Throwback Thursday 9 Passenger Action at Bayview in February 1977

Competitors meet at Bayview on a cold Winter's day in February 1977. Uncredited Kodachrome, author's collection.

Today’s Throwback Thursday takes us back to the winter of 1977, on a cold but sunny day in February of that year. Here we find an interesting scene with a combination of passenger trains from both CN and CP. Westbound CP #181 is heading through the plant (away from photographer, note rear marker lights illuminated) while an eastbound CN Tempo consist holds on the Dundas sub until the CP train clears. We can probably assume that the CP train was delayed for some reason, after all this is CN’s track and they probably wouldn’t intentionally delay one of their own trains to allow a competitor to have priority. Whatever the reason, the result is nonetheless worthy of further consideration.

The equipment on the two trains presents an interesting contrast in Canadian passenger operations – one attempting to economize and shrink passenger train size, and another an attempt to modernize and improve the passenger experience. When the photo was taken, VIA had been formally in existence for about a month, but it would be more than a year (October 29, 1978) that it would officially take over CN and CP passenger operations. Thus, the two trains are still operated at this date by their respective owners and not yet by the crown corporation.

The CP train is the last vestige of the old Toronto-Buffalo connection by way of Hamilton/Fort Erie (over CP/TH&B), a service initiated in 1894 and terminated when the last #181 to Buffalo was run on April 25, 1981. Gone are the days of the torpedo-tube TH&B GP9’s hauling steam-heated passenger cars (with overnight Toronto sleeper connections), and by this date, the train has been reduced to a two-car RDC consist; at least it is sporting the attractive ‘hockey mask’ paint scheme. The trailing RDC (or “Dayliner” to Canadians) is somewhat of an odd duck, being an RDC-4, a baggage-only model with no passenger seating (73’ long, 12’ shorter than other RDC models). The fact that the train only has one car for actually seating passengers probably speaks to its' popularity by this date. The unit was built by Budd in 1955, and subsequently sold to VIA in September 1978. Evidently not fitting into VIA’s operational plans, the unit was sent to CN’s Pointe Ste. Charles shops in Montreal and subsequently stripped of useful parts to keep other RDC’s going. The remains were scrapped at Dominion Metals & Refining Works at St. Constant, Quebec in 1985.

Though we can’t make out the number of the CN Tempo RS18, it was nonetheless representative of a concerted effort to modernize and improve CN’s passenger operations along the Toronto-Windsor corridor. Rebuilt from a standard RS18 in 1967 with a new-for-the-time HEP system, the six converted RS18’s powered Tempo operated with cars from a group of 25 purpose-built aluminum coaches built by Hawker-Siddely in Thunder Bay, ON. CN 3150-3155 (MRE-18g) featured 92 MPH gearing, a unique paint scheme, and a 575-volt HEP system. The coaches featured outboard disk brakes, electric doors, microwaves, and improved snack service. Delivery of the LRC equipment in the mid-1980’s ultimately rendered the Tempo trains obsolete, with the locomotives and cars being retired by 1983/1986 respectively; their unorthodox 575-volt HEP system didn’t jive with the new Amtrak/VIA standard of 480 volts, greatly limiting the equipments’ usefulness in combination with other car types. Interestingly though, like a cat with nine lives, several of the coaches were subsequently resold to the Rio Grande for use on their Colorado Ski Train operation; the cars were then re-sold some of the cars to the CN/ACR Agawa Canyon tourist train operation, returning the cars to Ontario, albeit much farther north than they were initially accustomed to! Approaching their 47^th birthday, it is indeed remarkable that these cars – especially given their aluminum construction – are still polishing the rails!

‘Til next time,

Cheers,

Peter.

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Throwback Thursday 6 CN SD40 5070 at GMDD London November 1968

CN 5070 sits in the company of an unknown CP SD40 in front of the General Motors Diesel Division plant in London, ON on November 1, 1968. Reg Button photo, author's collection.

