The Royal Train, September 1984

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Loyalist settlement in Ontario, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh travelled by train to several communities on CN's Kingston Sub. September 28 found the royal couple coming ashore at Morrisburg, Ontario from HMY Britannia, then boarding the royal train, whistle-stopping through Cardinal, Prescott, Brockville, Mallorytown and Gananoque, seen by more than 30,000 Ontario residents:

I was stationed at the [blowing bunting-bedecked] Kingston station. The Queen and Prince Philip would detrain here, travelling by car a few miles west to Amherstview to open the eastern end on the Loyalist Parkway. I was standing where VIA buses from Ottawa usually connected, now the end of the red carpet. The pilot train - 6790-3242 arrived a few minutes ahead of the royal train. This pilot train ensures the Queen's safe passage over spiked switches and past cleared adjacent tracks:

The royal train soon arrived, pulled by an all-MLW consist: 6761-6871-6770. 6761 is flying the Royal Standard, which was then transferred to the waiting limousine.

Accompanied by MPP Keith Norton and MP Flora MacDonald, the royal couple walks to their limousine directly in front of me, waving to the large assembled crowd:

More waving, as the limousine and a squadron of late-model sedans forms up to head west:

With the excitement ebbing, here's why I was really here - to photograph the train's consist: 15205 - 91 - 9480 - 1347 - 5738 - Endeavour - 5 - Vice Regal car 2 - Vice Regal car 1. Space on the train was allocated to Royal Household staff, an RCMP security detail, media and railway personnel. Looking west towards the Princess Street overpass, the white-overalled CN mechanical crew gathers in front of the battery-charging car near the head-end:

Looking east towards Queens West interlocking. Check out the multiple Sinclair radio antennae and cabling on the roof of E-series sleeper Endeavour.

Each car bore a small black-and-white numeral in a side window to denote its order in the consist of the royal train. Note this part of the platform was cordoned-off:

A plethora of Ontario Provincial Police cruisers fills the parking lot. OPP constables board the waiting Trentway-Wagar bus for the next stop on the tour. Check out the postscript for more coverage, including Ron Barrett photos. And a Postscript II with Scott Haskill's photos.

The platform of Vice-Regal car 1, occupied by the white-gloved attendant (top photo) was occupied by the royal couple on an earlier royal train. This time it's 1973 and the train is travelling east from Toronto towards Kingston, seen here passing through Napanee. The occasion was the Queen's participation in Kingston's tercentenary. The Vice-Regal cars would be transferred to VIA ownership in 1987, and made available for tour groups of 12 or more in the Rockies.

A 1973 commemorative envelope and press photo taken at Waterloo (both, above). One more from 1984. Coming to Kingston. Likely at Cornwall, (Toronto Public Library photo) the Royal Couple waving to the assembled crowd from the rear platform:

The Bytown Railway Society's November, 1984 issue of Branchline included photos of both the pilot train and the Royal Train in the Cornwall-Prescott area. The article notes that all signal pasts and associated lineside equipment had been painted by section forces, stations spruced up, and overpasses and level crossing patrolled by the OPP: 

Thirty-six years later, I found out that Scott Haskill was standing just to my left at Kingston station. Scott kindly shared his photo. Notice the three conductors for the train, no doubt high-seniority men, and the uniformed car attendant on the steps. (Only uberVIAphiles will be interested in the VIA bus parking signs!) I'll be sharing more of Scott's photos in a postscript.

Paul Charland kindly shared this photo of the pilot train, taken at Brockville:

Running extra...

The most famous royal visit to Canada was that of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939. CPR Hudson 2850 was one of the locomotives CNR and CPR provided to pull the royal train; the class was later given the title "Royal Hudson".

After leaving the station, I didn't brave the crowds at Amherst View, but I was able to see HMY Britannia moored near the Brother Islands, just offshore. I passed through the Loyalist Parkway gates this morning, just before our Easter sunrise service held at Fairfield Park.

Welcome new blog partner Adam Walker from Durham region. Adam's Walker Express blog covers railfanning, local train shows and other news from the Oshawa, Ajax, Whitby area. Welcome aboard, Adam - always nice to welcome a fellow blogger with interesting Canadian content to Trackside Treasure's blogroll.

Postscript: CN and CP Rescue Units

Turns out Trackside Treasure readers don't just like rescue units hauling VIA trains, they like extreme rescue units, the more incongruous the better. What could be more incongruous than six-axle MLW power...a Century? Here are a couple of Centuries from the last century.

