Canadian Railroads > All GM Power on the Gypsum Train

A week ago, when I was out on the Dartmouth Sub looking for the CN PTC survey truck, Getting Ready for PTC (trainorders.com), the RTC was concerned that the foreman not take too much time, because he wanted to get the returning gypsum train onto the Dartmouth Sub too.  So instead of following the hi-rail truck into the yard in Dartmouth, I stayed in place at Akerley Blvd, and waited.  I already knew that 511 had 8006 leading on the eastward trip, but was surprised to see 8838 paired with it when they went through the crossing at mile 8.70.  After the MLWs were retired, CN tried a few different combinations of power, often 3-unit sets of SD/GP40s, but eventually settled on pairs of SD75Is, which could handle the trains easily and were popular with the crews.  In fact there was a wheel slip incident with a pair of Dash-9s that threw the conductor off the rear of the train as it was being backed into Wrights Cove.  The wheels missed him, but were close enough to slice his jacket, and he was rather banged up from the fall.

But the onslaught of GEs has continued, and the ACs have actually become the preferred power, although CN is reluctant to assign them to a job which only runs about 100 miles a day.

In the first frame, the crew will have to wait until the loaded cars are spotted before they get to visit Timmie's, and in the second, the train has stopped to drop off the conductor at the mile 10.1 switch to Wrights Cove.  He was very considerate to close the front door for me before the train started moving again. :-)

GTD

---

---