Today’s Throwback Thursday takes us back to November 1, 1968. We’re at General Motors Diesel Division (GMDD) in London, Ontario where we find brand new Canadian National SD40 #5070 ready for release. In the background we observe another SD40, although it will go to work for rival Canadian Pacific. How to tell? Close examination reveals a number of differences between CN & CP SD40’s; CP SD40’s featured cab-side rain gutters (not sun shades), snowplow instead of rock plow, a different MU plug arrangement, tight-lock couplers instead of conventional coupler, different air tanks (one large instead of CN’s two smaller tanks on each side) and (especially to modelers), different stairwell (step) arrangements. Another painted CN SD40 off in the distance. Perhaps this is an open house to show off the latest-and-greatest in Canadian motive power? Maybe, but the reason for this interesting pairing of engines may well be lost to history…

About the London plant: General Motors opened the plant at London in late 1950, at a time long before Free Trade permitted easy import of goods to Canada from the US (without costly import tariffs). Facing competition from Montreal Locomotive Works and, to some extent, Fairbanks-Morse (under license to Canadian Locomotive Company), GM constructed the branch plant to supply Canadian roads with new diesels. Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo GP-7 #71, famously destroyed in a wreck in February 1980 east of Smithville, ON, was the first locomotive completed at the new plant, and was soon to be followed by many more engines for CN, CP, and other Canadian railways. With its’ busiest year in 1958, the overwhelming majority of diesels built for Canadian roads over the next 35 years or so were built in London. When EMD stopped production at its’ primary manufacturing facility in La Grange, IL in 1989, all GM locomotive production was consolidated to the London plant. The plant then handled all production for not only North American railroads, but also did brisk business manufacturing locomotives for export to countries all over the globe. A declining market share, however, eventually lead to the sale of GM-EMD to Greenbriar Equity Group in April 2009, which included the London plant. Run for a number of years under Greenbriar ownership, the former GM-EMD assets were sold in 2010 to Caterpillar Inc. As part of their Progress Rail division, the London plant operated until 2012 when it was shuttered in favour of manufacturing capacity at their new Muncie, IN locomotive plant. The last diesels to be constructed in London were an order of Kansas City Southern SD70Ace’s, with KCS 4130, 4131, 4133, 4135 and 4136 leaving the plant on September 25, 2012, bringing an end to 62 years of locomotive manufacturing in London.

Not only did the plant produce diesel (and even electric) locomotives, but also buses, earth-moving equipment, and military vehicles for GM’s other manufacturing divisions. Though production of busses and earth-moving equipment has long since ended, part of the plant survives under General Dyamics Land Systems ownership and still produces military vehicles.

What about CN 5070? Following its’ release from GMDD London, the engine enjoyed a long career with CN, eventually being repainted into the popular “zebra stripe” scheme. The engine changed little mechanically over the years, eventually gaining a new snowplow and snow shields, along with new horn, ditch lights, winterization hatch and rear rock plow. Though CN initiated a program to rebuild their SD40 fleet in the mid-1990's, it was soon realized that the per-unit rebuild cost was relatively high compared to the cost of purchasing a new unit. Declared surplus, the engine was leased in 1998 to Quebec Railway Corporation for use on the New Brunswick East Coast railway. Less than a year later, the engine was retired in 1999 after 31 years of service. A new lease on life was granted after rebuild by GEC-Alstom in spring 1999 and the engine was released as Chemin de Fer Matapidia et du Golfe (CFMG) #6909 in a solid black paint job. After nine years of operation in southern Quebec, a sale of the QRC operations (CFMG, NBEC and Ottawa Central) to CN in 2008 spelled the end of the line for the engine. Ironically purchased back by its’ original owner, the engine was shipped to the Homewood, IL shop to await disposition. Resold to Allied Services (A division of Allied Equity Group), the engine traveled to Georgianna, AL as ASDX 6909, where it ultimately met the torch.

One has to wonder if CN 5070 and the unknown CP SD40 ever crossed paths again – likely not, but who knows?…

‘Til next time,

Cheers,

Peter.

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Throwback Thursday 2 DRGW 3071 at Minturn CO July 1968

DRGW GP40 #3071 pauses at Minturn, CO in July 1968. John W. Maxwell photo, author's collection.

