Ok I work for CN out of Port Huron Michigan . We have been hearing rumors that CP is going to start running a whole bunch of trains on our main-line over to Chicago . We have only seen 2 a day , #535 going west , and #534 going east . Then I heard that CP built some Y over by London and that there are supposed to be more trains coming . Does anyone actually know . I would appreciate any INFO . Thankyou
It appears to be the plan.......the connecting track is at Komoka.....its officially called "Melrose" it went into service a number of weeks ago. Time will tell when it will happen, sometimes these things take forever. Jon
Train 535 comes out of Toronto, usually about 6000' long, as the sidings on the Galt Sub. are at the most 6400' long. They'll send two extra trains to be killed at London. Once a 535 shows up to London, we'll fill it out to be around 8000'. Now for 534, it usually has a tail end set off to reduce it from it's long length. This set off usually has Galts, Woodstocks, and other east traffic.
what about more Trains Driver8? We need more man Also , have you been through the tunnel at Sarnia / Port Huron yet ? Kinda cool isn't it
Well we are hearing rumors about more trains too. We used to have trains 504, then the second section was 514, The third was 534, and if needed there was 544. The opposite way we had 505, and 535 was the second section, and 2535 if there was a third section. Anyway the Conrail break up happened, 504 and 505 were re-routed out of Toronto via Hamilton to Buffallo. These trains don't run any more that way and have been re-routed and re-named to the CN routing. Witch gets us to the point, that very easily we could see those second setions of those trains being rerouted as well. Our Unions are hammering out an agreement as I type this. As we've been getting the basic day's pay, 100 miles. It's only 68 track miles from Sarnia to London. The thing that's stinging our crews is that these aren't quick trips, you actually get paid more if you worked an eight hour yard shift(and home earlier)! So these trips will likely go to the spareboard.
Yeah I never did answer your question about the tunnel. Yeah, back in January, when we'd get a train with a CN pilot from Sarnia/Port Huron - Toronto or vice versa. Well in this case it was a 534, We actually had a CN 5300 leading, the CP leader had konked out somwhere in Michigan. I had to set out a car about 20 cars from the tail end because the steel load had shifted. Anyway the difference between the tunnels(Sarnia vs. Windsor) is night and day. Your tunnel, I have to admit was very cool to go through. The size of it(in diameter) is amazing. The one in Windsor, barely fits around the train. Did you see it when you were in Windsor a few weeks back?
when you set the car out did you go into the tunnel ? That can get tricky because when you get down INSIDE the tunnel you loose radio contact with the whole world and then you cannot hear your conductor
Well Joe Kingsbury , Superintendant of Port Huron told me 1 track would be done by March From what I seen on Tuesday it should be done by mid-April . I was the guy who laid the rail down for 1 track , I was called for the work train the was laying the rail , that was a fun day , going walking speed back and forth for 8 hours
Yesterday I seen CP Eastbound #534 at Port Huron and he had 2 track filled up , and that track holds like 8400Ft. He had the CP 8510 in the lead , I like the paint job on the side of those units . It seems as if these CP trains keep get longer and longer , they used to run around a mile long , 5280Ft.