Heading for London on a snowy March 5, 1984 I grabbed a photo through the Railiner window of CP 4734 (above) at the west end of Spadina coach yard, near Bathurst St. It seems likely that this big brute had brought a storm-bound, broken-down VIA train into Toronto and was awaiting a trip back to CP rails.

Even though it was two weeks before the longest day of the year, this photo of CN 2016 hauling 6542 and four cars at 2041 hours, June 6, 1981 is a little dark. The consist of this train is shown in the previous post. The Century is, of course, smoking as it accelerates past Mi 182 Kingston Sub, heading for Toronto. Its headlight is burning brightly:

Jason Shron of Rapido Trains Inc. fame has the following rescue unit story to share:

Christmas 1984: I was in Club 52 between Montreal and Toronto. We had 12 cars or so, and were sitting in Central for over an hour with no power. I actually went out on the platform to check, and there was nothing in front of the baggage car. We stopped several times en route for no apparent reason, including half an hour just before Dorval, and at Belleville for 40 minutes. The 2500 ran out of everything but tuna sandwich by Kingston. I hate tuna sandwich.

We finally arrived in Toronto five hours late. I went to the front of the train, and was quite surprised to see two CP roadswitchers there. We were hauled on CN's Kingston Sub from Montreal to Toronto by a pair of CP engines!

While I don't remember there being SGU's, there must have been one or two. The CP crew must have had a CN crew as well, or they would not have been allowed to power the train on CN tracks. Getting the SGU's at the last minute could not have been easy either. I wish someone had got a photo of that. [I wish I had one to offer--Eric]

At least I can say with certainty that such things happened, and I will use CP power on some of my HO-scale VIA trains. While I love VIA as it is today, I could not see them going to CP in a pinch, and having CP pull the train over a CN line. We would just be put on a bus.

Running extra...

As well as supplying the above story, Jason Shron graciously agreed to provide the foreword for my upcoming VIA Rail book. As a fellow VIAphile, I certainly appreciate his unique viewpoint on VIA's history. He has put his interest in VIA into practice by producing excellent scale models for those wishing to reproduce VIA's unique consists.

Just finished listening to Dave Barry's Dave Barry is Not Making This Up. Funniest track on the audiobook is Worst Songs Ever. I still don't know why someone would leave a perfectly good cake out in the rain.

This takes the cake! Local restaurant advertising "Fresh Prune Pie" on its outdoor sign. That's just plum loco - I just kept motoring.

CN & CP Freight Locomotives Rescue VIA

VIA trains operating on CN and CP lines occasionally encountered mechanical difficulties. In such cases, assistance from the host railway was requested, and a freight unit dispatched to help power the VIA train to the next terminal that has replacement VIA locomotives. These occasions resulted in some interesting power consists.

June 27, 1978: CN 3742 hauling disabled Turbo 154-129. A photo of this train at Kingston appeared in the November 1978 Trains magazine.

October 16, 1977: Kingston-based switcher CN 3730 assists a westbound Rapido 3730-6763-6863-6784.

April 5, 1980: CN 2544-6760 eastbound at Mile 179 Kingston Sub:

June 6, 1981: CN Century 2016-6542-9618-5416-5516-3024

June 2, 1982: CN 9526-6905-3312-3324-3300-3332

June 5, 1984: CP 5809 pulls the eastbound Canadian into Portage la Prairie 5809-6606-6652-609-100-3242-502-5703-Clearwater River-Blair Manor-Elizabeth-1371-Bliss Manor-Chateau Roberval-Yoho Park. CP often supplied SD's to VIA, as there were not many spare units at CP terminals.

Aug 26, 1984: CN 3654-6619-609-Mount Royal Club-3208-5581-764-102-126-3209-Cabot Manor-Chateau Salaberry. Classic MLW assists the eastbound Canadian at Kingston:

Sept 20, 1985: CP 5939-6607-6625-3246-5752-Chateau Rouville-Eldorado, partial consist at Calgary.

May 21, 1986: CP 5982-6513-6628-616-609-118-3200-504-Egerton-Thompson Manor-Sherwood Manor-Emerald-Abbott Manor-Hearne Manor-Naiscoot River-Strathcona Park. After limping along at 15 mph for 10 miles, No 1 stopped near Dryden. CP 5982 arrived to haul 6513 and our train into Kenora thence Winnipeg. Vestibule views:

March 30, 1986: CN 4220-CN 9412-SGU-5488-5452-750-5719-Chateau x-Excelsior. CN freight units power the westbound Cavalier, seen at Kingston at 0450.

