Canadian Railroads > Miserable Mondays - End of the (Dead)Line for VIA's E8As

Last week, at https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4699493, I posted a shot of my first encounter with VIA 1800, in January 1980 on a bitterly cold day. This shot is pushing arwye's intent with "Miserable Mondays in Alberta"; it's a cloudy day, but not that bad. It's the subject that is miserable; the end of the line for VIA's pair of E8As. In replies to last week's post, some questions were asked and answers given about their fate. Later in 1980, the 1800 and 1802 were renumbered 1988 and 1899, to avoid conflict/confusion with CP's RS-18s that started to emerge from rebuild at Angus shops that year. This photo is from August 7, 1982, in the dead line south of the shops at Alyth Yard, in Calgary. I don't know where they went from here, but they weren't powering any VIA trains. The MLW switcher on the right side is 6592, a nod to MLW Monday. Although you don't typically associate MLWs with Western Canada and Calgary, a number of the switchers worked out west, and in the early 80s started getting pulled from service and stored for a while in this line. As to the left-side locomotive, GP35 5020 obviously had an unfortunate encounter (I don't know any of the details), but was repaired to run again on CP. By the way, if you ever have questions or want to see photos of particular CP or former CP diesels, check out Wilco van Schoonhoven's Mountain Railway web site, at http://www.mountainrailway.com/. It's an amazing resource.
Fred



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/19 20:06 by feclark.

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Wow, bringing  back great memories. During my high school years in the mid 60s we lived in Cote St Luc, specifically right across the street from St Luc Jct. My bedroom window faced the tracks. And I have memories of the 1800s leading the CP trains to Quebec City along the north shore route.
The Es were resplendent in maroon and gray leading 2200 series coaches in the summertime and stainless steel cars from the Canadian in the off season.While I was clearly interested in observing all of this action, it never occurred to me to take photos.

WP17

BTW please don't flame me if my memories have faded and become somewhat distorted.:-)

WP17 Wrote:
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> Wow, bringing  back great memories. During my
> high school years in the mid 60s we lived in Cote
> St Luc, specifically right across the street from
> St Luc Jct. My bedroom window faced the tracks.
> And I have memories of the 1800s leading the CP
> trains to Quebec City along the north shore
> route.
> The Es were resplendent in maroon and gray leading
> 2200 series coaches in the summertime and
> stainless steel cars from the Canadian in the off
> season.While I was clearly interested in observing
> all of this action, it never occurred to me to
> take photos.
>
> WP17

After the RDCs took over the Quebec City trains.....the E8s went to the Atlantic Limited across Maine to Saint John.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/19 01:51 by ghCBNS.

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Why did CP buy just 3 instead of F units ?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/19 09:36 by joemvcnj.

Some of my Montreal memories are sounds.

Living on the flank of Westmount, one of Montreal's three hills, on warm summer nights, the sounds of the city came through my bedroom window.

Trains leaving CP's downtown Windsor station faced a climb. CP's E units, whether on a train destined for Quebec City, or New Brunswick worked hard leaving town, and had a unique sound all of their own as the twin 567 engines throttled up.

 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Why did CP buy just 3 instead of F units ?

They were EMD's purchased to work passenger trains between Montreal and Boston on conjunction with the Boston & Maine which CP interchanged with at Wells River VT..The B&M contributed E units to this run also.

Both CP & B&M converted the run to RDC's in the late 1950's, leaving the CP E's to work other assignments.

eminence_grise Wrote:
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> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Why did CP buy just 3 instead of F units ?
>
> They were EMD's purchased to work passenger trains
> between Montreal and Boston on conjunction with
> the Boston & Maine which CP interchanged with at
> Wells River VT..The B&M contributed E units to
> this run also.

I believe these E units were built at the same time as the  B&M units.
>
> Both CP & B&M converted the run to RDC's in the
> late 1950's, leaving the CP E's to work other
> assignments.