PHLX Covered Hoppers

About a year ago, some very new, very clean, very un-graffiti'd covered hoppers made an appearance on CN's Kingston Sub. Carrying PHLX reporting marks, these cars built by National Steel Car beginning in September, 2014 are operated by grain company Parrish & Heimbecker. The company has made progress into eastern Canada's grain shipping market. P&H took over operation of the grain elevator just west of Trenton, Ontario, adding it to a list of over 15 elevators operated in Ontario, from Winchester in the east to Glencoe in the southwest. CN No 519 switches PHLX 105 at Trenton Jct, in March, 2015 having just come upgrade from the Parrish & Heimbecker elevator lead - Alex Pallo Jr. photo.

I caught PHLX 101 at the Trenton elevator in February, 2017 (above). Phil Niles photo, via Jim Mumford of PHLX 109 at Cobourg in September 2015:

Chris Devries photographed PHLX 109 at Brockville in May, 2015:

A string of PHLX cars on CN No 371 at Belleville, ON in December 2014, photo by Mary Peakman:

I photographed PHLX 108 on CN No 369 through Kingston on December 12, 2015 - right behind the power! Pole position.

On April 2, 2015, PHLX 106 was on the head-end of CN No 369:

I observed but didn't photograph PHLX 105-104 near the head-end of CN No 369 on January 16, 2016. Not to worry - Michael Berry got a nice top-shot of them on CN No 401 two days earlier:

Ron Visockis photographed PHLX 100 with new-looking wheelsets in Belleville back in December, 2014.

And here's PHLX 100 passing in front of my camera, on CN No 369 at Kingston on May 5, 2019. The taggers have been at work:

And more tagging by 2020, similar in January 3, 2023 at Belleville (image courtesy Railstream, LLC)

The other side of PHLX 100 (trust me!) at Belleville on November 17, 2022 (Image courtesy Railstream, LLC):

On September 27, 2020 PHLX 102-101 were on CN No 376 at Kingston:

The taggers green-slimed PHLX 101, all around the stencilling and logo:

And have started working on PHLX 102:

PHLX 102 westbound through Belleville on November 1, 2022 (image courtesy Railstream, LLC):

Compare and contrast. The other sides of PHLX 101 and 102, separated by just one FURX car, on CN No 517 departing Belleville on February 27, 2021 (Image courtesy Railstream, LLC). These appear to be the opposite sides:

On April 23, PHLX 101 and 102 were together on CN No 517 leaving Belleville with PHLX 100 also on the train. (Image courtesy RailStream, LLC):

PHLX 101 was eastbound through Kingston at noon on March 15, 2022 on CN No 372:

The 'green side' of PHLX 101 returning to Belleville from Trenton behind CN 4902-GTW 4625 on October 27, 2022 (image courtesy Railstream, LLC):

Together again, again. PHLX 102-101 were westbound through Belleville to Toronto on January 13, then westbound again here on CN No 518 on January 18, heading for Trenton (image courtesy Railstream, LLC):

The other side of PHLX 102 solo on CN No 306's head end into Belleville on March 14, 2023 (image courtesy Railstream, LLC):

On July 21, 2015 CN No 369 was entering Belleville yard behind CN 8842-5258-5644-GT 4909, also photographed by Ron Visockis, with three PHLX covered hoppers on the head-end:

• On January 2, 2015, I observed eastbound CN No 368 with PHLX 101-106-105-107-100 at Kingston. 
• On February 1, I observed PHLX 102; then on August 26 it was PHLX 103.
• An October, 2014 Youtube video of CN No 589 at Vankleek Hill includes PHLX 109 on the tail-end.
• Also in October, 2014 PHLX 106 was in Montreal.
• What P&H decal artwork might look like:
  

AUGUST 2016 UPDATE: Romet CZ Vilenski posted photos taken at Saskatoon of CN Nos 403 and 757 with more PHLX cars including a large cut of PHLX 200-series covered hoppers. New series?

Where they go: a photo of the P&H Trenton elevator track on Telephone Road from aboard VIA, looking north. Winnipeg railfan Taylor Woolston also caught P&H SD20 locomotive 15, also adorned with the P&H logo. Thanks to Alex, Chris, Malcolm and Mary, Phil and Ron for their photos.

The Trenton P&H elevator from aboard VIA No 65, with VIA's Trenton Junction station platform just to the west:

Running extra...

Speaking of covered hoppers - George Dutka recently published a post on AEQX (ex-Boston & Maine) and other interesting covered hoppers used to ship IKO roofing granules from CP's Kawartha Lakes Railway yard in Havelock, ON. Neat! I'd blogged CN's IKO transload operation at Belleville a year ago. George also included photos of Havelock's earlier GE Railcar Services and Hay West operations.

Some of my recent Youtube videos:

• VIA Prestige Class dome-lounge Prince Albert Park.
• GO 558-559 westbound out of Toronto Union Station.
• For the non-train crowd (why are you on here?) Mont-Tremblant Panorama.
• Oldie but goodie: Two-tone Turbo tune time!