Canada's Railway Magazine since 1945
JANUARY 1995 THIS MONTH IN RAIL AND TRANSIT
3 CANADIAN ATLANTIC RAILWAY ABANDONED AND SOLD Gordon Webster takes us through the confusing story of CP's sale of its Atlantic lines to three new short line railways 8 TORONTO'S NEW SPADINA STREETCAR LINE NUMBER 541 - JANUARY 1995 Photos and diagrams of the TTC's new line and new cars PUBLISHED BY 10 Upper Canada Railway Society RESEARCH AND REVIEWS RO. Box 122, Station A RAILWAY ARCHAEOLOGY... Toronto, Ontario M5W IA2 ... The railways of northem Quebec (Part 2) NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 14 MARCH 17, 1995 TRANSCONTINENTAL EDITOR THE RAPIDO CP sales and abandonments Notice is liereby given tliat tlie annual gen• Pat Scrlmgeour ... Parliamentary task force on CN eral meeting of tlie Upper Canada Railway 250 Queens Quay West #1607 THE PANORAMA Moose control on BCR Society, Incorporated, will be held in tlie tliea- Toronto, Ontario M5J 2N2 MOTIVE POWER Photos of new power tre of tlie Metropolitan Toronto Archives and E-Mail: 73 1 [email protected] IN TRANSIT TTC streetcar trackwork Records Centre, 255 Spadina Road, Toronto, Ontario, on Friday, March 17, 1995, at tlie CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ON THE CALENDAR hour of 8:00 o'clock in the evening. Eastern John Carter, Art Clowes, Standard Time, for the purpose of receiving Scott Haskill, Don McQueen, Friday, February 17 - UCRS Toronto meeting, and considering the directors' reports and fi- Sean Robitaille, Gray Scrlmgeour, 7:30 p.m., at the Metro Archives theatre, iiaiicial statements for the year ended Decem• Chris Spinney, Gordon Webster Spadina Road at MacPherson, just north of ber 31, 1994, electing directors, appointing an Dupont subway station. Reg Button will show auditor, and for the transaction of other such photographs of railways around Hamilton from business as may properly be brought before Please send news and short contributions to the 1950s to the present. the meeting. the addresses shown with each news section. Friday, February 24 - UCRS Hamilton meet• Dated January 30, 1994. By order of the board Articles and photos should be sent to the ing, 8:00 p.m., at the Hamilton Spectator au• of directors. editor at one of the above addresses. If you ditorium, 44 Fiid Street, just off Main Street (Signed) [b G. Eastman - President are using a computer, please use electronic at Highway 403. The programme will be re• S. Haskiii - Secretary mail or send a WordPerfect, Word, or text file cent news and members' current and histori• on an IBM-compatible (5'A" or 3 A") disk, cal slides. JANUARY 1995 - A MONTH OF along with a printed copy. Saturday, March 11 - Forest City Railway So• CHANGE FOR CANADIAN RAILWAYS ciety 21st annual slide trade and sale day 1:00 This has been a more active month than most Subscriptions to KaW and Transit are available to 5:00 p.m. All Saints' Church, Hamilton and for railways and railway enthusiasts in with membership in the Upper Canada Rail• Inkerman, London, Ontario. Admission $2.00. Canada. way Society. Membership dues are $29.00 per Friday, March 17 - UCRS annual general meet• On the last day of 1994, Canadian Pacific abandoned its connection in Canada with the year (12 issues) for addresses in Canada, and ing, Metro Archives theatre, Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Atlantic coast, leaving only one isolated op• $35.00 (or $27.00 in U.S. funds) for addresses Friday, March 24 - UCRS Hamilton monthly eration east of Quebec. Within the next week, in the U.S. and overseas. Student member• meeting, 8:00 p.m. three new short line railways - the Canadian ships, for those 17 years or younger, are Saturday, May 27, and Sunday, May 28 - The American, the Eastern Maine, and the New $19.00. Please send inquiries and changes of Central Electric Railfan Association electric Bninswick Southern - had taken up where address to the address at the top of the page. railway weekend in Toronto. Saturday a visit CP had left off, with plans to increase busi• to the Halton County Radial Railway and a ness by reducing labour costs. presentation on transit in Toronto; Sunday a Then, the same week that the new lines UPPER CANADA RAILWAY SOCIETY FCC excursion over TTC tracks. Price for the began, the newest railway line in the country DIRECTORS full weekend is $50.00 (U.S.); CERA, PC. Box opiened, GO Transit's extension to Oshawa. John Carter, VP-Sep,nces 4 16 690-6651 503, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. 60690. With this extension, not only does the com• Pat Semple, VP-Administration 416 923-9123 muting territory of Toronto expand, but it now Sco« Haskill, Secretary 416 604-2071 COVER PHOTO becomes possible to commute by GO train to Art Clowes 514 934-5549 a major city other than Toronto. Rick Eastman 416 494-3412 Track construction on the new Spadina AIMaitland 416 921-4023 At the end of the month, the Aigoma Cen• streetcar line in Toronto, looking north on George Meek 416 532-5617 tral Railway ceases to be an independent line, Spadina Avenue from Spadina Circle. Pat Scrlmgeour 416 260-5652 and becomes a subsidiary of a U.S. railway. Streetcars should be running on the new line Chris Spinney 416 281-8211 Who ever thought that the Wisconsin Central beginning in early 1997. would have an interchange with the Ontario Completed January 30, 1995 -Photo by Ted Wickson, September 6, 1994 Northland in Hearst?
2 • Rail and Transit • January 1995 By Gordon Webster A brief history of the Canadian Atlantic Railway CP Rail abandoned its Canadian Atlantic Railway unit on • September 1, 1988 - The CAR is created. December 31, 1994. Within the next few days, three new • June 4, 1989 - Ex-CPR 4-6-2 1201 arrives in Saint John from Montreal to short line railway companies began operating the CAR line celebrate the 100th anniversary of the fust through Montreal to Saint John train, which arrived June 3, 1889. to Saint John, New Brunswick. Except for an isolated eight • January 15, 1990 - VIA Atlantic cut from daily to tri weekly service. miles of track in northwestern New Brunswick, the Cana• • January 16, 1990 - Notice of intent is filed with the NTA to abandon track dian Pacific system no longer runs east of Quebec. from Aroostook to Grand Falls, from Upper Kent to Southampton, from CP Rail created the Canadian Atlantic Railway in 1988 as Woodstock to McAdam, and 0.5 miles of track in Edmiindston. • January 29, 1991 - NTA hearing opens into the abandonment. an extension of its 1987 reorganisation into units - • Vebruary 1, 1991 - CAR proposes a two-year contract to move 10 400 trailer Intennodal FreightSystems and HeavyHattl Systems. The loads of McCain's traffic by train between Fiorenceviiie and Toronto at broker- creation of the CAR was "to give increased emphasis to competitive rates during the closing arguments in the NTA abandonment hear• the railway's operations and marketing activities in the ing. This offer was not accepted by McCain's. evolving Atlantic Canada transportation marketplace." In• • April 14, 1992 - CAR files notice of intent to abandon the St. Andrews Spur, stead, it became the prelude to the closure and sale of the Champiain Spur, the Fiedericton and Southampton subdivisions, and the CP's Maritime network. Gibson Subdivision between Southampton and North Devon, also known as the The CAR was built from the former CP Saint John Nackawic Loop. • October 1992 - Rumours surface tiiat CP is negotiating with CN for the sale of Division and the Dominion Atlantic Railway, which to• the CAR within two years. State of Maine forgives CPS2-miiiion in taxes. gether comprised 909.3 miles of track and 18 subdivi• • November 17, 1992 - CP files notice of intent to abandon ail railway opera• sions. The sale of the DAR in 1994 and line abandonments tions east of Lennoxviiie, and applies to the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commis• had trimmed the unit down to only 365.5 miles of track sion to abandon its track through Maine. Not included in this application was by December 1994. tiie DAR, wiiich CP also offers for sale, except that the line between New Minas Dtiring those years, the railway reduced its staff, modi• and Coidbrook was included. fied operations to meet customers' needs, streamlined Continued on Page 4 >- administration, and invested in intermodal infrastructure to maintain service to customers not close to track. But CP SD40-2 5741 led the last train to operate on the Canadian Atlantic this was not enough to keep the railway a feasible opera• Railway, Train 281-30, seen here at Megantic, Quebec. tion in the eyes of CP's upper management in Montreal. -Photo by Pat Scrimgeour, December 31.1994
Rail and Transit • January 1995 • 3 A brief history of the Canadian Atlantic Railway The abandoiunent of the CAR attracted a lot of attention ^ Continued from Page 3 north and south of the border. People accused CP of aban• • November 26, 1992 - The federal court of appeal dismisses an attempt by doning Canada when it decided to abandon the CAR but McCain's to prevent the CAR from abandoning its Tobique Subdivision and seg• was spending rmllions of doUars on capital improvements ments of the Shogomoc Subdivision. Ftermission was originally granted to aban• on the Delaware and Hudson Railway, which it had ac• don various segments of these lines between May 1989 and June 1991. quired two years after the CAR's creation. Now people • December4,1992 -The last GAR train leaves the McCain's piantat Fiorenceviiie. say CP is no longer a transcontinentai railway, overlook• • Febmaiy 24, 1993 - CP files application to abandon all of its track east of ing its U.S. east-coast connections. Lennoxviiie, excluding some of the DAR • May 1993 - CAR abandons the St. Andrews and Champiain spurs. After permission was received to abandon almost all • August 9, 1993 - NTA permits CP to abandon the Canadian portions of the track east of Lexmoxviiie, everything seemed to go quite CAR and its track east of Lennoxwiie, effective August 9, 1994. Permission was smoothly for CP There were over 20 different groups in• not granted to abandon eight miles of the Edmundston Subdivision between terested in taking over the CAR and it looked like railway Cyr Jet. and Grand Falls. In reply to appeals, the federal cabinet moved the service through Maine to Saint John would be saved. The abandonment date to January 1, 1995. list of 20 was reduced to two: CanTrak, whom nobody • September 8, 1993 - CAR abandons the DAR west of Hantsport. had ever heard of, and Guilford, whom everyone had heard • September 23, 1993 - CP reaches an agreement with Iron Road Railways Inc. for the sale of the remains of the DAR of but disliked. CanTrak's proposal was favoured, because • September 23, 1993 — A number of appeals are filed with the federal court of they were interested in acquiring all of the line, whUe appeals to reverse the NTAs abandonment decision. Guilford was only interested in the line from • October 12, 1993 - The New Brunswick government files notice of intent to
CANADIAN AMERICAN RAILROAD Former CP Sherbrooke and Moosehead subdivisions
