Canada Calling
February 1998
by Bryce Lee
HAPPENINGS
When he arrived at his Toronto parks department job November 27, 1997, Victor
Crowl got the news that he was being made redundant. Less than 24 hours later he
was the toast of Toronto, hailed as a hero and deluged with job offers. He had quite
possibly saved the life of an eight-year-old boy who had been abducted from his school;
hustled onto a subway train and dangled over the live third rail by a man police describe
as mentally deranged. Amongst the numerous telephone calls he received was one from the
Toronto Transit Commission, which was anxious to reward the 30 year old Crowl with
something more than the plaque it handed the courageous commuter at its December 16, 1997
commissioners' meeting. The TTC's executive director of corporate relations, said the TTC
wants to interview Crowl for one of several jobs that will be opening up in the near
future. The director noted "he reflects our values, and we are thankful there are
people like him out there".
The change in Crowl's fortunes occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on November 28 when he
boarded a southbound subway train at the St. Clair West station and spotted a man on the
train trying to pry open the car's trackside doors. Accompanied by two young boys, the man
seemed to wedge his hands into the door and then grabbed one of the boys and started to
throw him out of the train, recalled Crowl after the horrific incident. As the boy's
five-year-old brother screamed with terror, Crowl pushed his way to the man's side and
locked his hands around the only part of the eight-year-old left in the train which was a
leg and pulled him back inside. Police say the mentally deranged man, an occasional
babysitter for the two young brothers, had picked them up from an area school without
their parents' consent and led them onto the train. In a strange coincidence, Crowl knew
the accused when both were children. They had attended the same youth group at
NorthMinster Baptist church in the then Borough of North York. A singer-song writer and
film-maker with two CDs to his credit, Crowl said he'll be grateful if a good job is one
of the dividends from his selfless act. In another strange coincidence, Crowl had released
a video recently called Save Me, in which he is shown in one segment carrying a child in
his lap. It was the latest in a rash of alarming subway incidents.
Earlier in the week, a man tried to push an 18-year-old woman in front of a train at
Sheppard Station. The high school student fell but managed to stay on the platform. A
38-year-old Toronto man is charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault. On
October 17, a 28-year-old woman was saved by a transit operator and two commuters after a
man tried to push her on the subway tracks. And on September 26, a Mississauga woman was
killed when she was pushed in front of a train at Dundas Station. A man is also in custody
in that case. Meanwhile, Crowl plans to hold a benefit concert to raise Christmas funds
for the family's son he helped. James's father, Peter, is unemployed and trying to care
for three young boys, and a three-month-old baby from his new marriage. James's mother
died of cancer almost three years ago.
The former president of the company that operates the White Pass and Yukon
Railroad was sentenced December 2, 1997 to nine months in jail and US$10,000 in
fines for his role in a 1994 oil spill in southeast Alaska's Skagway River. Paul Taylor
was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge James Fitzgerald on two counts of violating the
federal Clean Water Act. Taylor, along with former railroad supervisor John Hanousek Jr.,
had been convicted of oil-spill charges in a federal jury trial a year ago. The case was
the first in Alaska in which a corporate officer had been convicted of federal
environmental crimes, Justice Department officials said. Taylor had been president and
vice president of sister companies that operate the historic Gold Rush-era railroad and an
adjacent fuel pipeline. The companies, Pacific and Arctic Railway and Navigation Co.
(PARN) and Pacific and Arctic Pipelines Inc. (PAPI), are both owned by Toronto-based
Russel Metals Inc. Singleton said Taylor's senior corporate position as president of PARN
and vice-president of PAPI; as well as his high profile in the community of Skagway, made
him especially responsible for the October 1994 oil spill. Taylor was convicted of two
counts of lying to the U.S. Coast Guard about the extent and cause of an oil spill from a
ruptured section of pipeline. The spill occurred when a company bulldozer, engaged in
illegal quarrying of federally owned rock, struck the pipeline. Taylor was acquitted of
seven other criminal charges, including conspiracy. Hanousek was convicted of negligent
discharge of oil; he was sentenced in May 1997 to six months in jail and six months in a
halfway house. Fitzgerald sentenced Taylor to nine months in jail and three months of
probation for each of his convictions, but ordered the time to be served concurrently. The
Justice Department had sought a year-long sentence for Taylor, the maximum allowed under
the law. PAPI and PARN, now under new management, were fined US$1.5-million in a plea
agreement reached in May 1996.
Following on the heels of the court sentencing, the railway itself is changing hands.
