We invite you to send your questions and comments:
Please email us at: editor@canadianrailwayobservations.com

 

---

---

Will,

Here's what it was like 70 years ago in on a CP train moving along Scott Street, crossing Bayview Road and passing Ottawa West station heading down to the end of track at Broad Street.

Bruce Chapman. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuHh8TKNaa4

The SL&H arose out of a corporate reorganization at CPR that was announced on November 21, 1995. CPR wished to spin off its "eastern operating unit" into an operating railway company as a means to control poor financial performance of its assets in eastern North America.

 The new wholly owned subsidiary was named the St. Lawrence & Hudson Railway Company Limited and became operational on October 1, 1996, taking control of all CPR assets from Quebec City to Chicago (CPR trackage and trackage rights), and from Montreal to Washington, D.C. (Delaware and Hudson Railway), thus the D&H became a SL&H subsidiary.

The SL&H was given a dedicated management team and the authorization to undertake radical measures to reverse financial losses. Within one year the financial picture was reversed and CPR announced its intention to continue ownership of the SL&H assets.

On January 1, 2001 the SL&H assets were transferred back to CPR ownership and the SL&H was dissolved. The D&H being the CPR's corporate face in the northeastern United States, it remained legally intact. (Info from Wikipedia)

Two fully painted StL&H GP9u 8223 and 8212 posed side by side at Smiths Falls, I don't have the exact date...

Various nicknames arose from the initial.... "Slowly Losing Hope"  and  "Stan Laurel & Hardy".

 

Bob Heathorn

Smiths Falls, ON

 

Thanks so much for this Bob and Bruce!  (WB)  

---

Back To The Past - CP Port Coquitlam Sept 1973

Hi Will,

 My trip thru Canada in 1973 started at Port Coquitlam, BC  looking for Alco's (Montreal's actually), but there were only four on hand and there was a strike in progress on the CP, so I had to watch my P's and Q's as I didn't know how the guys would react to my wandering the engine terminal.   There was a Budd car #9103, there and 2-8-0 3716 with a capped stack, and what looked like the beginning of the SD40 invasion....A few guys said when the Alco's first arrived , they ran like champs, but as time went on, they did not do well and were being sent to the east as more SD40's showed up...I was only there for  about two hours and then headed for the CN yard and the BCR....Again, real nice weather...Here in California, last night, it poured for seven hours, so Tuesday, I'm going to Roseville as UP has fired up a pair of snow plows, don't know if they are testing them just in case or if they may go on to Donner.....

 George C. Manley

Rodeo, California

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

Hi George.

 I see you made it to both my haunts. I was probably there the day you took those shots at Drake Street in Vancouver (where the 2-8-0 3716 and the SD40's were hanging their hats that day.) Funny to think how almost 43 years later we are here looking at photos and talking about it, and we've never met.

 The C & M-630's were not very popular with the running trades. We had one guy on our Mechanical staff that loved them and would put these things on the lead whenever he could, much to the chagrin of everybody else. We were not set up locally to properly maintain these beasts. The air starters used to scare the crap out of people unfamiliar with them.

 Cheers,

Andy Cassidy

Vancouver, BC

 

---

Howdy all,

     I drove by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA yesterday and saw a GE center cab locomotive parked in the receiving yard.  Since I did not have my camera with me, I logged the scene in my mind.  This morning we had to drive to Bremerton again.  Only this time I remembered to take my camera with me.  The entire shipyard must have been closed down to allow the workers to watch the Super Bowl as there were no cars at all in the parking lot.  So I parked wherever I wanted to and photographed the switch engine.  According to one of my old roster books, this is a 65 Ton GE built between 1941 and 1943.  It is not a Tier 4 unit, but someone may like to see it.  The aircraft carriers in the background are the Independence and the Kitty Hawk.  Both are in the mothball fleet.

     The last scene is the new railfan platform in Sheridan, WY.  It was installed sparing no expense.  Notice the elite wicker chairs and table.  If you want to watch coal trains, this is the place for you to go.  (Actually, the previous information is not true except that the scene is from Sheridan, WY.)  That's also a very old GE 65-tonner, built April 1941. Most of its years it was Army Transportation Corps 7080.