N*"" ^° O"^ 4^ 68.5 65.4 61.1 5X6 47.4 38.4 31.0 0.0 114.1 101.9 86.3 73.6 65.1 43.4 33.4 30.8 13.1 0.0 I 17.1 1 CP 1 Sherbrooke Subdivision | Moosehead Subdivision [ 1 Quebec 1 Maine | 1 Dispatched by CP Rail RTC, Montreal | Dispatched by N.B. Southern RTC, Saint John | Mattawamkeag, where it connected with the CAR, east to appeal the NTAs ruling. ICG hearing begins in Bangor into CP's application to Saint John. (This was of particular interest to Guilford abandon the CAR through Maine. • November 1993 - Guilford announces it has an agreement in principle to pur• because it has an isolated piece of track in Woodland, chase the CAR and is seeking new customers. CP quickly refutes this statement. Maine, that is connected only to the CAR.) • November 26, 1993 - Application is filed to sell the DAR to Iron Road. CanTrak was chosen as the Jfinai candidate for the line, • November29, 1993 -The last CAR train operates from Nackavdc, on the Gibson much to the relief of many groups. Negotiations contin• Subdivision and Southampton Spur. CAR abandons the Fredericton Subdivision ued, CanTrak registered in Ontario and became known from Fredericton to Fredericton Jet. and the Gibson Subdmsion from South as NorRaii Transport, agreements were signed for loco• Devon to Southampton. Also abandoned are the Minto and Southampton spurs. motives to be leased from the U.S., and everything seemed • April 1994 - CP claims S13.5-miIiion from the federal government for losses on the operation of the CAR from the date of abandonment application to the to be on track for a January 1995 start for the abandonment date. (Only the portion covering the losses of operations on the owners-to-be. branch-line portions of the CAR were awarded.) Applications to appeal the NTA This came to a crashing halt when CP announced that decision are also denied. it could not complete negotiations vdth NorRaii and would • April 20, 7994-CP chooses Guilford and CanTrak as the final two companies enter final negotiations with J. D. Irving Ltd. for the sale to negotiate for the purchase of the CAR of the line east of BrownvilLe Jet. Another buyer was to be • July 7, 1994 - CP announces it has chosen CanTrak, later renamed NorRaii Transport, to negotiate the sale of the CAR and the line east from Lennoxviiie. sought for the line between Lennoxviiie and Brownvilie • August 29, 1994 - The Windsor and Hantsport Railway begins operation on Jet. We may never find out why CP reaUy ended negotia• the remains of the DAR tions with NorRaii, but there is no doubt that the Irving • September 16, 1994 - CP enters negotiations with the Irving family for pur• family was involved in this decision in one way or an• chase of its line east of Brownviile Jet. Negotiations with CanTrak had been other, as Irving owned most of the property on which CAR terminated and CP was now looking for a new buyer of the line between track sat in the province of New Brunswick, including Brownviile Jet. and Lennoxviiie. many abandoned lines. • November 3, 1994 - The Bangor and Aroostook and Iron Road Railways are identified as the purchasers of the CAR west of Brownviile Jet. J. D. Irving Ltd. owns the New Brunswick Railway • December 15, 1994-The last VIAAriontic trains depart Montreal and Halifax Company, which leased its lines to the CPR for 990 years for their trip over the CAR on July 1, 1890, long before Irving was involved. As part • December 28, 7994-The ICC approves the sale of the CAR line through Maine of the original lease agreement between the NBR and CPR, to another railway. CP was obliged to guarantee and pay interest on four • December 31,1994, at 14:24-The last CP train departs CAR track at Megantic. percent consolidated debenture stock of the NBR which The last locomotive off the line was CAR RS23 8023. is traded on the Intemationai Exchange in London, Eng- • December 31, 1994, at 23:59 - CAR is abandoned. 4 • Rail and Transit • January 1995 land. With the relinquishment of most of this lease, the Disposition of the lines that made up the CAR in 1988 NBR is now paying the interest on this stock. In the home stretch of CP's ownership, traffic contin• Aroostook Subdivision Abandoned Edmundston Subdivision Stili in service. Grand laiis to Cyr Jet. ued to grow despite the uncertainty of what was about to Fredericton Subdivision Abandoned take place. Since abandonment approval, traffic was ac• Gibson Subdivision Abandoned tually up 40 percent on the CAR. The first sign of real Halifax Subdivision'. Remaining part to Windsor and Hantsport change, though, was the elimination of VIA passenger Houlton Subdivision Abandoned service. Kentviiie Subdivision Abandoned Saint John, Canada's oldest incorporated dty, lost its Mattawamkeag Subdivision To Eastern Maine Railroad passenger train service on December 16 when the last McAdam Subdivision To New Brunswick Southern Railway eastbound Atlantic departed from the year-old Saint John Moosehead Subdivision To Canadian American Railroad VIA station. This was the first time that the city had been Shogomoc Subdivision Abandoned Southampton Subdivision Abandoned without passenger service since 1889 - over 100 years of St. Andrews Subdivision Abandoned continuous passenger service. VIA opened its new station St. Stephen Subdivision To New Brunswick Southern Railway months after the NTA approved the abandonment of the Tobique Subdivision Abandoned CAR, suggesting that sorne sort of VIA train service would Truro Subdivision Remaining part to Windsor and Hantsport remain. Under the National Transportation Act, however, West Saint John Subdivision Remaining part to N.B. Southern VIA trains are not permitted to operate over other than Yarmouth Subdivision Abandoned EASTERN MAINE RAILROAD Former CP Mattawamkeag Subdivision Maine N.B. Dispatched by N.B. Southern RTC, Saint John federally-regulated fines. So now VIA passengers depart Some of the last trains to operate on the CAR from Saint John at SMT (Fastem)'s Union Street bus sta• tion to catch a ride to meet the train in Moncton. Oh yes, • Train 280 of December 27 - CP 3043, 4743, 4218, HATX 920, HATX 517, never forget the name Irving - one of the Irving compa• CP 5717, and 4243, to Brownviile Jet., where some units were set-off be• fore the train continued to Saint John. nies also owns SMT. The last days of CP train operations saw the yards and • Train 280 of December 28 - CP 5741, PNCX 3021, CP 4559, HLCX 663, and CP 4242, to Brownrille Jet., where one unit was set-off before the train shop being cleaned out and the movement of roiling stock continued to Saint John. This was the last eastbound train to go to Saint off the property. By December 31, the yard at Lancaster John. Train 280-29 was terminated at Famham on December 30. in Saint John looked fike a ghost yard. The headquarters • Train 281 of December 29 - CP 3043, 4743, 4218, HATX 920, HATX 517, office building had been vacated in the months preced• and CP 1275. ing, and equipment was given a one-way ticket out of • Train 290 of December 29 - CP 5507, 5447, 5613, and CRL 603, with town. three loads and 17 empties. This was the last CP eastbound train to termi• CP main-fine operation on the CAR came to an end at nate at Brownrdlle Jet., arriving at 10:50 on December 30. Megantic at 14:24 on December 31 when the last traia • Train 291 of December 29 - CV 5507, 5447, and 5613 with 46 loads and pulled away with fax machines and other office equip• 21 empties from Brownviile Jet. at 15:00 on December 30. ment from the station loaded onto the trafiing locomo• • Train 291 of December 30 - CP 5717, CP 4243, and CRL 603 with 28 loads tives. It was dear of CAR track at 14:30. Two hours later, and 11 empties from Brownviile Jet. at 22:37. this same train was into Sherbrooke at 16:20 and out at • The last train from McAdam to Woodland, Maine, operated December 30 16:40, clearing what was to become the east end of CP's with CP 1273, 8040, and 1274, with three cars and van 434922. This power main line. and van later ran light from McAdam as an extra to Saint John, arriving in Farfier that day, at 07:16, General Bulletin Order Fl77 Saint John at 06:15 on December 31. had been issued: "Effective at 2359 Saturday December • The last train to leave Saint John for Montreal was Train 281-30 - CP 31st 1994 that portion of the Sherbrooke Subdivision be• 5741, PNCX 3021, CP 4559, CP 4242, and CAR 8023 with 17 loads and 20 tween Megantic Mile 0.0 and Lennoxviiie Mile 65.4 is empties (2657 feet). It departed Saint John at 02:30 onDecemberSl. After abandoned by CP Rail System." leaving Brownviile Jet., this had increased to 27 loads and 43 empties. Once new agreements were signed in the New Year, • The last train to leave the CAR at Saint John was a transfer to the CNR the CAR was taken over by four different companies - the interchange, leaving the CAR yard around 10:30 on December 31 - CP Canadian American Rafiroad Company, the Eastern Maine 8138, 8025, 8033, 8040, 8025, 8024, 1273, and 1274 (not in that order) Rafiroad Company, the New Brunswick Southern Railway with approximately 30 cars. The locomotives remained on the CN inter• change until the N.B. Southern retrieved them after January 1. Company, and - yes - CP Rail System. Rail and Transit • January 1995 • 5 New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Limited Traffic is already growing and once better motive Ownership - Subsidiary of Irving-owned New Brunswick Railway power arrives, operations are expected to change. All CAR Company. station and subdivision names have remained and the N.B. Take-over agreement comp/eted-January 6, 1995. Southern plans to change the timetabie direction of the St. Stephen Subdivision from north-south to east-west. Headquarters — Saint John, New Brunswick. Miles in operation - 131.7 Canadian American Railroad Company History of lines-The McAdam Subdivision from Mile 0.0 to MileO. 17 Majority ownership — Down East Securities, a subsidiary of Fieldcrest was on CN trackage. West to Mile 1.75 was built by the Saint John Cannon inc. and owners of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad, Bridge and Railway Extension Company in 1895, and purchased iron Road Railways is expected to complete its agreement with by the CPR in 1905. From there to Mile 84.36 was built by the Fieldcrest Cannon early next month forthe acquisition of both the European and North American Railway in 1871, later leased by B&A and the CDAC. the New Brunswick Railway, and leased by the CPR in 1890. • Agreement executed - January 4, 1995. (Not an ail-cash transaction. The St. Stephen Subdivision between Miles 0.0 and 14.8 was con• No locomotives or roiling stock were involved, however.) structed between 1857 and 1861 by the St. Andrews and Quebec Headquarters — Brownviile Jet., Maine. Railway. This was leased to the New Brunswick Railway from July 1, 1882. Between Miles 14.8 and 33.9 was constructed in 1866 by Miles in operation — 182.5 the St. Stephen Branch Railway Company. This was amalgamated History of iines - The portion from Megantic to the Maine border with the New Brunswick and Canada Railway in 1873 and leased was built between 1872 and 1879 by the St. Francis and Lake to the New Brunswick Railway from July 1, 1882. Megantic international Railway Company. This name was changed NEW BRUNSWICK SOUTHERN RAILWAY Former CP McAdam and St. Stephen subdivisions Other faciiities - Mechanical building in Saint to the international Railway Company in 1877, and the line was John, built 1980. Houses diesei shop, car leased to the CPR in 1886. • The line from Brownviile Jet. to the y shop, RTC office, and general railway Maine-Quebec border was commenced by the international Rail• offices (relocated from the now-closed way Company of Maine and completed in 1888. it was leased to CAR headquarters building). the CPR in 1886, before its completion. • The line from # Miiitown Spur rj3X8 s- Sherbrooke to Lennoxviiie was begun in 1888 and from Lennoxviiie 4.6 Financial terms of the transfer to the to Megantic in 1889 by the Atlantic and Northwest Railway Com• N.B. Southern were not released, but pany. This railway was leased to the CPR in 1887. since CP relinquished most of its lease with the New Brunswick Railway, Ail employees of the Canadian American are former CP 033.9 LJ LJ Irving also controls almost aU aban• employees, except for the head of the railway who is a doned CP lines in the province. Most B&A employee. The first CDAC train operated on the of these abandoned iines have not had evening of January 5 from Sherbrooke to BrownviUe Jet., the track removed. after CP Train 910 had arrived earlier in the day. (Its con• Operations of the N.B. Southern began on the after• sist: CP 5752, 5560, 4573, 5775, 1866, 1855, 1275, and noon of January 6 when the CP motive power on the CN 4215.) CP 1866, 1865, 1275, and 4215 continued with interchange track was retrieved. Agreements had to be the train onto the CDAC. CP 4215 returned with the first finalised with customs officials before the first train oper• westbound train, departing Sherbrooke again as CP Train ated on January 8. The first train to Woodland, Maine, 909-05. There have been no significant changes made in arrived on January 8 around 14:00, consisting of three operations yet and the old CAR train numbers are still locomotives and a caboose. There were 100 loaded cars used. Eastbound trains originate when CP trains arrive in backed up since CP ceased operations at the miU, and the Sherbrooke and travel to Brownviile Jet. Trains through first train spent about four hours pulling cars firom the to New Bnmswick are handled by CDAC crews to McAdam Maine Central (Guilford) interchange. and turned over to N.B. Southern crews there. Leased motive power firom the U.S. is expected to ar• Motive power is a mix of CP (inciuding CP 1275, rive in February until permanent N.B. Soutiiern power 1865 - since replaced by 1813 - and 1866) and Bangor arrives from the U.S. in May. UntH then, CP RS23s and and Aroostook power. There are no B&A units equipped SW1200RSS are being used. Operations continue with an to lead in Canada, so CP units lead all trains to Sherbrooke. assignment from McAdam switching Woodland, and one Leased power is expected to arrive within a few weeks. turn a day operating from Saint John to McAdain, meet• There have been no changes to station or subdivision ing with the CDAC train. Trains are still called Nos. 280 names, and the line is dispatched from the N.B. Southern and 281, as they were in CAR days. RTC office in Saint John. 6 • Rail and Transit • January 1995 Eastern Maine Railroad Company retirement packages and lump-sum severance packages Ownership - Subsidiary of irving-owned New Brunswick Railway were offered by CR A large number of the employees are Company. protected by the employment security provisions of their Agreement executed - January 6, i 995. collective agreements, which assure them fuU wages and benefits until the employees are of pensionable age. CP Miies in operation - 99.5 offered severance of $10 000 to workers who Joined the History of iine-The line between Brownvillejct. and Mattawamkeag new railways and guaranteed any increase that may come was begun by the International Railway Company of Maine and out of overall severance negotiations with unions. The 40 leased to the CPR in i 886. The line was completed In 1888. From employees hired by the N.B. Southern were signed to six- Mattawamkeag to Vanceboro was purchased from the Maine Cen• month contracts. J. D. Irving Ltd. said it could not com• tral Railroad on December 17, 1974. Until this time, CP operated mit to employment without knowing how traffic will de• to Saint John over running rights on the MEG. in the sale agree• velop on the new railway. ment, MEG retained running rights over this section of track. The future of these railways looks promising. Irving The Eastern Maine is being operated by the CDAC for has a vast abOity to put new traffic on the railway origi• Irving and dispatched by the N.B. Southern from Saint nating from its own companies. Irving owns refmeries, a John. The railway does not have any employees. The di• shipyard in Saint John, newspapers, radio stations, gas vision between N.B. Southern and Eastern Maine track is stations, forestry operations, and tmcking operations. The at the intemationai boimdary, 5.6 miies west of McAdam, new railway companies also have the potential to expand. and CDAC crews bring trains the last few miies on the Irving owns many abandoned CP iines that are near Irving- N.B. Southern. CP Rail System owned and other resources. Track material is still on most Yes, that is correct - CP is still present in New Brunswick. of these lines, and since they are no longer federaiiy-regu- The 7.8-miie long Edmundston Spur is still leased from iated, they could easily be reopened. the New Brunswick Railway and operated by CP between CN may sell its Sussex Subdivision from Saint John to Cyr Jet. and Grand Falls to serve a McCain's plant there. Moncton, opening up the intermodal business between The one engine, based at the McCain's plant, takes short Montreal and Moncton to the new short lines. Iron Road trains north on the Edmundston Spur and over CN track is currently negotiating with CP for the lines from Saint- to Saint-Leonard, where traffic is interchanged with the Jean east to Sherbrooke and south to Wells River, Ver• CN and the Bangor and Aroostook, via CN's Van Buren mont. Already, Saint-Jean has been made the interchange Bridge Company. The NTA denied CP permission to aban• point between CDAC and CR indicating that something is don this iine. CP also still has staff in Saint John - one likely to come of this deal soon. Alliances can also be marketing person and two clerks are employed in an of• made with the potential new operators on the Quebec fice to sell the service of CP Central and RailTex's New England Central Railroad on the old Central Vermont. What looked at first hke the death The discontinuation of CAR operation affected approxi• of rail service to Saint John may in fact be its rebirth. • mately 300 CP employees. Approximately 100 were of• fered employment by the Canadian American and VIA F40PH-2 6436 heading Train 12, the eastbound Atiantic, at N.B. Southern while others took transfers to other posi• Saint John, two weeks before the train was removed. tions on CP Rail. Financial incentives to relocate, early -Photo by Gordon Webster. December 4. i 994 Rail and Transit • January 1995 • 7 Toronto's new Spadina streetcar iine Construction continues on the newest streetcar hne in Toronto, due to open in eariy 1997 on Spadina Avenue. The ramp and turmei portai to the rm- derground ioop at Bioor Street, within Spadina subway station, was completed first. Track was then installed, on a com• pletely new base, between Sussex Avenue, at the top of the ramp, and College Street. The track is segregated from auto traffic except where it rounds Spadina Circle, a short distance north of College. Work is currently underway on the underground ioop at Spadina Station. A new driveway has been built for buses, and the southern part of the bus transfer plat• form is now closed. Much of the intersec• tion of Spadina Avenue and Bioor Street is being excavated as well. When the new iine opens in 1997, it will be known as Route 510, and will be con• solidated with the current 604- Harbourfront route. Streetcars will run from Spadina Station to Union Station, with additional cars miming only between Spadina Station and Spadina Loop (at Queens Quay), to give more frequent serv• ice on Spadina Avenue. Current plans are for streetcars to ran on Spadina Avenue about every two min• utes during rash hours on weekdays and through the day on Saturdays, about every three minutes during the middle of the day on weekdays, every four minutes during the evening on weekdays and through the day on Sundays, and every five or six min• utes on weekend evenings. Service on Queens Quay wiU stay about the same as it is now with Route 604. The line is 3.65 kilometres long, with 12 stops between Spadina Station and Queens Quay. The total construction cost TOP PHOTO - The portal to the underground loop at Spadina Station, transfer is $141-miiiion, plus the cost of the new point with the Bloor-Danforth Subway, looking north from Sussex Street. The streetcars. southbound track, on the left in this photo, has a longer grade than the north• The present track between King Street and bound track, to make the climb out of the tunnel easier. Queen Street will be removed and new track installed in the summer of 1995, in• BOTTOM PHOTO - The northbound track on the east side of Spadina Circle, cluding the connection with the track south looking northeast. The track on Spadina Circle has been built using special of King, and the intersections of the iine techniques to isolate any vibrations from scientific instruments in nearby build• with the tracks on Queen, Adelaide, and ings at the University of Toronto. King streets. Then, in 1996, the present track between Queen and College will be removed and replaced with new track, in• Photos by Ted Wickson. cluding the intersections with Dundas and September 6, 1994 College. By then, the underground ioop at Diagrams by Pat Scrlmgeour Spadina Station will be ready, and the line Text by Ted Wickson and Pat Scrimgeour. will be complete. from TTC information 8 • Rail and Transit • January 1995 Spadina streetcar line - Stops and track connections New cars for the new line For the new Spadina streetcar line, the TTC will be buying 23 or 24 new low-floor ar• Bloor-Danforth ticulated streetcars, at an estimated cost Spadina Station k Subway of $5-million each. These cars wili be about the same size as the current ALRVs, but with the low floor, there will be no steps to board the car, and so loading and un• Sussex Street loading win be faster, and the line wiU be fully accessible to people who use wheel• chairs or cannot climb stairs. Harbord Street The most likely design of car at this time is the SGP Verkehrstechnik-Elin-Sie- mens car being bruit for Vienna. MAN and Wiiicocks Street AEG have been proposing another design, as bruit for Niimberg, which could meet the TTC's specifications. The TTC is now Spadina Circle finahsing the specifications for the cars, with a contract iikeiy to be awarded to Bombardier in the spring. Bombardier would then secure licenses for the design College Street and build the cars in Ontario. The SGP Vienna car is built in five sec• Cecil Street tions, with a pair of wheels under the ar- Nassau Street ticriiation joints between each segment - eight wheels in aU. The wheels are aU pow• ered by AC motors, one for each pair of wheels. The first and fourth articulation Dundas Street "portals" allow horizontal movement, and the centre two allow both horizontal and vertical movement. The TTC car would be slightly different from the cars now being Sullivan Street built for Vienna, as they would be a littie longer, at 24 metres, and a littie wider, at 2.6 metres. The height of the car above the ground can be adjusted, to allow for Queen Street the car to be brought as close as possible to ground level when it is stopped, and to Richmond Street be higher when travelling through snow. Following the completion of the speci• Adelaide Street fication and the award of a contract, the first two cars would arrive in Toronto eariy King Street in 1997 for a year of testing. The remain• der of the cars would be delivered in 1998. Between the time that the Spadina streetcar line opens and the new low-floor Front Street cars arrive, service would be provided by the TTC's current fleet of CLRVs, ALRVs, and PCCs, and a temporary paraUei acces• Bremner Bivd sible service may be operated with low- floor Orion II buses. Queens Quay To Union Station Diagrams are not to scale Mas P,Wi^ • m ffl H ks. /•'"•'\ mm1 \ (aiii Rail and Transit • January 1995 • 9 Research and Reviews Just A. Fcrronut's The iine from Linton was operated by the James Bay and Eeistern Railway (JB&E) Railway Archaeology Canadian Northem as their La Tuque Subdi• Robervai to Triquet - Part of CN's Robervai vision and known in. Canadian National's Subdivision Art Clowes days as the Linton Subdivision. It crossed the This was an attempt by the Canadian North• 1625 ouest, boul. de Maisonneuve, Suite 1600 NTR a couple of miies south of La Tuque and em to add a major link to its transcontinentai Montreal (Quebec) H3H 2N4 entered the community on the west side of railway chain. The James Bay and Eastem E-Mail: 7! [email protected] the NTR. This iine, like the remainder of the Railway was incorporated on May 4,1910, to Q&LSJ, came under the operating control of construct and operate a railway from Lake Railways of northern Quebec (Part 2) the new Canadian National Railways on Jan• Abitibi (on the Quebec-Ontario border) via Last month, we covered the development of uary 1,1919, foiiowing the financial collapse the south shore of Lac Saint-Jean, to the the Quebec and Lake St. John Railway north of the Canadian Northem. mouth of the Saguenay River. to Chambord and the railways in the Sague- The CNR discontinued operation over the Nine days iatei; on May 13, 1910, the nay River valley arotmd the eastern end of fuU 39.6-mile Linton Subdivision on February Canadian Northem Railway System made Lac Saint-Jean and downriver to the Baie des 27, 1921, except for 1.23 miles at La Tuque, application to • the federal government to Ha! Ha!. We left off on the westward railway which became a siding. This small piece, renew an earlier-approved subsidy in the march with the Q&LSJ reaching Robervai, later known as the Linton Spui; remained name of the James Bay and Eastem Railway. 13.32 miies west of Chambord. until it was abandoned on November 24, When questioned about this application, This month, there is one more branch of 1986. Parts of the rest of the iine were dis• counsel for Canadian Northem replied that the Q&LSJ we should look at, and an inde• mantled, but one 1931 railway diagram the Quebec and Lake St. John Railway Com• pendent tramway that connected with the indicates that two sections totalling about 32 pany was in the hands of receivers and that Q&LSJ. After that, we'll look at the railway miles may have been leased, with rails still in the James Bay and Eastem Railway was around the westem end of Lac Saint-Jean. place, to sports clubs. Later records indicate incorporated to take up the subsidy for the Finally this month, we'll return south and that these sports clubs eventually converted constmction of this new link. head west on the National Transcontinentai the old roadbed to private roadways. Railway. Needless to say, Canadian Northem didn't get their iine across northem Quebec. Seven Next month, to complete this review, we Metabetchouan Railway years later; on November 21, 1917, some will look at the construction of the various St. Andre Jet. to St. Andre de TEpouvante 19.4 miies was completed from Robervai to Canadian National resource iines, as well as (abandoned) LaDore (CN Triquet). This was the last track the Temiskaming and Northem Ontario This was a short-hved lumbering railway constmcted by the Canadian Northem in Railway's sojoum into Quebec. which ran east off the Q&LSJ from a point about 18 miies south of Chambord. Julian northem Quebec and it, like the rest of their Quebec and Lake St. John Railway (Q&LSJ) Bernard brought this line to my attention, system, became history 13 months later with Linton to La Tuque (abandoned) and has supplied much of my material on it. the formation of the Canadian National This was a short-hved 39.6-mile line that The Metabetchouan Pulp Company was Railways. extended from Linton (Linton Jet.), 22 miies incorporated in 1902, with authority to build north of Riviere-a-Pierre, to La Tuque. The Canadian National Railways (CN) a tramway from its mill at St. Andre de Hne was opened on November 23, 1907, just Triquet to Dolbeau - Part of CN's Robervai i'Epouvante (now Saint-Andre-de-Lac-Saint- as the National Transcontinental Railway Subdivision Jean), on the Riviere Metabetchouan, to Lake construction was getting in full swing in the While a number of railway enterprises had Bouchette on the Q&LSJ. The iine was built area of La Tuque. Records show that con- promoted a iine around the north of Lac in 1911 or 1912, and the provincial govem- stmction supplies for the NTR were ferried Saint-Jean, Canadian National, with its 26.6- ment supplied a subsidy in the form of land, over this hne into La Tuque. mile iine from Triquet (end of the James Bay in the amount of 1000 acres per mile of line. In addition, it shotiid be noted that the and Eastem Railway constmction) to Dolbeau The July Intemationai Railway Guide proposed NTR hne was shown on some Cana• (Mistassini), penetrated furthest into this lists St. Andre Jet., but neither this station dian Northem maps as a "great circle" iine timber-rich area. This iine, west of Lac Saint- nor the Metabetchouan line is shown on the extending from Linton through La Tuque to Jean and the Mistassini Rivei; extends to the accompanying map. Quebec and Lake St. Cochrane and Superior Jet, (Sioux Lookout, pulp and paper mills at the junction of the John Railway public timetables around this Ontario). From these maps, and noting the Mistassini and Ouasiemsca rivers northwest time show many changes in this area. The timing of Mackenzie and Mann bujdng into of the lake. The iine was officially opened on map with the October 1911 timetable shows the Quebec and Lake St. John, one must November 22, 1927. a iine that appears to extend from Bilodeau wonder if they were hoping to have the (12 miles south of Chambord) southeast to Today, this iine, the James Bay and Q&LSJ form part of the National Transconti• St. Andre. The June 1913 timetable is very Eastem, and the section of the Quebec and nentai route. However from railway engin• similar to the 1908 guide, and shows St. Lake St. John west of Chambord, together eering and operating perspectives, the design Andre Jet as 17.5 miles south of Chambord. form CN's Robervai Subdivision. At Triquet, and construction standards of the two rail• The January 1918 employees' timetable has CN's Cran Subdivision connects, and mns ways were so different that the Canadian no reference to a junction at St. Andre, but west to Chibougamau. Northern's iines would have needed to be mileages are the same as in 1908 and 1913. I'll retum to the Cran Subdivision next almost totally rebuilt to meet the higher gov• Another public timetabie, for May 1921, lists month, as we discuss CN's newer resource ernment standards used on the NTR. a St. Andre as 18.3 miies south of Chambord. iines. 10 • Rail and Transit • January 1995 Research and Reviews National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) proposal to build a railway from Atlantic the govemment was signed on July 29,1903. Hervey to Cochrane, Ontario - Part of CN La tidewater; on the Saguenay Rive^ to Port Since these were optimistic times, the flowery Tuque, and ail of CN Saint-Maurice and Simpson, on the northwest coast of British preamble of this July agreement was reflected Taschereau subdivisions Columbia. This company sounded serious, as in the preamble to The National Transconti• With the completion of the Canadian Pacific they surveyed several hundred miies of Une, nental Railway Act, which received Royal from coast to coast, there was grave concern including an area north of Lake Winnipeg assent on October 14, 1903. In addition to that the CPR- wasn't going to be able to and areas in Quebec and British Columbia. approving the July agreement and certain supply adequate railway service to the grow• In 1903, the Grand Trunk went to the other clauses, this act began: ing demand west of the Great Lakes. In govemment with a scheme to build, in co• Whereas, by reason of the growth in popu• addition, some groups expressed the view operation with the govemment, a new trans• lation and the rapid development in the that there had to be competition to ensure ail continentai railway from Moncton, New productiveness and trade of Canada and railway users were getting the best rates and Bmnswick, to Prince Rupert, British Colum• especially of the westem part thereof, and with a view to the opening up of new terri• service. The two big players in this agitation bia. The proposal was for two main divisions, tory available for settlement,, both in the were Mackenzie and Mann, with their Cana• one from Moncton to Winnipeg, and the Eastem Provinces and in the West, and the dian Northem enterprise, and the Grand other from there to Prince Rupert. The Grand affording of transportation facilities for such Trunk Railway. We have noted the attempts Tmnk, with their company the Grand Tmnk territory, and for other reasons, the necess• and the results of Mackenzie and Mann to Pacific, would construct the line west of ity has arisen for the constmction of a get a iine across northem Quebec, so it is Winnipeg. The govemment would build the National Transcontinental Railway, to be time to look at the GTR's efforts. iine east of Winnipeg, and the Grand Tmnk operated as a common railway highway Pacific would then lease and operate this The Grand Trunk Railway, under Charles across the Dominion of Canada, from ocean eastem division. The deal sounded good, so M. Hayes, picked up from the Trans-Canada to ocean and wholly within Canadian terri• the Grand Tmnk Pacific was incorporated Railway Company, which had come forward tory. with several schemes including their 1902 and an agreement between the railway and Sagutnay pjyer Chibougamau Chicoutirn Dolbeau J S./^ •port-Alfred -ac RS ffnt-Jeon Clennont Chambord -—•Saint-Andre LaTuque Quebecj Riviere-a^lJietTe^ ' HerveyS Garneau | jring-Jonctionk LDru ra.mondvllle \ •^Richmond i Joliette { Mont-Laurier Saint-JeromeV~—- • Maniwaki QUEBEC WakefiW,^CW.^' Huil>-'' Arnprior^ Brent ONTARIO Smiths Falls Railways of northern Quebec Active, with passenger service Active, freight sen/ice only All active lines are CN unless otherwise marked Not all lines in the south or outside Quebec are shown Abandoned Mcp by Art Oowes Rail and Transit • January 1995 • I I Research and Reviews This all sounded great, but we now know taking sun shots with their survey instru• most difficult problem for locating the iine on that between construction cost overruns, the ments. Considerable planning had to be the Eastem Division. Three routes near the general economic recession with slow nation• completed to get the pieces of the siuveys Saint-Maurice River were proposed. The chal• al growth, and the Grand Trunk and Grand together For example, two sruvey parties lenges here included getting sufficient alti• Tnmk Pacific's near-bankruptcy, they were heading towards each other had to estimate tude to reach the higher lands to the north, not in a position to take over the National their expected time to meet before they left as well as avoiding the precipitous cHffs along Transcontinentai Railway on its completion. their joint base camp. The reason for this was the rivers. Before we get ahead of ourselves, ief s look at that at an agreed time on an agreed night, The chosen route followed several valleys some of the facets surrounding the earlier each party would find some high groimd and from Hervey-Jonction until a pass was years of the NTR. fire ship's flares into the sky. Each party reached overlooking the hamlet of La Tuque. In hindsight, the unanswered questions would look for the other party's flares and The descent into La Tuque was effected by on "day one" should have raised a few cau• then head for that location. Some of these fitting a two-mHe horseshoe curve into a tion flags. The proposed Hne was to penetrate crews repeated this on several nights before recession of the hillside. a generally uninhabited country. A reconnais• they made contact. In the 80 miies between La Tuque and sance was made over the route, but the lack From these preliminary surveys, a general the old Hudson's Bay post at Weymonta- of knowledge of the country shortness of route was selected, followed by more survey• chene, the Saint-Maurice drops 700 feet. suppHes, lack of transport facflities, and out• ing and engineering calculations to establish Four miles above La Tuque, the Saint-Mau• breaks of scurvy added to the difficulties of the most economical route. Some of the rice was bridged by six 140-foot trusses, and the first surveyors. For the most part, these surveys in the remote parts of northem Que• the precipitous side hill of the river was parties had to rely on supplies they brought bec were not finalised until late in 1908, well followed to Vermillion. From VermilHon, the in with them or could get from the nearest after the start of construction in 1906. The line followed a circuitous route through the fur trader's outpost or Hudson's Bay Company final route selection was based on complex long granite ridges and then along the Saint- post. calculations that included both capital and Maurice to We3Tnontachene. In 1904, the govemment appointed the projected operating costs factored into the As more surveys of westem Quebec were National Transcontinental Railway Commis• design limits of grades and curves to deter• made, it was unexpectedly discovered that sion, in accordance with the 1903 Act, to mine route miies against constmction costs. this high country presented far fewer diffi• oversee the building of the eastem division of For example, it was determined that it was culties than the area draining into the St. the transcontinental iine from Moncton to justifiable to expend $40 000 to save one Lawrence. This resulted in a change to an Winnipeg. normal grade crossing with another railway. alignment to the north of Lake Abitibi, late in Besides the amount of surveying needed 1905. Survey and preconstruction work to establish the most economical location, This was a land of innumerable lakes and The foUowing was extracted from articles the NTR Commission's decisions for route creeks, separated by irregular ridges of sand carried in the industry joumai Canadian changes to skirt the north shores of Lakes and boulders, covered with jack-pine. The Railway and Marine World. During the Nipigon and Abitibi, continuing in this same actual "height of land" was crossed three autumn of 1904 and 1905, some 34 survey general direction to the headwaters of the times in northem Quebec, and twice in parties were equipped and sent out. Before Saint-Maurice Rivei; meant delays and more northem Ontario, with elevations ranging the end of 1906, there were 45 survey parties surveying. from 1070 to 1500 feet above mean tide• in the field. These consisted of about 18 men While . this surveying was massive, water. Deep muskeg and numerous streams each in the settled districts, and