The White Pass and Yukon is being combined with an Alberta based trucking company. The new
partnership will be called "Tri-White" and shares in the new firm were to be
available on Canadian Stock exchanges December 18, 1997. Shares in the historic gold rush
White Pass and Yukon Railway are currently being offered to shareholders in Russell
Metals, the railway's parent company.The railway has been showing good profits in recent
years and the company is planning to expand its tourist train services this summer.
Initially the railway will be running into Carcross every Sunday in 1998 with the railbus
and will be going into Bennett five times a week with a steam excursion every second
Saturday and there are more rail cars under construction. Initially there will be the odd
train to Whitehorse in 1998 but it won't be scheduled and it won't necessarily be a
commercial operation. The partnership with Tri-line Trucking doesn't mean the two
companies will be working together to provide highway and shipping links. The WP&Y
will continue to concentrate on the railway tourism business while Tri-line will continue
its international trucking operation.
Hundreds of farmers near Elrose Saskatchewan delivered grain to
railcars that they ordered themselves December 9, 1997 trying to refute CN Rail's
assessment that several rural lines are no longer worth keeping. In one day, farmers at a
dozen different small towns filled 82 cars with grain; more than a huge inland terminal
could have handled. Although the branch line cuts through the heart of some of the richest
grainland in Saskatchewan, parts of it are slated for abandonment in stages over the next
three years. And farmers say that will leave them with much longer trips to deliver grain,
more stress on the roads and less reason to keep farming. While elevators along the line
have been plugged with grain for months, those on the mainline 50 kilometres away have
lots of room, prompting cash-hungry farmers to deliver there. Farmers suggest that this
makes it easier for the railway and grain companies to claim there is insufficient demand
on the branch lines. The display proved there is sufficient interest to establish a
shortline railway, owned and operated by producers. The Saskatchewan Premier applauded the
farmers' efforts and planned to raise the abandonment issue and railway performance with
the federal Prime Minister The Saskatchewan premier Romanow said if the railways can't
move the grain, then operators should be given the chance.
Canadian Pacific Railway announced December 17, 1997 it will pour a record C$1-billion
into capital spending in 1998, and Canadian National Railway announced it
will spend C$575 million in 1998. Both railways have the bulk of their operations,
customers, personnel and investments in western Canada, particularly Alberta. CPR said it
plans to purchase new locomotives, rail infrastructure, commercial facilities and computer
systems. The C$1-billion price tag is a major increase from the C$700 million CPR spent on
capital projects in 1997. Funding for the spending program will come from operations and
the sale of non-core assets, the company said. Canadian National plans to spend close to
C$575 million in 1998, roughly the same level spent in 1997. That brings CN's total
capital expenditures since 1996 to C$1.65-billion. Fifteen per cent of CN's 1998
expenditures will go to new locomotives. Other capital expenses will include programs to
increase travel capacity and improve winter reliability of trains.
A major study into the grain transportation network is stalled until
next summer and could be delayed much longer. The key obstacle is the Canadian Wheat
Board's action against railways over delayed deliveries last year. The board estimates the
delays and postponed sales cost producers at least $65 million. The wheat board complained
that the two national railways have breached their obligations to move farmers' grain and
has asked the Canadian Transportation Agency for a ruling. The probe of grain shipping,
led by Willard Estey, former Supreme Court justice, must wait until the transportation
agency makes a decision. Estey can do little other than conduct research studies and
gather information. The federal agency will hear the wheat board's case in March 1998 but
won't reach a decision before the end of June. But the delays may not end then. If the
transport agency finds the railways at fault, the wheat board would sue for damages.
Estey is due to make an initial report to federal Transport Minister David Collenette
by the end of May 1998 and a final report by the end of 1998. But there is little
agreement on solutions to long-standing grain shipment problems.
In an effort to reduce impaired driving and holiday problems, GO Transit wants you to
take transit. That was the message from GO Transit this past holiday season, as it joined
the Variety Club and of Toronto and other businesses in supporting the annual Toronto RIDE
(Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign. Police officers handed out Passport to RIDE
booklets in spot checks to thank motorists who drove responsibly. The booklet contained
coupons from the businesses sponsoring RIDE, including a two-for-one ticket offer from GO
Transit. To make it attractive to take transit, GO's coupon in the booklet offered two
adult day passes for the price of one on any weekend or statutory holiday until February
1, 1998. The coupon could be redeemed at any GO Train station. This was the first time GO
has offered a discount coupon in the RIDE booklet. It had been a sponsor of the annual
spot-check campaign for 10 years.
CANADIAN NATIONAL
Canadian National Railways is investigating a train derailment on the
westbound tracks of it's main line just east of Chatham, Ontario December 5, 1997. Two
cars of a westbound freight train derailed when a fuel tank fell off the 12th car and got
caught in the wheels. The purpose of the tank was to provide fuel for the refrigeration
unit on the car. The derailment caused C$200,000 in damage but there were no injuries.
Tracks were blocked for 17 hours while a crane lifted the damaged cars off the tracks. The
accident held up one eastbound Via rail train.
Thousands of new Chrysler vehicles can't get to Canadian dealerships
because many of the freight cars used by Canadian National Railways for transporting
vehicles have become outdated and are being scrapped. The shortage of rail cars is
affecting automakers across Canada and the United States said the vice president of public
affairs for Chrysler Canada. It appears CN was transporting between 150 and 200 Chrysler
assembled mini and maxi vans per day to dealerships from coast to coast. But in early
November 1997 CN scrapped 65 autoracks because they were no longer viable. The railways
use two and three tier, closed-in rail cars to protect the automobiles against theft,
broken windshields, bumps, exposure, scratches and other paint damage.
The Grand Trunk Railway's Victoria Bridge was the 8th wonder of the
world when originally built as a square iron tube sitting on top of 24 stone piers and
massive stone abutments. The trains ran through the tube, not on it. It was designed by
Robert Stephenson, son of the famous English railway builder. Drawings at the time show an
incredibly clean, modern appearance. It was the first bridge across the St. Lawrence to
connect Montreal Island to the South Shore and thus to year round harbours in the USA; in
particular, Portland Maine. Although the bridge opened in December of 1859, the official
(and truly Victorian) celebrations occurred the following summer with the Prince of Wales
presiding both at the bridge and the new "Crystal Palace". The superstructure
was rebuilt in the 1890s with removal of the box sections. The southern portion of the
bridge crosses the St.Lambert lock of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Citing safety concerns, CN announced in December 1997 that it would close only the
roadway spans of the bridge to buses on December 19 of 1997. The company also said it
would be forced to ban all highway traffic from the bridge as of March 1, 1998 unless the
bridge is made safe. The section of the bridge which accommodates rail traffic and to
which CN committed C$31 million in repairs during the past three years, will *not* be
affected by the closure, and this section of the bridge is in excellent condition. The
bridge, built between 1854 and 1859 had roadways added in 1901. Further changes were made
in 1958 with the construction of St. Lawrence Seaway. It is owned by Canadian National
Railways. Responsibility for maintenance and repair of the highway lanes of the bridge
rests with the federal government under an agreement reached with CN in 1962. CN is not
responsible for the cost of maintaining and repairing the bridge, and that under the
agreement between CN and the federal government, it is up to the federal government to pay
for repairs and maintenance, as it has done for the past 35 years. Canadian National told
the federal government December 17, that it cannot agree to commercial arbitration as a
way of resolving the safety-related closure of highway lanes attached to CN's Victoria
Bridge. Canadian National cannot agree to a process which, by its very premise, places the
1962 agreement on maintenance of the Montreal bridge in doubt.
On Thursday December 11, 1997, at 15:15 hours, CN train 564, working on the Chemical
spur, in Port Robinson, Ontario switching cars for GEON Canada, (formerly B.F. Goodrich) derailed
three tank cars, jackknifing 2 of them. The cars were empty at the time, although
the Thorold, Ontario fire department was requested, for precautions due to residue. Power
on the train was GP9RMs 4126, and 7037. The train & crew returned to Niagara Falls,
while CN cleaned up the derailment. The chemical spur runs west off of CN's Stamford
subdivision at Port Robinson, Ontario in the Niagara Region.
At 13:15 hours on Friday December 12, CN Train 569, with the same two GP9RM's 4126
& 7037 as above, returning to Niagara Falls, struck a tractor trailer
at the Allanburg Road, in Port Robinson West, on CN's Stamford Subdivision. 4126 landed on
its side, in the ground, at the next crossing, Barron Road, about 70 feet from the point
of impact, with 7037 next, on its side, and six to eight freight cars, piled up behind the
units. One crew member escaped with minor injuries, while firefighters had to work to
rescue the other crew member, who remained trapped in the engine. The crew member (later
identified as the engineer) was air-lifted by helicopter to Hamilton General Hospital in
critical condition. The truck, which was carrying steel beams, off loaded earlier in the
day in Hamilton Harbour, was cut in half by the train. The truck driver walked away with
minor injuries. It is reported that the truck ignored the operating crossing signals. The
force of the impact scattered the beams, and sent one through the engineer's side wall,
and out the roof of the 7037. At the Barron Road crossing another vehicle was destroyed as
a flying beam hit the front right corner of the car. The two occupants were not injured.
Upon further investigation it was determined both locomotives were damaged beyond
economical repair and were ordered scrapped on site with the prime movers and generators
saved. Damage is expected to exceed C$1-million.
