Sunday, November 22, 2009

Postscript: One day of trains at Portage 1980

Here's a list of all the CN and CP trains that passed through Portage on June 16, 1980. Only about half of the trains were photographed at West Tower, in the previous post:

0811 EB: CP 5900-4511-general freight-434585
0831 WB: CP 5930-5773-COFC/TOFC-434509-434382
0916 WB: CN 9155-4132-4321-4305-9197-4235-grain etys-76571-79492
CN station: 1076-9623-9637, 4407-4413-Jordan spreader 50944, 9482-9402
1049 WB: CP 5921-5596-3008-COFC/general freight-434633
1137 WB CN 9637-9503-grain etys-79365
1155 WB: CN 9482-9402-ballast lds-79834
--Lunch break--
1322 WB: CN 9498-5217-5240-general freight-76664-79533
1348 WB CN 1367-1352-1076-45 grain etys-79300
1413 EB: CN 5215-9605-9549-9470-5199-TOFC/autoracks-79629
1424 WB: CN 9479-9407-9505-potash etys-79714
1431 WB: CP 5714-5505-grain etys/general freight-434460-434455-434503
1453 EB: CP 5923-8770-grain lds-434433
1558 WB: CN 9557-9519-9473-103 cars general freight-79585
1610 EB: CP 5525-4502-81 grain lds-434537
1636 WB: CN 9615-9644-99 lumber etys
CP station: 6569-437000.

The day ends as it began, with a CP train powered by an SD and a Century, in the powerful Prairie sunlight (who says Alcos didn't run west of Winnipeg?). The head-end trainman is on the porch, ready to pick up orders at the station, as the CN train cools its heels at West Tower, waiting for the CP eastbound to clear the diamond.

5 comments:

Canadian Train Geek said...

Eric, any idea why some of the trains had two cabooses (cabeese?)?

Eric said...

I noticed the same thing, Steve. Likely balancing out the number of hacks at terminals. Most of those trains were through freights, on both railways. (Possible justification for ordering multiple Transcona Yard/Rapido Trains CP wide-vision vans?) Exception was two CN transfer cabeese, not usually used on road freights, possibly in for shopping in Winnipeg?
Good question,
Eric

Zartok-35 said...

There's no shortage of GP40Ls, is there? Not nearly as many SD40s, let alone any SD40-2Ws running around.

Eric said...

I think it may be a question of sampling error, Elijah. Certainly there were many safety cab SD's around, just not on that day I guess. And how about my fave safety cab 5500-5600's, who later suffered the indignity of being renumbered 800 numbers lower? I'll dig up lots of them in future posts no doubt as well. One thing this post does do is dispel the no-Alcos-west-of-Winnipeg legend (well, on CP anyway).
Eric

Zartok-35 said...

Yes, it does...But I knew that.