Metrobec and Legault Metal Scrap Gondolas

As scrap metal prices increase and recycled metals are increasingly used in steel-making, the last few years have seen a plethora of former 'bathtub' gondolas being pressed into scrap service. Due to their large capacity and obsolescence for carrying coal, they seem to be naturals for scrap metal service, especially for smaller recyclers. This post includes two recyclers whose cars are often seen here on CN's Kingston Sub. 

METROBEC

Metrobec is a scrap-metal recycler with several locations in the Montreal area including headquarters at St-Hubert. Operating since 1967, their yard is off Rue-Ramsay and has a two-spur fenced yard holding about a dozen cars. Below - ArcelorMittal photo) :

Two Google views of the operation:

MTBX cars 001-005 were built in 1973, and MTBX 006-015 were built in 1984 by Ortner.  Ten cars from OFSX (Ogden Financial Services Corp.) series 84001-84110 were transferred by mid-2017 to Metrobec (these cars were relettered and renumbered at random, without being repainted): 84018, 84019, 84022, 84030, 84036, 84043, 84069, 84070, 84098 and 84101. Originally obtained in mid-2007 from the Tucson Electric Power Company without being relettered or renumbered. 

Interestingly, some cars are lettered with .NET others with .COM. Around 2014, some Metrobec cars were lettered while still painted pink with Everest Railcar Services reporting marks.

LEGAULT METALS

Legault Metal Inc., a metals recycling company with facilities in Trecesson, Val d’Or, Rouyn-Noranda and La Sarre, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue QC was acquired by ArcelorMittal in August, 2019. One of northern Quebec's largest scrap dealers. GLNX 1002, 1005 and 1015 were on CN No 369 on Decembr 11, 2016 (above). Legault car at the Trecesson yard (ArcelorMittal photo):

ArcelorMittal owns both operations, as well as a recycling and scrap processing center in Contrecoeur, QC. This facility processes approximately 800,000 tonnes of scrap per year used within ArcelorMittal steelworks to make new steel. The company operates five scrap recycling and processing sites, an iron ore reduction plant, two steel mills, three rolling mills and two wire drawing mills.

SEEN IN KINGSTON

Metrobec cars are sometimes loaded with scrap at Kingston Iron & Metal (KIMCO) on John Counter Boulevard. MTBX 004 and 009 at KIMCO on March 27, 2019 behind the Kingston Utilities transformer yard, Lappan's Lane at John Counter Boulevard (above).

My observations 2014 to present showing date, car numbers, CN train seen on, remarks:

Sep 22/14 MTBX 001

Dec 11/16 GLNX 1002, 1005, 1015 on CN No 369

Aug 27/19 MTBX 006 on 376:

Aug 17/20 MTBX 008 on 368: 

May 28/20 MTBX 004  (top photo)

Dec 27/20 MTBX 002 with TFOX 101942:

Feb 4/21 MTBX 010 and 012 on CN No 376:

Feb 9/2021 GLNX 1020 with TFOX 100271:

A related post on AIMX, CMBX and Sullivan metal-recycler car fleets is here.

Additional information in this post from Carl Shaver.

Running extra...

Local News Item #1: I went out to find one CN 'heritage unit' and ended up finding two. This past Monday, the BC Rail-painted CN 3115 was powering CN No 271 on the Kingston Sub. It came by after my time trackside, though I did catch GT 6224 and CN North America-painted CN 9639 on Belleville-Kingston turn No 518!

Local News Item #2: CN bought GMTX Geeps previously on lease. Presented for reference, compiled by Railfan Luc, here are the new CN and former GMTX numbers:

and a slightly different list with lineages, compiled by Bruce Mercer and published by Don McQueen:

Local News Item #3: It has been said that all politics is local, but in this edition of Running Extra, it seems all news pertains to the 'local' trains. You know, wayfreights, turns, dinkies, scoots. Those loose-car railroading workaday trains that sustain those much bigger trains. Even if I can't make it down to Invista on Mondays-Wednesdays-Fridays, I can hear the whistle all the way from Front Road! An August, 1996 trestle view: