Canadian Railroads > St Lawrence & Atlantic Quebec

Yesterday, Friday May 1st,took a trip to see the SLR operation at Richmond, Quebec.I had not been up there since about 2009. They now have two yard jobs in Richmond on duty in the AM, using the same power off the road jobs, making up local 510 and through freight 394. They work opposite ends of the yard with the west end crew going out to Upton about once a week to service a feed dealer and a gas dealer; the two local customers west of Richmond. The east end crew goes up the spur on the old Victoriaville line to work the industrial park there. Saw about six cars and an active Trackmobile up there switching the cross dock warehouse. The CN 394 comes in at night-not sure about CN 393 departure; the crew may turn right back to Montreal.Both eastbounds, local 510 (Monday-Friday) and through freight 394 (Monday-Friday as required) go on duty at 1430 and 1500 respectively. Traffic for 510 includes about six local customers and the CM&Q interchange which is dropped at Sherbrooke with the CM&Q Sherbrooke crew running over the SLR between the junction at Lennoxville to Sherbrooke. Recently, the CN closed the interchange at St. Jean with the CM&Q and now that traffic moves via Richmond and 510 to Sherbrooke; this boosts the size of 510 some days to exceed that of through job 394!
Photo 1:Train 510 just west of Windsor with SLR 3004-QGRY 3102-3105 and 42 cars, more than half of those for the CM&Q.
Photos 2 and 3: Train 394 with SLR 3035-804-3805 at Windsor, passing through the site of the paper mill years ago before it relocated on a spur high above the valley. The 394 had not run the previous night and had 61 cars, including about 26 for Panam at Danville Jct., Maine. The slug mother pair is now about 12 years old and looking a bit thread bare. The 3805, a former Southern Railway GP40X still carries its distinctive flared radiators:

---

---

---

George,

I enjoyed your photos of the SLQ.  Let me clarify a couple of points in your text.

1.  CN 393 usually departs Montreal for Richmond between 1230 and 1430.  That puts it into Richmond during the mid to late afternoon.  The CN crew operates as a turn and generally gets back to Montreal with their 10 hour "day", arriving before midnight.  Occasionally this winter the CN crew was forced to book rest in Richmond getting back to Montreal midmorning the following day.

2.  You siad that "Recently, the CN closed the interchange at St. Jean with the CM&Q".  This is not the case.  When the CMQ was formed, the CPR decided not to let the new railway come to St Jean.  CMQ cannot come further west than Iberville, across the river from St Jean.  Therefore, the CMQ cannot reach the interchange with CN at St Jean previously used by both CDAC and MMA.  Accordingly, CN and CMQ have no choice but to interchange at Lennoxville/Sherbrooke.  The arrangement was made more difficult as CPR had blocked CMQ from using the former CPR yard in Sherbrooke.

CDAC and MMA ran their trains from Farnham to CPR's St Luc yard in Montreal.  This is not the case for CMQ.  Traffic for CPR is interchanged at Iberville.  This arrangement is awkward because Iberville has a relatively short siding of 4500'.  This dictates that CMQ and CPR interchage trains must arrive at Iberville simultaneously in order to complete the clumsy exchange of trains.

KG
 

kgmontreal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> George,
>
> I enjoyed your photos of the SLQ.  Let me clarify
> a couple of points in your text.
>
> 1.  CN 393 usually departs Montreal for Richmond
> between 1230 and 1430.  That puts it into
> Richmond during the mid to late afternoon.  The
> CN crew operates as a turn and generally gets back
> to Montreal with their 10 hour "day", arriving
> before midnight.  Occasionally this winter the CN
> crew was forced to book rest in Richmond getting
> back to Montreal midmorning the following day.
>
> 2.  You siad that "Recently, the CN closed the
> interchange at St. Jean with the CM&Q".  This is
> not the case.  When the CMQ was formed, the CPR
> decided not to let the new railway come to St
> Jean.  CMQ cannot come further west than
> Iberville, across the river from St Jean. 
> Therefore, the CMQ cannot reach the interchange
> with CN at St Jean previously used by both CDAC
> and MMA.  Accordingly, CN and CMQ have no choice
> but to interchange at Lennoxville/Sherbrooke. 
> The arrangement was made more difficult as CPR had
> blocked CMQ from using the former CPR yard in
> Sherbrooke.
>
> CDAC and MMA ran their trains from Farnham to
> CPR's St Luc yard in Montreal.  This is not the
> case for CMQ.  Traffic for CPR is interchanged at
> Iberville.  This arrangement is awkward because
> Iberville has a relatively short siding of
> 4500'.  This dictates that CMQ and CPR interchage
> trains must arrive at Iberville simultaneously in
> order to complete the clumsy exchange of trains.
>
> KG
>

Did the folks behind the CMQ do something to upset Hunter? 

Ken!
Thanks for clarifying some of my errors. Since I retired in Jan 2008, service to/from the US has slowed down; 394 used to be classed at Richmond and run when ready; now, the train lays at Richmond 24 hours plus. Going westbound, the incoming 393 crew blocked their traffic for CN before going off duty and CN took it west much earlier.
George 

>
> Did the folks behind the CMQ do something to upset
> Hunter? 

Precisely.

KG