The testing in Alberta with Canadian National’s two Liquefied Natural Gas units (CN SD40-2W 5258 and 5261) and the LPG Fuel Tender has ended. CN has returned the leased LNG tank car (CNW-1) to the Union Pacific. The two units sported SD45-like flared radiators, after CN contracted CAD Railway Industries to do the conversion with the SD40-2W’s from Diesel Fuel to Natural Gas. The reason CN looked at LNG is because natural gas prices are far lower, and even more stringent emissions rules will come along by 2015. UP attempted to implement an LNG program in the early 1990s, but no locomotives were ever placed into service with the LNG tank cars that UP purchased for this testing. The two CN LNG locomotives are now stored in Edmonton, and the LNG tank car is in transit to UP.

On September 22nd, Dave Schauer shot the modified tank car at Itasca in Superior, WI. in transit to UP.

CN GE ES44AC locomotives:

Over the summer, CN placed an second order for thirty more ES44AC locomotives from GE, and cancelled their EMD order for SD70ACe’s. The new GE’s will be numbered CN 2835-2864, and are expected by year end.

Their previous ES44AC order (CN 2800-2834), are in service assigned to trains operating in the west. These are the first AC locomotives on the Canadian National roster. After suffering a severe cab collision at a coal loader over four months ago, CN 2823 will soon return to service after the repairs are completed at Soulanges Industries.

CN’s Second Hand Power:

CN Dash 8-40C / C40-8W STATUS:

The first of the CREX 9023-9064 to adorn the CN uniform was C40-8 2034, released from Quality Rail July 19th and entered service soon after. In August CRO learned the remainder of this CREX fleet will not be done until 2014.

The 42 C40-8’s (4000 hp) will be numbered CN 2000-2041. These are ex-UP same numbers, nee-CNW 8501-8542, and the second group of ex-UP, nee-CNW Dash 8’s that CN has purchased. These are to be painted, and then completed at either Centralia Shop, Metro East Industries (MEI) in East St. Louis, IL, or at Quality Rail in Madison, IL. These CREX C40-8’s were constructed at GE - Erie, PA in 1989, as CNW 8501-8530, and as CNW 8531-8542 during 1990. When Union Pacific acquired the Chicago & North Western Railroad, they got numbered UP 9023-9064, but not in sequence. When retired by UP during 2008 and 2009, they were sold to Citicorp Railmark and retained their UP livery and road number, with CREX on the cab sides. Prior to being purchased by CN last year, these had been leased to CSX.

Compiled below are all the more recent ex-CREX, and the older ex-UP Dash 8-40C’s and ex-BNSF C40-8W’s acquired by CN, arranged by locomotive model, and their new CN number. (Our thanks to Earl Roberts for his help)

Dash 8-40C:

Notes:  The very first CN 2000 to 2024 number series were GP9’s from 1955 which became CN 4451-4475 a year later. CN 2000:2 to 2024:2 and CN 2025 to 2043 MLW C-630M, so the ex-UP are 2000:3 to 2024:3 and 2025:2 to 2041:2.(Martin Bauman with thanks),

C40-8W:

CN(ex-GMTX/ex-EMDX) SD60 STATUS:

All 43 second-hand EMD SD60 (3,800 hp) locomotives that CN acquired from GMTX last year, have been repainted, upgraded to CN specifications, and all are in service.  As well, 21 units from the 2nd group of 47 EMDX Oakway’s, have been painted at Centralia, IL, and in service.

Painted and in Service:

CN 5400-5442 inclusive (all from the 1st group of Ex-GMTX SD6o’s).

CN 5443, 5445, 5447, 5448, 5449, 5452, 5456, 5459, 5461, 5463, 5465, 5466, 5467, 5473, 5474, 5475, 5476, 5479, 5480, 5484, and 5486 (all from the 2ndgroup of ex-EMDX SD60’s). CN 5465 and 5466 entered service in early September.

Compiled below are the 47 new EMD SD60’s in the EMDX 9000-series that CN recently purchased, along with the previous ex-GMTX units, for a total of 90 EMD SD60’s added to the CN roster.

Notes:

• Providence & Worcester leased two of the SD60’s, GMTX 9014 and 9059.
• Six SD60’s GMTX 9016, 9044, 9061, 9067, 9082 and 9094 are leased to NYSW.
• Oakway SD60 9041 was wrecked during the 1980’s while on lease to BN. The locomotive was replaced with (Electro Motive Diesel Division) SD60 Demonstrator EMDX #3.
• OakwaySD60 9062 was wrecked and scrapped in the 1990’s.

Retired in 2013:

CN GP9RM 7027
CN GP9RM 7211, 7236, and 7269
CN GP9RM 7267
EJE SW1001 446
WC SW1500 1552

Disposition of CN Locomotives for sale:

Below are the locomotives being disposed of by CN and are compiled by railroad and loco number: and includes the model, and the year Built/Rebuilt, status if sold, and last known CN location.

