Canadian Railroads > FCF - Inland Cement Stone Train Covered Hoppers and Others

This instalment of Freight Car Friday highlights the covered hoppers in service with Inland Cement at Bissell, on the west side of Edmonton. The first two are the ones used in stone train service, bringing limestone from Cadomin on what are now the Mountain Park Sub, Foothills Sub, and Edson Sub. The second pair are conventional cylindrical covered hoppers that are carrying some commodity that I would guess isn't actually dry bulk cement, but I don't know.
1. On June 27, 1997 I was at Carvel, AB on the Edson Sub, for the only occasion on which I shot EB Cadomin stone train #724, at 1138. The consist was pure, 50 of these distinctive cars with the loading hatches designed to be opened or closed by the roller running along a rail. I don't know why they'd be open on a loaded train. This example is UNPX 121959.
2. On May 4, 2005, PWCX 121942 (same numbers, new leasing corporation reporting marks?) was southbound on the Camrose Sub at Bretville Junction in Edmonton at 1011, part of the consist of #444. The 'Do Not Load Until Repaired' sign is clear enough, but I'm not sure whose shop it was headed to for repair. Why not Walker in Edmonton?
These cars are not seen on this train anymore; they use open-topped gondolas of various manufacture. If you happen to have Patrick Dorin's book 'The Canadian National Railways' Story', there's a photo of the stone train somewhere in the mountains, on page 88. The train symbol was different then.
3. Carrying an unknown product is CGLX 5216, a four-bay cylindrical covered hopper in the Canadian grain hopper style. The corporate identity is subtle but sharp. This is in the consist of #317 at 1632, on July 4, 2001. Location is just west of Bailey on the Wainwright Sub in Edmonton.
 

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4. Closing out this post is CNLX 4029, another four-bay cylindrical hopper in Inland Cement's pulse-pounding corporate image. The date is July 23, 2004, and this is train #340 at 1305, shot between Bretville Junction and Clover Bar on the Edson Sub, Edmonton. The former Celanese plant is in the background, Hayter Road in the foreground. Commodity unknown.
Grey is good!
Fred

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Are the Cadomin limestone trains still operating?

Mike Root
Madras, OR

shortlineboss Wrote:
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> Are the Cadomin limestone trains still operating?

According to the 2025 TSG, U724 is still a daily train, although I don't know if this is the case in reality. I can't imagine they wouldn't be, because the Inland plant at Bissell needs raw materials. I have managed four posts of this train, or its rolling stock, showing the new gondolas, no trace of these covered hoppers. It will take a bit of me shuttling back and forth, but I will eventually get links to those posts pasted in here. So you need to be a bit patient. Here's the first one, from shots of the train on May 21, 2018: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4559885,4559885#msg-4559885. Next up is a post focusing on the gondolas, same date: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4559908,4559908#msg-4559908. This next link is to several trains, including the stone train, on July 12, 2019: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4835415,4835429#msg-4835429. Last is a link to another multi-train day and post, June 28, 2021: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,5280183,5280198#msg-5280198. Hope these help.
Fred



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/26 20:34 by feclark.

I enjoyed the Canadian FCF! (a few days late)