One hobby of mine is collecting and trading 35mm photographic slides of trains and railroad equipment. Last year, I acquired a small part of the photographic collection of John W. Maxwell, a photographer well-known among the narrow gauge community in the western United States. From the information I could gather, John was a mechanical engineer who was employed by Union Pacific in Colorado. I believe he lived in Denver, although that is only a guess based upon where the bulk of the photos were taken. John was popular among narrow gauge enthusiasts for his extensive photography of narrow gauge equipment and for making highly accurate scale drawings of narrow gauge rolling stock and equipment. John took photos for over 60 years, and from what I can find on the internet, the location of the bulk of his photographic and drawings collection remains a mystery. But instead of dwelling on where the collection went, let’s enjoy the view he captured in the photo above.

We’re at Minturn, Colorado in July 1968 – the sanding tower in the photo easily recognizable to any fan of The Mainline Through the Rockies. In this view we find one-and-a-half year old GP40 #3071 leading an eastbound that has stopped at the yard.  Minturn is located on the west side of the infamous Tennessee Pass, and is a town long associated – and closely tied to – the railroad. It was here that nearly all eastbound trains stopped and had helpers added to the train in order to overcome the 3% grades further up the pass. Though the train is eastbound, the tracks here run almost north-south allowing for good lighting of eastbounds almost all day long; it appears to be perhaps late morning at this click of the shutter. By this point in time, the 26 SD45’s are all on the property, but the railroad is still largely dominated by turbocharged four-axle locomotives, as evidenced by the consist of this train as well as the power in the distance. It would be another six years before the tunnel motors synonymous with the DRGW in its’ later years would show up, and we’re still not quite into EMD’s Dash-2 era yet

. We can safely surmise that the three GP30’s and a unit hidden by the shed are a helper set that perhaps will cut in partway back in this train, or another eastbound later in the day. Between the two lashups are no less than four (!) GP30’s along with an equal number of GP40’s or GP35’s. What a sound it must have been to hear this train leave town!

The lead unit, DRGW 3071 would go onto have a long and interesting history (most information from Don Strack’s Utah Rails site). It was the third of twelve GP40’s delivered to the Rio Grande in early 1967, and one of many high-horsepower four axle units that the railroad owned. The unit was converted into a trailing-only unit (“B-unit”) in 1972 with the removal of the radio, cab seats and other lead-required equipment; 24 other GP40’s and a number of GP30’s and GP35’s were similarly modified in an effort to reduce operating costs. The engine remained in this condition for many years and into the Southern Pacific era, when it was returned to a lead-capable unit. Eight years after the Rio Grande – Southern Pacific merger in 1988, the engine became part of the massive Union Pacific system in 1996. Under UP ownership, the engine left home rails and travelled far from its’ Tennessee Pass rails in the photo above. Photos on the internet reveal it travelled at least as far as Houston, TX and North Little Rock, AR. Ownership by UP lasted only five years, and in May 2001 the engine was retired after 34 years of service. A sale the next year to National Railway Equipment the following year took the engine to Silvis, IL, where the unit became a donor for one of the NRE’s many rebuild programs. Eventually, this unit was rebuilt by NRE, emerging as BNSF 2013 in late 2006 or early 2007. No longer a GP40, the locomotive is now mechanically a GP38-2, including a 16-645E non-turbocharged prime mover, oil-bath air filter box, new electrical gear, and just two radiator fans (the middle one was removed in the rebuild). A testament to EMD design, the engine should be around for many more years to come, having outlived its’ original owner and even Tennessee Pass itself.

 I am grateful to John Maxwell for taking the time and effort to record this scene on film – in future posts I will share more of the slides acquired from his collection.

‘Til next time,

Cheers,

Peter.

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Throwback Thursday 18 CN GP9 4521 at Rymal Siding Part 1

Tonight's Throwback Thursday features another article by my Dad, Keith. I've been meaning to explain the significance of why I named this blog "Rymal Station" (can't recall if I have already), but hopefully this will help explain it. Part 2 to follow. Thanks Dad!