up to 24 another massive support organisation was put resulted in the need for many bridges and men in unsettled districts, not counting the in place to establish supply routes and caches culverts. large number of men engaged in transporting of supplies as the surveyors started to get the The engineering of railway constmction suppHes by canoe and backpack in summer route tied together. These relied on existing was fast becoming a science. The early-day and by dog team in winter. Each survey party railway iines, canoe and water routes, as well practices of people half-guessing about the was under the direction of an engineer; and as trappers' routes. Regular systems for mail design of bridges and then gradually loading had eight technicians, as well as a cook, service were provided as soon as the supply them to ensure they would carry fully loaded eight or nine axemen, and a number of back• routes were well-established. trains had gone. Engineers were now leaming packers. The most serious discomforts endured about the strength of the various materials It must be remembered that there were were black flies in summer and a few in• and would calculate what sizes were needed no existing maps to rely on, and in much of tensely cold days in mid-winter when the to carry certain loads. Part of this new the northem territory there were no known mercury sometimes touched 60 degrees science included leaming about the soil on landmarks to use as reference points, it was below zero Fahrenheit (-51 C). Accidents due which the structure would be placed. The slow, hard work to get the first preliminary to upsetting canoes and breaking through ice following is an interesting story about the routes defined, in the area east from Lake were too common. In the first three years of resourcefulness of a crew in getting their soil Nipigon to the St. Lawrence valley two the survey, 27 lives were claimed by the samples'at a bridge site along a remote part preiiminaiy main routes were selected for frigid waters, at that time the only highways. of this line. further exploration. This was done to deter• Narrow escapes were of almost daily occur• Normally, light boring machines were mine the general lay of the land. Some help rence. There was a case of a canoe that broke used, with a pile driver being used to drive was found at the head of the Saint-Maurice in half while descending the Woodchuck the casings into the soil. However in one Rivei; where the Tete-de-Bulle Indians were Rapids on the Bell River near Senneterre, and remote location, a crew with no pile driver found to possess an aptitude for cartography the occupants paddled five miies into camp improvised. They set their boring machine on and by foiiowing their mde maps, a jimction seated one in either piece. the ice, and the casing was driven by an was effected with the party running east from improvised pile drivei; consisting of a section the Gatineau. Route location across northern Quebec of green birch for the drop hammei; working The surveyors had to rely on their own Perhaps the forbidding range of hills loosely between makeshift leads and operated by called the Laurentian Mountains created the skills to establish their general location by transport dogs. The dogs supplied the power 12 • Rail and Transit • January i 995 Research and Reviews to lift the hammei; which would then be horses, and drags were still much needed and tions are that only 64 miles of track had been dropped on the casing, much as one would used for railway constmctionwork in north• laid by the end of 1908 in the area of Hervey use a hammer. When the ice went out, the em Quebec and Ontario. Getting the heavy and La Tuque. boring machine was transferred to a raft, and machinery and supplies to the work sites was Constmction continued year 'round after the dogs harnessed to the spokes of a wind• always a problem, but in northem Quebec, it it was started. It was foimd that the deep clay lass. By this contrivance, casing pipes were was a major undertaking that resulted in cuts in westem Quebec could be excavated driven through 50 feet of hard compacted smaller-sized equipment being used. At the with less expense in wintei;' as in summer sand. start of constmction, access by railway was horses could only travel on the greasy blue limited to around Quebec City and Hervey. gumbo after the ground had been corduroyed The land and construction access As we noted above, the Quebec and Lake (the surface of the road covered with closely The 1804.84 rrdles of the NTR between St. John line from Linton to La Tuque was spaced logs). Moncton and Winnipeg was divided into six constmcted during 1907. About this same Construction accidents occurred frequent• districts for construction purposes. These time the Temiskaming and Northem Ontario ly during the duration of construction. Many districts were further broken down into Railway ran its first train into McDougall's accidents were related to the coUapse of "residencies," designated numeiicaUy. While, Chutes (Matheson) at the head of navigation temporary bridges, blasting, and rock and here, we are only interested in parts of Dis• on the Black Rive^ a tributary of the Abitibi. mud sHdes such as the one about the middle tricts B and D and all of District C, the fol• From here, two main transport routes were of March 1909, twenty miles north of La lowing is a fuU list of the NTR districts. established. A service of steamers and gaso• Tuque, in which five workers were killed. • District A — Moncton to New Brunswick- line boats was established on each route, The track for the NTR was 80 lb. rails, Quebec boundary; 256.61 imles. short stretches of light-rail tramway being laid on 3000 softwood ties per mile. The • District B — New Brunswick-Quebec boun• built around the worst rapids. Bush roads contractors, imder agreements with the dary to east abutment of Megiskan River were also cut for winter communications. government, put sections of the NTR in bridge; 578.19 miles. The westem boundary One of these routes foUowed down the service almost as soon as it was completed. of this district was about Mile 70 of the Black and Abitibi rivers, to where the new By the end of 1910, there was limited service present CN Saint-Maurice Subdivision, just NTR line crossed the Abitibi, beyond which a over the approximately 50 miles from Hervey west of Sanmaur monorail tramway was constructed eight to Fitzpatrick. The line was also progressing • District C - East abutment Megiskan River miles west across country to the Frederick- eastward from Cochrane towards the Quebec bridge to Quebec-Ontario boundary; 121.94 house River (west of the present Cochrane). border and Taschereau (called O'Brien at the miles. The tramway had a platform car sitting on a time of constmction). • District D - Quebec-Ontario botmdary to two-wheeled tmck as its rolling stock. There The 119 miles of track from Fitzpatrick 204 miles west of Cochrane; 276.11 miles. were shafts for a horse, attached to a pole at to Parent was put in service in 1911. The • District E - Mileage 204 west of Cochrane right angles to the car and the rail. A horse following year saw at least some service on to 125 rrdles east of Lake Superior Junction; thus walked alongside the car and rail, the the 102.5 miles from Parent west to Doucet 195.19 mfles. car being guided on the rail by double- (this is presently Paradis, Mile 221.5 on the • District F - From 125 miles east of Lake flanged wheels. By November 1908, the CN Saint-Maurice Subdivision). Similar Superior Jtmction to Winnipeg, 375.90 miles. Temiskaming and Northem Ontario , Railway service started in 1912 over the 110 miles With the basic surveying and general had been extended the remaining 40 miles between Taschereau and Cochrane. aligrunent of the line completed, it was time into Cochrane, and was able to get trains to The most isolated section, 117 miles to start constmction. At this time, all there that point, although it was 1909 before between Taschereau and Doucet, was the last was in the field was a row of survey stakes, extensive traffic was handled. With the T&NO portion of the whole line between Moncton along a brushed-out Hne through the woods reaching the NTR at Cochrane, the temporary and Winnipeg to receive rails. A press report about 10 feet wide. So, before constmction water and tram routes were abandoned. of November 17, 1913, from Cochrane could start, the exact plots of land needed for Constmction in northem Quebec and advised that the last of the steel was laid the railway needed to be surveyed and Ontario was plagued by weather oddities. In near Nellie Lake, Quebec (about Mile 238.7 staked-out, with aU the survey information the spring of 1907 there was a two-foot on the CN Saint-Maurice Subdivision) about recorded on plans that were then filed in land depth of snow in some northem areas on 19 miles east of Senneterre. registry offices. Sometimes, this work needed June 1, and the ice in Lake Nipigon did not While this completed the track, there was to be done a couple of times, if it was foimd break up until June 16, 1907. During the considerable ballasting, bridge work, and necessary to change the aHgnment to obtain excessively dry summers of 1909 and 1910, clean-up work needed to complete the Une. a better track configuration. disastrous forest fires did enormous damage As the NTR was being completed, the In conjunction with this detailed survey• along the line, buming contractors' camps, poor financial status of the Grand Tmnk ing was the major task of clearing the rail• warehouses, and plant, and putting a stop to prevented them from being in a position to way right-of-way. This meant cutting and the work in many locations. take over the line. This was one of the events burning the trees and brush for a width of 66 that was forcing the govemment on the road feet or wider for the length of the line. The Railway line construction to the formation of the Canadian National news reports of this period indicated that Actual constmction began in the spring of Railways in 1919. In the meantime, because hundreds of men and horses were at work 1906, with contracts being signed for the the NTR was not an operating railway, it was ahead of the actual railway builders on each building of 150 miles westward from Quebec decided on May 1, 1915, to have the Cana• City, and 245 miles eastward from Winnipeg. contract. dian Govemment Railways take over from Periodically over the next two years, con• Constmction methods by the early 1900s the contractors the operation of the approxi• had made major advancements. Steam tracts for additional sections were let, until mately 1356 miles of the NTR between shovels were being used on major excava• by October 1908, the complete NTR line was Quebec City and Winnipeg. This became tions and constmction of railways, with under contract. effective on June 1,1915, the date quoted as "dinky" engines used to move constmction While the total length of the NTR the official opening of this line through materials and fiU. However hand labour; through Quebec was under contract, indica• northem Quebec. Rail and Transit • January 1995 • 13 Transcontinental Railway and transit news from coast to coast I,. last left Toronto on January 15, and was Shortly after midnight on January 10, a replaced by Train 906 on January 16. Train hump assignment at Toronto Yard derailed 906 operates daily, and is scheduled to seven cars, with one of the cars roUing right depart Toronto around 22:00 and arrive in down the side of the hump. The accident Sherbrooke around 19:30 the next day. occurred when the assignment was pulling Also affected by the CAR sale were Trains west with a string of 52 cars from the classifi• 290 and 291 (Montreal-Brownville Junc• cation yard. During this movement, a car ^^TlRN CANADA tion), which were abolished and replaced derailed at a switch and travelled over 300 with Trains 910 and 909 (Montreal-Sher- feet while still derailed. After waiting for Gordon Webster brooke). other yard movements to cleai; the consist 78 Scarboro Beach Boulevard was then reversed to begin humping. The ABANDONMENT APPLICATIONS Toronto, Ontario M4E 2XI derailed car eventually pulled trailing cars off CP has filed a notice of intent to abandon the E-Mail: [email protected] the track behind it before the train was Owen Sound Subdivision, between Orange- brought to a stop. CP RAIL SYSTEM ville and Owen Sound. The railway has lost The derailed cars included