Canada Calling
May 1998
by Bryce Lee
ACCIDENTS
A Canadian National Railway freight crashed into the rear of a stationary train
March 1, 1998 near Obed, Alberta. The accident sent two crew members to
hospital, where they were in stable condition. The crash caused two cars, and CN Dash
9-C44CWL C2529 to derail in a remote area about 265 kilometres west of Edmonton. It's not
known if the crew on the westbound train, which was carrying general merchandise, had
warning of the stopped coal train before the accident. As a result of this accident the
Federal Transportation Safety Board may recommend the use of location devices that would
show the exact position of trains with greater precision, said the senior investigator who
reviewed the accident. The freight had just crested a low rise and rounded a corner when
it came upon the coal train 300 metres ahead. The brakes were applied when the trains were
about 120 metres apart. Under a slow order from the rail transportation centre in
Edmonton, the freight had cut its speed from 80 kilometres an hour to 24 kilometres an
hour; however the train was still travelling about 20 kilometres an hour when it struck
the 100-car coal train.
At 12:30 AM on Monday morning, March 2, CN train 107 derailed just
east of Yonge's Mills Road, which is 10 miles west of Brockville, Ontario
on the CN Kingston Subdivision. About 20 cars went on the ground tearing up about 1000
feet of the north track and blocking the south track. The cars were apparently all
container cars and all remained upright. It appears that a wheel derailed as the train was
passing through the Brockville yard as the crossovers at the west end of the Brockville
yard were damaged as was the level crossing at Hallecks Road, just east of the derailment.
The south track was reopened that evening about 11:00 PM. VIA bused passengers between
Brockville and Kingston. All VIA trains were operating with a locomotive on each end and
reversing at Brockville and Kingston. (e.g. VIA 53 after arrival at Brockville, waited for
the buses from Kinston and returned to Montreal as VIA 52. VIA 52 at Kingston, waited for
the buses from Brockville and returned to Toronto as VIA 53.) Even with the busing, most
of the trains were only running a little over an hour late.
A Canadian Pacific train carrying a toxic chemical was stuck in a tunnel
between Detroit and Windsor as containers that had been stacked too high struck
something, causing the chemical to leak. One container car was loaded with 240 four-litre
containers of sodium metal silicate however it was stacked 60 centimetres too high,
causing the train to jam about 300 metres into the tunnel on the evening of Tuesday March
3, 1998. No injuries were reported. It was unclear how much of the deadly chemical
corrosive was leaking. Windsor firefighters, equipped with chemical sniffers, checked the
air at the Canadian entrance to the tunnel near College and Wellington avenues and found
nothing. The train was headed from Detroit to Windsor. The 1.5 kilometre long train was
backed out of the tunnel about 10:30 pm.
No leaks of flammable styrene occurred when four tank cars and two locomotives derailed
early Thursday morning March 5, 1998 in Sarnia, Ontario. As a precaution,
a nearby street was closed and workers at Fibrex Insulations were evacuated. They were
allowed to return to work about four hours later. The cars had been loaded at Nova
Chemical's styrene plant, and were on a CN spur as part of the routine industrial train
service to the area. The cause of the derailment was still unknown.
Two teenagers who died when they were hit by a train
were AWOL from The Robert Land Academy near Dunnville Ontario; a military style boarding
school. The eastbound freight train hit the two boys, aged 16 and 17, as they lay side by
side on Canadian National railway tracks March 7, 1998 just west of Burlington West
station on Canadian National Railway's Oakville Subdivision. The two boys died instantly.
There was no evidence of alcohol or drug use at the scene. Toxicology results from a
post-mortem are expected to take two months. The teens were reported missing from school
early Friday morning. Police have not determined where or how the teens spent their last
hours, or why they headed for Burlington.
