New Spur at Kingston DuPont, 2001

These days, it seems industries are eschewing rail service in favour of truck transport. However, there are some plants that not only continue to receive shipments by rail, but maintain and improve their plant trackage to do so.

In October 2001, grading was taking place along Front Road at Kingston's DuPont (later Invista) nylon plant on CN's Cataraqui Spur. The excavation surely resembled roadbed for additional trackage to the plant, based on its flat profile and gentle curve away from the switching lead to the plant. The new roadbed left the spur, switch points eventually facing east, curving south, then crossing the main road into the east-end parking lot at the plant. The new unloading building and sub-roadbed were visible to the south, the new roadbed entering the plant property proper:

Later the same month, ballast had been trucked in, and some ties were laid on what was now obviously becoming a new unloading track!

Seen from the north side of the trackage from King Street, a hi-rail front-end loader and private contractor crew were installing the turnout to the new track, looking south-east:

The crew had started work after CN No 590 finished switching the plant on Saturday, working over the weekend to finish the installation in time for the train's next arrival on Monday. Looking north-west:

All was in place on a snowy, windswept day in January 2002. This view looks south from the east-end plant parking lot road. Interestingly, the plant Trackmobile seems to have road access from within the plant property on pavement, as it's sometimes visible between cuts of two or three cars. Note the derail and guard rail, as well as the gradient down to the fenced unloading area.

The new unloading facility at the east end of the plant was to facilitate unloading tank cars of one of the feedstocks of nylon production, hexamethylenediamine.

Locomotives would no longer have to enter the plant property to switch tank cars, but could instead switch the new derail-protected facility without the safety concern of moving around between the plant buildings with bell ringing! CN No 590 with engines 4100-4124 places cars for unloading in May 2002, with a new sign warning arriving employees of the new crossing on their way to the parking lot.

Note gradient of track, and derail to help if cars do start rolling out of the spur. There is room for about 10 cars on the new unloading track, which are often spotted in groups of two to five cars - a variety of INVX, GATX and DBUX reporting marks. Setting out loads:

 Pulling empties looking east from the plant parking lot:

The new-style hand-throw switchstand allowed CN's Belleville-Kingston turn No 590, later re-symboled 518, to spot inbound loads of the other feedstock, covered hoppers of adipic acid and lift empties from the plant sidings. Weather-worn CN 4810-4710 switch the plant (through the weeds that have grown in - top photo) in summer 2006 - similar view to the 2002 view of the two 4100-series Geeps (above).

Running extra...

Prince Edward Island modeller and blog partner Chris Mears has produced several unique scale locomotive and rolling stock detailing parts using the Shapeways 3D printing system. Beautiful CN Tempo locomotive short hoods, MLW roadswitcher hood ends, Youngstown doors and many more. See what Chris has created and made available to modellers everywhere. Oh, and then there's the very cool CN caboose project he's working on!

A recent evening visit to Brockville, ON netted more ships than trains - Riverside Treasure! A few short experimental videos follow. During an afternoon visit to Iroquois lock, saltie Andean last port Hamilton shot the lock downbound:

 BBC Austria, upbound for Goderich:

Canada Steamship Lines Cedarglen, also upbound a few minutes behind:

Downbound Zealand Juliana had been at Port Weller Anchorage for few days, after unloading at Sorel then Oshawa: