CN Expo 86 Boxcars

                                     

CN applied unique Expo86 Vancouver paint to four of its boxcars. The cars were painted as early as 1984 to publicize the upcoming World's Fair. I was fortunate to be able to take in Expo86 - watch for an upcoming post on the Parade of Steam - in reverse! Observing these Expo-painted cars was always a treat trackside. I was able to catch three of them. Each had slightly different shades of stripes applied, so they were each truly unique. Photos and my observations follow...

Pierre Fournier shared this December 13, 1986 view of an eclectic consist: CN 557417 on CN No 305 behind VIA steam generator unit 15481, ahead of  a 'leftside' insulated boxcar (above). An online auction site photo of CN 557417 dated March 22, 1986:

Online auction site photo of CN 557417 in April, 1986, along with a conventionally-painted classmate:

Jim Parker kindly shared this Bill Grandin collection photo of CN 557417 on August 29, 1986:

Jim Parker also posted this Bill Grandin photo of CN 557420 at a lumber yard, location not known:

 Lots o' links:

• CNIS 417093, and again. This car was stencilled with a shop date of 2-84
• CNIS 417225
• CN 557417
• CN 557420, twice and thrice. 
• CN 557420 at Caledonia, ON in 1990.

My observations of CN Expo boxcars with date, car and CN train on:

Mar 28/86 CNIS 417093
May 3/86 CNIS 417093

Dec 28/87 CN 557417

Oct 24/91 CNIS 417225

May 29/94 CNIS 417225
Mar 5/99 CNIS 417093 on No 306
Sep 4/99 CNIS 417225 on No 364

May 16/01 CNIS 417093 on No 365

Also, on January 21, 1998 I staked out CN No 395 since CN car tracing data showed that CN 557417 was on this train. But no Expo-painted boxcar was seen. Had it been repainted?

I also caught CNIS 417225 with its faded colour stripes at CN's Belleville yard in (approx) September, 1999. Unfortunately, camera malfunctioned! Orange stripes and '86' are fading. Trackside Treasure reader Kevin Ingraham also observed this car in Binghamton NY in 1998.

I was tracing this car. In July 1998, the car was loaded on track V272 in Montreal East, to YANFITCHV CT on the NECR. It was later loaded on the same track to Sherburne NY on NYSW, PTNEWELIZ NJ and Dewitt NY on CR. An online auction site view taken at Oshawa in 1991:

Getting close to a repaint with fading and graffiti - online auction site photo captioned June 22, 2001:

CNIS 417225 was back in CN colours in 2006 (Marc A Hudon photo):

CNIS 417225, also in the early 1990s in Vermont, twice. Here is CNIS 417093 at Bayview Junction in 1989 (online auction site photo).

And another view of CNIS 417093, also from an online auction site, taken at Bayview Junction on February 21, 1987:

Still out there...CNIS 417093 at Hamilton in 1998:

Aboard VIA No 4 at Edmonton, returning from Expo86, appropriately-painted CN SD42-2(W) 5334 was at CN's locomotive facility, right outside my coach window!

My HO scale version of CN 557417, using an Athearn 50-foot double-door car with scratchbuilt plug door:

Here's George's Trains' ad for N-scale Expo boxcar pairs. Not 1986 prices!

Running extra...

Fellow Kingstonian Paul Hunter kindly shared photos of three of VIA's now-small fleet of RDC's tagging along behind No 63 at Kingston on November 4. Ostensibly heading to Southwest Ontario for more testing, the three (6208, 6105 and 6251) made a fine sight behind 6431 as Paul photographed them from the south side. Thanks, Paul!