At 08:45 on Sunday March 15, 1998, Norfolk Southern train #445, heading from Dain City,
(near Welland) Ontario to Buffalo derailed 2 tri-level
autoracks. The train was crossing from the south track of the Cayuga Subdivision (mile
12), to the south track of the Stamford Subdivision (mile 12.5). CN train 330 was held at
Fort Erie, with CN 335 held at Port Robinson. CN 333 was re-routed into the yard at
Niagara Falls, and was sent to Port Robinson to pick up train 235, and bring it back to
the Falls. CN 564, a local switcher was not affected by the derailment. The trailing truck
on one car, and the lead truck on the other were derailed. CN 330 ex Fort Erie (power was
used to remove cars from NS 445); CN 335 ex Port Robinson; CN 333 was held at Niagara
Falls yard; CN 231 ex Port Robinson; Extra CN 563 was detoured over the Whirlpool Bridge
to Conrail at Niagara Falls NY. CN extra 563 was a combined CN563 & CN330). Extra CN
563 left Niagara Falls Ontario with 6 units, with LMS 718 in the lead, followed by 3 CN
& 2 GTW. The derailment was cleaned up by 16:30 March 16, 1998, with the track opened
at 17:00. Train 231 was the first to go past the derailment scene.
Shortly after 08:00 on Monday March 16, 1998, Canadian National Railways endured
another derailment in the Niagara Region. CN Train 569,
with GP9RM's 4112 & 4111, were switching the train, as well as power for CN 448. CN
449's power consisted of GP40-2LW's 9463 & 9415, SD40-2W 5214. 4112 & 4111
remained on the track, while the rear axle on 9463, and the trailing truck on 9415 were
derailed. The accident occurred at mile 2 on CN's Grimsby Subdivision.
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY
Canadian National Railway says it has reached tentative labour agreements
with four of its six unions, representing 63 per cent of the unionized work force of
17,460 in Canada. The main holdout is the Canadian Auto Workers whose union members voted
March 2, 1998 with an 86 per cent mandate in favour of giving their leadership committee
the right to call a strike or other job actions against the company. Thousands of CAW
members cast secret ballots after mass membership meetings were held across the country
between February 15 and 26. The vote results came after two days of meetings in Montreal
on February 27 and 28 that were called by a federal government conciliator. No agreement
was reached. Key bargaining issues include improvement in the monthly pension benefit,
wage increases, no more contracting out of work, work ownership and a maximum eight-hour
work day, and a long-term disability plan as well as an end to CN's demands for
concessions. The CAW represents more than 6,400 workers at CN including shopcraft workers
who repair and maintain locomotives and railway cars, customer service clerks, dispatchers
and labourers as well as owner/operator truckers who haul cargo from the yard to
customers.
Work began March 2, 1998 on the Victoria bridge, linking the island of
Montreal and St. Lambert. The work will cost C$46-million. That is to be split between the
bridge's owner; Canadian National Railways and the federal government. The east side of
the bridge was to be closed for the next three weeks. About 15,000 thousand motorists
drive across the bridge daily.
Canadian National Railway's Calgary Intermodal Terminal is expanding
to meet the growing demands of its customers. The latest C$4-million expansion doubles the
capacity of the intermodal facility, located in the Foothills Industrial Park in Calgary.
The terminal is now equipped to handle more than 90,000 units annually. Phase I included
the addition of 7,000 feet of new track and an adjacent work area of 12 acres. The
expanded facility is designed to allow trains to pull directly into the loading/unloading
track. This means customers will receive their shipments without delay. An investment of
C$1.8 million in two new cranes also improves container and trailer handling at the
terminal. Phase II of the will be completed by August, 1998. It includes an additional
6,000 feet of track and the construction of a new entrance.
Canadian National Chairman David McLean announced March 26, 1998 the appointments
of Gilbert H. Lamphere and Alexander P. Lynch to CN's board of directors.
Lamphere, the former chairman of the board of Illinois Central Corporation, is managing
director of the Fremont Group, a diversified financial management company based in San
Francisco, California. Lynch, a former director of IC, is a general partner of Beacon
Group, Capital Services, LLC, a private investment and financial advisory firm in New York
City. CN announced Feb. 10, 1998, that Lamphere and Lynch would be appointed to its board
of directors upon the successful completion of CN's cash tender offer for 46,051,761
shares of IC (NYSE: IC) common stock, representing approximately 75 per cent of the
outstanding IC common stock, at a price of US$39.00 per IC share. CN successfully
completed the tender offer on March 13, 1998.