Rescue units are not the same as CP and CN Geeps and RS's leased or intended for use in passenger service. In early 1986, VIA leased CN 9411, 9412, 9416, 9420, 9423, 9425, 9430, and 9431 while many LRC units were shopped, and VIA's 6400's had not yet entered service. Here's 9416 with an SGU leading a westbound VIA train on a spring night in Kingston:

Oct 11, 1991: CP 1841-6921-3460-3302-3349-3332-3338-3333. Another LRC assist. The CP unit was likely added at Smiths Falls. Alarm bells were ringing in 6921 as a train rider was seen climbing aboard the unit.

Aug 2, 1992: CN 9446 light engine eastbound at 2145, then westbound at 2213 with 6409 and 5 LRC cars.

March 28, 1998: Via train 40 with engine 6426 stopped and headlights extinguished at Mi 178 Kingston Sub, at the Gardiners Road underpass. CN 7043 deadheaded east from Belleville. It passed the disabled train on the north track, changed tracks at Queens West then nosed onto 6426 to haul the consist east:

June 5, 1999: CN 9551-6409-4 LRC cars eastbound. 9551 wears the CNNA map scheme:

Also before the 6400's arrived, the Winnipeg-Churchill trains were subject to problems. Train 93 to Churchill: CN 9168-6615-15489-9663-5707-765-Entwistle. CN F's operated with VIA B-units. On June 6, 1986 CN 9151-6617 were on train 92 arriving Winnipeg. Today, VIA operates mostly on CN lines, and CN seems reluctant to lend VIA spare units. VIA will often load the passengers onto buses, then deadhead a unit to haul the trainset back to Toronto, or couple two trains together to get passengers to their destination.

Here's a follow-up post showing more rescues from all across this remarkable, rescuable land of ours!

Running extra...

Election fever is sweeping very small parts of the country. I think there are about three people who are interested, and they're members of the media - it gives them something to talk about. A rally to combat voter apathy on Parliament Hill brought out, you guessed it, four people.

Elizabeth May was riding VIA train 52 today, trying to whip up some Green Party hysteria down the Kingston Sub. Sort of reminiscent of Obama's inauguration special, except he could afford his own train, helicopter and Secret Service escorts, and slow rolls at each station. Elizabeth had three of her cousins in a Smart car with rolled-up newspapers.

Four freshly-painted CNLX cylindrical covered hoppers on the head-end of CN train 305 last night: 7546, 7220, 7003 and 7882 - brown with the CN website, these cars are often used in potash service and can look pretty scrappy.

CN Steam Freight

Twenty-five years after the age of steam, rising energy prices led to a re-examination of the use of steam by CN management. Specifically, the use of surplus VIA steam generator units (SGU's) to heat cargoes en route, saving shippers and consignees the need to heat upon arrival thereby reducing production costs. In April 1985, CN operated a series of little-known experimental steam freights between Montreal and Toronto. These trains usually operated at night to avoid industrial espionage efforts by CP and competing US railroads. CN marketing teams, under CN Marketing Vice-President A.P. Rilfuls had been given the task of researching specific cargoes that could be included in this program.

The teams came back with a diverse range of steamed commodities such as vegetables, rice, dry-cleaned garments, clams and mussels, hot liquids such as cider and tea, bread dough, and kiln-dried lumber. A rare daylight move, necessitated by a last-minute SGU swap at CN's MacMillan Yard, was caught on film by Trackside Treasure photographers very early in April 1985 at Mileage 141.4 of the Kingston Sub (above). The gondola loads behind the SGU were likely hot steel being kept warm by SGU 15469 being pulled by 9622-9414.

Symbols to be used by CN for these experimental trains included Heat In Transit (HIT), Steam In Transit (SIT) although Progressive Online Unit Train Incorporating New Energy (POUTINE) was immediately rejected as being too wordy, and Steam Heated In Transit was also rejected for obvious reasons. Labcoat-clad technicians were on the far side of this train, thus not visible in this photo with their clipboards, thermometers and laptops, while monitoring this movement possibly involved warm newsprint, likely for use in printing news "hot off the presses". CN newsprint boxcar 410105 is paired with VIA 15485:

Ultimately, the project ran out of steam, the marketing plan went up in smoke and CN's enthusiasm cooled . The proponents of the plan were raked over the coals and had their ashes kicked then handed to them. After leaving CN, believing that the Marketing VP was just blowing smoke, they turned their attention to another alternative energy source - wind power. They and are now cashing in on the wind turbine craze.

