Scale Test Car Tours the Vancouver Wharves

 

CN 52284, an ex-barrel ore car turned scale test car recently visited my HO scale CP Vancouver Wharves layout to test the weigh scales of several online industries. I kitbashed this car from an AHM Flexi-Flo hopper - a model often cited as having a decent level of detail for a 'train-set' car. Chop-nosed CN 4121 delivers CN 52284 to 'N' Yard on Burrard Inlet (above) before CP arrives (trailing a True Line Trains CP script van) to lift the car for interchange (below):

Maintained at a specific tare weight, the car is placed on weight scales which are then calibrated to ensure accuracy. CN 52284 spends the weekend on the engine service track as engine crews arrive for work.

On Monday morning it's in the consist of a train made up and ready to switch local industries:

Set out at Coast Steel Fabricators - a major receiver of scrap steel and occasional shipper of outbound steel products. The car seems insignificantly puny under Coast's travelling crane. Meanwhile, most of the attention is focused on the arrival of the 'gut bucket' lunch truck.

This is turning into a Guy Fieri program on The Food Channel! At the other side of Coast is a semi-permanent food truck - formerly a Hot Wheels Good Humor truck, it now operates as Ozzie's Chip Truck. Serving regular fare like burgers and onion rings, this may be the only food truck in Canada that includes creamy, cool rice pudding on its menu. Will that be raisins or no raisins?

Next door to Coast, in the same industrial park, is Permacon Concrete. Permacon receives cement in covered hoppers. The foreman is coming out of his crow's nest office to have a look:

On the waterfront...formerly Ogilvie Flour Mills on my Winnipeg Terminals layout, this elevator now serves as Alberta Wheat Pool terminal elevator. Receiving inbound grain and oilseeds for shipment to Pacific Rim nations, it's served by two unloading tracks and a pocket track.

The diminutive car has been shuffled in with some 40-foot CN grain boxcars while a track crew works on the adjacent track.

While Burlington Northern cars seem airborne while waiting on the nearby elevated embankment interchange, CN 52284 is now spotted at another waterfront industry - Overseas Commodities. Regularly hosting flat cars with project cargo, heavy equipment or boxcars of export lumber. A burly brakeman has accompanied the car from AWP, remaining seemingly stationary!

Dominion Bridge receives inbound steel and ships bridge components for installation throughout British Columbia. A couple of waterfront denizens enjoy imbibing a bottle of Bingo, seemingly oblivious to the presence of such a well-travelled car critical to the accurate shipping and billing of online commodities!

Making its 'weigh' around the layout, CN 52284 has been shuffled next door to the Fairbanks-Morse plant which receives inbound machinery and ships heavy equipment, transformers and components.

Another day, another industry. Shell Canada's facility and tank farm receives a wide variety of granular and liquid commodities such as fertilizer, oil and chemicals.

Its tour complete, our pint-sized visitor has returned to the engine service track, spotted between a former steam engine tender and a Juneco wood CP end-cupola van. Guarded by RCMP to thwart camera-toting railfans (well, except this one who stayed well back, using my HO scale macro setting!)

Running extra...

The November sale continues - see following post. There are quite a few nice items still available. Thanks to Trackside Treasure readers who have taken part so far!

Watch for an upcoming post in which I'll illustrate the travels of the prototype CN 52284 over the course of one year. While these little fellas get around, they also spend time waiting for their next call to duty.

Remembrance Day  - November 11

A larger-than-usual turnout is anticipated at ceremonies this year. And rightly so.