one loaded tri- more than $1-million a year between 1991 QUEBEC CENTRAL UPDATE level auto-rack, two loaded tank cars of clay, and 1993 on the line, and future traffic pro• Marco Express, a Quebec trucking firm, is a car of resin, an empty boxcai; and two jections indicate the line will not make asking local business, development, and loaded covered hoppers of soya bean meal. money. The line is served by the Moonlight tourist organisations to get involved in its The tank cars remained upright, the auto- local freight three times a week from Toronto revival of the remains of the Quebec Central rack and one hopper car were overtumed, Yard. If abandonment is approved, the Owen Railway, or else it will quit its attempt to and the other hopper car rolled down the Sound Subdivision will terminate east of acquire the line. The owner of Marco Express side of the hump and came to rest behind the Dufferin County Road 16, on the westem initiated and financed a $55 000 feasibility closed beanery. outskirts of Orangeville. The portion of the study to determine if railway service to the line between Streetsville and Orangeville is The Toronto auxiliary crane, which was region could be maintained. The Saint-Frede• also being considered for abandonment. taken out of stand-by service over a year ago, ric chamber of commerce scheduled a meet• was used along with the high-rail crane and A notice of intent to abandon has been ing January 10 to which mimicipal officials, a rented crane to re-rail the cars. Repairs to filed with the NTA for CP's Cornwall Subdivi• members of the National Assembly, industrial the track were completed that afternoon, and sion in eastem Ontario. The 27-mile line runs development officers, and tourism representa• humping operations resumed by 16:00. from Soulanges, Quebec, to Comwall. The tives from 72 municipalities near the line line was served by a local assignment from —Toronto Star via Rex Bundle were invited. The purchase price of the right- Smiths Falls three or four tunes a week. OTTAWA COMMUTER UPDATE of-way and infrastructure is estimated at Druing 1993, an average of fewer than 15 The Communaute urbaine de I'Outaouais between $25- and $30-million. revenue loads per week were handled on the passed a resolution last month rejecting CP's Effective December 23, all of CP Rail's line. CP will continue to compete for business proposed commuter train project that would Chaudiere, Levis, andVaUee subdivisions, the at Comwall through an agreement with CN. link Masson and Hull, Quebec, with Ottawa. former QCR, were officially abandoned. —Finandal Post A consultanfs study indicated that a new -Le Sold! commuter service would have little effect on NEW TRAINS DERAILMENTS the number of autos crossing the Ottawa CP is operating two new trains between A tampered switch was determined to be the Rive^ and would be too costly. A similar Toronto and Kansas City, Missouri. Trains cause of the derailment of eastbound CP report prepared by CP, however; showed 511 and 512 operate seven days a week Train 926 on December 21. The 90-car train costs to be as much as 16 percent lower than between the two cities via Chicago. West• was travelling 55 m.plh. through Tilbury, what the consultant estimated. The alterna• bound Train 511 handles intermodal and Ontario, just after midnight when the last tive to a commuter train is a new bridge mardfest traffic for Davenport and Kansas four cars on the train derailed. The switch across the river; which is causing much City, and auto-racks for Kansas City. It is lock on the siding to Woodbridge Foam had debate in the area. The Ontario govemment scheduled to depart Toronto around 09:00. been broken and it is beheved that the vibra• has turned down proposals from the Quebec The first Train 511 departed on January 6. tion from the passing train caused the side to construct a new bridge between Train 512 handles intermodal traffic from unsecured switch points to move and derail Ottawa and Hull, or to add a third lane to Kansas City to Chicago and Toronto. It also the cars. There were no injuries in the derail• the Champiain Bridge. The Ontario govem• handles intermodal traffic for cormection with ment. The derailed cars were all empty ment has not mled building out a new road Train 928 to Montreal. Train 512 is sched• except for a load of com. The crane from bridge between Cumberland, Ontario, and uled to depart Kansas City around 16:00. Windsor was used to clear the line. There Masson, Quebec. In an effort to salvage the With the sale of the Canadian Atlantic was roughly 500 feet of main track damaged plan, CP is prepared to guarantee its prices Railway Train 280 (Toronto to Saint John) and 500 feet of siding damaged. The line was and negotiate a contract that is tied to per• and Train 281 (Saint John to Montreal) have cleared at 12:40 the same day and the track formance. CP estimates that the annual been abolished and replaced with Trains 906 was placed back into service by 15:00. Train operating costs of the commuter train would (Toronto to Sherbrooke) and 905 (Sher• 270 was held at DougaU Avenue, Train 516 be about $14.6-million. brooke to Montreal). The changes were not tied up at Walkerville, Train 517 tied up at —Le Droit, Ottawa Gtizen, and Ottawa Sun made immediately after the sale - Train 280 Ringold, and Train 510 was cancelled. 14 • Rail and Transit • January 1995 Transcontinental Railway and transit news from coast to coast Churchill, Manitoba; was not notified of the disabled vehicle. The CN NORTH AMERICA • The govemment should retain its role as trailer was carrying wood and separated from regulator in areas such as railway-line aban• the tractor 45 minutes before the train PARLIAMENTARY TASK FORCE donment, while streamlining the process of arrived. Two phone calls were made to CN's The federal parKamentary task force examin• abandoning lines; Montreal rail traffic control centre but there ing the future of CN completed its trip thro• • The govemment should appoint interim was a breakdown of communication between ughout Canada and released its report on management to oversee the railway's transi• the RTC centre and the train crew. January 19. The force was headed by MP Bob tion to commercialised operations. Work crews removed the last piece of Nault, who was a CP conductor in Northem Prior to the parliamentary task force derailed equipment, the locomotive, by Dece• Ontario before winning his seat in Ottawa. recommendation, the federal govemment mber 19. The Hne was reopened on Decem• The following are some of the sub• armounced its rejection of CP's offer to pur• ber 22, after a temporary culvert was built. missions heard by the task force, other than chase the eastem assets of CN. The offer was The damaged bridge span will be replaced in "don't seU CN to CP:" tumed down because its implications for the spring. Causapscal is located on the • The Nova Scotia transport minister; along railway competition and employment would Mont-JoU Subdivision, northwest of Matape- with many others, suggested that a regional have been unacceptable. dia. —Lofiresse, Journal de Montreal, Le Soleil, railway dubbed CN Atlantic or Nova Rail, be —Fmandal Post, Halifax Mail Star and Saint John Montreal Gazette, and Tom Box formed from CN's Montreal to Halifax lines. Telegraph Journal, Toronto Star via Rex Rundk The province would help by providing infra• STATION FIRES structure assistance. The Halifax-Dartmouth ABANDONMENT REVISED CN's Grimsby station was. destroyed by fire Port Development Corporation said that a CN has revised its joint abandonment applica• early in the moming of December 31.. The regional railway could allow competing train tion for the both Newmarket Subdivision Railhouse Restaurant leased space in the CN- operators to use the track. from Barrie to Longford and the remains of owned building for the past 14 years, and the Meaford and Midland subdivisions. CN VIA leased a small passenger waiting area. • CN president Paul • Tellier said that he wanted approval of both to make the aban• Arson was not suspected in this fire, and the would give employees a seat at the board• doned Ontario lines more attractive to a Ontario fire marshal's office was investigating room table if the federal govemment sold off potential short-line operator. The NTA the cause. The building was built in 1902, the money-losing railway. Tellier also told the rejected the application in Novembei; how- and just two weeks before the fire the station task force that the debt-heavy railway will evep so CN has rescinded its application for was designated under the Heritage Railway never be profitable if it has to rely on debt to abandonment of the Newmarket Subdivision Stations Protection Act. finance new expansions. between Bradford and Longford. On September 27 around 22:00, a match • The Ontario transport minister stated that was put to the CN West Toronto station. the province believes Ottawa should: develop SHORT-LINE COMMITTEE There was $50 000 damage done in the a comprehensive strategy for Canada's rail• A joint union and management committee arson-related fire, which included severe ways, to support regional economic and has been formed at CN to investigate the damage to the roof. The walls of the station social development; change the National establishment of intemal short lines. The and most of the roof are still intact. The Transportation Act to ensure that passenger committee is to prepare its report this month, freight shed north of the station was set railway services receive the same treatment and will determine which lines can be ablaze and destroyed by an arsonist a few under the law as freight shippers; and foster retained by CN but managed more indepen• months before the station fire. an efficient, productive national railway dently, and at a more-local level, instead of —Hamilton Spectator, Pat Sample network by continuing to support competi• being sold as a short line, spun off to tion in the railway sector. employees, or abandoned. CN has said it will SHORTS The task force heard presentations from not solicit the sale of any lines that are deter• Fifty-nine brakemen were given permanent 150 groups, and said in its report that mined to be potential candidates for this lay-off notices in Toronto on December 24. • Ottawa should transfer ownership of CN's programme. An intemal short line was estab• On Christmas Eve, GTW Train 392 derailed operations to the private sector and should lished in the Okanagan Valley in British ten of its 136 cars at Battle Creek, Michigan. encourage employees to take an equity stake Columbia in 1993. Amtrak Trains 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, in the carrier. 364, and 365 were all terminated early and DERAILMENT The minister of transport was non• passengers were taken by bus between the Nine cars and a locomotive on a CN freight committal about the report, saying that the trains. • On January 4, a pair of light CN train derailed on the aftemoon of December task force report, together with the results of locomotives derailed in the St. Clair Tunnel 14, near Causapscal, Quebec, after colliding the consultations Transport Canada has held at Samia. Amtrak Train 364 was tumed back with a transport trailer. The locomotive and on the future of the railway industry will be at Durand, Michigan, as was VIA Train 85 at six of the derailed cars fell into the Matape- taken into consideration as a new national Samia, and passengers were carried by bus dia River after knocking a bridge span off of railway policy is developed this year. between them. • The sale of the Murray Bay its supports. The other spans of the bridge The task force also recommended that: Subdivision to the Societe des chemins de far were also damaged, and 8000 litres of diesei • CN's non-railway assets, including the CN du Quebec took effect at 15:00 on December fuel leaked into the river. There were no Towei; a Paris hotel, Canac Intemationai, 2, 1994. • The wye at Saint-Gregoire on the injuries in the accident. and AMF, be transferred to a separate Crown Becancour Subdivision is out of service. • All CN freight traffic to the Maritimes, corporation; Effective January 9, 1995, station name and VIAs Ocean, were detoured through • CN's real-estate holdings should be trans• Bronte at Mile 27.1 on the Oakville Subdivi• Edmundston over CN's Napadogan and Pel- ferred back to the govemment (at the end of sion was changed to Burloak, and station letier subdivisions. Passengers on VIAs Cha- 1993, its real estate had market value of name Oakville West at Mile 24.7 was leur to Gaspe were transferred to buses at $527-inniion); changed to Bronte. • Abandonment of the CN Mont-Joli for the remainder of their trip. • Ottawa should clearly identify subsidies for Granby Subdivision was effective December An intemal investigation is underway to uneconomic railway services deemed in the 6, 1994 at 08:00. -Al Tuner and others public interest, for instance the hne to determine why the train that stmck the tmck Rail and Transit • January 1995 • 15 Transcontinental Railway and transit news from coast to coast ONR DERAILMENT month. CN workers previously voted to strike. OTHER NEWS Vandalism was the cause of an ONR derail• The Canadian Auto Workers wanted to ment near Iroquois Falls at 17:20 on Decem• settle with CN first, but the union was pro• VLA SERVICE STOPPED ber 13. A switch at a siding at Mile 5.0 on voked by anti-CAW public comments made VIAs Sudbuiy-White River RDC trains were the Devonshire Subdivision was- left half- by the minister of transport, and no settle• cancelled when the lockout of shop workers open. When a train ran through the switch, ment has been reached. Most of the workers at the Ontario Northland began in Novembei; it derailed 12 of 16 cars and two locomo• affected have been without a contract since and did not resume until late January. The tives, one of which was SD40-2 1731. The December 31, 1993. It is anticipated that if a ONR maintained the three RDCs that are train was travelling south to Englehart from national railway strike is called, the govem• used on the tri-weekly service, but VIA is now Cochrane. The derailment closed a nearby ment will likely pass back-to-work legislation. expected to close a deal by February 1 to highway for more than four houis, and dam• The main impasse is centred aroimd job have the cars serviced at the CN Capreol aging a through-truss bridge over a river. The security; workers with eight or more years of work equipment shop, which wiU be taken loaded derailed cars contained newsprint and service are guaranteed wages until retirement over by its new owner next month. Service kraft pulp, and three empty chemical tank if there are no other jobs available. VIA resumed on January 28, running west on cars also left the tracks. None of the train workers also want a public inquiry into what Saturdays and east on Srmdays only. VIA will crew were injured. VIA did with a $400-million trust fund it had save between $150 000 and $200 000 an• ONR shopcraft workers, who are locked set up in 1990 to protect employees. The nually once servicing is performed at Capreol, out, offered to help clean up despite the money was supposed to help workers facing because deadheading between Sudbury and labour dispute, but their services were not layoffs, but it has disappeared, according to the ONR shop in North Bay will be elimin• used. This derailment was the second on the the union. ated. —Sudbury Star and Ttmmins Daily Press ONR that day. Farliei; a caboose derailed in The federal conciliation commissioner is UNSCHEDULED RUN-PAST Kapuskasing during switching. to submit a report by January 31. The gov• A VIA train had difficulty coming to a stop at —Toronto Stor via Rex Rundle emment can then ask the commissiorier to reconsider all or part of it, or the report can Guildwood station on December 7. Before DERAILMENTS departing from Toronto, work was required be released publicly. A strike or lockout The Chemin de fer Carrier suffered its second on the locomotive. While the work was being becomes legal seven days after the report's derailment in a 30-day period when 23 cars done, the angle cock in the brake line on the release. As an alternative, the govemment of a 150-car train derailed on December 27. locomotive was closed. When the unit was can also establish an industrial inquiry com• There were no injuries in the incident. The cleared for operation, the angle cock was mission to examine the issues. Railway man• previous derailment occurred November 30, never opened back up, severely reducing agement have been preparing for some time and leaked 60 000 litres of heavy oil. braking in the rest of the train. Upon arriving to operate some services, at a reduced level, Three cars on a Cape Breton and Central at Guildwood station, the engineer found that during a strike. CP sent letters to all of its Nova Scotia Railway train derailed near the train was not slowing down as it should customers on January 18 outlining the poss• Sydney, Nova Scotia, on December 29. The have, and ended up overshooting the station ible strike. cars were carrying scrap metal and there by IVi miles. The train entered the next were no injuries in this derailment. MONTREAL COMMUTER TRAINS block, which was occupied by a GO train. —Canadian Press The Quebec govemment is about to approve plans for an expanded commuter train net• GO TRANSIT TO OSHAWA ACR TAKEOVER work around Montreal that were proposed by The banner was broken on Canada's newest The end of the Aigoma Central Railway will CP. in 1992. Both CN and CP submitted railway hne on January 8. The extension of come at 23:59 on January 31, and Canada's proposals, called MonTrain and Bonjour the double-track GO Subdivision from Whitby newest railway company, the Aigoma Central Montreal, respectively. The new service will to Oshawa was marked by a ceremony that Railway Inc., owned by Wisconsin Central, use single-level former GO Transit coaches included free rides between Oshawa and will be bom at 00:01 on Febmary 1. After that the province purchased and is now Pickering stations. There are now 33 trains the transfei; the staff will be reduced from each weekday at Oshawa, 17 westbound and 500 to only 217 employees. Aigoma Central storing at AMF in Montreal. 16 eastboimd, during rush hours. There is no Corporation, the parent company of the The new service is expected to go into off-peak service on the line; at these times, current railway, has set aside $15-million for service six to eighteen months after approval, trains end at Pickering. Before the opening of retirement and severance packages. on CP lines from Mascouche, Saint-Jerome, the new line, there was only one moming and Iberville, CN Hnes from Saint Bmno, and Once fully organised, WC plans to repaint a Conrail line from Chateauguay. Trains on and one evening GO train at Oshawa, which the ACR units and renumber them into the the CN line would operate to Central Station, ran on the CN Kingston Subdivision, parallel new WC horsepower based number scheme, and the trains on the Conrail and CP lines to the extension. As with other stations on as follows: would run to Windsor Station. the GO Subdivision, the railway designation • SW8 ACR 140 to WC 901 Once this project is formally announced, of the track at the GO platforms .is Oshawa • GP7s.... ACR 100-170 to WC 1501-1507 the Quebec govemment will drop plans to North, to differentiate it from Oshawa station . • GP38-2S . ACR 200-205 to WC 2001-2006 extend the Montreal Metro to Laval. The on the Kingston Subdivision. • GP40MS . ACR 190-191 to WC 3026-3027 The new hne was officially placed into • SD40-2S . ACR 183-188 to WC 6001-6006 Metro extension would cost $20-million per service on December 18, 1994, with the -Fred Hyde and Rex Rundle kilometre to constmct, while the commuter issuance of Supplement 1 to CN Great Lakes train plan will only cost $l-million per kilo• NATIONAL STRIKE? Region Timetable 51. The extension of the metre to implement. Febmary 7 is the date that shopcraft unions GO Subdivision from Whitby North (Mile Fares are predicted to cover about $20- on Canada's national railways have set as a 8.9) includes two station names: Thickson, at million of the $60-million annual cost of the strike deadline. Workers at CP and VIA began Mile 10.7, where there is a set of crossovers, service, with much of the rest coming from a casting their strike ballots on January 17, and Oshawa North at Mile 11.6. The end of special fee on automobile hcenses. and the results from the 7500 voters are track is at Mile 11.7. -La Presse, Graham Shurman, and Marc Dufour expected to be tabulated by the end of the 16 • Rail and Transit • January 1995 Transcontinental Railway and transit news from coast to coast the village's power supply. The train was ordered five F59PHIs from General Motors carrying automobiles, but all of the derailed Diesel Division in London. The units will cars were empty. Derailed cars knocked over apparently be numbered 901 to 905, and are a power pole and at least one car was sitting to be delivered in the fall. Five units for five atop fallen power lines. A broken rail was trains leaves no spares, as BC Transit wfll be blamed for the derailment. asking its maintenance contractor to supply —John Reay. CBC-TV, Canadian Press spare power when needed. —Voncouver Province, FCRS Tempo Jr., ion Fisher Gray Scrimgeour CN NORTH AMERICA AMTRAK #570-188 Douglas Street GRAIN DISCOUNTS Burlington Northem is requesting the govem• Victoria, B.C. V8V 2P i To encourage its grain customers to help cut ment of British Columbia to provide some of E-Mail: [email protected] its handling costs, CN wiU give discounts to the funding for the upgrading necessary for people who can load larger blocks of cars at the Amtrak passenger service between CP RAIL SYSTEM one time. Beginning in August, those who Vancouver and Seattle. BN has spent SB- NEW INTERMODAL SERVICE can fill 50 or more cars at one elevator in million on trackwork in B.C., with another CP has signed a new contract with Orient one day wiU see a $4-per-tonne discount. $3-milIion to be spent this year. The service Overseas Container Line (OOCL) to handle About 100 cars or more would receive a $5- is now expected to start on May 1, 1995. A all shipments through the Port of Vancouver per-tonne discount. Forty-one customers have second daily train may be added in 1996. to Toronto and Montreal. The new long-term signed up for the incentive program so far. —Ken Store/ in Northwest Raiifan agreement for the traffic, which had been —Canadian Press GO TRAINS IN SEATTLE handled by CN since September 1990, took CN EXPLORATION SOLD GO Transit equipment was sent from Toronto effect with the arrival of OOCZs Orimt Exec• CN has reached agreement to sell its oil and to Seattle in mid-January for Regional Transit utive vessel on January 3 at Vancouver. gas assets in Saskatchewan to a company Authority demonstration and test service Neither company would disclose the volume controlled by Smart On Resources Ltd., which between Seattle and Everett, Washingtoii, of traffic to be handled, hut OOCL brings one in turn is owned by Hong Kong residents. CN from January 30 to Febmary 10, between ship a week to Vancouver and is the port's said that proceeds from the transaction will Seattle and Tacoma from Febmary 20 to largest container customer. OOCL provides be used to reduce long-term corporate debt. March 3, and for Seattle Sonics basketball service from Hong Kong, China, Japan, — Globe and Mail games in Tacoma (the Sonics' home arena is Korea, and Taiwan. DERAILMENT being renovated). The 14 coaches (223 and CP handles the traffic on two new The main CN line was closed for several days 224, 2010 to 2017, and 2019 to 2022) were double-stack intermodal trains, Nos. 400 and after cars in a grain train derailed on the sent west to Vancouver on CN Train 263-14; 414, both of which leave Vancouver on night of January 6, near Birch Island (Mile F59PHS 567 and 568 (the newest F59PHs on Mondays for Obico Yard in Toronto. Train 61.6 on the Clearwater Subdivision), north of the GO roster) and APCU 911 followed on 400 departs early in the moming once it is Kamloops. The accident damaged a bridge Train 117-17. They were transferred to BN at loaded and is scheduled to arrive at Obico and about 120 metres of track. Four of the Vancouver; for delivery to Seattle. It is hoped Yard in Toronto just imder four days later. eight grain cars went off the tracks. There to have commuter trains mnning between Train 414 is scheduled to depart Vancouver were no injuries. Some CN trains were these three cities within a few years, if a by 13:00 and sets-off Montreal-bound OOCL rerouted onto the CP main line, and for a bond issue is passed during March. traffic at Calgary or Wirmipeg for Train 482 time, onto EC Rail. The diversion onto BCR to handle to Montreal. PRIVATE CAR TRIP stopped when there was a derailment at