Updated 03/28/08 www.canadianrailwayobservations.com CANADIAN NATIONAL CN Locomotives retired since last issue: WC GP40 3025 on Feb 15th B&LE SD9 858 on March 8th WISCONSIN CENTRAL SW14 1495, retired on September 4th, 2007 was reinstated on February 18th, 2008. Five CN retired SD40-2’s at Woodcrest have been sold to AMWX, which as yet is an unknown purchaser. The unit numbers are 5247, 5256, 5297, 5314, and 5332. These are not part of the CN auction sale. They are reported to be moving to AMEICAN MOTIVE POWER in Danville, NY for repairs. CN has the following list of surplus retired locomotives for sale on their website: The complete tender document is available at: http://tinyurl.com/26u9aj BCOL 607 RS18CATm BCOL 610 RS18CATm BCOL 758 SD40-2 CN 4014 GP9RM CN 5259 SD40-2 CN 5285 SD40-2 CN 5364 SD40-2 CN 5365 SD40-2 CN 5371 SD40-2 CN 5374 SD40-2 CN 5382 SD40-2 CN 5387 SD40-2 DMIR 202 SD38AC DMIR 203 SD38-2 DMIR 206 SD38AC DMIR 416 SD40-3 DMIR 869 SD38AC GTW 4997 GP38AC GTW 4998 GP38AC WC 2500 SD-35 All of the above locomotives are listed with "Wheels and TM" as additional and some components have been removed. Also on the list are CN SD50F’s 5413, 5420, 5421, 5422, 5442, 5446, 5447 and 5456. The SD50Fs have the following parts removed : 1. All of the modules 2. The aux gen and blower assy 3. Radio and IDU 4. Event recorder 5. AR11/CA7 6. TM combos GREAT SHOTS!! Brian Nicholson photographed the CN Business train with a real smoke show from the Taschereau Boulevard Bridge on the South Shore with Montreal in the background. Brian wrote: “I could see the train approaching and couldn't believe my eyes! The E9Au’s were laying down a terrific smokescreen that covered the City of St-Lambert with fumes! I've seen a lot of E8's working hard, but never saw a plume like that! http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/brian.htm The CN business train operated from Montreal's Central Station to Quebec City for the Special Olympics Marathon on Feb 25th. The Train stopped at St Lambert then proceeded to Sainte Hyacinthe, QC with another lengthy stop, which continued the entire journey all the way to Quebec City. The consist included the two CN painted E9Au’s 102 and 103, along with “Louis Joliat”, “Gatineau”, “Tawa”, a parlour car (in IC livery), and “Sandford Fleming”. This consist had arrived in Montreal on CN freight train #148 on Feb 21st. Following the Special Olympics marathon, the train departed Gare du Palais in Quebec City on the 27th, but had to stop soon after and detrain all its passengers at Charny due to the unfortunate fatality earlier that day of a CN employee involving CN train #305 at Fortier, Quebec on the Drummondville Sub. The business train consist was then forwarded to Joffre, Quebec. On February 28th, CN dead headed the entire train west to Montreal from Joffre at the head-end of CN train #401 just behind the power.... Warren Mayhew’s photo leaving Montreal http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/mat.jpg Francois Jolins fine shots of the CN Special Olympics train. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=225066 http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=224827 Here are some shots of the business train by Raymond Farand that he took of the train a few days earlier while enroute west to Montreal on CN #148. Please note that “Louis Joliet” was not yet added to the train consist. The last image is of 624's train as it raced away from the MM&A diamond at Ste-Rosalie. Those two E9s can sure accelerate with only a small train! http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/phar1.jpg http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/phar2.jpg Casey Thomason allowed us to post his great shot of CN and BNSF power crossing the Chattahoochee River Bridge, near Columbus, Georgia on march 1st 2008. A full-bodied CN- striped SD50F graces the handsome consist. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=226013&nseq=1 Ron Visockis clicked CN SD60F 5560 in new paint on train #148 in Trenton Ontario on March 12th, 2008. http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/5560.jpg Back In December 2006, Glen Mounk clicked CN train 344 passing through Fort Frances, Ontario with the eclectic power mix of GCFX SD40-3 6067, UP SD70ACe 4819, UP C44AC 6317, CN GMD1m 1439. The GMD1m was dropped off in Fort Francis before the train continued on into the United States. http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/mounk.jpg Now here is Craig Konopski’s fine image of the same CN GMD1m 1439, this time taken at Neebing Yard on February 15th, 