CN 201 SLUG Markham Yard SOLD TO LETX
CN 202 SLUG Edmonton
CN 233 SLUG 1987 Transcona
CN 251 SLUG Edmonton
CN264 SLUG 1966 Symington
CN 266 SLUG 1966 Vancouver
CN 269 SLUG 1966 Symington
CN 271 SLUG 1993 Edmonton
CN 272 SLUG Prince George, BC
CN 275 SLUG 1993 Melville, SK.
CN 501 SLUG 1978 Symington
CN 508 SLUG 1978 Edmonton
CN 1379 SW1200RS 1960 Edmonton
CN 1375 SW1200RS 1960 Woodcrest
CN1415 GMD1 1989 Woodcrest
CN1406 GMD1 1989 Edmonton
CN 1407 GMD1 1989 Edmonton SOLD to WRIX
CN 1415 GMD1 1989 SOLD to WRIX Markham Yard
CN 1418 GMD1 1989 SOLD to WRIX Markham Yard
CN7007 GP9RM SOLD TO MVPX Markham Yard
CN 7018 GP9RM 1985 Symington
CN 7041 GP9RM 1988 Symington
CN 7045 GP9RM 1992 Transcona
CN 7051 GP9RM 1990 Transcona
CN 7064 GP9RM 1992 Prince George
CN 7076 GP9RM Markham Yard SOLD to IBCX
CN 7207 GP9RM 1985 Edmonton
CN 7210 GP9RM 1985 Vancouver
CN7211 GP9RM 1985 Symington
CN 7216 GP9RM Markham Yard SOLD to WRIX
CN 7225 GP9RM Markham Yard SOLD to IBCX
CN 7235 GP9RM 1987 Edmonton
CN7236 GP9RM 1987 Symington
CN 7244 GP9RM 1988 Prince George
CN 7249 GP9RM 1990 Edmonton
CN 7218 GP9RM 1986 Transcona
CN 7259 GP9RM 1990 Transcona
CN 7262 GP9RM 1990 Symington
GTW 4618 GP9RB 1989 Markham Yard SOLD TO IBCX
IC 1477 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1484 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1490 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1491 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1496 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1498 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1500 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1501 SW14 1980 (Scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1505 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1507 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1509 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
IC 1511 SW14 1980 (scrapped at Woodcrest)
WC 1560 SW1500 1970 Woodcrest

Another WC 1500-series switcher (WC 1563) still in her original Wisconsin Central colors was clicked by Kim Kafura working the yard in Neenah, WI on September 22nd, 2013. We gotta get these while we can before CN either repaints or retires them.

Chinese-owned NEXON Inc., has urged Canadian National to considering shipping Alberta bitumen to Prince Rupert, B.C., by rail in quantities matching the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, documents shared with The Canadian Press show. Internal memos obtained by Greenpeace under the Access to Information Act show the rail carrier raised the proposal last March with Natural Resources Canada. "Nexen Inc. is reportedly working with CN to examine the transportation of crude oil on CN's railway to Prince Rupert, B.C., to be loaded onto tankers for export to Asia," states a departmental briefing note setting up the March 1 meeting.

A CN presentation paper notes that "CN has ample capacity to run seven trains per day to match Gateway's proposed capacity." Greenpeace provided the documents to The Canadian Press. The proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, which would carry crude oil to Kitimat, B.C., has met fierce opposition from First Nations and environmentalists. Greenpeace researcher Keith Stewart said the CN rail pitch has the appearance of a "Plan B" in case Northern Gateway is blocked, but that it raises "the same or greater risks."

The horrific MM&A Lac-Mégantic disaster in July that claimed 47 lives when a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded, has focused intense scrutiny on the burgeoning oil-by-rail industry. In that derailment, 5.5 million litres of oil either burned or leaked into the environment in Lac-Mégantic. The fire burned for four days.

A spokesman for CN Rail told The Canadian Press in an email that "no specific crude-by-rail project to Prince Rupert (was) discussed" at the March meeting with Natural Resources Canada. The company "does not disclose publicly its commercial discussions with customers," Mark Hallman said in the email. "CN will continue to explore new opportunities to move crude oil safely and efficiently to markets," Hallman wrote. "The company will consider concrete crude-by-rail proposals, including any specific project to move crude to Prince Rupert. However, there is no infrastructure in place at Prince Rupert to transfer crude oil from train tank cars to vessels."

