CN Bagged Gondola Loads Halifax-Fort Saskatchewan

At Pier 9 of Halifax harbour, CN lifts gondolas loaded with bags of minerals that I'd heard variously described as nickel ore, mine tailings, ore concentrate, possibly nickel or zinc. Actually, it's from a relatively new nickel laterite mine, initiated in the 1950s and upgraded in 2001 in Moa, Cuba, though its west mine is nearly depleted. This may account for the use of the term 'tailings' by some. Ships carry the nickel from Moa Bay, Cuba to Halifax. Another similar mine is being developed in Ambatovy, Madagascar. The shipments from Cuba began around 1994, after Sherritt investment in the site was initiated in 1990.

Strict instructions are provided, at least in the days before Cuba and the US normalized relations: "DO NOT SHIP THROUGH USA". The bags are loaded in a row, above the cars' centre sill. Blue and red tags are readily visible trackside, though I haven't taken the opportunity to climb aboard and get close-up shots! (Hey, I've always wanted to 'catch-out' for a trip to Alberta). One or several cars at a time are picked up by the CN switcher and added to a Toronto-bound freight for furtherance on an Alberta-bound train. The bags' destination is Fort Saskatchewan, AB, to a 1952-built Sherritt metal refinery which produces nickel and cobalt. A satellite photo of the refinery shows gons with bagged loads outside a large covered building.

The mine in Moa now accounts for 95% of the refinery's nickel feedstock. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the mine needed to find a new destination for its product. 

From Fort Saskatchewan, the finished product is shipped by container overseas, via the Port of Montreal.

The gondolas used when I first noticed this traffic were CN 65-foot gons, with a capacity of 3150 cu ft, i.e. series CN 157000-157299. CN 156387 with IC-style reporting marks was westbound on CN No 305 on May 21, 2007 (top photo). The red and blue tags on the top of each bag are just visible.
My Kingston Sub observations, with date, car number, CN train on, notes:

Jul 5/97 CN 156295 on No 307 dest Fort Saskatchewan
Oct 18/97 CN 157135-156015 dest Fort Saskatchewan on tailend of No 307
Apr 10/98 CN 156024-157070 plus five others with bagged loads on No 307
May 20/08 CN 157101 on CN No 309
July 5/08 CN 157079, ATW 400522-400488-400561 and eight others on No 305
Sep 14/08 ATW 400598-400566-400592 on No 321
March 27/2010 ATW and NKCR gondolas, no CN gondolas.

Eventually, whether due to age or capacity, the CN gons were replaced by new NSC-built ATW (Atlantic & Western) and Trinity-built NKCR (Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado Railnet) gondolas. ATW gondolas have a capacity of 3675 cu ft and a gross weight of 286,000 lbs.

Ron Visockis shared this overhead mid-train photo of CN No 305 with a large cut of bagged load gons, including ATW 400541 in the foreground, westbound through Belleville on March 9, 2016:

Here's NOKL 360087, one of a dozen black gondolas on CN No 305 at Kingston on March 12, 2017 including IC and ATW cars:

On September 10, 2017, CN No 305 had examples of two of the types of gondolas used in this service. ATW gons are prevalent, the IC gons less so:

 ATW 400494 (above) and 400572 (below):

 IC 3681 with tops of bags more visible:

John Richard kindly shared this overhead photo of some of the gons on CN No 305 at Moncton Gordon Yard on August 9, 2017: 

John also included an April, 2016 close-up photo of the bags, each apparently weighing about 1600 kg. UN 3077 is "environmentally hazardous substance, solid, not otherwise specified, not including waste" and applies to a wide variety of substances. Thanks, John!

Jakob Mueller also got (and kindly shared!) overhead views of the bagged loads at Halifax....

This was at the end of the CN gondola era, with the ATW cars looking quite new. Jakob's first encounter with the gons was in September, 2008 (above) and again in June, 2009 (below):

Chris Mears was on the Tower Road bridge while CN was switching gons including IC 3766. The bagged loads they were carrying arrived on an apparently sketchy-looking Cuban-flagged trawler/freighter. Barely seaworthy, the trawler was unloaded by a specialized forklift - October 2017:

And at the other, western end of their journey, Trevor Sokolan kindly shared this photo of CN's Scotford Industrial Switcher switching the gons across the Dow duck pond in Fort Saskatchewan on May 18, 2018. Note the tired-looking CN 'switchers':

Lots o' links:

• ATW 400539 with bags visible.
• CN 157233 in Halifax in 2009, with bags barely visible - just use your imagination!
• Loaded gons being shuffled in Halifax yard, with lots of empties on hand to fill

Running extra...

