Canadian Railroads > Metal Monday - CN Moving Aluminum and Steel

I know Monday is usually for MLWs, but I recently ran across an old slide of mine, and thought, in honour of Sir Donald's exemption of Canada from tariffs on aluminum and steel, I'd run these freight car shots, a total of four (and please, let's not clutter this up with rants about this and that; well, if you must, but I'm not trying to start anything, it's just an excuse to post some stuff I like).
1. This is the only time I've seen these, aluminum ingots on CN 618220 (you'll see there are at least two more such cars in the consist). The train is #354, which the 2000 Edition of the TSG said was Prince Rupert to Winnipeg, so these must be out of Alcan at Kitimat, at 1156 on February 26, 2000. This is at Hayter Road, just west of Clover Bar yard, with the Celanese plant in the background; a great place to roster shoot rolling stock. I must say I really like the little stake/bulkheads.
2. That was aluminum, here's some coil steel, in the first of three shots of these very cool coil steel flats. This is CN 187190, shot on April 18, 2000, also by the Celanese plant at the crossing in off Hayter Road. Length is 42"0", owned by GATX Rail, on #203 (Mac Yard Toronto to Edmonton) at 1357.
3. Next day, April 19, 2000, we have EB counterpart #202, Vancouver to Mac Yard, with CN 187161, covers in place, at 1245. Just as a general question, what qualifies loads on these cars for covers, versus exposed? Same location as first shot; elevated shot comes next.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/18 20:08 by feclark.

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4. One of my favourite go-to locations was where Baseline Road overpasses CN's Camrose Sub; one of the few places you can get over the tracks in Edmonton. On this occasion, we have CN 187197, uncovered and loaded, headed south on #444 at 1046, June 18, 2004. This is almost certainly destined for Camrose Pipe/Campipe in Camrose, a former Stelco facility (now Oregon Steel Mills, I think). I'll post something from there on Switcher Saturday, I hope. I realize that there's a rather interesting short CN trailer in the background; I'll have to rummage to find a shot of it, or something like it, out at Ardrossan, as a Mobile Command unit or some such. The memory's a little fuzzy, but the photo will sharpen it up. I hope you've taken these shots in the spirit they're intended, sparked by, but not a commentary on, Trump and NAFTA and all that jazz.
Fred



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/18 20:07 by feclark.

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We see those aluminum billet cars daily departing Montreal for Brockville. The aluminum comes from Arvida and in unloaded in Brockville. From there it is trucked to the Novelis plant in Oswego, New York. Among other products Novelis rolls aluminum into thin sheets for use in beer cans.

KG

feclark Wrote:
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> Just as a
> general question, what qualifies loads on these
> cars for covers, versus exposed?

I was actually about to ask the same question!

Interesting cars.

611

Posted from iPhone

kgmontreal Wrote:
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> We see those aluminum billet cars daily departing
> Montreal for Brockville. The aluminum comes from
> Arvida and in unloaded in Brockville. From there
> it is trucked to the Novelis plant in Oswego, New
> York. Among other products Novelis rolls aluminum
> into thin sheets for use in beer cans.
>
> KG

Thanks for info KG! Very interesting tibit !!! :):):)

djd83 Wrote:
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> feclark Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Just as a
> > general question, what qualifies loads on these
> > cars for covers, versus exposed?
>
> I was actually about to ask the same question!

Generally steel coils in covered cars are finished steel that will be made into a finished product. Steel in the open cars will require further processing.

1019X Wrote:
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> djd83 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > feclark Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Just as a
> > > general question, what qualifies loads on
> these
> > > cars for covers, versus exposed?
> >
> > I was actually about to ask the same question!
>
> Generally steel coils in covered cars are finished
> steel that will be made into a finished product.
> Steel in the open cars will require further
> processing.

Thanks for this; any chance you could give us an example or two of each? And would the coils headed to Campipe be turned into pipe/tube by spiral wrapping it, so to speak, like cardboard tubes in a roll of paper towels, or do they roll it and seam it lengthwise, like zipping up a long boot? I've always wondered, and never think to ask when I have the chance.
Fred

kgmontreal Wrote:
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> We see those aluminum billet cars daily departing
> Montreal for Brockville. The aluminum comes from
> Arvida and in unloaded in Brockville. From there
> it is trucked to the Novelis plant in Oswego, New
> York. Among other products Novelis rolls aluminum
> into thin sheets for use in beer cans.
>
> KG


From looking at a map, I can see the Novelis plant has rail service. Too short a haul for CSX?

Txhighballer Wrote:
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> kgmontreal Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------

>
>
> From looking at a map, I can see the Novelis plant
> has rail service. Too short a haul for CSX?

The aluminum used to go by rail. But it was too slow.

KG

Posted from Android

kgmontreal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We see those aluminum billet cars daily departing
> Montreal for Brockville. The aluminum comes from
> Arvida and in unloaded in Brockville. From there
> it is trucked to the Novelis plant in Oswego, New
> York. Among other products Novelis rolls aluminum
> into thin sheets for use in beer cans.
>
> KG

Not all is unloaded in Brockville...we see plenty of aluminum billets going west through Oshawa.