In September, CN announced they will to discontinue operation on the CN Brantford Spur, in downtown Brantford, Ontario. CN intends to either transfer the ownership of the track or discontinue operation on the line if the ownership is not transferred. Also on chopping block is the TH&B spur and the L&EN spur both also located on the Brantford Spur, a plastics plant the only remaining on line customer. If no parties express interest in the line, the line by November 21st, 2013, CN will offer the ROW to the government for disposal.
In late-September, Teamsters Canada announced their hard-fought deal with Canadian National was successful, and railway service will restart in the North Okanagan after almost three months without it when the Kelowna Pacific Railway filed for bankruptcy on July 5th. The declared bankruptcy brought to a halt shipments over 170 kilometres of track from Kelowna to Vernon and through Lumby and Falkland and north to Campbell creek. Rail service on the line dates back more than 100 years. "I lived and worked in the Okanagan for 30 years and I know how important the railway is to the area," says William Brehl, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, Maintenance of Way Employees Division. "Partnering with CN means saving our members jobs and restoring a transportation link that is vital to the local economy." The deal goes beyond Teamsters jobs, Brehl says, adding "KPR was moving about 16,000 cars of products per year on track that is in disrepair. CN is committed to bringing the track up to standard and that can mean more jobs in so many other parts of the local economy as more and more goods are cost-effectively transported." The two weeks of negotiations were tough, but both sides worked to the same goal of restarting vital freight transportation through this part of BC. Brehl says 20 workers will return to the job as early as Monday with perhaps more jobs in the coming months. Under the terms of the deal, which still must be ratified by union members, these Teamsters will receive the stability of a five-year contract with a total increase of 15 per cent in wages over the life of the contract. About TCRC-MWED: Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Maintenance of Way Employees Division (TCRC-MWED), a division of Teamsters Canada, represents more than 4,000 maintenance of way workers at more than 20 short line railroads across Canada and at CP Rail. Its members are involved in inspecting, monitoring and repairing the tracks, bridges and structures on the network. TCRC-MWED's mission is to make sure that the railway is safe, in spite of any economic, managerial or other obstacles. SOURCE TEAMSTERS CANADA RAIL CONFERENCE, MAINTENANCE OF WAY EMPLOYEES DIVISION

Mike Garza clicked scrubbed down and spotless CN ES44DC 2311 at the UP yard in Dolton IL. On September 18th, likely there to repay Horse Powee Hours to UP.

The very first Norfolk Southern heritage painted unit to enter Montreal, QC was NS SD70ACe 1070 (Wabash) arriving at the point of CN 529 (entering Canada after coming North on the D&H (Train 931) at Rousses Point, NY) , and departed that night on CN 528. These trains run through to Harrisburg, PA.

Christopher Bodkin submitted these five photos: CN train A432 is SB thru Carbondale on September 17th with ES44DC 2263 and C40-8W 2149.

C44-9W 2669 sits at the south end of the Du Quoin (IL) yard on September 19th. 2669 looks like it recently received a bath.

CN SD60 5465 and GTW GP38-2 4903 sit in the yard at Du Quoin, IL, on September 19th.

At Du Quoin, IL, the same day, CN SD60 5431, ES44DC 2233 and C40-8W 2194 were sitting in idle on another yard track.

CN GP40-2LW 9567 is shown working the Du Quoin Yard preparing a short consist for a local job.

At O.I. Canada in Montreal, QC, Guy-Pascal Arcouette bagged CN GP9RM 7017 and sibling on September 10th.  It is rare to catch a locomotive switching at the facility. 

Michael Lussier snapped CN GP38-2W 4799 hauling train #519 at St-Hyacinthe, QC on September 20th, tugging on a pair of brand new POTASH CORP covered hopper cars.

This photo by Dave Burroughs shows Canadian National Railways green and gold RS3 3019 and RS18 3624 are seen in Hamilton, ON with an eastbound freight in September 967. The units are switching the east end of Parkdale Yard. on the CN Grimsby Sub.  

These two terrific images taken at Central Station in Montreal on July 3rd, 1954. show the CNR Hogger aboard Bi-Directional Tank Engine 4-6-4T #49 easing his commuter train out from the darkness of the tunnel into daylight. The well-dressed engineer looks back at the photographer John Dziobko, as his train steams out under the catenary, toward Wellington Tower and the St-Henri Sub.

On December 11th 1975 on the CN Oakville Sub, John Eull photographed CN 8173 shoving a CN Business Car into Stewart Street Yard in Hamilton, Ontario.   

BEFORE AND AFTER VIGNETTE Pierre Fournier (of Quebec Railfans) posted this interesting 49 year comparison of scenes of CN trains at the Nicolet Branch at St-Leonard in 1938 and train 233 passing the same spot in April 1987!

Due to bridge work in Duluth in 1999 the Missabe used its trackage rights over the North Shore Scenic Railroad and ran light engines from Two Harbors to Duluth to pick up seven freight cars. Here a pair of the still-fresh 400s roll past Duluth's Rose Garden and Lakewalk on September 16th. 1999 Today DMIR 406 wears CN colors and DMIR 415 has beenretired (DAVID SCHAUER PHOTO)

© CRO October 2013