp & Paper Mill, before returning East to Sudbury to wrap up the day. The photos was taken by Ken Reiss on September 24th, 2013.
CSX IN ONTARIO VIGNETTE: Geoff Elliott kindly submitted this great shot of "Trains Magazine's All American Diesel" CSX GP38 2002 which is formerly B&O 3802, leading the southbound local from Sarnia to Fargo on Christmas Eve day 1989. With a nice mix of Chessie, CSX, and B&O for color, it was nice to catch this guy coming through town with the autorack buffer and the unmistakable Sarnia traffic behind it. Even though this is "C&O country", all the units on the train today are of B&O heritage.
In mid-October, GEXR 2652 (x-UP) left Stratford, Ontario for full rebuilding and orange and black GWI repaint at the NECR St. Albans, Vermont Roundhouse.
Goderich-Exeter (GEXR) train 431 is shown westbound on the CN Halton Sub passing through the Brampton Station on its way back to home rails. The trailing unit is SD45T-2 9392, (ex-SP). With GEXR recently coming into the Genesee & Wyoming family, one wonders if she will get G&W orange and black at some point. The leader on this train was GSCX SD40-2 #7362 a unit that spent some time working on the New England Central (NECR) another G&W shortline. (Dave Howard)
In October, Court-appointed officials announced the sale of the Montreal Maine and Atlantic, (the railroad involved in the Lac-Mégantic, QC tragedy on July 6th, 2013), could be completed by mid-January 2014, once a formal process is established to award compensation to victims and other claimants. Court filings in Quebec say they U.S. trustee is entertaining interest from eight potential buyers for the MMA. The Canadian monitor, Richter Advisory Group Inc., has been in contact with at least two groups in Canada. Court officials declined to identify the interested parties, but the transportation subsidiary of conglomerate Irving on Canada's East Coast says it continues to evaluate the deal. "We're considering all of our options," said Mary Keith, a spokeswoman for J.D. Irving, operator of the NB&M Railways. The proposed sale schedule, which must be approved by the Quebec and U.S. bankruptcy courts, would see Oct. 31 as the deadline for expressions of interest from potential bidders. A lead bidder would be chosen Nov. 15 that would set a floor price for other bidders. A formal auction of qualified bidders would take place Dec. 13. Interested buyers would be able to bid on the railway's total assets or just those in Canada or the U.S. However, potential buyers must be prepared to continue providing service to customers in Quebec, Maine and Vermont.
Paramount in their decision is the fact that MMA customers demand service! Dozens of MMA's customers wrote letters stating that an end of railway services would "have significant financial consequences and would result in job losses in the regions and the closure of various companies." A recent survey of businesses by regional economic development agencies determined that 700 jobs and investments totaling $20 million would be at risk if the railway is shut down. The officials said they hoped a formal claims process will be approved by the courts by November 30th Forty-seven people were killed and much of the centre of the picturesque Quebec town was destroyed after the unmanned runaway Crude Oil train derailed and caught fire and exploded on July 6th.
MMA's American assets have been estimated at between $50 million US and $100 million, US while the Canadian assets were pegged at about $18 million. Proceeds from the sale would also be complemented by a $25-million policy from XL Insurance. Insurer wants out Meanwhile, Travelers Property Casualty Company of America, which has paid $250,000 to repair the damaged track in Quebec, is trying get out of the rest of its $7.5 million US coverage for the railway. A hearing on the issue is scheduled for Wednesday in Maine, with officials hopeful that a formal claims process will be approved by the courts by Nov. 30. Thousands of claims are expected to be filed, according to the monitor's third report. Meanwhile, Camden National Bank has approved a US$3-million line of credit secured by the railway's U.S. assets to support ongoing operations. However, the funds wouldn't be enough for necessary track repairs or to pay lawyers and other professionals involved in the court proceedings.