- Peter.

CN GP9 #4521 at Rymal in 1979

An early summer evening finds a pocket-sized Canadian National wayfreight pausing to retrieve an empty bulkhead flatcar from the CO-OP siding at Rymal, situated in the Southern Ontario hamlet of Hannon. Hannon, while not a locality ever identified on any map, was situated just above the Niagara Escarpment on Hamilton Mountain (as referred to by ‘Hamiltonians’). The CNR branchline is the former Hamilton and Northwestern Railway ROW built to link Hamilton with the Lake Erie community of Port Dover. After coupling up and performing the requisite brake test, the tidy consist will trundle northward, cautiously descend along the previously-mentioned geographical feature, cross over the T, H & B main line and swing onto Ferguson Avenue to do some street running prior to entering Stuart Street yard located along the Hamilton waterfront. Out of frame, at the head end is CN GP9 4521, with the following consist in tow:

- bulkhead flat car (CN 606000 series)

- 89 ft flat car (CN 668091 – built 12/1975)

- 40 ft single door boxcar (BN 199778)

- 40 ft livestock car (CN 810189)

- 50 ft MOW tie gondola (CN 60223)

- Pointe St. Charles Caboose (CN 79800 series)

The collection of buildings (except for the cylindrical concrete silos located behind the tall structure on the right) is part of what once was known as the ‘Ancaster CO-OP’. Constructed in the mid 1940’s following the conclusion of WW II hostilities, the farm, feed and hardware supply enterprise was geographically misnamed by design. The long term plan by the original share contributing owners was to relocate to the neighboring named community once an alternative to rail supplied raw materials could be organized. No doubt the expanding local highway system and truck transport were the anticipated methodology. However, such plans never materialized and today, after serving in their original intended purpose for decades, the structures shown still exist and have been incorporated into a thriving Home Hardware installation.

The fate of the Canadian National branchline? Despite a daily Hamilton-Nanticoke steel slab train that gained the line fame in its' later days, the former H&NW line suffered from diminishing traffic into the early 1990’s, and would eventually be lifted in 1993. Service south from Hamilton would be suspended in the late 1980’s following the lateral displacement of the Stone Church road overpass (in both directions!) by transport truck collision. Today, much of the ROW remains as the ‘STONE CHURCH ROAD RAIL TRAIL’.

Stay tuned for Part 2 to follow.

- Keith.

GP9 CN 4521 (GMD London 12/1956) was rebuilt by CN Pointe Ste. Charles as GPRM 7007 in 1985. Following some fifty-seven years (!!!) of service on the home road she would be conveyed to Motive Power Resources Inc. (http://www.mprxinc.com/index.htm) and renumbered MVPX 7007. Doubtful she will enjoy similar longevity with her new owner.

According to on line information, BN 199778 was originally from CB&Q XM-32C series Nos. 18400 – 19399. The 40 Ft. boxcars were constructed by the railroad at their Havelock, Nebraska shops in 1950/1951 from components supplied by Youngstown Steel Door Co. and Standard Railway Equipment. Note the improved Dreadnaught ends with the rectangular top rib. Modifications in a BN rebuild program involved, roof walk removal, shortened ladders, wider 10 Ft. door (w/reinforced opening) and converted roller bearing trucks. Similar to CN 4521, doubtful she enjoyed similar longevity with her second owner.

CN stock car No. 810189 is most likely being used for tie storage and transport - note the haphazard pattern of side strapping repairs and ability to see randomly through the car. This car was from a group of two hundred converted in 1965 from 503500-505850 series wood side (all metal Hutchins roof with Dreadnought steel ends) boxcars. By the early 1980’s Canadian National’s population of stock cars had dwindled to less than 250.

Although the principle CO-OP structures remain, much change to the landscape has occurred over the intervening 36 years. The weed and brush filled field has been consumed by a substantial garden and soil supply enterprise (hence the elevated earthen vantage point). While whitewash has replaced the classic CO-OP cream trimmed by hunter green colour scheme, one can still buy hardware items. However, the only available feed, is for pets.

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