CN 52284 Scale Test Car Travels

On March 18, 1999 I observed CN 52284 spotted on CN's Millhaven Spur while I was aboard VIA No 64. Knowing that the unique scale test car, formerly a 34-foot cylindrical ore car, was in the area, my subsequent attempt at photographing the car from Taylor-Kidd Boulevard resulted in the unco-operative end to my Pentax Espio 115. That's why this post is sans prototype photographs, though I have included a photo (top) of my HO-scale kitbash of CN 52284. I checked CN's public (at the time) car trace system to follow it on its travels for almost two years, hoping to catch up with this unique car again. It appears CN 52284 was based in St Antoine QC, travelling widely to points on CN in eastern Canada as well as several shippers served by shortlines. 

Here's a non-exhaustive list of the CN family of scale test cars reveals the following:

CN 52104 2-axle

CN 52106 24' ore car

CN 52108 2-axle

CN 52109 2-axle (now CANX 52109)

CN 52257 2-axle

CN 52258 2-axle

CN 52259 44' slab-side covered hopper

CN 52260 24' ore car

GTW 52264 2-axle

GTW 52265 2-axle

CN 52274 2-axle

CN 52277 2-axle

CN 52279 55' cylindrical covered hopper, black lettering (now CP 420943)

CN 52280 34' cylindrical ore car, black lettering

CN 52281 34' cylindrical ore car, black lettering

CN 52282 44' slab-side covered hopper

CN 52283 34' cylindrical ore car, white lettering

**CN 52284 34' cylindrical ore car, white lettering**

CN 52285 34' cylindrical ore car, white lettering

CN 52286 24' ore car

Here are the car trace results for CN 52284. I should add that public access to CN's car tracing system ended in October, 2001 in light of security concerns following the events of September 11, 2001. Before that, anyone with the toll-free phone number and access to a phone could punch in car numbers and find out the last/next location of almost any car on CN's system. Listings are shown as: location, province, CN track or railway name if other than CN, extended storage time:

Collins Bay ON DuPont KM29
Maitland ON KE25
Cardinal, ON KD71
Valleyfield, QC V077
St Antoine, B421
Becancour G120
Fitzpatrick
Valleyfield AE93
St Antoine B458
Montreal Taschereau Yard MC84
Pointe ST Charles
Valleyfield V080
Riviere du Loup - to CBC
St Antoine B458
Tracy B640 - 1 month
Glen Robertson, ON - to OLOR
St Antoine B458 - 1 month
Toronto MacMillan Yard R023 - 10 days
North Bay - to ONR Noranda- 10 days
Quevillon, QC BQ55 via ONR/Senneterre
MonTas Yar 2 weeks
Leaside ON R396 - 2 weeks
Sarnia C017 Dec 27, 1999
Sarnia HA25 - 3 weeks
Weston - to CP/Bolton - 2 weeks
Tor Mac yard R023
Hamilton - to RLHH - 1 month
Hamilton A039
Port Robinson Yard JB40
Thorold, ON JT37
Welland (on NYLE)
Arvida, QC - to R-S - 1 week
Montreal Wharf
Mon Tas Yard MC73 - 2 weeks
Limoilou, QC CL05
Riviere du Loup - to CBC - 2 weeks
Mon Tas Yard MC84 - 2 weeks
St Antoine B458 - 1 week
Coteau Q064
Valleyfield V080
Tor Mac yard - 6 weeks
Clover Hill, NB - 3 months Sept 26-Dec 26/00
Moncton - on hold
Saint John, NB - to NBSR - 1 week
Trenton NS - to CBNS - 1 week, February/01

Here she is being switched at the Hiram Walker distillery (hic!) and in Northern Ontario with some little brothers.

Running extra...

It's locomotive week! First there's ContainerMan's  CN freight bucking drifts in Salisbury, NB which has become a YouTube sensation, jumping from 500,000 to 4,000,000 views in two days. Widely-shared video is about 49 seconds, though the full consist view is about 3 minutes.

The sad hospital train of 17 LRC units to Moncton IRSI in 2004. I'd start at the 4:50 mark!

Then there's my humble effort: finally catching CN GMD-1 1444 on CN No 518, switching CN's Cataraqui Spur, twice this week. Watch for an upcoming post! 

The snowstorm version, trailing 4125:

The sunny day version leading: