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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder here.

Those were the words of the CP Galt Sub RTC late Friday afternoon over the airwaves as he was planning and projecting any opposing meets....and obviously feeling the stress of an oversized train about to enter his territory of largely 6000 – 7000 foot sidings. The few times I’ve seen this train lately - it’s become impressive….from an average of 5000 – 6000 feet - largely single stack marine containers – dramatically increasing in length with loaded and empty auto racks in front.

On this notoriously underinvested line, you’ve essentially rolled two trains into one.
Although it’s only half the battle …as opposing trains are relatively short; this is one lever pressuring the operating ratio down. I still see the same two GE’s upfront – loaded racks aren’t that heavy – but now you’ve got two more locomotives freed up and deployed elsewhere. Or two old gas guzzlers not needed anymore.

Wait till next year with the siding extension programs kicking in – the lulls between trains will become longer...as well.

The new operating plan is these monster trains as many places as possible. They have been combining westbounds in places like the former SOO between St Paul and Moose Jaw and westward towards Alyth. Going North out of Alyth towards Red Deer and Edmonton they will be combining mainfests around the 10,000 foot range. Going South from Alyth to Lethbridge they will combining 466 and 469 around the 10,000 foot mark as well. Same with 467 and 468 from Lethbridge to Alyth. There is no place on the Red Deer or Aldersyde Subs to meet these monsters so I imagine only one direction at a time. Should be fun with the colder weather coming up.

Cheers, A.J.

"Make it work or you're fired."

Bill Miller
Galt, ON

cold weather, frozen and cracked glad hand gaskets, minor trainline leaks...ahhhhh winter. "Still pumpin' air on 'em."

The Galt Sub actually is better suited to long trains than many CP or CN main lines....there are 10,000 foot sidings at Nisourri and Wolverton....which is pretty close together. Until they put the siding in at Baxter, long trains had a long way to go on the Mactier to pass other long trains.

I hear there are some longer sidings going in up north on the transcons, which will hopefully reduce the need for two-siding meets, but it's a glacial pace for progress IMHO.

Even before 2008, when the Galt Sub was busy, CP stubbornly resisted installing CTC on the Galt Sub. CP has been relatively receptive to extending GO service west from Milton - I've always wondered if they were hoping that GO would sign up to pay for improvements.

- Paul

So that's what Baxter is....a new siding. I'd heard it on the scanner a few times this summer but had no idea what it was. No such place when I pulled the pin three years ago!

Dean Purcell
Bracebridge, ON