Kingston is fortunate to have some notable RCAF visitors this week for the CFB Kingston Family Fun Fest: the Snowbirds (above) and Captain Matthew Kutryk with the CF-18 Demo Team, flying CANADA 150 188734 still with its under-fuselage fool-me-once faux cockpit:

and it's proudly presented by VIA Rail Canada, with passengers through Kingston station reminded of the event by this dumpster shelter banner!

Watch for Trackside Treasure's upcoming September Sale. From my collection to yours?

Red & White Crossbucks

Today, we take for granted the international red and white crossing warning signs that guard level crossings, alerting drivers and pedestrians to watch for approaching trains. The signs were still white with black lettering, protecting CN's Counter Street crossing in 1985 (top photo). The lettering in English was: Railway Crossing, or in French: Traverse de Chemin de Fer, as appropriate for the region. An April 1986 newspaper clipping spread the word of the impending changes:

Some history: on February 2, 1982, the Railway Transport Committee decided to implement crossing gate arms with red & white stripes. The committee determined that the red & white gate provide 'an improved degree of safety for the public to the alternate diagonal stripes of black & white required by para 16(g) of the Highway Crossing Protective Devices Regulations'. The new signs would also reflect more light after dark than the older version.

In mid-1985, the Railway Transport Committee notified railways under its jurisdiction that lettering on crossbucks may be replaced with one bearing no wording, red with white reflector tape and "two tracks" replaced with a stylized track symbol and number "2" above it. The ruling initially applied to 223 CN and 115 CP crossings. And with good reason - in that year, 58 Canadians were killed and another 336 injured in railway crossing accidents.

Transport Minister Don Mazankowski introduced the signs in South Edmonton, AB describing them as 'a new weapon in the war on railway crossing accidents'. Eventually to be installed on Canada's 31,308 level crossings. The nationwide replacement project was scheduled for completion by March 31, 1988. Moving from the West to the East, signs protecting Alberta's 4,300 and BC's 1,600 signs were to be completed by early-1986. Saskatchewan, with more crossings than another province (7,000), would be completed in 1986; Manitoba and Northern Ontario by April, 1987. The Canadian Transport Commission contributed more than $3.2 million for the purchase and installation of the new signage, with the unstated balance borne by the railways.

CN planned to cut down current 172-cm crossbucks to a length of 121-cm, re-drill holes and remount them at 90-degrees compared to the current 65-degree geometry. A mobile van, with two men recycling crossbucks that were not bent, warped, twisted or made of wood, would scrape off old decals, clean the metal and apply new decals. In January 1986, CN 9901 passes a red-and-white-striped gate, but black & white crossbuck prevailed, just west of Ernestown:

The Railway Transport Committee also extended requirements to Class 2 and shortline railways to replace crossbucks with the new international style. Included were DEVCO, Napierville Junction, Quebec North Shore & Labrador, C&O, Arnaud Railway, Essex Terminal and Conrail. Operation Lifesaver reminds us what to look for, while Transport Canada's current regulations are quite detailed! 

 

 

U.S. railway industry trade publication ads from 1949:                                            
               

     

Running extra...    

'Tis the Last Rose of Summer - the little ones prepare to tread the familiar path to the school door, we consider the daily walk to work and the fruits of our labour. Years of Labour Day weekend tradition ended with the manic voice of Jerry Lewis stilled, and we only have this version to remember that with hope in your heart,  you'll  never walk alone.

The last thistles of summer bloomed and butterflies swooped as eastbound CN potash train B730 passed slowly through Kingston on August 26.

The monochrome monotony of putty-coloured potash cars let me focus on majestic monarch butterly foliage-flitting (above) and pole-dancing (below) between the head-end, the DPU and the tail-end DPU!

Here's hoping you've had an enjoyable and relaxing summer. 

Watch for Trackside Treasure's upcoming September Sale - Eric.

Pop-up Post: CN Nos 369/149, July 2017

VIA No 42 wait till you see the other end!

Time for another pop-up post. Heavy on photos, light on verbiage. Oh, contrary to the title of this post, a little VIA, too! And ground level in Belleville in August, as well! Now onwards, from five stories up.

LW 9054

GATX LRS 4919 boxcar with STYX for Steve!

A perennial favourite - SLR this time 3009

Ex-MT&W AGR 8288

BN 467213

Ex-Kyle NAHX 100720

HPJX next to DPU CN 3034

KT 0624 passes in review

CN newsprint read all about it!

CN No 149

New BNSF 255554 3-pak

Garbage and the end 

Rarely seen - CANADA 150 side by side

VIA No 42 with two CANADA 150 coaches

Storm closing in on VIA No 644

Another 369 on August 11 at Belleville - TFM 20020 si! si!

UNPX 121446 within the Aluminum Products # range

SOXX 20515 with aluminum in containers

Straight Railbox RBOX 39457 in ingot service

RBOX 38372 graffiti'd