Canadian Railroads > More From 1998 - SD40u on a Local

For a few weeks in May of 1998, SD40u 6001 was assigned to Rockingham Yard in Halifax. I've always liked the looks of these rebuilds, with the Century-style slanted windshields and "snoot" nose. This one even looked pretty good running backwards (and CN had obviously been prepared for that, installing both a plow pilot and permanent ditch lights on the long hood end) on May 20th at Birch Cove, just east of the yard. It's a Wednesday, so the RTC has sent 507 out on the south track usually reserved for VIA. The empty hoppers will be dropped off at the Windsor & Hantsport interchange at Windsor Jct., 10 miles west of here, to be filled with bright white gypsum for a customer in Ontario. They might want to wash out that coal residue from the previous loads first!

A week later, and 6001 is still holding down the afternoon 507 job, although facing the "proper" way now. When trains were still running east and west on their respective mains, the crossover just behind the SD40u was used by eastbound trains to get into Rockingham Yard. Judging by the rusty rails, there hadn't been much reason to use it recently, and not long after I took this photo, it was removed, along with the ABS signals in the foreground. The cylindrical hoppers behind the gypsum hoppers on this train will be delivered to St. Lawrence Cement at the Bedford Quarry on the way back from the junction.

GTD

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