I live next to the tracks just a few km outside Montreal, and there has been a Montreal-bound freight train stopped all day (March 9) since before sunrise just across from me. These are the main CN and CP lines going west from Montreal to Ontario. Additionally there are no freight trains coming into the city and I've only seen two leave. Via passenger tains seem to be running normally though. Does anyone know what's going on? Something storm-related maybe? I've checked all the news but found or heard nothing relevant. -MichelleT
Michelle, welcome to the Trainboard, we're very happy to have you aboard. As to your question, I live some 2000 miles south of you, so I can't even speculate as to the cause of your immobile freight train...sorry. Of course I might let my overactive imagination run wild, but.....:tb-ooh:
Welcome to TrainBoard! It would be difficult to say what any reason is for that train to be sitting there. If passenger trains are moving, perhaps there's a problem in the yard, where this train was to arrive. Sometimes they can run out of space in a yard. Or, it could be a mechanical problem. Usually, neither of these would be reported on any news. About all you can do, is what you've already done. Boxcab E50
Hi. Welcome to trainboard. Are you in Dorval or Pointe Claire? Is the inbound CP or CN? A couple of weeks ago, the 4 main lines were shut down because of frozen switches for about 6 hours. If VIA is running, I don't think that that is the problem, though. With all of the snow in the last two days, it could be possible that both the Taschereau and Cote St. Luc yards were snowbound, thus backing up the trains on the main lines. I was trainwatching in my usual spot, (the Dorval Via station), just after all the frozen switches were cleared a couple of weeks ago, and both CP and CN were running trains in and out about 1 every 15 minutes for 4 hours to catch up. Dave.
I'm in Dorval, just across the highway from the airport. The train is CN. Maybe it's just snowbound yards like you said...wouldn't surprise me with all that snow and wind we had yesterday. I'd thought of that too, but I wasn't sure it would take all day and more to clear the snow from the yards so I'd wondered if it was something else. -MichelleT
Hi MichelleT - I work up that way on the US side over the CP. We haven't had a train southbound in a couple of days but I found this on a Yahoo message board: "253 can't cross the St. Laurent bridge because they are afraid the high winds would dump it in the river. It is parked at Lacolle. 251 is parked at Rouses Point. Nothing is coming South. Sounds like the railroad is shut down North of Plattsburgh for now." http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dandh/message/59187 Since this is off a Yahoo group, I can't verify it's correctness but dandh tends to be pretty factual. Don't know if this is the cause but it makes sense. All our traffic comes off the Lacolle Sub so if it was in fact shut down, it could explain why it's been so quiet on your side of town. By the way-welcome to Trainboard!
Where exactly is this bridge near Montreal? Are the winds still keeping the trains off of it? I see the airport; I see the yards east of the airport. Thanks.
Southeast of the yards. Exact location is 45-26-09.59 N by 73-39-34.40 W Open deck, double track, about 125 feet over the river. There's a lift section on the south end over the Seaway. Shut down 3-4 times a year for the winds. There was a 4-5 car derailment in the middle last year, but nothing fell off. It took them a week to get the cars back on the rails. Dave.