2008, and coupled up to CN SD60F 5559, which had arrived earlier that day on CN train A43641-14 (436). The 1439 had been a regular sight around the Lakehead, Fort Frances, and Winnipeg area for a few years and it has been in Thunder Bay "off and on" for the past three years. http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/cn1439.jpg On January 20th, 2007 Glen Mounk photographed CN 5247, FURX 8121, CEFX 7121, GECX 8313, CEFX 7099. This was a Canadian military train, heading to the US so the boys could practice in a desert area similar to Afghanistan. http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/mounk.htm Ken Lanovitch photographed former GTW GP9R 4615 retired in 2007 to meet the arbitrary retirement quota set by the CN Board of Directors, has since had all markings painted out, and has been re-lettered PRLX. http://csxchicago.gotdns.com:6003/CN_Trains/Roll74/0014028-R1-018-7A.jpg BCR SD40-2 751 arrived at IC’s Woodrest Shop in Homewood, IL on February 24th and will be forwarded to NRE-Dixmoor for unspecified work. At Woodcrest, DMIR SD40-3 419 was completely scrapped on the 20th. They began scrapping WC SD45 7637 on February 21st and this was the very last WC SD45 on CN property. On February 27th, CN GMD1m’s 1414 and 1443 were being scrapped at Woodcrest. This pair had been out of service, and stored at Woodcrest for three years. On March 9th, Ed van Pelt clicked CN 2670 5783 train 434 east of Speyside, meeting westbound CN train 399 led by CN 2275 near Stewarttown, Ontario. http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/pelt1.jpg http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/pelt2.jpg The March WCRA newsletter reported on January 15th, there was a “pure” all red, white and blue BC RAIL SD40-2 consist inside the Vancouver Terminal Yard, with unit numbers 762, 746, and 764, which has become a very rare sight these days! After midnight on February 18, CN train 396 derailed 19 cars on the busy CN Oakville Subdivision in Burlington, Ontario. The derailment blocked all three mainline tracks and occurred just west of the King Road level crossing at mile 33.31. Morning commuters had to be bused from Burlington to Aldershot by GO Transit. The derailment occurred between the Burlington and Aldershot GO stations and officials attributed the cause to a broken wheel on one of the derailed cars. On February 26th Ron Visockis clicked CN SD70M-2 8845 at Belleville, Ontario on the Kingston sub during a snow storm … just a single unit with a long train. http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/8845.jpg During the early morning hours of February 12, CN train Q10731-10 derailed several intermodal cars on the Allanwater Subdivision near Ycliff, Ontario. This is part of CN’s mainline that runs from Toronto, Ontario to Winnipeg, Manitoba. CN crews were sent to the derailment site to investigate the cause of the derailment. Also, roughly 340 liters of household paint leaked from the derailed containers. The line was expected to be re-opened sometime during February 13. Nobody was hurt in the incident. Joe Zika’s MacMillan Yard Report: Often during late-February and early-March CN found itself power short, with congestion and a minor derailment here and there. As had occurred with last week’s little mishap at Longlac Ontario, things get tied up real fast both traffic, and motive power-wise. There had been a small trickle of BNSF, UP and NS unit’s in from Chicago, but with this extra snowy winter, Battle Creek Yard issues, and having Sarnia and London trying to do Mac Yard jobs to switch Southwest Ontario traffic is starting to cripple the system. It's to the point that little traffic is moving, everything is running at overcapacity with plugged yards and two to three re-crews to get a train over the road from Toronto to Sarnia or vice versa. Here are a variety of Joe Zika’s mages taken at Mac Yard over the last few weeks including: CN YBU-4 200, MITTAL STEEL SW1500 AARX 316, CN ES44DC 2238, Dash8-40CM 2403, GP9RM’s 4018 and 4138, SD40-2W 5340 and SD70M-2 8800. http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/4/joe4.htm Michael Berry was trackside at Dorval, Quebec on February 17th, and there was plenty of action, with three trains passing each other at the same time. In the first shot, a westbound CN (with CN 2530, 2607 & 5630 as power) is waiting for its signal while the Dorion turn (lead by CP 8241) slowly creeps up to a red signal. On the far left is an eastbound intermodal train. The 8241 is waiting for another eastbound intermodal, which passes with CP 8726 & 9500 as power.