Canadian National (CN) and CSX Intermodal (CSXI) announced March 16, 1998 they will
join the North American Container System network. The NACS program speeds
the free and unrestricted interchange of 48-foot domestic containers among member
railroads. Existing members of NACS are Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company
(BNSF) and Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCS). NACS was established in February
1996 to create a nation- wide doublestack container network encompassing almost every
major market in the U.S. The program provides shippers with an effective alternative to
freely interchangeable intermodal trailers. Customers participating in the program will be
able to lower their freight costs by reducing container cycle times. With a growing
dedicated fleet of over 2,500 containers and chassis strategically located across a broad
geographic network, NACS gives shippers a flexible transportation alternative to reach all
major North American markets in Canada and the U.S.
Canadian National has been selected North American Rail Partner in Quality
Carrier of the Year for 1997 by container shipping company Sea-Land Service, Inc.
The award recognizes CN's role in support of the launch of Sea-Land's new Montreal
service, and the transportation of Sea-Land containers from the Port of Vancouver to
eastern Canadian and US Midwest points after the ocean carrier encountered service
problems at the Port of Long Beach in California. Sea-Land, based in Charlotte, N.C.,
evaluated 10 major Class 1 North American rail carriers based on the following criteria:
on-time train performance, service recovery planning after unexpected changes or delays,
communication, safety, claims, the percentage of containers moved versus those left
behind, cost reduction initiatives and the ease of doing business with the company. CN's
Sea-Land container volumes rose by 29 per cent last year, while revenue grew by 52 per
cent. Sea-Land, along with Maersk Canada Inc. and P&O Nedlloyd Ltd., launched a new
weekly service between Northern Europe and the Port of Montreal last September. The
carriers use CN to move their containers from Montreal to Toronto, Detroit and Chicago and
the U.S. Midwest and return. CN also handles Sea-Land, Maersk and P&O Nedlloyd
container traffic at the ports of Vancouver and Halifax.
CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY
(The Golden Rodent Line)
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) received top honours from Toyota Motor
Sales U.S.A recently, having been awarded the 1997 President's Award for outstanding
achievement in transit performance, quality and damage prevention, and customer service.
CPR was also named the number one rail logistics partner in customer service. The honours
highlight a decade of CPR's business relationship management among Toyota Motor Sales
U.S.A., Toyota's Cambridge, Ontario, manufacturing plant, CPR's account management team
and CPR's rail partners. The second annual Toyota Logistics Excellence Awards were
presented at a Toyota Logistics Partners Meeting in Marina Del Rey, California, in
mid-February. Senior executives representing North American rail, trucking and marine
transport were on hand to celebrate last year's success and discuss their roles in
Toyota's future.
A quarterly dividend of 12 cents Canadian per share on the outstanding
Common Shares of Canadian Pacific Limited was declared March 9, 1998 by the board of
directors. The dividend is payable on April 28, 1998 to shareholders of record at the
close of business on March 27, 1998.
Strong demand for intermodal freight service has prompted Canadian Pacific Railway to expand
its intermodal terminal north of Toronto. The handling capacity for containers
and trailers at the Vaughan terminal will increase 60 per cent to 225,000 per year when
the C$17.8 million expansion is completed this fall. The terminal officially opened in
1991, however intermodal freight demand has grown beyond the level it was designed to
handle. New track and lifting equipment will help minimize truck drivers time in the
terminal. The Vaughan terminal is the CP's primary transfer point for general freight in
containers and truck trailers making inter-city journeys by rail instead of road.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow didn't offer any hope for rural
leaders calling on the province for more money to repair deteriorating country roads.
However he renewed the province's commitment to fight rail line abandonment
and blamed Ottawa for contributing to the demise of province's highway and transportation
system. Romanow told delegates at the annual convention of the Saskatchewan Association of
Rural Municipalities on March 11, 1998 that the federal government has only contributed
3.4 per cent of the province's total spending on roads over the last 10 years. He also
blames the federal government for eliminating Crow benefit subsidy for grain
transportation and allowing the railway companies to "run roughshod" over the
interests of rural Saskatchewan. Romanow says rail line abandonment should be halted until
former Supreme Court Judge Willard Estey finishes an independent review of the western
grain transport system.
