Pop-up Post: Four Days in September, Freight Cars

 

While CN continues to be a major carrier of carload freight, over the four days I was trackside fully half of the freight trains I photographed were unit trains: intermodal or auto traffic. Undaunted, freight cars that catch my eye are worth a photo, and this post features just them. Also notable is that out of all the cars presented here, CN and BN are the only non-leased freight cars. 

Procor PROX 123139 (top photo) on September 28's CN No 377, along with WC 84974 (above).

WFRX 849782 (above) and more recently TILX 519735 (below) are new players in the Lantic sugar trade, formerly the province of CGMX (now relettered LATX) between the cane refinery in Montreal and the sugar blending facility in Toronto. This vantage point provides a good view of the plastic-lined rooftop hatches:

Septermber 28's No 149 with refrigerated containers (above) and MSC with diesel exhaust (below):

And the following day at Kingston station with a relettered red MSC container and CN power container:

Also on September 29's version are these OOCL refrigerated double-stacks:

This unknown material looks...heavy. On September 29's CN No 372, we can see inside CN 135121 and UCRY 526735. CN is not ordering new gondolas, with UCRY, NOKL and other 'railroads' instead ordering large lease fleets to lease to the real railroads:

I'm a little obsessed with these 'new Port Hawkesbury' cars like GTW 406916 (above - avec CN logo) and earlier-built GTW 406587 (sans logo). Now built by Trinity, formerly by Trenton Works.

BN 467903 is typical of the aging BN/BNSF cars trundling back and forth to the Montreal area, sometimes in groups of 2-4, today solo. These photos are for the roof panel/roof hatch aficionados! I'm a little rusty when it comes to that area!

September 29's CN No 271 takes us back to the days of railway ownership of autoracks, but nooooo. These are Trailer Train, or as the company officially changed its name in 1990 to...TTX Company. TTGX new 'UP' 699509 above and not-new 'BN' 980829 (below). The railways may provide the sloganized, logoized racks, but TTX owns the flat car.

September 30's CN No 121 has a load of wheels rolling along (above). New, but already patched NOKL 323735:

CN No 372, seen here for the third day in a row, EHSX 1319 and 1269, hastily patched reporting marks:

 

A couple of old warriors in mineral service: ex-Canadian government CPWX, now NMIX 602138 (above) ex-Klemme, ex-pink NMIX 182988:

TKVX 3226 and 3252 were first-time observations for me, leading two ex-Sultran bathtub gondolas, likely in scrap service:

 Can't get enough of these - GTW 406697, on CN X372:

Also on September 30's X372, TBOX 640497 patched due to graffiti. I like this unofficial two-tone yellow-black TTX scheme.

TTGX 942789 (Conrail) largely graffiti-free!

October 1's CN No 372 carried a steel load aboard TTPX 80119 (above) and another BN covered hopper, BN 467233:

An interesting snapshot of what's being hauled in each day's CN Kingston Subdivision freights!

Running extra...

Though derailed by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 after a successful start in 2018, the Associated Railroaders of Kingston again hosted our annual Rail Fair train show this past Saturday. I was able to fill my usual two reuseable grocery bags for just over a C-note. After many years of admiring the Walthers Red Wing Milling kit, I bought one already built, from a private collection. Along with a few 'junk boxes' ("We're not junk!!!) all for a reasonable price at the ARK White Elephant table ably staffed by Len and Andrew. 

Also great to talk to fellow ARKers Paul and Kayleigh Hunter, Dave Cook, Tom Greenlaw, Robin Hornstra, Sam McLauchlan, Grant LeDrew, Kurt Vollenwyder, Marc and Sharon, Andrew Chisholm, Andy Taylor, Bob Farquhar and his ever-smiling wife, also seeing Roger, Michael and Raul doing their thing at the hall. The show was well-attended! Also Chef Ron Salisbury, Rob Martin, Allen Hansen and my very own brother and fellow blogger David J. Gagnon, who like your humble blogger, got satisfactorily shanghai'd at the Bytown Railway Society table and their friendly representatives Paul (licence plate) Bown, Les Goodwin, and later Norm, Den and Dave though not the BRS' CN hi-rail station wagon this year. Here are all my small and tall photos of my haul from the hall where I had a ball (below - as always, click for larger image.) I have my kit-bashing and magazine-reading cut out for me!