Canadian Railroads > Windmills in the Fraser Canyon

I'll follow up on CP9300's post below about the windmill train run ACOT (Against the Current Of Traffic) on CN up the Fraser River Canyon. Dimensional load and work trains are pretty much the only trains run eastbound on CN between Matsqui Jct and Nepa (near Ashcroft). Eastbounds almost always run on CP between these points. In contrast it's not unusual to see CP run westbounds on their own track, particualrily late in a month where they come close to exceeding their tonnage limits as part of the co-production agreement with CN. When you hear a CN train 352 you know its a dimensional train. To complicate things CN crews will run CP empty grain trains out of Thornton Yard symboled J352 which follow the the normal route over to CP at Mission.

1. I caught up with the train east of Chilliwack as it slowed to go in the hole at Rosedale.

2 & 3. Parts and motors against a backdrop of Mount Cheam.


cp1400



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/10 01:15 by cp1400.

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4. At Rosedale the first westbound revenue Rocky Mountaineer of the season breezes by. The equipment painted in the swirly scheme must have stayed in Kamloops.

5. Eastbound peek-a-boo at Herling Island.

6. Approaching Floods near the community of Hope.

cp1400

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7. Deep in the Fraser Canyon east of Yale I encountered eastbound CN trains on both sides. In the last 30 years or so the railways have not found it necessary to cut back trees and shrubbery near the right of way. Getting clear shots of trains in this part of the canyon is becoming impossible. If only they would bring back cabooses, telegraph wires and eliminate automatic detectors. Then the railway would have to keep the line side clear for crews to inspect their own trains.

8. One of the many mountain creeks flows into the muddy Fraser.

9. At Alexandria bridge the highway crosses to the CN side. Below the bridge is a nice S curve to observe the blades.

cp1400

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10. Crossing the Anderson River near Boston Bar.

11. Stopped on track 1 in Boston Bar for a crew change while a CP coal train departs for Roberts Bank.

12. Kamloops crew on board departs Boston Bar for home.

The Thompson Canyon beckoned ahead but with the rain starting to fall and failing light I decided to turn for home. Besides I gotta get to California for the 3751 trip this weekend.

Thanks to CP9300 for tipping me off about this train.

cp1400



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/10 01:24 by cp1400.

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This train is not running against the current of traffic as you state since this line has CTC and is runnung on signal indication.

Hello, Why is there a empty flat on the front of this train??
Was there some reason for this??Great photos..
Cheers Brian in New Zealand..

Is this the same train I saw in Everett Wa a few days ago? It was sitting on the low line which is a good sing it will be heading North. The empty flat car is a buffer car.
Kevin

superintendent Wrote:
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> This train is not running against the current of
> traffic as you state since this line has CTC and
> is runnung on signal indication.


In this instance "ACOT" (Against Current of Traffic) refers to the usual practice of eastbound on the CP, westbound on the CN between the usual interchange points in the "Co-Production Agreement" between CP and CN. (Nepa/Coho to the east, and Mission Junction to the west).

ACOT on crew line ups etcetera alerts operating and maintenance employees to expect a train running in the opposite direction.

CN removed several sidings in co-production territory. The CTC system is indeed bi-directional on both railways.

The limits and rules of co-production are not hard and fast. They can be extended all the way to the "Greater Vancouver Terminals" for ease of access to port facilities, and east to Kamloops when required for track maintenance purposes.

Thanks for the great series of pictures, and the lucid descriptions

The windmills look better on the train then they will up and running.

Nice shots, great scenary and story. Thanks for sharing.
Todd Montgomery
Eugene OR

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> The windmills look better on the train then they
> will up and running.


Amen !!

If someone were to want to install these goodies here in Huntsville, the most natural locations would be at the top of the moountains that border the city to the east.
Those locations are also the sites for some of the really exclusive homes, like "The Ledges." The steady "whooosh -- whooosh -- whoosh" (when the wind is blowing) would drive the elitists who live up there and probably think that windmills are a great idea, totally bananas.

Good luck with ever seeing windmills at "The Ledges" !!

Fritz in HSV, AL

P.S. Why are the windmills always white? You'd thing the "planet savers" would demand that they be green, wouldn't you?