Federal Transport Minister David Collenette on March 18, 1998 ordered immediate
changes to rail safety regulations following a review sparked by last September's
train collision at Biggar, Saskatchewan. Collenette has ordered immediate changes that
don't require legislative amendments. These include more stringent visibility standards to
increase safety at railway crossings, reduction of trespassing at railways using such
things as higher fencing. Onboard safety announcements on passenger trains has also been
recommended. At the same time the minister ordered departmental officials to start work on
a review committee's recommendations that will require legislative amendments. The action
means a new Railway Safety Act will be delayed a second time. The amended act was
introduced in the Commons in May 1996 but had not passed when Parliament was dissolved for
last June's election. Collenette decided to delay the amended act further after a Via Rail
passenger train carrying 192 people derailed west of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on September
4, 1997.
A study resulting from a fatal train accident in Saskatchewan last September makes 27
recommendations to Via Rail, including appointing a full-time senior director to
focus on safety. Via said it is implementing all the recommendations in the review by
outside consultants of its safety procedures. The report recommends a general tightening
of procedures and tougher training for train crews and maintenance staff. It also says
Via's 3,000 employees should have some way of anonymously blowing the whistle on safety
incidents. An American woman died and 12 other passengers were injured in the spectacular
derailment near Biggar after a locomotive axle failed on The Canadian travelling to
Toronto from Vancouver. Via admitted at the time that a warning light which would have
shown the axle was overheating had been disconnected. Other recommendations include more
readable working documents for locomotive engineers; better communication between
operating crews and maintenance staff; access by train crews to expert advice on puzzling
mechanical problems. After the accident Via rewired all sensor devices to ensure they
don't malfunction and is testing new monitoring technology. Via also issued instructions
to operating crews that monitors should not be disconnected even if the train has to be
stopped to verify a problem. Four employees suspended for a month after the accident have
been reinstated. The two management employees were paid during the suspension while the
two union members were not.
The proposed revitalization of VIA Rail Canada Inc. cannot proceed
without consideration for Canada's freight railways and their shippers, said Canadian
National President and Chief Executive Officer Paul M. Tellier. Tellier told the Standing
Committee on Transport March 11, 1998 that VIA Rail's ambitious plan to boost passenger
train services in CN's important Montreal-Toronto corridor would consume a significant
amount of track capacity and require a costly restructuring of rail freight operations two
key issues for CN and its shippers. Tellier pledged continued cooperation in helping VIA
Rail achieve its goals. VIA Rail suggested in a paper tabled with the standing committee
that CN's Montreal-Toronto main line be dedicated exclusively to faster and more frequent
passenger trains and time-sensitive freights. All other rail freight could be routed over
Canadian Pacific Railway Co.'s eastern subsidiary, the St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway Co.
Tellier stressed that CN owns, maintains and pays property taxes on its rail lines,
terminals and switching yards.
An agricultural economics professor at the University of Saskatchewan, told the
Canadian Wheat Board's annual Grain World conference in Winnipeg March 2, 1998 that open
access to Canada's rail network could provide a solution to grain
shipment delays that have damaged the country's reputation as a reliable supplier
to the world market as is currently done in Britain and Australia. Delays in rail
shipments of grain to Canada's West Coast ports in the first quarter of 1997 cost the CWB
more than C$15 million in fines and forced it to defer grain sales. The CWB asked a
quasi-judicial agency to hold hearings this spring on its allegation that Canadian
National Railway put a low priority on grain shipments in the first quarter of 1997. A
federal review of grain transport is also under way to seek improvements to the system. A
preliminary report is due at the end of May 1998 and a final report is due in December of
this year. One source of grain bottlenecks was the difference between western Canada's
on-farm storage capacity of 62 million tonnes in 1995/96 and the primary elevator capacity
of 6.5 million.
Bombardier announced March 4, 1998 its largest-ever rail
contract, a C$2-billion deal to supply passenger trains for Britain. The order
with the Virgin Rail Group will fire up three under-used Bombardier plants in Europe, but
will create no jobs in Canada. The deal is significant because it marks a breakthrough for
Bombardier in Britain where, until now, it has only won contracts to refurbish coaches.
