Canadian Railroads > CP train order meet at Estevan SK., June 1976

Estevan  is a coal mining and oil and gas producing town in south-east Saskatchewan. It is on CP's secondary main line from Pasqua (Moose Jaw) to North Portal SK/ND , formerly the interchange with the Soo Line and today with CP's US lines. Saskatchewan residents have always called this route the "Soo Line" although it has always been CP. Estevan is also on an east-west line from Manitoba and was once on a CN branch line. Estevan is situated on the Canadian portion of the Bakken oilfield , and along with neighboring towns and villages has grown and prospered with the oil industry. 

The date was June 8th, 1976, and CP was still operating with train orders and timetables. A friend from Montreal was working a summer vacancy at Estevan as the operator.

The first image show Extra 3011 West entering the yard at Estevan, with the train order signal at STOP, indicating that the train was required to stop and collect train orders and in this case, sign the train register. In the distance, you can see a trainman and the conductor walking up to do so. 3011 is a GP38AC built by EMD and has a distinctive "small multimark" paint scheme from CP's Ogden shops in Calgary.

The second image shows 3011 west tucked away in the yard at Estevan beside the brick and stone station.

The third image shows eastbound train 940, CP's Vancouver-Chicago merchandiser, with another GP38AC leading slowing to pick up trainorders from the operator. The train order is displaying YELLOW, which means the operator has train orders for this train, but a stop is not required. The head end trainman is on the front platform to pick up train orders from the operator. 

 

Wow - these are very interesting and excellent shots.
Thanks for all the info that explained what was going on.
Gary

Pasqua (Moose Jaw) to North Portal/Portal is now a very busy mainline.
Is it signalled with CTC?
I know that Portal to Glenwood (MN) had CTC installed in the past few years.

GN1969 Wrote:
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> Pasqua (Moose Jaw) to North Portal/Portal is now a
> very busy mainline.
> Is it signalled with CTC?
> I know that Portal to Glenwood (MN) had CTC
> installed in the past few years.

In 1982, train order operation was replaced with the Canadian version of Track Warrant Control, now called OCS, Occupancy Control System which remains in service in this territory.

In the 1990's, some experiments with locally controlled power switches on a variety of CP and CN subdivisions, however although a success, "auto normal" power switches have not spread across the systems.

Applications of full CTC control to a variety of secondary mains on both CP and CN has been rumoured..  So far the only recent new CTC in Canada has been on portions of Via Rail.

 

GN1969 Wrote:
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> Pasqua (Moose Jaw) to North Portal/Portal is now a
> very busy mainline.
> 

This line runs through Dog River, no? I've seen/heard a few CP trains running through there while watching Corner Gas...  ;-)

JPB Wrote:
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> GN1969 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Pasqua (Moose Jaw) to North Portal/Portal is now
> a
> > very busy mainline.
> > 
>
> This line runs through Dog River, no? I've
> seen/heard a few CP trains running through there
> while watching Corner Gas...  ;-).

Yes, Rouleau SK was Dog River in "Corner Gas". The one remaining elevator and the hotel are lettered Dog River. The former CP station is relocated as a house in the community.

The gas station and restaurant was a movie set just west of town, and is long gone but the location is marked by a sign and parking lot.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/20 09:56 by eminence_grise.

Great shots, Phil! Nice to see my favourite CP units, the GP38ACs, ruling their territory in pretty much ever way possible!

Posted from iPhone

JPB Wrote:

> This line runs through Dog River, no? I've
> seen/heard a few CP trains running through there
> while watching Corner Gas...  ;-)

That's surprising if you did because at times they stopped traffic on the highway when they were filming outdoors to maintain the feel that Dog River was desolate.  When we got stopped we advised the flag woman  there was a train coming and she radioed the film crew.  The shoot was delayed while the train passed and vehicle traffic was allowed to continue as well. 

Rob Smith
Hamilton, ON

A nice series with a lovely model; speaking of models, I bet a lot of modellers wish CP had made the small Multimark standard on GM units - easier to decal! Is that a 1961 Falcon by the station? I don't know my cars well enough.
Fred

feclark Wrote:
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> A nice series with a lovely model; speaking of
> models, I bet a lot of modellers wish CP had made
> the small Multimark standard on GM units - easier
> to decal! Is that a 1961 Falcon by the station? I
> don't know my cars well enough.
> Fred

I think it is a 61 Ford Falcon. Note the other side of the station with a Mercury of similar vintage.