CN ran freight trains with Conrail pilots across the location of the former Suspension
bridge which normally carries only passenger trains. The first train across was NS #328
West lead by StL and H 5560 at 01:10 Hours. Trains 334 W lead by CN 5326 and 335 E lead by
CN 9425 were scheduled to follow.
CN will publicize its improved safety record in 1998, despite
occasional high-profile train derailments. The campaign will start with billboards near
the CN right of way which is close to main southern Ontario highways, where there's
serious road congestion and fears about truck safety in the wake of high-profile accidents
involving flying tires, and poorly maintained trailers. The campaign will also include ads
in major magazines. Railway officials will visit city halls to promote the merits of rail
over truck, rail's main competitor. Railway officials hope that municipalities, stung by
ongoing provincial cuts for road maintenance, will respond to the ads by putting pressure
on provincial governments to support the rail industry. Items could include forcing
trucking companies to pay a higher share of highway maintenance, imposing ceilings on the
size and weight of trucks, and cutting taxes on railway rights of way. Railways have long
complained they don't have a level playing field with trucks, who use publicly financed
highways. Compared with six years ago, the railway handles 26% more traffic with 43% fewer
employees.
Canadian National agreed with most of the recommendations from a coroner's inquest
into a fatal washout near Lytton, BC, after a train plunged into a 20-metre deep
sinkhole on March 26, 1997. A massive mudslide about two hours previous had washed out the
tracks. The coroner's inquest in early August had made 11 recommendations and also
endorsed 11 of CN's own recommendations after the accident. CN said it didn't agree that a
mechanism be installed to alert traffic controllers should the air brakes fail on a parked
and unattended train and train crews should have some way of maintaining radio contact
with Edmonton-based dispatchers while outside the engine. The mudslide also took with it
three cars of an unmanned train awaiting a fresh crew; the black box on the locomotive of
the unmanned train recorded the disturbance. As far as the other recommendation, train
crews are already equipped with radios. The company has agreed to continue discussions
with both the Highways Ministry and with competitor CP Rail to improve drainage at
selected sites along the dangerous Fraser Canyon corridor. New trackbed sensors are being
installed at three troublesome spots near the accident site. Area specific weather
information will also be available to employees, ensuring track supervisors are warned in
advance of severe weather systems. Crews will be trained on how to better understand the
natural hazards of BC terrain, especially those in the steep and narrow Fraser Canyon.
Canadian National Railway employees couldn't believe the company would issue layoff
notices on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Over 100 employees across the country,
mostly conductors, were called from the company's crew management office in Edmonton.
Thirty-six jobs were lost in the Vancouver area. The layoffs caught many employees
off-guard not only because they came over the holidays, but because the company recently
announced plans to expand winter service in western Canada. Work assignments are adjusted
on Fridays and the decision was made Wednesday, which was Christmas Eve. Unlike the last
two winters when heavy snowfall required large crews to keep the trains running, this
year's warm weather has the company ahead of schedule. The layoffs are not unusual;
employees have not been told when they might be rehired.
CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY
A train derailment on December 2, 1997 that spilled millions of tonnes
of grain in YoHo National Park near Field British Columbia was much larger than originally
assumed. Officials initially thought 20 to 30 cars were involved however many more cars
had been derailed in the historic Spiral Tunnels in Western Canada. Westbound Canadian
Pacific train 353-936 with 83 cars, 10,944 tonnes and GE locomotives 9558 and 9587 on the
head end was enroute from Lethbridge to Vancouver. Downbound from a meet at Partridge
Siding at mile 128.0 on the Laggan Subdivision, something went very wrong. The suggested
speed is 20 mph, as the train descended the speed at one point may been twice the
suggested speed limit. Eighteen cars were tightly wedged in the upper Spiral Tunnels while
42 other cars derailed farther down the slope. Some of the balance remained upright and
not derailed behind the derailed cars in the upper spiral tunnel; some remained behind the
locomotives as they and the remaining cars arrived in Field BC. The Federal Transportation
Safety Board's preliminary investigation indicated the train was going well above the
posted limit of 25 mph. The investigation also indicated no problems with the locomotives
or their braking systems. Despite the shutdown of the line, the railway was able to
operate at 95 per cent efficiency by using another CPR line through the Crowsnest Pass and
a CNR line through Jasper. The company was able to meet its weekly quota of delivering
about 2,100 grain cars a week to the West Coast. The biggest problem for the more than 100
crew members working around the clock was removing the cars from inside the upper tunnel.
