Canadian Railroads > MLW Monday

Better late than never, and I see Moonliter beat me to posting. That old saying, "Railroaders pull out on time" !!!
Anyhow, couple images of CN units that BC Rail had on lease to relieve a power shortage.

CN 3235 in fairly new paint taken at Red Rock BC April 1980. I never really did care for the zebra stripe paint scheme. I sure hope I splurged on some film to take an image or two of the "two tone green units" that day. Also got lucky with the spot of an open gate for photo opportunity.

CN 3236 at Gibraltar, BC May 1980 while we setting out some empty copper gons. I much prefer this paint, make the loco look like a brute.

These images were taken during my days training to be a Locomotive Engineer. If I recall, these images were taken while I was training with Hogger Joe Mazur. Joe was a great fellow, and taught me a lot about railroading, train handling and air brakes. Also Joe was a railfan and if we had something unusual in the loco consist, Joe would want to stop somewhere for photos. Joe's theory on these unscheduled stops was "good practice" for me stopping and starting the train.

BC Rail did not have an ESB (Engineer Service Brakeman) program such as CN and CP had. As seniority permitted, Trainmen on BC Rail were given the opportunity for training and promotion to Locomotive Engineer. It was a six month, intensive training program at which the end of, we had a choice of returning to Train Service (Conductor / Brakeman) or relinquish that seniority and start anew as a Locomotive Engineer. During the training program, us trainees were the butt of jokes and numerous slang nicknames. We were called "piglets" as in young hogg(s)er or "shake and bake" hoggers. Stick us in the cab, some intensive seasoning "shake and bake" us. The recipe worked quite well.

Doug
 

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My friend Lorne Muirhead came over to BC Rail as a "passed fireman" after the PGE/BCR stopped hiring new hire firemen from the ranks.
His railway career spanned many years, first as a telegraph messenger at Nelson BC, later as a steward on a CP coastal steamship. Later, he hired on in engine service on CP's Vancouver Island Subsidiary, the Esquimalt & Nanaimo. The E&N had a separate seniority district from CP on the Mainland, and as traffic declined on E&N, Lorne found himself mid-career and seldom working. He took a chance and went over to the PGE, initially working the north end and later out of Lillooet.

He told me of other "passed firemen" who came from other railways to the PGE/BCR. I believe the legendary "Lefty" Morgan who established the CUTE union on the BCR came over from the CN. The term "passed fireman" referred to a locomotive firemen who qualified for the position on another railway. In the case of CP and CN and their subsidiaries, such passed firemen had to have qualified before June 1955 when the position was abolished. CP and CN paid qualified firemen $2600 to quit, those remaining had to agree to take the promotion to engineer when offered or to remain as permanent firemen until retirement. 

Before starting the Engine Service Brakeman program on CP, that railway made a one time offer to relocate locomotive firemen to British Columbia .
Under the Kellock ruling, CP and CN ceased hiring firemen in 1955. By the late 1960's, the western parts of CN and CP were running out of firemen to promote to engineers. CN started the ESB program first and CP shortly thereafter.

I believe the last Canadian railway to employ locomotive firemen was the Algoma Central.
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/19 17:05 by eminence_grise.

Nice story about the engineer quaulification.  It is all these little details and facts that get lost in time.  Funny, as I was writing the caption about rarely seeing any CN owned MLW products west of Sudbury in the eighties, the ones I thought of were the MLW C-424s.  Even their numbers were thinning out in eastern Canada as CN were leasing them out to your road and 10 to the National of Mexico.

As for paint I have to give my vote to the zebra-stripped unit.  :>)

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa ON

Further to the paint scheme vote, I always thought the zebra stripe was basically terrific, a real looker. However, Doug's point is well made, that on certain units, the old noodle worked very well, and I think it's the real short pug-nose on the MLWs that works perfectly with the lipstick, while the rest of the unit is black. The really clean lines on the long hood helped as well.
Fred