Pictures, talk around the cooler and questions

My son and I railfan the Fraser Canyon in British Columbia, Canada. We also hang out around th downtown Vancouver, CP area where wheat is brought in. He has been quiet on this forum for awhile so I guess I will pick up the mantle a bit. My son is BCRailking. I hope to scan some pictures we took last summer of the trains in the canyon, the CP cross country Xmas train and other goodies.

Restoration is still happening on the CP 2816 Hudson (not royal). The boiler is still in Colorado (or Oregon - I forget) being worked on, the latests rumours peg in as being June for its final completion date. The tender is done (it looked terrible when we first saw it) complete with new paint. The wheels are now on the frame of 2816 but nothing much else has been added.

Took the "Jingle Bell Express" yesterday, Sunday 16 Dec and had a great time. It is pulled by the 3716 Consolidation built in 1912 at the Montreal Locomotive Works yard. It was a freight stream engine and certainly pulled its share of freight duties with CP. Its top speed is 45 MPH and is well suited for the run to Squamish from North Vancouver, lots of winding tight curves.

Don't know if there is another CP Xmas train this year or not. Anyone hear any rumours?

 

Well, CP runs a "Toys for Tots" train (it ran on the 16th) from Albany, NY to Plattsburgh, NY on the old D&H. There were 15 CP crewmen and 17 marines on board from the local unit. Toys were given out at stops along the way for needy children. D&H 7312 was the power for this train, while the business car Mt. Royal and three borrowed GMRC coaches were the consist.

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Corey Lynch
Pres - Rensselaer Model RR Society, NEB&W RR
http://www.rpi.edu/~lynchc/Railfanning/railfanning.htm - My Site
http://www.union.rpi.edu/railroad/ - NEB&W

 

rsn, Thanks for the news on the 2816. I believe the boiler is here in Oregon at the Brooklyn roundhouse in Portland, home of the 4449 and 700. I would really like to see that engine run again. Have photos of her at Steamtown when she was just sitting and rusting.

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http://www.pioneer.net/~fitzrr/

 

The Christmas Train run across Canada last year was basically intermodal pulled by an SD90, first time I saw one. The intermodal cars, were definitely done with a designers eye as many well know companies displayed there newest intermodal containers, freshly painted. The cars were covered in lights from one end of the train to the other. Food was collected for the food banks in the towns and cities it stopped in.

In Vancouver, the advertising for it was non-existent. When my son and I went, you could see they were set up expecting thousands of visitors, with tents, many many containers of hot chocolate and all kinds of volunteers. Instead, hundreds showed up and I suspect many of those were CP employees and family. To see the train was really neat and I'm sure it was disappointment for CP. However, the advertising was very poor so I wasn't surprised at the results. On the CP web site you could follow the progress of the train across Canada.

 

Well......duh....don't I feel like a fool. Okay as I was typing the above response I thought: "why don't I go to CP's site and see if there is anything on the Christmas Train!" Well, yup there is one and the pictures are great.

You can try www.cpr.ca and see if that works. If it doesn't, go to yahoo and enter Yahoo! Canada this will bring up a Canadian Yahoo search engine. Then look underneath the little window you type your search request in, there will be two choices, 1) search all of the internet 2) search Canadian sites only. Hit the button for "search Canadian sites only" and type in Canadian Pacific Railway.

Once at the site, you will see on the first page that appears, something that says "Holiday Train"...tab on that...it will take you to the holiday train....great pictures.... wait a minute or two...as pictures scroll..eventually you will see a choice of english or french, hit on english if that is your bent and you will see info and schedule on it....

I recommend you check out the pictures...as a matter of fact I think I'm going back to look again...Merry Xmas everyone...

 

E-8
I think BCRailking is suffering internet burnout, which I have experienced, along with others who hit it heavy initially. He is young so hasn't learned how to "pace himself"...lol. He is still active in the hobby and is busy elsewhere.

He is the railfan more than the modeler (although he is heavy into operations in layouts as people discover when they invite us to their non-operational layouts and he begins scenarios of the operations of their layout). I am more the modeler than the railfan. I read MR and N scale et al. intensely, and he reads Trains, CTC, et al. intensily - the balance seems to work in this family.

We are both in grieving as the electrics have been shut down in Tumbler Ridge (British Columbia) on BCRail. There is an excellent article about them in CTC, I think the latest edition.

Even though he is "laying off" a bit, he still volunteers on the various configurations of the Hudson trains with BC Rail. He is the only volunteer on the summer trains (it isn't called the Royal Hudson anymore as it is out forever or a long spell at best as political negotiating and posturing occurs for the 1.5 million to repair her occurs).