On October 16th, the Bangor Daily News reported that Transport Canada has told MM&A they can "possibly" reopen through Lac Megantic on/about American Thanksgiving. BDN reports that the locomotive shop at Derby, Maine (ex Bangor and Aroostook) is down to a handful of employees, and the layoffs have had a major economic impact on the communities of Derby, Milo and Brownville Junction, Maine. They are also reporting there are eight interested parties that have expressed interest in buying MM&A. However, 7 of the 8 have executed confidentiality agreements, and the eighth company that hasn't is still unknown. At this point, MM&A appears to be operating only in the arc of East Millinocket, Maine west southwest to Brownville Junction, from Brownville Junction south to Northern Maine Junction (just outside of Bangor, and its connection to Pan Am Railways), and from Northern Maine Junction to the ocean port at Searsport, ME. There are few, if any, customers remaining between Brownville Junction and Lac Megantic, QC. Eastern Maine Railway and New Brunswick Southern trains are bereft of the former auto rack traffic out of Montreal (St. Luc) that moved through BJCT on MM&A, and are back to one train a day most days. Oil traffic off Pan Am is way off as well.
A pair of ex-UP, nee-SP SD45T-2’s, rebuilt to PRLX SD40T-2 2833 and 2856 were seen at CN Taschereau Yard in October. As we went to press the pair had arrived at the CN Yard in Joffre Quebec for the (former Ultramar) Valero refinery in Levis, Quebec. Valero tested, and then refused to accept the two Tunnel Motors. These SD’s are leased from Progress Rail, and are ex-UP nee-SP. As we went to press, Valero was still using their CN GP38-2W. (Photo by Travis Payne)
ROBERVAL - SAGUENAY VIGNETTE: John Young of the Quebec Railfan Group submitted Roberval Saguenay Super 7 #50 taken in July 1994.
Francois Gagne Audet snapped (Trains Touristiques de Charlevoix) TTC 422 at Cab-au-Corbeau October 6th. The former CP RS18u (LMCX 1868) looks very good hauling the passenger consist in this very picturesque region in Quebec.
The only EMD-built FL9 currently operating in Canada! Michael Berry caught the Orford Express crossing over the famous ex-CP Eastman Trestle on September 29th, with FLNX FL9 484 pushing the consist.
Due to a washout in September that occurred near Magog, QC on the MM&A Sherbrooke Subdivision, the Orford Express was forced to operate est of Sherbrooke. Here’s the Orford Express crossing the Massawippi River at Lennoxville.
CSX IN ONTARIO VIGNETTE: Geoff Elliott kindly submitted this great shot of "Trains Magazine's All American Diesel" CSX #2002 which is formerly B&O 3802, leading the southbound local from Sarnia to Fargo on Christmas Eve day 1989. With a nice mix of Chessie, CSX, and B&O for color, it was nice to catch this guy coming through town with the autorack buffer and the unmistakable Sarnia traffic behind it. Eventhough this is "C&O country", all the units on the train today are of B&O heritage.
On October 4th, a 70-car eastbound soars high above Salmon Brook at New Denmark, NB, with a CN train bound for Moncton, NB on the Napadogan Sub. Second unit CN 5414 is an ex-Oakway (GM) Leasing spartan cab SD60 acquired by CN.
A Westbound 170-car CN Moncton-Montreal freight passes Lac Baker, NB on October 4th, on the Pelletier Sub. CN follows the shore of Lac Baker for several miles, and offers outstanding photo opportunities for railfans. A DPU unit is buried deep in the train, which is a mix of double-stack containers from Halifax, empty oil tankers from St. John, NB, and general freight.
New Brunswick Southern's leased GMTX GP38-3 2645 (ex-B&O) has been working out of Danforth, Maine on Eastern Maine Railway during Mid-October. An intensive new tie replacement effort has been going forward on EMRY, and currently Danforth has become the temporary gathering place for the track gang and machinery. The unit is shut down every night on the remaining stub of the passing siding that dates to Maine Central days. Maine Central's 1870's-era freight house still stands at right, and Danforth's 1888 town hall is at left. St. Croix, NB and the Canadian border lie 32 miles to the right of the locomotive.
© CRO October 2013