Rolling stock accounts for about C$800 million of the order, and the rest will be for
maintenance over 15 years. The Virgin Rail Group, under fire for its sluggish performance
running two British rail networks since they were privatized, said it plans to spend more
than C$4.33 billion on new trains. Bombardier will provide the trains for Virgin's
CrossCountry network, which serves a variety of points from a hub in Birmingham. They will
consist of 43 high-speed tilting self-propelled units of four cars each, as well as 140
regular coaches. General Motors Electro-Motive will supply 36 locomotives as part of the
Bombardier contract. Bombardier's coaches will be built at Brugge, Belgium; Crespin,
France; and Wakefield, England, where the final assembly will take place.
Competition and market forces should govern the future of passenger services
in Canada and government support for intercity passenger trains should only be provided
where there is a public-interest need that cannot be otherwise served, says Hugh
MacDiarmid, Executive Vice-President, Commercial, Canadian Pacific Railway. Appearing in
Ottawa on March 17, 1998 before the Standing Committee on Transport examining the future
of rail passenger transportation, Publicly-funded entities should not be competitors in
those markets where private-sector operators are prepared to offer adequate services.
Although CPR is primarily a freight railroad, it is expanding passenger services where
commercially feasible especially in local commuter and air shuttle markets. Via depicts a
compelling vision of passenger services, but the missing element is who will pay for this?
Under more favourable public policy and tax policy, trains can provide an effective
alternative to highways and they can reduce green house gas emissions and road
congestion. MacDiarmid made three recommendations. Reconcile issues of federal and
provincial jurisdiction, so one consistent set of policies can emerge; recognize total
transportation costs so that modal and service choices are based on preference and
utility, not subsidies; establish balanced tax treatment among transportation modes and
between Canadian and U.S. carriers.
Because of speed, scheduled stops and the need for priority, passenger trains
consume larger amounts of track capacity than freight trains. Where passenger
trains are added to the railway network, the cost of needed capacity must be fully paid by
the passenger service operator. Passenger trains should operate on the same commercial
footing as freight trains.
RaiLink Ltd. announced March 17, 1998 its financial results
for the year ended December 31, 1997. For the year ended December 31, 1997, operating
revenue increased to C$23,015,000 from C$5,673,000 for the corresponding period in 1996.
Net income for the year ended December 31, 1997 was C$2,709,000 ($0.58 per share) compared
to net income of C$704,000 ($0.64 per share) for the year ended December 31, 1996. For the
three months ended December 31, 1997, operating revenue increased to C$6,259,000 from
C$3,771,000 for the corresponding period in 1996. The net loss for the quarter was
C$112,000 ($0.02 per share) compared to net income of C$630,000 ($0.32 per share) for the
quarter ended December 31, 1996. RaiLink's operating ratio was 89.7% for the year ended
December 31, 1997. The slightly higher than expected operating ratio for the year ended
December 31, 1997 reflects the results of the start-up of operations of the RaiLink
Southern Ontario property in the fall of 1997, as well as the impact of the costs of a
derailment in November 1997 of C$125,000. The operating ratio target for 1997 was 87%. The
year over year increase in operating revenue and operating income is primarily a result of
the impact of RaiLink's Ottawa Valley railway that commenced operations on October 29,
1996. The increase in net income for the twelve months ended December 31, 1997 of
C$2,005,000 includes an after tax gain on sale of capital assets of C$1,345,000 primarily
from the closure and sale of 94.5 miles of track in central Alberta in August 1997.
RaiLink's annual shareholders meeting, its first as a public company, is scheduled for
Thursday, June 18, 1998 at 11:00 a.m. at the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton, Alberta. RaiLink
is a publicly traded regional railway company based in Edmonton, Alberta. It provides
freight transportation services to Canada's two national railways and a wide variety of
shippers. RaiLink and its 26.7% owned affiliate Quebec Railway Corporation, currently
operate seven regional railways covering 1,360 miles of track in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec,
and New Brunswick.
