Canadian Railroads > Switcher Saturday - Agrium at Redwater, AB

These three shots were taken on August 18, 1999 (was it that long ago?), after many months of negotiating and pleading with Agrium's public relations lady. It was a mixed day in terms of results. The biggest disappointment is that the one unit in Agrium livery (green and white as I recall?), SW900 50280 (TSG info) had been involved in an incident a couple of days before, and was tucked into the shops. I tried subsequently for a follow-up visit, but no luck. Maybe she's gone on to better things, and a new gatekeeper would be more friendly. Former CN 404 was also in the shops, and Canadian Railserv GE 25t 1501 was deep in shadows, and I didn't get the exposure right (digital would have solved that, I would have known right away). So here's what did work out.
1. Former CN SW900 402, no paint wasted changing its former identity, spotted for me to get some nose light in the mid-morning (their trackage forms a big square with rounded corners).
2. Before that shot, here it is at work, with the second unit off to the right. I like to get plant scenes in industrial visits.
3. This is 901, a former S-2 that's been re-engined with a Cummins diesel. From further back in time, this and a few other units from this plant made it into railfan circulation, via the Boyd/Jobe/Platt consortium. Different numbers/prime movers/corporate logos, with an ESSO slant.
Fred

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feclark Wrote:

> From further back in time, this and a few other units from this
> plant made it into railfan circulation, via the
> Boyd/Jobe/Platt consortium. Different
> numbers/prime movers/corporate logos, with an ESSO
> slant.

I'm having trouble interpreting the above. Could you spell it out for us in layman's terms?

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
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> feclark Wrote:
>
> > From further back in time, this and a few other
> units from this
> > plant made it into railfan circulation, via the
> > Boyd/Jobe/Platt consortium. Different
> > numbers/prime movers/corporate logos, with an
> ESSO
> > slant.
>
> I'm having trouble interpreting the above. Could
> you spell it out for us in layman's terms?

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be obscure. Before this was Agrium, the plant was ESSO Chemicals, and they had a handful of Alco switchers over the years, with four different paint schemes, no two units the same, different decals, one was the "Beamer Express", one had a roadrunner, and so on. Doug Boyd, Peter Jobe, and Ian Platt often travelled together, tracking down and shooting industrials in Canada, and by sale or trade, their shots got around. As these units got shopped at CN's Calder shops, as it was then, others shot these beasts.
Fred