HHAAPPPPYY NNEEWW YYEEAARR to all of our readers www.canadianrailwayobservations.com (Visit our website on January 4th 2008 for a special report) CANADIAN NATIONAL CN Locomotives Retired since last issue: CN SD40-2W’s 5292, 5297, 5312, on November 20th CN SD40-2 5371 on November 20th CN SD50F 5422, on November 20th GTW GP9r 4629 on November 21st CN SD40-2W 5311 on November 22nd CN SD40-2 5365 on November 22nd DMIR GP38AC 869, on November 29th GTW GP38`s 4995 and 4996 on November 29th CN SD40-2W`s 5309 and 5313 on November 29th DMIR SD40-3 417 on November 29th WC SD35(Q) 2500 (with a Q-Tron microprocessor), on November 30th< GTW GP38`s 4994 and 4998 on November 30th DMIR SD40-3 411 on December 1st CN SD40-2W`s 5306 and 5310 on December 3rd CN SD40-2 5364 on December 7th. BCOL RS18CAT 605 on December 17th BCOL RS3 Slug 405 on December 17th. This photo shows GTW GP9r 4629 at Woodcrest November 4, 2007 and maybe the last photo of 4629 as an operating unit as it is currently parked in the storage lines with a bent frame, and as noted above, was officially was retired on November 21st. It was one only of a few GTW blue units that were sub-lettered GTW. http://csxchicago.gotdns.com:6003/CN_Trains/Roll72/0012315-R1-002-00A.jpg Corrections to the CN retirement data received by CRO last month: CN GP9RM 7016, reported retired on September 8th was NOT retired. CN GP9RM 7070, reported retired on October 1st, was NOT retired, and CN GP9RM 7072 on October 1st was the actual Geep that was retired instead. As well, DMIR SD38AC 203 was retired on November 19th, and not October 2nd. On December 1st only 13 WC 6900-series / GCFX 6000-series remained in service on CN. These are all SD40-3’s painted in the grey and orange GEC-Alsthom livery, with either WC or GCFX reporting marks. However, on December 23rd only two remain in service, one of each class. The last active GCFX 6051 unit on CN departed UP's Settegast Yard in Houston, TX December 22nd on the QHONL 21. The lead unit was UP 1988, the KATY heritage unit. The other WC SD40-3 6902 was operating on a CN freight in Wisconsin. Now 48 of these rebuilt former CN SD40’s are out-of-service, and the entire fleet will be returned to the lessor on March 31. 2008. This image of WC SD40-3 6901 was taken on December 8th at IC Woodcrest Shop. This unit had been on the WC and now stored pending return to lessor. http://csxchicago.gotdns.com:6003/CN_Trains/Roll72/0012315-R1-074-35A.jpg The UP unit reported above (UP heritage unit M-K-T 1988 which is the bright the red Katy unit) was on a Little Rock, Arkansas to Toronto train M39891 on December 23rd, which would mark the first time any of the UP Hertage SD70ACe’s have been in Canada In late November, stored CN MLW-built CN M636 2338 was moved to the CN Shop at MacMillan yard to remove some suspension bearings in the truck and traction motor assemblies as parts cannibalization for the CN DASH8-40CM`s which use the old MLW Dofasco C-C trucks. In 1990, many old trucks were swapped off some of the retired CN Big M`s and sent down to GE in Erie, PA. In a cost saving measure to use under their first GE cowled units. According to CN sources, CN has welded steel brackets in place and has for all intense and purposes made this classic Alco un-roadworthy. She is reported to have a slight lean now and unless she is loaded on a flat car she won't be going anywhere fast. CN M636 2338 was retired in operating condition at Pointe-St-Charles yard in the 1990`s, and was transferred to Toronto for long term storage. She was to be used in a pinch as a back up power source for the shop at Mac Yard, but was never needed. Photos: http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/2338.htm Some more shots of the CN Big M taken inside the Toronto shop: http://www.trainnet.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=show_thre. &om=327&forum=DCForumID8&viewmode=all At press time new deliveries of CN SD70M-2’s was up to about 40 of the 50 units on order and of the GE ES44DC’s, units 2255 – 2286 were on the property, leaving 24 still to be delivered. CN ES44DC 2282 was the lead unit on 101 by Stony Plain Mile 24 on the Edson Sub on December 17th. At press time CN 2286 was highest numbered GE-built unit in the 2255-2309 series to enter service in Canada so far. Francois Jolin captured CN SD70M-2 8009 hitting the snow at L'Acadie QC, on December 15th on the CN Rouses Point subdivision. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=215649&nseq=36 At Beaconsfield, Quebec on December 15th Michael Berry caught a westbound CN train with two of their newest classes of locomotive, the ES44DCs & the SD70M-2s. The consist was 2252 & 8836. http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2008/mberr.jpg HOUSTON LOCOMOTIVE GROUP, a scrapper from St. Lucie, Florida has begun scrapping some of the CN units at IC Woodcrest. The first units to be done were SAR C39-8’s 7482, 7484, 8606, BCOL RS18CAT 621, and DM&IR SD40-3 415. Ken Lonovitch took this fine shot of CN E9Au 103 outside the Woodcrest Shop just prior to being tucked away for the Winter on December 5th, 2007. http://csxchicago.gotdns.com:6003/CN_Trains/Roll72/0012315-R1-060-28A A You Tube video of the two ILLINOIS CENTRAL E9Au`s on the move. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTtgtEJ8w3M In November, retired but operational CN units SAR B30-7 1012, and 1016 were sent to LARRY’S TRUCK ELECTRIC (LTEX) and were promptly renumbered LTEX 3000 and 3001 for their own service. In December five retired units were sold to LTEX: CN SW1200RS 7314, DMIR SD9M`s 301, 317, and WC SD40-2`s 6002 and 6003. Units 6002 and 6003 were being delivered directly to the WHEELING & LAKE ERIE, in Ohio for lease or for a sale. Here are photos of the DMIR SD9M, WC SD40-2 and CN SW1200RS: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=163081&nseq=5 http://railfan.ca/cgi-bin/view.cgi?image=Scotch_Block_26.08.06_3337.jpg http://railphotos.herkamur.ca/xwiki/bin/view/Photos/00031-33?category=CN%20EMD%20SW1200RS&nbstart=0 CN has sold GP9RM 4000 to RAIL TRUST EQUIPMENT, in Social Circle, South Carolina. The Surface Transportation Board of the U.S. issued its first decision on CN's application to purchase the EJ&E at www.stb.dot.gov STB ruled that CN - EJ&E is a "minor" transaction, meaning its decision would come by April, 2008. BUT, they also ruled that a full Environmental Impact Statement must be completed before they will give their final decision. This is because of the increased rail traffic through many communities along the EJ&E. STB states that this Environmental Impact Statement can take between 18 months and several years to complete. While there is a fast track on this initiative, the STB said that they will not give their final decision on the merger until after the environmental review is done. In December, CN announced their intent to purchase the ATHABASKA NORTHERN RAILWAY for $25 million and will invest $135 million in upgrades over three years. While current traffic volumes are too low to keep it going as a stand-alone operation, CN will use the line in critical role with SUNCOR in one of the world's largest oil sands construction projects. CN had sold this 320km Northern Alberta branch line in the late 1980’s and prior to this announcement, ANY was making preparations to abandon the rail line. The trackage was originally part of the NORTHERN ALBERTA RAILWAY which was absorbed into CANADADIAN NATIONAL in January 1981. ATHABASKA NORTHERN RAILWAY roster in 2007: ANY SD40 5232 (ex-CN 5232) ANY GP9RM 4004 (ex-CN 4113, 4390, nee-4147) ANY GP9RM 4005 (ex-CN 4103, nee-4295) ANY GP9RM 4006 (ex-4120, 4421, nee-1745). (Plus two leased SD40-2’s from NREX which are former CP units). See CN-ANY map changes: http://www.cnrelease.com/ANY_en.jpg Trevor Sokolan provided CRO a few of his shots of the ATHABASKA NORTHERN: (many thanks-ed) ANY GP9RM’s on a wooden trestle: http://www.pbase.com/tsokolan/image/90658928 ANY Shop at the Head Quarters in Lac La Biche: http://www.pbase.com/tsokolan/image/90752656 ANY SD40 is a former CN SD40. http://www.pbase.com/tsokolan/image/90752658 ANY GP9RM’s rolling into Boyle: http://www.pbase.com/tsokolan/image/90752663 ANY GP9RM’s dashing through the snow: http://www.pbase.com/image/90752888 In early December we had heard that CN was about to transfer 23 IC SD40’s and SD40-2’s to the DM&IR, and six SD40’s and SD40-2’s to the B&LE (Bessemer & Lake Erie), which would have eventually resulted in the retirement of the DM&IR and B&LE SD38’s, SD38AC’s and SD38-2’s, however as these units are not equipped with dynamic brakes, are are not suited for the DMIR, the transfer was halted.