A lingering dispute over who's to blame for a major backlog in
the country's grain transportation system last year moves a step closer to
resolution March 30, 1998. After months of delays and legal wrangling, the Canadian
Transportation Agency will finally begin hearing a complaint against the country's
railways. The Canadian Wheat Board charges that CN Rail and CP Rail failed to meet their
service obligations for the transportation of wheat. Last winter, Prairie farmers lost
about C$65 million in penalties and cancelled sales because the railways couldn't handle
the flow of grain. The problem continued in the summer as the railways caught up and the
ports became backlogged. The hearings, which will be held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan are
expected to last about six weeks. A ruling is due by June 30, 1998. If the agency finds
against the railways it has the power to order remedies such as making them buy more
locomotives. The agency has no power to order monetary awards but the Wheat Board could
use a victory to pursue civil action.
One of three people suing Via rail after last fall's fatal train
derailment near Biggar, has settled a lawsuit. Out of court. Irwin Robinson, from
Philadelphia, was injured when the Via train derailed. On March 27, 1998 Robinson's and
Via's lawyers announced the two sides had agreed to a settlement. Part of the deal is that
the terms of the settlement will never be made public. Robinson's original lawsuit, filed
with the court, did not specify how much money he wanted from Via, as compensation for his
injuries. After the accident, Robinson spent over two months in the province, of
Saskatchewan recovering from his injuries before returning home.
The Niagara Falls (Ontario) Railway Museum will host it's first motorcar trip
on Saturday May 16, 1998. The trip will start from south end of King Street at ADM Milling
in Port Colborne, Ontario on the shores of beautiful Lake Erie. The trip will cover all
trackage of the Port Colborne Harbour Railway, which is owned by the City of Port
Colborne; trackage length is approximately 16 miles (round trip) and you'll have a chance
to do the trip three times if you wish. Photo opportunities abound, with trackage running
adjacent to the active Welland Canal, part of the St.Lawrence Seaway System, as well as
many historical locations. There is unique trackwork on this shortline, as well as welded
rail in some places. The cost for this trip is C$20.00, payable at registration. Please
bring a reflective vest, it will be required if you participate. The trips starts at 9:30
am rain or shine, please be there early. From the Toronto area, take the Queen Elizabeth
Way to Fort Erie, exit at Netherby Road West and take to Highway #140 South to Highway #3
and turn right (west). Cross both branches of the Welland Canal to King Street in Port
Colborne to King Street, turn left and follow this to Lake Erie and ADM Milling. From the
United States cross the Peace Bridge at Fort Erie, take the exit to Garrison Road (Highway
#3), and follow to Port Colborne, crossing both canals, turning left at King Street and
then to Lake Erie and ADM milling. From western Ontario, take Highway #3 to Port Colborne
and again at King Street turn right and down to ADM Milling. Large signs will be posted
with a white background with a handcar and motorcar run and arrows in black. For further
information please contact: Ken Jones in Niagara Falls Ontario at (905) 357-6538 or
kjones@npiec.on.ca.
MOTIVE POWER
Canadian National Railway
The ALCO era on Canadian mainline railways is due to end in April
1998! Canadian National Railways retired the M420Ws the last week of March 1998, and the
remaining Canadian Pacific Railway Alco- powered Montreal Locomotive Works built
locomotives will be retired and sold by April 11, 1998.
CN retirement dates in 1998 for MLW/BBD-built Alco-powered locomotives follow with
numerical month and numerical date: BBD HR616s: 2103 02-26; 2106 02-27; 2107 02-05; 2108,
2112 02-13; 2118 02-27. MLW M420Ws: 3502 02-05; 3505 03-28; 3508 02-16; 3509 02-16; 3510
01-23; 3512 02-28; 3514 03-09; 3516, 3517, 3518 02-13; 3522 03-01; 3531 02-05; 3560 02-27;
3562 02-05; 3566 01-26; 3567 02-26; 3568 02-27; 3569 02-05; 3573 02-26; 3574 02-05; 3575
03-18; 3577 02-26; 3578 02-13; 3579, 3582, 3583, 3585, 3586, 3588 02-13. The above
locomotives have been stricken from the roster.
The following MLE/BBD locomotives are still on CN's roster, although they may not be
found operating Canadian National; some may be leased to other railways. This list
changes daily, or so it would seem! Gaps in numbers means the unit is retired.