It was discovered that he knew more about BC Rail than any of its employees did so they asked him on for all the technical questions that rail fan passengers would ask. It was fun to see the train hosting staff call their "technical expert" forward to answer questions and an eleven year old would appear. This will be his fourth year of volunteering on the Hudson (or Steam excursion, or Squamish excursion - when they use the CP F7 unit because the steam engine is out for servicing).

He is also active in TAMR (Teen Age Model Rail Roaders). He is the International Rep. He is experiencing some burn out there when Americans teens told him they weren't interested in Canadian Trains and wanted all the articles to be about American goodies. I think the dust is still settling for him on that one. He is discovering the "joys" of working with the public at large...lol (good experience).

This holiday he has already volunteered on several of the Jingle Bell express trains (another incarnation of the Hudson) which will turn into the Holiday excursion after Xmas (lol).

The long and short of it is that I am sure he will re-appear and carry on as trains are in his blood. My grandfather and uncle were CN engineers for 90 years between the two of them. My grandfather was in Jasper Alberta and ran the Super Continental from Jasper to Edson and back through the Canadian Rockies. My Uncle moved to Edmonton Alberta where he ran just about everything from way freights to VIA passenger trains. I think Dane got a jolt of those genes in his make up.

When he re-appears, I will probably disappear to give him some independence away from "dad's prying eyes..." lol.

 

Well, I still am here, I just hang in the shadows, if something major on the group comes up, I jump at it.

I have been doing the same, taking a break somewhat, working more and more, thank goodness for the holidays coming.

I stare at a computer screen all day at work, and maybe some of yas can relate, there are just days I dont wanna do that at home as well.

Merry Christmas Guys
Jon

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J.E. Pindar
Webmaster-Canadian Pacific Railway Resources
http://cpr.railfan.net

 

I showed Dane your post wishing him a merry Xmas. He is busy lobbying me to buy your container cars. We are busy on the final stages of bench work, so my priority is to finish that and begin laying track before we buy much rolling stock. Having said that though, it is Dane's birthday today (19th) and he received some wood chip Montana Raillink cars which will be re-incarnated into a subsidiary of MRL called the Eastern British Columbia Rail Link, or the EBC Rail Link. And Christmas is but around the corner, so we will have to see what Santa brings.

As we speak, he is weathering Atlas SD60's N scale. MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM DANE AND RICK NICHOLSON.... HOME TOWN OF BCRAIL

 

Where is the BCRailKing ? Have not seen him around here in awhile

I was wondering if CP has got any SD70's or SD75I's . I have only seen SD40's here on the CP de-tour trains on the CN .

If anyone knows , please let me know . I would also like pictures if they are available , I love SD70's & 75I's

 

Noper my little hogger buddy

CP went from the SD60's (SOO)

right to the SD90MAC's

so, dont expect any from me, they are all pretty much dem damn GE's

 

Yeah those damn GE's are trash

Tonight I worked train #399 and had the CN 5740 in the lead , with the CN 6008 trailing and also CN 5544 . 9,000ft , but ran like a bullet train

CP #534 in the pass for us in the Lapeer siding

 

Dave,
CP does not have any SD70I's or SD75I's instead they have SD90MAC's(4300 hp) and SD90MAC-H's(6000 hp.).

 

The MAC's!

NOT MY PICS.

Photo credits: Brian Switzer





The giant SD90MAC-H with 6000 horsepower

 

why are the nosed chopped oddly, on the -H unlike the SD9043MAC model??

 

6,000 HP . Thanks for posting those MONSTERS . I should know this but are those GE's ?

 

The SD90MAC-HII is a EMD product, just like the SD90MAC-H, SD9043MAC, SD80MAC, SD70MAC, SD75I/M ,SD70I/M and the soon to be avalible SD89MAC-H.

Also a SD9043MAC could somewhat technically be considered a SD75MAC, but the electricals and some other componets are way differnt than a SD75.

 

Between the times that CP bought the SD90430MAC and the SD90MAC-H EMD redesigned the cab. The four CP SD90MAC-H are Phase 2 design. Union Pacific owns some SD90MAC-H with the Phase 1 cab.

[ 05 March 2001: Message edited by: E&NRailway ]

 

Great Pics!!!!

It gets me to itching to be back in the Fraser Canyon this spring, when the river is running hard and furious. You get to see some great trains snaking through the canyon, see Daisy the waitress at the North Bend beanery for CP. Where else can you sit 10 feet from the track in a restaurant and see the Rocky Mountaineer, the American Orient Express, Via, and the CP business train goes storming by you will you eat the CP omellette and have a second cup of coffee.