Canadian Railroads > An Overpowered Z120

October 5th saw a rather impressive collection of power on CN Z120, the daily Toronto to Halifax intermodal train.  The 646-axle train was lead by venerable SD75I 5657, and included GE locomotives 2506, 3148, 3088, 3040 and 3814.  Speculation was that CN would run an extra westbound train out of Halifax the next morning, but all the power except 5657 returned to Moncton on 121 that night.  5657 stayed for a few days to work as a switcher in Rockingham.

There have been some extra trains, but they tend to use 407's power, or locomotives that had been assigned to 511 during the previous week.  Nonetheless, Rockingham has been plugged of late, with cars staged on the transfer track and main line as well as yard tracks.  Yesterday's VIA 15 had to run through the yard because the CTC controlled main line had empty well cars stored on it.

Z120 is shown here at track speed of 45 mph near mile 17 of the Bedford Sub in Windsor Jct., and then crawling along the Halifax Transfer Track near mile 7, in Birch Cove.

GTD

---

---

Nice shots... that 75 is fading away!

Doesn't look like much intermodal on that day's train, can already see the carload traffic across the bay...

Z120 often has carload traffic, usually no more than 10 cars or so somewhere mid-train.

As for 5657, here it is at Springhill Jct on A407 heading to Moncton on October 12th.

..jr

---