Codes: SUS-stored servicable; TUS-tied up servicable; NBEC-New Brusnwick East Railway;
HBRT-Hudson Bay Railway; Mtl-Montreal; Tor-Toronto. BBD HR616s: 2100 SUS Tor; 2113, 2115
NBEC. M420Ws: 3530 HBRY; 3532 NBEC; 3533, 3538, 3539 TUS Mtl; 3540 NBEC; 3541 TUS Tor;
3542 TUS Mtl; 3543 HBRY; 3544 TUS Mtl; 3545 NBEC; 3546 SUS Tor; 3547 3548 NBEC; 3549 TUS
Mtl; 3550 HBRY; 3553 NBEC; 3551 NBEC; 3552, 3553, 3554, TUS Mtl; 3555 NBEC; 3556 HBRY;
3557 TUS Tor; 3558 TUS Tor (was on Barrie-Collingwood Railway); 3559 TUS Tor. Some
of the above locomotives if they have not already been sold are available for sale through
CANAC in Montreal for a "reported" price of C$120,000 each, subject to
negoiation of course. :) )
There now no Montreal Locomotive Works, BBD-built locomotives on
Canadian National Railway in regular service. The end of an era.
Canadian National has leased to General Electric 12 SD40's which are in turn being sent
to Union Pacific to compensate UP for problems with newly delivered motive power. The
locomotives are 5022, 5023, 5032, 5038, 5040, 5046, 5080, 5139, 5162, 5210, 5223. This is
an open ended lease.
Canadian National has leased to the Kansas City Southern the following GP40 locomotives
to enable the KCS to pay back horsepower hours (HPHs) owed to Burlington Northern-Santa
Fe: 9400, 9407, 9479, 9480, 9514, 9519, 9595, 9605, 9615, 9628, 9633, 9635, 9637, 9638,
9639, 9641, 9642, 9643, 9644, 9645, 9651, 9652, 9653, 9655, 9657, 9658, 9660, 9661, 9664,
9665, 9666, 9667, 9668, 9669, 9670, 9673, 9674, 9675, 9676, 9677. Some of the above
locomotives still may be seen on CN either coming back for repairs or returning to the
leasee. This is an open ended lease.
Presently over 50 locomotives on CN are still stored servicable. The Conrail units and
the LMS units still on lease are expected to return home sometime during May of 1998.
Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway has or will dispose of their remaining MLW-built Alco-powered
locomotives in the following manner:
- Sale No. 1 on April 1, 1998: New Brunswick East Coast purchased eight (8) of the best CP
RS18ms at Cote St. Luc shops in Montreal some of which were: 1822, 1834, 1837, 1838, 1841,
1842, xxxx.
- Sale No. 2a and 2b on April 11, 1998:
- [a] For sale 46 locomotives consisting of 25 RS18ms' of which *17* are active (at this
writing), *3* are stored unservicable and *5* are retired and on the property.
- [b] For sale 21 locomotives consisting of 21 C424s of which *9* are active, (at this
writing) *5* are stored unservicable and *5* are retired and on the property. It would
appear Genessee Rail-One operator of the Huron Central and Quebec Gatineau Railway is the
lead bidder for these locomotives. Secondary bidders are the New Brunswick East Coast and
the Battenkill Railway.
- Sale No.3 on April 11, 1998: For sale the remaining active RS18s with bidders being
Genessee Rail-One, New Brunswick East Coast and the Battenkill Railway.
- Sale No.4 on May 1, 1998: The balance of the retired fleet of all models remaining plus
parts, remaining at Cote St. Luc shops in Montreal.
It would appear the FINAL operating day for MLW-built Alco-powered
locomotives on Canadian Pacific Railway will be April 11, 1998.
This will leave only 4711, the Caterpillar-powered M636m remaining on CP as an MLW
"in kind." 4711 is currently restricted to trailing operation on regular
transfers to Montreal harbour; she has no wheel slip controls hence is prohibited from
mainline operation.
The new SD90MACs for CP due for delivery during the fall of 1998 will be constructed at
Ogden shops in Calgary Alberta from kits supplied by General Motors Diesel Division in
London, Ontario. Thank you GR *13*!
HELM appears to be the leading bidder in lieu of of Omnitrax for the two CP GP30s, and
18 or so GP35's still on the roster. About half of the locomotives for sale are
inoperable.
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