The annual convention of the American —Montreo/ Gazette, Victoria Times-Coionist Garibaldi (Mile 59.7 on the BCR Squamish Association of Private Railroad Car Owners Subdivision) in the middle of the next week. ACCIDENTS will be held in Nelson, B.C., in early Septem• —Canadian Press, Dean Ogie On Friday moming, January 20, westbound ber. There will be a special train of privately- CP Train 981, running from Cranbrook to PASSENGER TRAINS owned cars, part of the time added to regular Trail with 49 cars of zinc sulphide and gen• passenger trains, going to the convention eral merchandise, hit a rock slide on the west BC TRANSIT from Los Angeles. The Canadian routing is: side of Kootenay Lake, and derailed. The lead The Vancouver Regional Transit Commission • September 4 — Union Pacific from Spokane to has approved the preliminary budget for the two units plunged down a steep embankment Eastgate, Idaho, then on the CP from Kingsgate, CommuterRail service to Mission, set to start into the lake. SD40-2s 5660 and 5738 were B.C., to Nelson for the convention. in November. The service's preliminary submerged, and the third unit, 5938, was • September 7 — From Nelson to Cranbrook on partially submerged. The engineer and the budget is estimated to be $10.48-million for CP, and spending the night there. brakeman died in the crash; the conductoi; 1995-96, including $4-million to lease loco• • September 8 — From Cranbrook to Lake Louise; who was in the third unit, was able to jump motives and cars. In voting against the reboard the train after a banquet and travel back to safety. This is an isolated section of the budget, the mayor of Richmond complained to Golden for the night. Nelson Subdivision, south of Procter (Mile that the costs will be too high. The chairman • September 9 — Golden to Vancouver; arrival late 117.8), where the railway skirts steep rock acknowledged the initial cost might be as at night. faces above the lake on the lower slopes of high as $27 per one-way trip, but when those • September 10 — Special will depart at noon for Mount Irvine. already using transit, fare revenues, and other Seattle via Sumas and Sedro Woolley (on the No one was injured when several cars of factors are plugged into the formula, he former Northern Pacific route). a CP freight train derailed near Chaplin, insists the cost might be as low as $9 to $11. For those wishing to ride from California, Saskatchewan, on December 21. The 20-car A cost-sharing formula hasn't been worked leaving August 31, the cost is $3900.00 per person, for two in a bedroom or $5700.00 train, which was mostly empty was heading out, nor has a final contract with CP Rail. per person, single (that's U.S. bucks, though). east toward Moose Jaw when it jumped the BC Transit has not yet made an official Call 714 680-5090 for information. tracks at around 21:30, briefly knocking out announcement, but they are reported to have Rail and Transit • January 1995 • 17 Transcontinental Railway and transit news from coast to coast MOTiy WER John Carter 2400 Queen Street East #204 Scarborough, Ontario MIN IA2 E-Mail; [email protected] NEW POWER TOP PHOTO - Newly-acquired Aigoma Central GP40 190 at Steelton Yard in Sault Ste. Marie on October IS, 1994. The GP40 was originally Milwaukee Road 192, built in 1966, and was bought by ACR from National Railway Equipment in Illinois. -Photo by Peter Jobe CENTRE PHOTO - Ontario Northland's rebuilt FP7 2000, outside the shops at North Bay on October 16, 1994. No. 2000 was rebuilt, with a Caterpillar prime mover, from No. 1 502, one of ONR's original CM diesels, delivered in 1951. The unit was in service briefly late in 1994, before a labour dispute halted the Northlander passenger train. -Photo by Peter Jobe BOTTOM PHOTO - Amtrak California FS9PHI 2005, at the General Motors Diesel Division plant in London on October 14, 1994. The California state department of Transporta• tion bought this series of units for operation by Amtrak on state-funded intercity trains. The streamlined shell covers a locomotive that is the same as those in service on CO Transit in Toronto. —Photo by Ian Piatt CN's GEs ARRIVE Through late December and early January, CN took delivery of its new General Electric Dash9-44CWs, 2500 to 2522. The units were delivered by Norfolk Southern from Erie, Pennsylvania, and interchanged to CN at Black Rock, New York. Nos. 2504, 2507, and 2509 arrived in Toronto on December 31; 2508 and 2510 to 2514 were interchanged to CN on December 31; 2502 and 2515 to 2521 were received on January 4. The units were immediately sent west to Calder Yard in Edmonton, with the exception of 2522, which was displayed with other motive power at Central Station in Montreal on January 18. CP ORDERS MORE GEs CP increased its order for AC4400CWs from GE from 40 to 80. The value of the order is now $200-million. The first AC4400CW is set to arrive on CP in August, with all to be received by the end of 1995. The units will be assigned to Coquitlam; 54 will be used on coal trains - three units each on 18 trains - and the rest on grain, potash, and sulphur trains. 18 • Rail and Transit • January 1995 Transcontinental Railway and transit news from coast to coast STREETCAR TRACK CONSTRUCTION give the buses up to five more years of ser• IN TRA The TTC's plans for streetcar track replace• vice. New buses have not been purchased ment this year are as foUows: since 1991, and about 10 percent of the fleet The biggest project is a complete rebuild• wfll soon be beyond the normal 18-year ing of the streetcar tracks in the underground retirement age. loop at St. Clair West subway station. This wiU require the closure of the station for 17 INDUSTRY NEWS weeks, between early May and early Septem• Scott Haskill ANKARA CARS ABUILDING ber. During this time, the 512-St. Clair route Ashford Hall, 2520 Bioor Street West #15 A visit to Thunder Bay in mid-December gave will run with buses, and all interchange by a chance to swing by the Bombardier plant to Toronto, Ontario M6S 1R8 passengers between the buses and the sub• see what activity was going on. A set of new E-Mail: 72154.133 I ©compuserve.com way will take place curbside at street level. subway cars was visible testing on the outside TORONTO While the station is closed, track will also be test track. These cars were nearly Hke the replaced at the entrance to St. Clair Station cars that the TTC uses, but one of several CARHOUSE NEWS (in late June), on St. Clair Avenue east of notable differences was that the destination As one carhouse on the Yonge-University- Yonge Street (160 double-track feet, in late signs were not in English. June), at Avenue Road (250 feet, in early Spadina subway is expanded, another may The plant has two electrified test tracks June), between Dufferin and Oakwood see limited use in the future. Wilson carhouse with third rail. One is Ukely standard gauge, avenues (2150 feet, in May), and in Gunn's and yard at the northwest end of the TTC's and the other the TTC's wide gauge of Loop, the westem end of the line, just west busiest subway is being enlarged in prepara• 4T 0-7/8". It wasn't clear which track the of Keele Street (in early August). tion for the new subway lines that wfll be new cars were on. As for the differences Other tangent track replacement projects: constructed over the next decade. The compl• between these cars and the TTC's cars, TTC ex, which includes a bus garage, was built in • Church Street, Adelaide to Richmond, 360 subway cars are all outwardly identical, \vith the mid-1970s as part of the Spadina subway double-track feet, late September to early October. an operators' cab at one end. The cars are project. • Queen Street, Victoria to McFarrens, 2117 feet, semi-permanently coupled in pairs so that The need for more space for the larger and Ontario to Parliament, 715 feet, mid-June to each pair will have a cab at either end. (The fleet of subway cars that will come with the late July. only exception to this is one car that had a opening of the Sheppard and Eglinton sub• • Adelaide Street, Yonge to Bay, 620 single-track cab added at its non-cab end when its "mate" way lines early in the next century requires feet (Adelaide is a one-way street), mid-April to was wrecked in a derailment a few years expansion of the Wilson complex. Excavation early May. back. It can be used as a spare for either is taking place to the west and north of the Work at junctions and loops: mate of any other pair.) present yard, to allow for more storage tracks • Church and Richmond, north-to-west and south- The unusual thing about the cars being and a larger shop building. The yard sits to-west curves, early September. tested was that there were three of them! The several metres below the grormd level of the • King and Bathurst, complete replacement, on two on each end were just like the TTC's con• adjoining Canadian Forces Base Toronto, and weekends in May, starting on the Friday of the figuration, but the one in the middle was Victoria Day long weekend. the large amount of spoil that must be cabless. This saves the cost of two cabs over • Queen and Parliament, including a new south-to- removed is causing considerable dump truck a six-car train, at the cost of some reduced east curve, on weekends in late June and early July. traffic through the already-busy Wilson bus flexibility. The Ankara cars are Bombardier's garage property. Work also continues on the Spadina line: part in a large metro project in the Turkish • Spadina Avenue, King to Queen, In July. capital. The TTC's latest subway cars, which Across the system, at Davisville Yard, • Queen and Spadina, on weekends in July. should be in production at the same plant there is much less activity. For years, the yard • Adelaide and Spadina, early August, within the next few years, will be of the had stored, maintained, and dispatched about • King and Spadina, on weekends in October. more-familiar married pair configuration. a dozen of the 40-odd trains on the Yonge- University-Spadina subway. Remedial work to TTC SHORTS —CaW'm Henry-Cotnam the large retaining wall that separates the Beginning in January, TTC subway guards south tail track of the yard and the subway have been announcing subway stops over the BACK COVER - TOP mainline was begun in 1993. This required on-board public address system. The announ• CN Dash 9-44CW 25CM, with SD50AF 5502, the temporary closure of Davisville as an cement is made when leaving the previous leading a unit train of coal, in the siding at operating facility. Most of the trains were station. The TTC had been reluctant to offer Roberts Bank, B.C., on one of the new locomo• maintained and dispatched from Wilson, with station announcements,- because the of the tive's first revenue trips, three being stored each night at the tafl. previously-poor quality of the on-board —Photo by hn Smith, January 21, 1995 tracks at Finch Station. speakers. The equipment has now been upgraded, and the TTC has been facing The retaining wall project has finished, BACK COVER - BOTTOM criticism from visually-impaired passengers but the yard has not resumed its operating Twenty years ago, a three-way meet at Washa- .for not announcing stops. The announce• status. Trains continue to run out of Wilson go, Ontario: a southbound freight train led by ments win be replaced by an automated voice and the Finch Station tail track. The shop at CN SD40 5052 on the east track of the Bala and visual system within the next few years. the yard has been used to refit subway cars Subdivision and a northbound freight with • The late or uncertain delivery of new buses with door chimes and other modifications, CP38-2s 5580 and 5581 (since renumbered from OBI has led the TTC to approve the but this wfll finish in 1995. To save money, 4780 and 4781) on the west track of the Bala rebuilding of up to 125 19-year and older the yard may remain dosed as an operating Subdivision frame a southbound passenger buses. The project would concentrate on location until the Eglinton subway opens, at excursion behind CNR 4-8-2 6060 on the west engines, transmissions, and body repairs, which time the small number of trains for the track of the Newmarket Subdivision, with the including deteriorated engine compartment Eglinton subway will likely be based at Davis• station building beyond. bulkheads. If approved by the province and ville carhouse. —Photo by Rick Eastman, May 1975 Metro Toronto, $6-million would be spent to Rail and Transit • January 1995 • 19