Canadian Railroads > Forty Friday

3 images taken March 13, 2007 BCOL 765 leading train 570 at Mackin on the BC Rail Prince George sub. This was perhaps the last time I saw a BCR SD40-2 leading a train.

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Couple more images at Mackin.  Last image taken at Prince George October 1985.
Doug

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Definitely colourful !

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

Is that 4641 again in the siding?

The 2-tone green was nice, but I've got no problem with the r/w/b on the SD40-2s.  One of them made it to Halifax a few years ago, but I think it was just trailing.  That's another thing I'll have to look up.

GTD

Yes that is 4641 again !! I seemed stuck with that unit for several trips. Another unit was 4601 that seemed to follow me around and oddly a former TO member had the handle BCR 4601, if he was in the area 4601 was bound to leading in area.
Doug

I managed to catch the 4601 at Pine Junction IN last August, I guess most of them are now in storage

Posted from Android

Doug ,  Congrats on IOTD . 

IOTD!  Well deserved.

Craig
mcmrailvideos.com

Some of us never got to see your railroad and it's power. Thanks for sharing. wag216

I notice a derail on the passing track.  Is that normal for BCR passing tracks?

On some sidings such as Mackin, quite often cars would be stored in the siding and there is a descending grade north. Derails were installed in case the stored cars started rolling. Eventually these derails on BC Rail were called "conditional derails" with some special instructions covering their use. BC Rail the derail must be in the derailing position when cars are stored in the siding. The wording was " derail may be left in the non-derailing position when there is no equipment stored in the siding". This made things easier for a crew in that they could leave the derail on even though they had cleared all cars out of the siding particularly if the equipment was on the opposite end of the siding from the derail If we headed into the siding we would have to watch for the derail and it was noted in the time table which end of the siding the conditional derail was located. A regular type derail by rule must be left in the derailing position regardless if there is equipment on the track.

CN called these derails "exception derails" and worded that they "Must be left in the non-derailing position when the siding is clear".

Doug

tomstp Wrote:
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> I notice a derail on the passing track.  Is that
> normal for BCR passing tracks?