AMT is proceeding with overhaul of ten GMD-built F59PH locomotives bought from
GO Transit in 2011 (#1340-1349). These 23-years old units have travelled
between 700 000 and 900 000 miles.
The work is being done by Brookville Equipment Corporation over a two years
period, in their Brookville, PA shop. Units 1340, 1343, 1346, 1347, 1348 and
1349 will be done first. Units 1341, 1342, 1344 and 1345 are currently in
service, and will be done later.
AMT ALP-45DP Watch
All remaining ALP-45DP’s that were previously stored in St-Eustache (#1350,
1352, 1353, 1361, 1365, and 1366) have been transferred to CP for use on the St-Jérôme
and Mascouche lines. Their wheel profiles
must however be changed from 1:40 to 1:20 prior to entering service to reduce
the risk of derailment due to excessive lateral forces on curved rails.
AMT has started using the controversial dual-mode units on the Vaudreuil –
Hudson line in early March 2013, albeit in diesel mode only.
AMT is using the ALP-45DP’s in pairs on eight and ten-car trains, with one unit
at each end. AMT intends to eventually revert to a single unit per train, but
some observers and railroaders have hinted that the locomotive might not be
powerful enough (in diesel mode at least) to keep adherence with the timetable
when pulling a train made of 10 Multilevel cars, which are notably heavier and
HEP-hungry than other cars in the fleet.
AMT News
BOMBARDIER BILEVEL NEWS
AMT is now using the Bombardier Bilevel cars (2000-series) exclusively on the
St-Jérôme line, with two train sets made of 10 Bilevels each. The other two
train sets are made of 10 Multilevel cars (3000-series). The Bilevels are being
preferred because it is expected that their slightly higher capacity over the
Multilevels will ease a severe overcrowding on trains 172, 174, 191 and 193.
BOMBARDIER COMET NEWS
More bombardier-build 700-series single-level cars are emerging from ONR’s North
Bay shop and are being routed to Pointe St-Charles, via CN.
James Hoffman caught AMT 727 at the CN transfer in Northbay after
it received its upgrade and new paint.
LACHINE-VICTORIA STATION
On March 25th 2013, Quebec’s Minister of Transportation confirmed
that AMT will build a new station on the Candiac line in Lachine, near Victoria
Street. This station, located between the existing Lasalle and Montreal West
stations, will have a free parking facility. It is expected to ease the severe
road congestion that will arise when the massive Turcot Interchange is rebuilt
over a 5-years period starting in 2015. The plan had been in AMT’s capital
expense plan for several years now, but funding had yet to be released, until
today.
AMT also expects increasing service on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line starting in
2014, after replacing the existing automatic block signalling with CTC on the
double-tracked Vaudreuil subdivision between Dorion and Dorval.
MISC. AMT NEWS
Several Hawker-Siddeley cars in the 1000 and 1200-series have been moved to Rail
GD shop in New Richmond, for use on a new tourist train branded ‘L’Amiral’ (The
Admiral) that will start running from Gaspé to Percé starting in Summer 2013.
Rail GD will convert the former old commuter cars by adding new seats, tables,
restrooms, and air conditioning.
Ken Goslett caught repainted AMT F59PH 1345 at LaSalle Station March 1st
with one of four F59PH’s CADRAIL has repainted, this one still with the old CLN
Refurbished builders plate, AMXX 1344 and 1345 are in a stealth gray and blue
paint scheme, with AMXX 1341 in a new white and blue scheme and all have the AMT
logo on the nose.
Ron Visockis clicked a GO commuter coach moving westbound on a CN freight
rolling through Trenton, ON.
GO Transit has placed another bilevel passenger car order with Bombardier,
composed of another batch of 26 regular coaches including 2 accessible (2500
series) cars to be built in Thunder Bay, and two new "Crash energy management"
cars which will be built in Mexico.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/267516/Bombardier-awarded-a-28-car-GO-Transit-contract
Refurbishment of the 2400 series GO bilevels built in the late 1980's by
UTDC-Lavalin/Can-Car. GO 2411 was reported on CN 3711 heading through Oshawa ON
on February 20th. While the previous contract for refurbishing the 2200 and 2300
series cars was held by Ontario Northland, CAD Rail had one the latest contract
for the 2400 series cars when it was up for bid.
TORONTO TRANSIT
COMMISSION
TTC has sent representatives and operators up to
Bombardier's plant in Thunder Bay to test and
train on the new streetcars in operation on
their test track. While limited to only
30km/hour on the track, this is a precursor to
the delivery of two more of the 204 new
streetcars to the TTC and starting on-street
testing on the streets of Toronto.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/267720/TTC-officials-test-new-street-cars-at-local-Bombardier-plant
On the early morning of 03-14-2013 around
7:30am, TTC 4400 left its Hillcrest shops for a
quick test run along Bathurst St. TTC
spokesperson Brad Ross posted a number of photos
showing the car leaving Hillcrest Shops on
Bathurst St., going under the CPR North Toronto
underpass, and at Bathurst Station:http://ow.ly/i/1GFwl
According to sources at Bombardier, 4402 is
supposed to be shipped out from Thunder Bay to
the TTC mid-March with the 4401 staying behind
for more testing. 4402 will join sister 4400,
which was delivered in September 2012.
Here is a link to one of the first photos of the
new cars in service in downtown Toronto:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=8803
TTC 4400 is undergoing more on-street testing at
night, mostly sticking to early-morning hours
where it will not disturb morning and evening
rush hour service along TTC lines. There is no
set schedule, but the TTC's Brad Ross
occasionally posts when it will be out testing.
TTC Toronto Rocket set 5681-5686 is the latest
delivered and in service. Since many TTC H5 cars
have been retired (5670-5807 series), number
conflicts between them and the new Toronto
Rockets (5381-60xx) are expected to be minimal.
TTC 4402, the second of the new TTC streetcars
to be delivered, was noted southbound on the CPR
MacTier Sub on March 24th enroute to Toronto,
and reported as delivered to the TTC via their
Twitter feed the next day (March 25th). It was
transported aboard TTIX flat car 156393 (with
idlers at either end) and delivered to TTC's
Hillcrest shops via the new rail spur.
Youtube user JayJr2007 caught it in a CP freight
heading southbound through Kleinburg ON on March
24th:
The West Coast Express runs between Mission, BC (MP 87.0 CP Cascade Sub) and
Vancouver's Waterfront Station (MP 129.1 CP Cascade Sub Monday to Friday. There
are five trains that travel West from Mission in the morning and the five trains
return to Mission in the Evening.
For further information and schedules please check out the West Coast Express
link
Photos of the West Coast Express Passenger Stations.
If our readers have any West Coast Express photos that you’d like to share on
the CRO, please send them to me, and we’ll post them in a future CRO report.
Thanks!
dmarkforseille@telus.net
AMTRAK IN CANADA
Edited By Terry Muirhead
With the warmer weather finally here, CRO west coast VIA reporter Terry Muirhead
got his camera out to capture shots of the AMTRAK Superliner equipment currently
running on AMTK trains #510/517 between Seattle WA and Vancouver, BC. The
Superliner equipment is currently used while a Talgo set is sidelined for its
annual inspection and servicing. Terry shot these March 25th as #510
was crossing Mud Bay swing span (bridge 69) by crescent beach (White Rock).
The Equipment on this day was: AMTK P42 129, 31032 Coach Baggage Superliner 1,
(Unable to get the dining car number), and AMTK 34049 Coach Superliner.