God Bless,

Dan Simmering

   

FROM THE EDITOR: William H. Baird

Hello All,

 With the weather still atrocious in February we had a noticeable and understandable slight decline in trackside photo submissions.  Now finally March is here, and we can all come out of hibernation!

 Richard Marchi sent me this great look back at the VIA "Canadian", "Ocean" and other trains.  This program is some 25 years old and everything that is presented in the video, and everything the narrator says, was true at that time. Things change. Take it for what it is, a historical documentary. If users continue to post negative, argumentative, antagonistic comments, I will be forced to disable commenting for this video. 

Last Train Across Canada - Murray Sayle - 1990 - Full Documentary
Originally produced for PBS "Travels" Series.

Ride the Rails with Murray Sayle on the Last Train Across Canada. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkITpmjbr4w

Again this month, we welcome our new contributors on board, and we thank everyone for their CRO support.

Some of you may have advertising banners in CRO to renew as well as obtaining your new passwords for 2016.  Please make sure to contact me with any questions you may have by email:

MAILING THE EDITOR:

If mailing me CRO material or payments please note my CRO office Address, and contact info. Any CRO payments sent to me by check, must be payable to William H. Baird, and not to CRO. As well be sure to include your full name, phone number and email address in the letter.

WILLIAM H. BAIRD
Managing Editor - CRO
2137 Rue Dubois 
Montreal, QC 
H4E 1W6
CANADA 
 

HAVING TROUBLE WITH YOUR CRO PASSWORD?

 Be sure to email me right away with any CRO SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL, PASSWORD, LOGIN issues, or other questions at:  editor@canadianrailwayobservations.com

I will reply as quickly as possible. 

---

 The size should be no larger than an image width of 1000 pixels.  We can no longer accept over sized photos.  Always include the date, location, train number (if known), and other pertinent information in the photo caption.  Photos and complete captions need to be submitted before the 20th of each to be included in that months issue. If used, VIP Free access to CRO is granted to all who provide their photos and news. 

 As our vignettes segments are very popular with our readers, please continue to submit railroad photos from the past, and send along suggestions for future Vignette subjects, and ideas for CRO Special Reports.

Our CRO readers are primarily male and made up of railfans in the 21-71 age group living in Canada and the USA. 

We have many subscribers who are in the railway industry, railroad management and employees, Locomotive parts and repair shop contacts, railway museum curators and volunteers, Tourist train operators and employees, professional photographers, model train dealers and hobby 

Shops.  These individuals are entitled to free VIP CRO access once approved by our CRO management.  Contact me by email. 

 The mission of CRO is to keep our readers informed of pertinent Canadian locomotive and industry news, which is compiled and verified over the month, and updated as needed.  The accurate information we post each month is obtained and confirmed from our reliable sources. However errors can occur, and we welcome your input in this regard.  I am humble enough to say I do make typos and have inadvertently misspelled a name or misplaced a photo credit.  I will always compensate the photographer and do what is needed to keep all of our contributors happy and satisfied.   CRO is a vehicle to showcase locomotive shots submitted by our readers, credit them, and help promote their photography. We never post photos, without asking the photographer for permission, and once granted, they are given free CRO access for as long as this sharing relationship continues. The same goes for our valued news sources. 

 Take care all,

 William H. Baird

CRO Managing Editor

Montreal, QC

---

Are you a Hobby Shop, DVD distributor, Railway Museum Tourist Railway, Rail Photographer, and wish to tap into our railfan demographic?    Contact us to learn of the advertising and promotional opportunities in CRO.  

SUBMIT AN OBSERVATION

New issues of CRO are posted each month on our website. News stories pertaining to Canadian railways, photos, comments, favourite links, and questions are always welcome. Please send us your photos, newsworthy sightings and railway stories and if used, will be placed in the CRO newsletter.  Please indicate if you wish your name to be withheld. If your own website pertains to Canadian railways, please contact us.

Submissions should be sent to CRO Editor William H Baird

Canadian National     Canadian Pacific     VIA Rail     AMT/GO/WCE     Canadian Locomotive Shops     Regionals & Shortlines

Tourist Lines & Museums     South Of The Border     Modellers Corner     Letters To The Editor     Your Comment Welcome

© CRO March 2016