CN Continuous Welded Rail Train

The lifting of Queens track one last weekend gave me the opportunity to photograph some of CN's Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) cars. I hadn't seen this particular set of cars before, even though I'd seen the CWR train hidden deep in Belleville yard the weekend before. Since they were handling jointed rail that was being lifted, CN was using a different set of cars than the more usual cars handling new CWR(above).

First car after locomotive 6020 was CN 663697. This appears to be a spacer and tool car, with a hoist and lots of supplies like splice bars, cans of track hardware and old pallets on board...a maintenance-of-way modeller's dream. Next is CN 44287 - notice the thin profile of this car, the first car to lift the rail off the ballast and onto the ensuing cars. It has fore and aft tilting holders through which the rail is threaded. The number on this side was obscured and someone had scrawled the number in chalk to help out. A hoist, welding gases and torches are also handy:

Next is CN 44285, another threader car with adjustable height mechanisms and non-adjustable posts. Like the last car, a small tool cabinet bench is provided for the engineering crew to sit on while stopping work for passing trains. Notice the interesting piping along the car side:

Unnumbered except for designation 684-12 on the operator's cab, this car appears to pull and push the rail down the train into the waiting cars by the use of motors on each of its ends. The motors are protected by wedge-shaped steel (to protect them from an errant rail?) Besides an air conditioner, the elevated cab also features small CNR maple-leaf heralds, an interesting nod to CN's history. These cars also have built-in lighting and hinged walkways to provide passage between cars. A model of this car would involve lots of weathering and grease/oil stains, and remnants of an old ACI label.

CN 44286 is another threader car which in this case is bringing the jointed rail back down onto the lower level of bunks in the rail cars.

CN 46570 is an end car, like CN 46573 on the opposite end of the train. Built in May 1987 with length of 41 feet, this car has large hinged doors with stencilled instructions: "Following to be checked prior to - movement - locking pins secured - hinges in working order - angle stop block in place" and a short elevated walkway matching the following cars.

CN 46552 is an example of the wide-silled rail car also with a length of 41 feet rebuilt in 1987, although I'm not sure what type of car it used to be. There's no place for a brakewheel, so a brake lever is located on the side sill. Notice the interesting bracing connecting the the rail bunks to the elevated walkway. If modelling these cars, be sure to sprinkle and glue some ballast on the deck.

CN 46580 represents the other type of rail car in the train, built on a flat car with an elevated deck, having been rebuilt in 1988. There are no walkways between these cars, so the foreman watching progress of the end of the rail has to take a good-sized step while on the elevated walkway.

Close-up of the flatcar reveals stencilling "Builder Contracteur CN Transcona Shops PU 8-88". The car is riding on Dofasco Barber S-2 roller-bearing trucks; no journal boxes here.
Side view of CN 46587:

Side view of wide-silled CN 46513. A sister car's truck was stencilled with its original car number, possibly 594147.

CN 46501 has lots of rust on the bunks and like all the other cars, yellow reflective striping, crudely-painted out brakeshoe information, and Rail Service Equipment (RSE) designation.

Close-up of these cars reveals stencilling "Builder Contracteur CN [logo] Pointe St Charles Shops HQ.5.87" beside the tackboard.
End car CN 46573, with bilingual stencilling on the closed hinged doors:
CN 44294 is a 52-foot flatcar with a rebuilt date of June 1984, with two positionable bunks for dropping rail.
CN 44295 is at the end of the train stencilled with both its built date of 1-41 and a rebuilt date of 6.84. The car has railings, welding gas tanks and adjustable-height threaders near the rider cab, which features lighting, placard holders and steel mesh over the end windows, plus the inevitable weathering.

Running Extra...

Took in Limitless starring Bradley Cooper last night - a thought-provoking movie about a guy who suddenly has the ability to play the piano, read a whole book in three days, drive recklessly but incredibly sharply, and think clearly and quickly. Big deal. I call that...Monday.

Some of the cinematography in Limitless was awesome, with pull-through shots in which it felt like one was travelling several blocks at a time, kind of like Google Earth without all the clicking. Just as good as 3-D without the silly glasses.

