Canadian Railroads > Switcher Saturday - IMC GE Centre Cabs at Cutarm, SK

Last Saturday I posted an IPSCO NW2 at Regina, at https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4383665.
Later the same day, on my solo drive east to Ottawa, I made an excursion north off the TransCanada Highway to try to shoot some of the industrial units at potash mines in eastern Saskatchewan. There were three plants listed in the old Trackside Guide, 1983 edition; Yarbo, Cutarm, and Rocanville, and a total of 10 units. Remember I was just showing up cold, no pre-arrangement, and also no Google Maps to help out. So I never tracked down Rocanville and Potash Corp of Saskatchewan, although one of those ended up in front of my camera years later. I never found Yarbo, but did get to the Cutarm plant of International Minerals and Chemical Corp, their K-2 plant. Someone was kind enough to escort me to a spot on the property where a line-up of inactive locomotives sat. Four of the photos are today's post, the shots taken on July 10, 1984.
1. Here's the trio and the plant for background. They are IMC 46017, 46011, and 1243. They showed up in the 1984 Guide, but were gone by the 1986 edition.
2. This is GE 45t 46017, with what I gather from an issue of X2200 South is a low-clearance cab built for US military service, overseas where clearances are tighter. According to the TSG, this was an ex-MEC 44t, but the serial number did not match the builder's plates, which were still on this beast. I commented on the desirability of the plates, and my escort offered I could take them. Except his vehicle had no screw driver, my toolbox was in the trunk of the Volvo back in the parking lot, and even if I had it, I would probably have needed a couple of litres of WD40 to get the screws loose. But I got the info, and it is at odds with the TSG. So this unit definitively is b/n 27592, b/d 5/44, Class B-B-90/90-4GE733, 380 hp. I assume the class refers to B-B trucks, weight, and weight on drivers, of 90,000 lbs/45t, maybe it has 4 GE traction motors, model 733 [?], and 380 hp.
3. A sad sister, this is a 44t, 46011, ex-MEC 17 according to TSG; the road number didn't show anywhere on the unit. Something's missing here; however, the plates were on, so this is confirmed as b/n 28348, b/d 5/47, Class B-B-88/88-4GE733, 380 hp. Note the IMC decal, and reference to Esterhazy, the nearest town of appreciable size.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/17 20:54 by feclark.

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4. The third unit was a little clownish in execution, the 1243. You can still see the #11 in the number board, so its heritage as ex-MEC 11 is indicated. The plate confirmed the TSG on this one also, as b/n 13095, b/d 9/41, Class B-B-88/88-4GE733, 380 hp. You can see the outline of the IMC decal, and what may have been a road number below; the distant shot of the trio shows these on the other side of the cab. It carried no "1243" at this time. Industrials just aren't cookie cutter.
Fred



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/17 13:24 by feclark.

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Fascinating stuff! Thanks for sharing and documenting these items.

Interesting history. I presume the scrapper came along eventually.

KG



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/17 14:47 by kgmontreal.

Thanks for sharing these switchers. These might be some of the last photos of them.
Bob