All had to be cut up and removed in pieces. CPR and Parks Canada officials also feared the
tonnes of grain that spilled would attract foraging animals, leading to potential
collisions with trains. Five vacuum trucks scooped up the grain and took it outside Yoho
National Park. Canadian National routed Canadian Pacific Railway trains over its British
Columbia and Alberta main line to help maintain service to shippers while CPR restored its
main line through the Field, BC area. CPR trains used CN's main line between Basque, BC,
just west of Kamloops, BC, through Jasper, Alberta to the CN-CP interchange in east
Edmonton. Up to December 5, 1997 CN had detoured 11 CPR trains, and would continue to
accept CPR traffic as required for another two weeks.
Canadian Pacific Railway has decided to keep its eastern rail network
after threatening for years to sell it off. Moreover, the Calgary based railway says it
intends to aggressively push its once foundering St. Lawrence & Hudson Railway in
hopes of turning an operating profit of C$100 million a year by 2000. Canadian Pacific
Railways has determined that it will maintain a strong competitive presence in the East.
The StL&H has exceeded all expectations since it was created in 1995. The 1995 loss of
C$65 million turned into a small profit in 1996, with another profit expected in 1997 on
sales of about C$700 million. The future of another CP Rail line, the Delaware and Hudson
Railway, is still uncertain, although it is showing signs of long-term viability for the
first time. This division handles traffic between Montreal, New York, Philadelphia and
Washington.
The St. Lawrence & Hudson Railway is moving 65 jobs to Montreal
from Toronto as it consolidates in Montreal. A handful of employees will also move to
Montreal from Wisconsin to join the staff at a new network management centre to run the
subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway in Quebec, Ontario and the northeastern United
States. CPR stunned the City of Montreal in 1996 when it moved its head office to Calgary,
and spun off the money-losing eastern unit into the St. Lawrence & Hudson subsidiary.
The new management centre in CPR's former headquarters in historic Windsor Station will
include rail traffic control, managing train crews and commuter trains. StL&H also
advised its union that another 131 jobs may be cut from the St. Luc locomotive maintenance
shop in Montreal. StL&H is negotiating with two short line railways that recently
purchased CPR track in Quebec, as well as an American partner, Progress Rail, and the
union to keep the shop open. It specializes in the older Montreal Locomotive Works
locomotives that the St. Lawrence & Hudson is phasing out but which are still used by
short lines. StL&H is expected to have an operating income of C$65-million in 1997.
With 4,400 employees, the railway has two main corridors: Montreal and Chicago, and
Montreal to New York and Washington.
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) will have effective competitive access to
shippers in Sarnia, Ontario as part of a new agreement with CSX Corporation
(CSX), announced December 8, 1997. Under terms of the agreement, the CPR, through its
eastern subsidiary St. Lawrence & Hudson Railway (StL&H), will move CSX's Sarnia,
Ontario traffic on StL&H lines between Chatham, Ontario and the U.S. gateways of
Windsor, and Niagara Falls, Ontario. where it will then link up with CSX's U.S. network.
In addition, a marketing agreement also provides the StL&H with access to customers in
Sarnia on a competitive basis with Canadian National using CSX's line between Chatham and
Sarnia. The StL&H will be able to compete for traffic destined for points in Canada as
well as to points in the U.S. that aren't within CSX areas. Sarnia has one of Canada's
largest concentration of petrochemical processing and manufacturing facilities which have
markets throughout North America.
The CPR wants to sell another of its low-density branch lines in Saskatchewan.
The rail line between Southall and Minton is about 70 kilometres long. Anyone who is
interested in running the line as a short line railway must let CPR know before February
10, 1997. The railway says traffic on the line has averaged less than 15 carloads per mile
per year recently.
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) filed on December 19, 1997 an application with the
Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), seeking approval to build a 12.6-km
(eight-mile) rail line near Prentiss, Alberta. The proposed rail line would run
southeast from a point on CPR's existing Lacombe Subdivision, about four km (2.4 miles)
from the Town of Lacombe, to Prentiss, providing competitive and cost-effective
transportation service to Union Carbide Canada's planned new polyethylene plant. With a
new link to CPR's main line network to the United States, the Port of Vancouver and
throughout Canada, Union Carbide would gain direct access to key domestic and export
markets. CPR has more than twice as many direct rail connections to the U.S. than any
other Canadian railway, providing easy and quick access to union Carbide's American
markets. The route would establish a second direct rail link to the Prentiss plant, in
addition to the existing CN line, thereby providing Union Carbide with competitive
transportation options and service to meet the challenges of the global marketplace. CPR
has conducted an extensive environmental impact assessment, as well as public and
stakeholder consultations, to determine the best location for the line and to ensure
minimal impact on local communities and the environment.
After a year of in-service trials the St. Lawrence & Hudson Railway (StL&H),
the eastern subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway, is expanding its "Iron
Highway" between Toronto and Montreal. Customers of the Iron Highway
service; a successful trailer on the train alternative to congested highways will benefit
from a C$20-million investment in new equipment and terminal development in 1998.
Additional railway equipment is already on hand and terminal capacity in Toronto and
Montreal is being increased this winter to make room for trains which will eventually
double in length from the current maximum of 366 metres (1,200 feet). Scheduled to open in
late 1998 is a new Iron Highway terminal on the western outskirts of Toronto near Hornby
Ontario, just south of the intersection of highways 401 and 407 with 14,000 feet of track
and room for 250 highway trailers. Extension of operations from the new terminal to
Detroit is under study. In their first year of experimental service, the 24 Iron Highway
train departures each week between Toronto and Montreal have attained an on-time
performance average of 95 per cent, which is also the highest load factor reached to date.
Two train sets; known as elements are currently in service. Founded on the concept of a
high-productivity integral train, Iron Highway gets truck trailers off crowded highways
and onto railways with a minimum of time-consuming terminal procedure and no requirement
for expensive trailer reinforcement. Iron Highway is not a train in the conventional
sense, but a flexible railway element which bends around curves and doesn't have
between-car coupler action. Eliminating slack improves the ride and reduces the chances of
damaging high-value freight. Elements divide and lower self-contained ramps so trailers
can be driven on and off rather than being hoisted by special lifting equipment. It was
the continuous-platform, drive-on-drive-off concept that led to the choice of the Iron
Highway name.
PASSENGER NEWS
Skyline car 8514 arrived on VIA's The Ocean on Monday December 22 and passengers had
disembarked. As the train was being turned a fire was observed inside the car, which is
normally reserved for those who wish to smoke. Firefighters were called, and confined the fire
to the observation car before eventually extinguishing it. Two adjoining cars
were heavily damaged by smoke and water. Preliminary investigation has traced the origins
of the fire to a plastic wastebucket into which an ignited cigarette butt had been
discarded. This is the third Skyline car out of service. There are only 16 Skyline cars in
circulation. Cars 8501 & 8502 are currently in Montreal, having sustained heavy damage
in the September 3, 1997 derailment of the "Canadian" in Western Canada. Two
spare cars 8512 & 8515 were subsequently transferred from Montreal to Toronto.
The Sleeper Line Inc. sold two former VIA passenger cars earlier this
year: Former VIA sleeper Clearwater River was built by Pullman Standard in 1949 as Erie
10&6 sleeper Benjamin Loder; later sold to Canadian National in 1958 and numbered
2149, same name. Transferred to VIA March 1978, placed in storage in January 1990 and
placed for sale August, 1990.
This car was built by Pullman Standard in 1948 as NYC 10443, a 22 roomette sleeper
named Thunder Bay. This was sold to CN in 1958 where it became CN 2067 and renamed
Valpariso. It was converted to a baggage dormitory with 14 roomettes in 1973; renumbered
CN 9479. It was then transferred to VIA in March 1978. It was placed in storage December
of 1992. The equipment had been stored at Montreal, Province of Quebec. The former
Benjamin Loder is believed to be the sole survivor of the seven 7 cars (Benjamin Loder,
Charles Minot, Daniel Craig Mccallum, Eleazar Lord, James Gore King, Marvin Kent, and
William Reynolds) built by Pullman Standard, to plan 4129A in lot 6797, for the Erie in
1949. The two cars were purchased by a group of physicians under the "Gateway to
Nashville" (Tennessee, USA) corporate flag. The new owners intend to significantly
modify the interiors of the cars.
SHORTLINES
Algoma Central Railway will lose its largest customer when an iron ore
operation in northwestern Ontario closes in 1998. Algoma Steel, which uses the railway to
transport 950,000 tonnes of raw material each year from Wawa, Ontario to the company's
blast furnaces in Sault Ste. Marie, announced December 2, 1997 it planned to close the ore
operation within seven months. The ore division has been Wawa's financial backbone since
the turn of the century but will close because of high production costs. The railway is
awaiting the fallout. The mine is the most significant customer serviced by the line. It
accounts for nearly one-third of revenue and there is no one business in the region that
can make up for the loss in volume. Wisconsin Central inherited nearly 200 Algoma Central
Railway employees when it purchased the 518-kilometre railway line between Hearst and
Sault Ste. Marie.
It's unlikely there'll be passenger train services between Sault Saint Marie
and Sudbury at any time in the near future. The sale of the Canadian Pacific Line
between Sudbury and the Sault to Quebec Based Genesee One railway lead the Sault's
economic development corporation to explore the option of some type of Budd Car service
connecting the two cities. It wouldn't be a fast ride either. It would take six hours to
travel by rail to Sudbury from the Sault, a trip that takes about 3 hours by car. The CPR
operated a passenger train between the two cities but cut the service over twenty-five
years ago.