Cooper's character was Eddie Morra, whose name reminded me of that novelty song, The Train to Morrow made famous by the Kingston Trio. Tomorrow is the only thing that's always coming, but never arrives. Cue Annie and her dog Sandy.

Lifting Track One at Queens

CN's Kingston Subdivision mainline between Montreal and Toronto is double-tracked with right-hand running. At many locations, crossovers and sidings were installed as trains lengthened during the diesel era. Now that trains are much longer than these jointed-rail sidings, CN is removing them, their expensive switches and switch heaters. At the same time, sections of triple mainline are being installed elsewhere to speed VIA trains and add extra capacity for CN's over-length freights, many of which operate with Distributed Power units.

On March 19, at 1000 hours the crossing at Counter Street was blocked by Work 6020. Operating inside Foreman Sam Citrano's Rule 42 limits from Mileage 176 to 172, the work train was lifting the rail from the former Queens 1/north siding between Mileage 176 and 174. The train moves but the rail doesn't (top) as a foreman watches the progress of the lifted rail through the rail train while the train inches eastward. The work train had emerged from the former Queens 4/south service track (above), crossed from south to north track, and was waiting under the Queens West signal bridge when I got there. Someday soon, an overpass will lift Counter Street over the Kingston Sub, roughly where the pickup truck is located.

After attending Kingston's Rail-O-Rama train show at the nearby Ambassador Hotel, my next stop was the Sir John A. Macdonald Blvd overpass. The work train crew had progressed this far, and were no longer referring to themselves as the most-hated people in Kingston as Counter Street was no longer blocked. Their 35 rail cars, with pick-up cars at each end, were draped around the left-hand curve leading to Counter Street and the VIA station. The same location saw an eastbound six-car VIA train 62 behind 6418 at 1350 July 24, 1991:

Even in 1991, the north passing track was seldom used for its intended purpose, instead being used for long-term storage of 89-foot COFC flatcars, and at other times, trilevel auto racks and in June 2006, gondola cars in tie service. The south service track remains due to a setout track, wye and remnants of the Aluminum Spur still in use. Queens 1 at left, looking towards Queens East interlocking:

In June 2009, VIA train 44 behind P42 901 approaches Queens East. The switch to Queens 1 is gone. At right, Interchange tracks between CN and CP Rail were previously lifted in the late-1990's.

Now the stub-ended track is ripped apart, with its rails swung to the south, near the north rail of the north track, and 6020 waits to pull the work train eastward, devouring more of the jointed rail. Upgraded from CN 5114 in 1995, 6020 and her sisters rarely rate mainline trains these days.

Ten men work the train, many on the head end of the rail train, and others scattered midway and elsewhere aboard the rail train. Six lengths of rail were visible on the cars.

On the shaded north side of the train, the rail is guided towards the pick-up car and onto the rail cars. Interestingly, the jointed rail goes onto shorter, 40-foot cars I hadn't seen before. These cars will be featured in a future post. I took LOTS of photos.

As the train snakes under the overpass, all eyes are on the jointed rail. Cans of spikes, tools and other miscellaneous equipment are close at hand:

At a joint, a saw growls to life as bond wires and splice bars are cut:

Now just east of the overpass, the Hiab hoist on CN 663697 is visible, and hoists are available on other cars if needed to coax uncooperative strings of rail into place.

CN trucks are visible at right, beside track KL29, where the work train began its day. Like World Famous Horseshoe Curve, Queens will now be three tracks instead of four.

As a westbound train enters the Rule 42 limits, progress is halted, and a cutting torch is flicked to life as the rail is cut aboard CN 46570. Other workers take the opportunity to have a seat in the midday sun. Work will continue the following day.

Running Extra...

The train show yielded lots of reading material: books on CN, VIA and preserved equipment. Paul Bown and Les Goodwin staffed the Bytown Railway Society's well-stocked sales booth, and we discussed the contrasts between Canadian and English railway preservation efforts.

Also at the show was Chris Lyon, driving force behind the Lyon Valley Northern, one of Trackside Treasure's blog partners. Chris' wife busied herself knitting as Chris carefully painted some S-scale figures at the show. Blair and Rasa Smith were hosting the CN Lines booth. Thomas the Tank Engine, live steam, Meccano and some nice operating layouts rounded out the show.

I know it's Lent, but enough with the Filet-o-Fish ads already, McDonald's. That thing looks barely palatable. Created in 1962, it looks like some of the original sandwiches may still be for sale. Maybe I'll try one just for the halibut. Oh my cod, pull those ads, where's the beef?