CN Aircraft Parts cars

CN's original aircraft parts flat cars were manufactured by National Steel Car as series CN 667925­-667949 in 1975. The cars were 62"6" in length, cushioned under frame topped by removable steel lids. My brother kindly shared the top photo showing what is likely CN 667945 taken at Jasper, AB on August 12, 1990. The car appears to be on the head-end of what was a westbound CN freight switching at the west end of Jasper yard. Photos showing the CN aircraft parts flat reveal that the 'CN 9xx' stencilled at both ends of the side of the car lids matched the last three digits of the car number, i.e. CN 945 on lid = CN 667945 on the flat car.

The flat cars were designed to move aircraft components and used in various assigned service. This series of CN cars moved DC­-9 components and DC­-10 wings built in the Douglas plant at Pearson Airport to the Douglas facility in Long Beach, CA beginning around 1970. Later, Bombardier parts were moved from their plant in Dorval to a new business jet assembly plant in Downsview.

Freight car enthusiast Doug Stark noted that the car's loads were varying Boeing subassemblies originating at Canadair, later Bombardier, production facility at Mirabel outside Montreal. Since at least the 1960s Boeing and previously others subcontracted some of wings, forward/mid/aft fuselage sections, tails, stabilators etc. to other firms and they were transported to the home plant for assembly.

Unfortunately, with the few observations and no photos I have of these cars, the photo that got me looking up my notes for these cars was published in the Ottawa Valley Associated Railroaders' October 2023 Interchange newsletter, as modelled by Bernie Goodman. Bernie photographed CN 667928 at CN's Belleville yard on August 11, 1998 and added that the aircraft plant in Malton was owned by McDonnell Douglas, before being purchased by Boeing in 1997. The Malton plant was making wings for McDonnell Douglas in 1998. At the time, fifty sets of wings were to be made in Canada before production shifted to Korea.

Marc Simpson kindly shared his photo of an CN aircraft parts flat car on a BNSF train at Mud Bay near White Rock, BC in September, 2001. It's likely coming from Boeing in Everett, WA.

My observations of CN and BN aircraft parts cars including date, car and CN train on, with any remarks:

Sep 14/96 BN 614243 on TE of WB

Jan 31/97 CN667927

Jun 7/97 CN 667940 on HE of EB

Jul 24/98 BN 614293? on CN No 367

Jul 3/00 CN 667929, BN 614218 on CN No 204 

The handling of these cars on (at the time) CN express freight Nos 204/205 indicated their priority. Otherwise they were handled on regular CN freights heading just north of Montreal such as No 366/367. Routing for these from Mirabel (Montreal), QC to Boeing in Renton or Everett, WA was CN/GTW thence BN. CN and BN cars were billed to St-Laurent, QC for loading. BN had various classes of aircraft parts flats in various series: 610xxx (Boeing 747 assemblies built by Fairchild) 614xxx, 630xxx and 635xxx. The 614-series were ex-GN 61'6" cars (later renumbered BN 614200-614299).

The CN cars are officially shown as 'still in service'!

In Michael Berry's excellent coverage of Montreal-area trackage (see photos on Flickr or smugmug), my brother Dave discovered several photos Michael had taken of aircraft parts cars there. Michael kindly agreed to sharing them in this post. Though the pictured area is no more, Michael notes it was inside the CN Mount Royal Subdivision (south side) turning loop at Val-Royal. The CN blue-grey shop building is a giveaway. So maybe this was a loading or car maintenance facility built on CN property for Bombardier parts from the nearby plant. Nearby is the current Bois-Franc REM Red Line transit station, about 16 minutes and eight miles from Central Station. Michael's photos were taken in 2005, and at least CN 667928 and 667948 are visible through the years of road-grime: 

I'm not sure what this tent-like building is used for. It's in the middle of this area, and is chainlink-fenced.

The Bois-Franc neighbourhood revitalization virtually erased the Cartierville airport, after it had already been decommissioned in 1988, having surrendered its VFR prominence as Montreal's airport to Dorval. Originally Bois-Franc airport, it was used as a fly-off runway by Noorduyn, Canadian Vickers, Canadair and finally Bombardier. My Dad visited the airport, camera in hand, in 1947 and snapped some photos posted by my brother David on his Rolly Martin Country blog in this post. Faux 19th-century fronted condos built across the former main runway rendered the site unrecognizable. There must have been some legacy manufacturing still in the area as of the late 1990's, requiring the parts loading inside the CN turning loop (bottom left of aerial photo - below). This all explains the routing of these cars to St-Laurent!

I have two of the LBF aircrafts parts HO models, both GN. One has a boxcar red cover, the other is in the bright yellow Boeing scheme.

Lots o' links:

• CN 667945 in Montana, 2016.
• BN car in HO scale by LBF.
• CN 667927 is shown on NS in 2020 in this Train Derailments & Accidents video, clearly visible at the 26:30 mark.
• CN 667907 no longer in revenue service, doing M-O-W duty in 2007.

Running extra...

Things on wheels! Nik Delja kindly sent this photo of Bytown Railway Society's hi-rail Pontiac CN 10, basking in the sun outside the Canadian Science and Technology Museum large item display space. New tires and all!

Things on wings! Making its nearly annual appearance in Kingston's aerial airspace recently. Tiger Moth C-FDGC "4830", owned by the Williams family since 1969, based in Dunnville, ON did several circuits today. As hoped, landing final Runway Two-Five at Kingston airport during our visit to the park.

Things wish wraps! Kingston Transit 1901's ad wrap hopes to sell the houses it drives by. Read carefully. It does not say Your Home iS Old!