Tom Boylan caught Electro Motive Tier 4 Demonstrators 1609 and 1610 arriving Willard, Ohio October 20th as both units were on CSX Train L389 heading westbound.  Ironically, EMDX 1610 got her rear steps damaged soon after this shot when the train hit a construction road paver at Rosemont, West Virginia on CSX. Both locos were sent to CSX Cumberland Shop to be evaluated, with EMD 1610 needing repairs to bent steps and handrails on the rear end only. 

The CSX Rosemont, West Virginia accident report:

http://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Crews-responding-to-accident-involving-train-393235621.html   

Photo of the damaged EMDX 1610 at Cumberland, OH.

On October 18th, Tim Wilson shot the pair on CSX outside Keyser, WV. 

EMDX 1502 was sitting in Union Pacific's Albina Yard in Portland, OR for a couple of weeks in October, and in November continued to demonstrate on UP.    EMDX 1503 was at Progress Rail in Tacoma, WA for tweaking in October and is still testing.  In 2015 Progress Rail/Caterpillar/EMD announced it would be 2017 before they had a Tier 4 units ready,  so we assume they're probably still roughly on target for that.

Work continues on ONT GP38-2 2201 which has been in and out of the paint booths and diesel shops over the past couple months. We should have a photo of her completed shortly.

 Ontario Northland coach #606 continues to receive work in the North Bay Shop as the Polar Bear Express project continues to move forward. These coaches are being fully upgraded from new interior to fresh exterior paint.

Two of the Rocky Mountaineer's coaches have arrived in North Ba1y Ontario. RMRX 9525 and 9531 are seen sitting near the crossing at the North Bay yard October 28th 2016. The Ontario Northland was awarded the contract to revitalize 11 of the Rocky Mountaineer coaches over a 4-year window. 

Ontario Northland was awarded the contract from CANARAIL to refurbish their Rocky Mountaineer luxury passenger rail cars. This work will result in approximately 50 new jobs in the Remanufacturing and Repair Centre (RRC) in the immediate term and up to 80 new positions over the course of the four-year contract. The contract will also provide a significant economic boost to North Bay and surrounding areas. Since 2014, CANARAIL has delivered five refurbished cars to Rocky Mountaineer. The new contract with Ontario Northland will allow CANARAIL to deliver an additional eleven cars over the next four years.  "We are excited to be working with Ontario Northland to revitalize these luxury bi-level dome cars for Rocky Mountaineer," stated Miguel Valero, CANARAIL's President and CEO. "Our collective rail expertise will produce quality refurbishment work. We aim to meet and exceed our customer's requirements."  "Ontario Northland has a reputation for quality work, and we are pleased to be working with their team here in Canada" said Gord Miller, Vice President of Rail Operations and Asset Development at Rocky Mountaineer. "As the world's largest privately owned passenger rail company, our rail cars set the stage for many unforgettable journeys, and we are committed to ensuring we have world class equipment, engineered and built with our guests in mind." "Winning this contract is a result of our reputation in the rail industry for quality work and the combined efforts of our remanufacturing and repair team who have enhanced our competitiveness," stated Corina Moore, President and CEO of Ontario Northland. "It also marks an important step forward to reaching the organization's transformation goals." This contract will result in an extra shift being added in RRC. Since Ontario Northland expanded its capabilities, RRC has been busy with diverse remanufacturing and repair work. In less than two years, the division has expanded from focusing solely on passenger car refurbishment to securing freight car, locomotive, and wheel repair contracts. The company's diverse skill set continues to attract work.

Ontario Northland is a leader in transportation and rail remanufacturing. RRC currently employs over 150 skilled and professional rail workers who extend the life of rail assets and provide solutions to transportation companies throughout North America.  (Ontario Northland news)

About CANARAIL:

Founded in 1991, CANARAIL is a Quebec-based rail consulting and engineering firm that specializes in mining, heavy haul freight, and urban domains. CANARAIL is known for its expertise in feasibility studies, consulting, detailed design, and the supervision of construction of major projects across all components of a railway project: infrastructure, rolling stock, systems, operations, etc. Over the last 25 years, CANARAIL has participated in over 800 projects in Canada, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, North America, Australia, Europe, and Latin America (can be viewed on www.canarail.com). CANARAIL, headquartered in Montreal, has over 100 employees.

About Rocky Mountaineer:

Since 1990, The Rocky Mountaineer, the world's largest privately owned luxury tourist train, has welcomed over 1.7 million guests to inhale the mountain air and let nature take their breath away. An unparalleled experience onboard the all dome-fleet offers rich, historic storytelling, World Class cuisine and a first-hand look at the vast and untouched wild beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the Canadian Rockies. With over 65 vacation packages, guests can choose from four unique rail routes, including the company's second three day rail route, Rainforest to Gold Rush, and travel through iconic destinations such as Seattle, WA, Vancouver, BC, and the majestic Canadian Rockies in Alberta.

 (Edited by Jody Moore)

Brand new CSX 1315 and 1321, are NRE-built 3GS21B gensets at Mount Vernon, IL, and were shot on the property in September 12th, 2010 by Mark Herron. 

NRE 3GS21B CSX 1321 was built in 2010, and is ex-CSXT 5850.  It was shot with slug CSX 1053 were shot in Mount Vernon, IL by Joe Ferguson on September 10th 2010.