Canadian National has completed the sale of a 485-kilometre line between
Moncton, New Brunswick, and Mont-Joli, Quebec. The rail line was sold to
short-line operator Quebec Railway Corporation. The two lines are scheduled to be
transferred to two Quebec Railway subsidiaries January 19, 1998. The New Brunswick East
Coast Railway Company is acquiring the line between Campbellton and Pacific Junction, near
Moncton. Meanwhile, the Matapedia Railway is buying the line between Mont-Joli and
Campbellton, in northern New Brunswick. The Matapedia Railway is also connecting with the
Baie des Chaleurs Railway at Matapedia, Quebec, another QRC wholly-owned subsidiary. CN
says the transaction will improve rail service in New Brunswick and Quebec. The network
being transferred handles 35,000 carloads of traffic a year, mainly minerals and pulp and
paper. Quebec Railway is the largest short-line operator in eastern Canada.
RaiLink Ltd. announced December 19, 1997 the signing of an agreement to purchase
Canadian National's rail network in Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
The rail network in Northwestern Alberta and the Northwest Territories consists of 1,025
km (640 miles) of track running north from Smith, Alberta (located about 210 km north of
Edmonton) to Hay River, NWT. This line now handles 30,000 carloads of traffic annually,
serving major shippers in the agriculture and forest products industries. The railway is
also part of the northern re-supply system. RaiLink's operation of this network is
scheduled to commence no later than March 1, 1998. RaiLink also announced that on December
15, 1997 it commenced operations in Hamilton, Ontario serving the city's north-end
industrial area. The four units that RailLink is using at Hamilton at the main yard, the
N&NW spur and Parkdale Yard are 1201 (ex-CN 1335), 4200 and 4202 (ex-SP Ottawa Valley
RailLink GP9E's), plus ex-CN 1285 from Brantford, which has not yet been renumbered 1200.
RaiLink is currently using CN Channel 5 160.365 in its operations. RaiLink's 24.6 per cent
owned affiliate, Quebec Railway Corporation Inc. (QRC), also had a very successful year,
increasing its trackage from 375 kilometres to 920 kilometres.
In the war for rail-line service to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
another battle is under way. Notice was given December 23, 1997 that Canadian National
Railways intends to sell its interest in the line running from Prince Albert southeast to
Birch Hills, or to discontinue operating the line if no buyer is found. Anyone interested
in operating same as a short line must act quickly; the deadline for proposals is February
27, 1998. CN has the option of accepting or rejecting any offers. By mid-1998, if no
agreement has been made, CN must offer the line to the federal, provincial and municipal
governments of the area. If they are not interested, the line will be abandoned. The
Prince Albert to Warman line was purchased this year by OmniTRAX of Denver, Colorado, and
that company just recently began operating from Prince Albert. The loss of the Birch Hills
connection, which carries as many as 85 cars a day, could jeopardize the success of
OmniTRAX in the city. While OmniTRAX might be willing to extend its holdings in the area
by taking on the Birch Hills line, CN will "not" sell this line to OmniTRAX.
MOTIVE POWER
Canadian National:
The following locomotives are stored serviceable due to mid-winter
traffic turndowns, and continued warm weather (thanks El Nino):
- At VIA's Toronto Maintenance Centre in Mimico HR616: 2102, 2196, 2112, 2113; HR412W:
3502, 3508, 3509, 3544, 3549, 3555, 3560, 3577, 3578, 3579, 3583, 3586, 3588; SD40: 5015,
5016, 5085; GP40-2LW 9434; GTW GP38-2: 4930, 5827; GTW SD40: 5917, 5920, GTW GP-38 6204,
GTW GP38AC 6220, GTW GP40-2 6412.
- At MacMillan Yard north of Toronto HR616: 2100, 2107, 2115, HR412W: 3514, 3517, 3519,
3531, 3551, 3562, 3585; SD40 5183; GP40-2L(W): 9486, 9570, 9658.
- At Taschereau Yard in Montreal: HR412W: 3516, 3522, 3533, 3548, 3550, 3553, 3556.
- At Symington Yard in Winnipeg: GP40-2L(W) 9401, 9419, 9525, 9541, 9651, 9661.
- At Transcona Shops in Winnipeg: HR412W: 3510, 3530, 3540, 3541 3575; SD40: 5052, 5102,
5116, 5411, 5102; GP40-2L(W): 9405, 9410, 9430, 9453, 9454, 9484, 9504, 9547, 9555, 9564,
9592, 9615.
