Canadian Railroads > Monday Meet

June 15, 2005 heading north on the Exeter Switcher and back to Williams Lake we took the siding at Lac La Hache on the BC Rail Lillooet sub for a meet with southbound train. During the good ole days on BC Rail we used to run DPU with two 3,000 HP units on the point and two 3,000 HP units DPU cut-in mid train. When we got the 4,000 HP GE units things changed a bit, two units leading and one unit cut back in the train. Same amount of horsepower, just configured differently. CN took things to a higher level and generally ran three on the headend and three MU'd working DPU buried in the train. The extra horsepower was not for maintaining track speed on the heavy ascending grades, just more power to lug more tonnage. This particular train we met at Lac La Hache was heavy but would still pickup more loads at Exeter to fill out tonnage south to Lillooet where the train would be broken in half and run as two trains over the Squamish sub. 

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3 units DPU'd way back in the train.
Thanks for looking.
Doug

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Would all those units (the DPU) be on line?  It seems like a lot of tractive effort to have in the middle of the train.

GTD

Yes, they would all be working.  The train will fill out to maximum tonnage at Exeter and grind up the "controlling grade" south out of Exeter.  The extra dynamic brakes mid-train come in handy descending Kelly Lake Hill.  This was basically two trains in one that CN toyed with on BC Rail.
Doug

hoggerdoug Wrote:
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>CN took things to a higher level and generally ran three
> on the headend and three MU'd working DPU buried
> in the train. The extra horsepower was not for
> maintaining track speed on the heavy ascending
> grades, just more power to lug more tonnage. This
> particular train we met at Lac La Hache was heavy
> but would still pickup more loads at Exeter to
> fill out tonnage south to Lillooet where the train
> would be broken in half and run as two trains over
> the Squamish sub. 

Doug, in this era was the Northbound equivalent of the train you're describing follow this procedure in reverse?  ie: arrive at Lillooet as two trains, then combine to one NB?

It may have changed, at the time it was one huge train from Squamish northbound all the way to Prince George. Mostly empties until Williams Lake, picking up loads at Williams Lake, Quesnel and Dunkley as well as setting off empties at the three places mentioned. CN's idea of PSR even though it two or three crews on each subdivision.
Doug