- At Walker Yard, Edmonton: GP9 4013; GP38-2 4701, 4705, 4707, 4762, 4772, 4229; GP38-2(W)
4810; SD40 5003, 5006, 5021, 5058, 5061, 5066, 5067, 5072, 5087, 5109, 5157, 5160, 5165,
5188, 5215, 5218; SD40-2(W) 5390, 5393, 5394, 5395.
- At Prince George BC SD40: 5001, 5077, 5105; SD50F: 5422, 5436; SD60F: 5504, 5560.
- At Thornton Yard in Vancouver SD40 5051, 5060, 5071, 5131, 5182, SD40-2(W) 5228, 5268,
5388, 5392; GP40-2L: 9432, 9438, 9440, 9538, 9603.
Most of the units are stored inside heated buildings. In addition all of the GMD-1s in
the 1100 series are now stored unserviceable; the rebuilt in 1988 GMD-1s in the 1400
number series are also stored except for 1400-03 which are still in service out of Regina.
Several of the 1101-1149 group (they have the old 6SL brake) have recently been retired
and more will follow. Their B-B trucks and fuel tank will go under 1600-1614. Nos.
1600-1614 will be renumbered 1450-1464, not necessarily in order. The A1A-A1A trucks and
fuel tank off the 1600s will go under the retired 1100s and they in turn will be offered
for sale through Canac. There are no plans to rebuild any GMD1s. The last seven
1900-series GMD1s were retired in December 1997 (all had the old 6SL brake).
BTW: Before 1450-1464 were picked for the 1600s, the 1600s were to become 1424-1438.
The 1400-1423 operate long hood forward; the 1450-1464 will continue to operate short hood
forward. Seemingly this was a contributing factor in separating the numbers.
CN Leased: All of the 25 LMSX units are on the property, assigned to
Symington in Winnipeg. There are 27 SD40-2's: 6425, 6426, 6429, 6430, 6433, 6434, 6435,
6438 , 6439, 6440, 6441, 6443, 6444, 6446, 6448, 6450, 6452, 6453, 6459, 6466, 6470, 6479,
6482, 6484, 6492, 6499, 6513; 12 SD45-2/-2m's: 6656, 6658, 6662, 6663, 6664, 6665, 6666
and derated these to 3000 horsepower: 6654, 6655, 6657, 6659, 6661. The leased GCFX
(Connell Leasing) SD40 upgraded to SD40-3 status are up to 6057. The following CN SD-40s
have been retired to allow for the completion of the GCFX program: 5082, 5086, 5110, 12,
27, 37, 38, 5146, 48, 49, 58, 67, 68, 69, 70, 79, 81, 97,99, 5204, 34, 37.
The following Montreal Locomotive Works, and/or Bombardier-built motive power is still
on the active roster as of December 31, 1997. Most are presently stored serviceable at
various locations. HR616's: 2100, 2103, 2106, 2107, 2108, 2112, 2113, 2115; Repairs: 2118,
M636 2338 (last two at GEC, Montreal); M420W's: 3502, 3505, 3508, 3509, 3510, 3512, 3514,
3516, 3517, 3522, 3530, 3531, 3532, 3533, 3539, 3540, 3541, 3543, 3544, 3547, 3548, 3549,
3550, 3551, 3553, 3555, 3556, 3557, 3559, 3560, 3562, 3566, 3568, 3569, 3572, 3573, 3574,
3575, 3577, 3578, 3579; HR412(W) 3582, 3583, 3585, 3586, 3588.
Leased to Canac, for sublease to RaiLink at Hagersville Ontario: 3539, 3567; leased to
Canac, for sublease to CFBC, Gaspe Coast: 3542, 3545, 3554; leased to Canac, for eventual
sublease to Quebec Railway Corporation 3538, 3546, 3558; in addition, Canac will lease
nine retired CN 3500's to the new owners of the former Intercolonial Railway, and these
nine, added to the three above, will total twelve. Retired by CN for this purpose: 3500,
3501, 3504, 3515, 3518, 3563, 3571, 3576, 3580.
The following MLW/BBD units are still active and not stored serviceable: HR616 2108;
HR412W 3505, 3512, 3532, 3547, 3557, 3559, 3566, 3568, 3569, 3572, 3573, 3574; HR412 3582.
Best Wishes to all for 1998.
Thank you to the following individuals for contributions to the Canada Calling for
February 1998: Bruce Acheson, Bruce Chapman, Steve Gerbacht, C. Bruce Hollet, Dave Hooton,
Ken Jones, Joseph F. Kazmar, Andrew Kirk, Doug Page, Carl Perleman, Wayne Regaudie, John
Read, Mike Swick, Tom Trencansky, Earl Roberts & Jim Sandilands for information.
[ DEPARTMENTS ] |
