Very Strange Things Special New Years Day Canadian Edition

[Miningman]

Geez, really?  That's weird. Would qualify for a good quiz question though. 

One story that has mysteriously stuck with me. I read about a truck driver operating out of Simcoe, back when I lived in Simcoe, who killed  himself because the price of Diesel went to 60 cents.  Had to more to it than that I thought. 

[AgentKid]

A few more notes on the CPR Calgary-Edmonton service.

It was 192.6 track miles from Calgary to the Edmonton Station north of Jasper Ave. Back in the day it had 10 scheduled stops and four flag stops, with a running time of four and a half hours. Meeting the schedule meant pretty fast running, 80-90 MPH.

The stretch between Cagary and Red Deer was very flat, but the section north of Red Deer was very undulating. The whole route was mostly built on the original Calgary-Edmonton freight wagon trail. North of Red Deer conductors would point out places where the CPR ROW deviated from the wagon trail. You could still see the ruts right up to the end of the RDC service. The deviations were due to the fact Iron Horses couldn't climb grades as steep as the real ones.

The service ended after several people used the RDC to commit suicide. In a world of randomly occuring freight trains, a passenger train that held to a schedule was too tempting for those folks. The company had been asking for permission to end the service for years, but it was this issue that ended the service, in September 1985.

Bruce

 

[Miningman]

RDC's were fast, that's for sure.

Consider this statement from Agent Kid:  "Man, oh man, I leave you guys for a few weeks and I can't believe what you get up to. 

THAT is "THE SUBWAY" between Millicent and Patricia on the abandoned Bassano Sub. For a few decades it might have been the only grade separated crossoing on the CPR in Alberta outside of Calgary."

Saskatchewan was much the same, a great many rural crosings and virtually no grade separations. They always say how flat it is but in reality it is, as NDG states, very undulating. 

 Sask., Alberta and Southern Manitoba had a myriad of tracks all criss crossing each other and every little place with a grain elevator had competing railroads laying track to it, Grand Trunk Western, Canadian Northern and CP all wanting the business. 

2920 with passenger train leaving the station, Outlook, Sask., 
4:20 pm May 23, 1953, headed westerly for Macklin, Sask. Photo by Jim Biss.

In the above picture we can see there is no crossing protection, visibility impaired on the right for the automoblie driver.

Good point re: the pilots though.

F1 Class:

Looking pretty sharp! Assigned to Moose Jaw in 1958.

Official CPR photograph when new. CPR/Steve Morris Collection

F2 Class Below 

Near-new 3003 ready to depart Place Viger Station in Montreal for Quebec City. Canadian Pacific Railway

3003 taking water on the shop track at the Glen. Note Delaware & Hudson tender at far right.

 

Back to the Chinook--The only F2 with the different pilot.

Note the different pilot (same as a 2900) also lack of streamlined shrouding due to the large number of level crossing collisions.

3001 in snow at Brandon 2/09/1942 L.A.Stuckey/Bud Laws Collection

[NDG]

FWIW.

 

 

Collisions Calgary-Edmonton.

 

As track permitted trains always have travelled at higher speeds on this route, the roadbed undulating, trains appearing suddenly out of nowhere in the heat haze.

 

Passenger trains could and did do Ninety Miles an Hour w Steam = 4-4-4s

 

RDCs were FAST, made little smoke. Fitted w Gyralights in Mid Door. Terrible to ride in cab at nite, eyes following lite beam.

 

One of the earliest incidents involving the new RDCs as here.

 

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/day-in-history-dec-7-1955-train-crash-in-city-injures-38

 

One legend is that a small boy was walking along the track coming back from fishing when the Daily RDC came out of a sag behind him @ 80 MPH.

 

The boy turned, tripped on a tie, and fell.

 

The RDC flashed over him and travelled another 1/4 mile in Emergency.

 

They Backed slowly to his location, he was all right, but scared.

 

The last years the RDCs operated over this route there were two 2 collisions which killed the Engineers.

 

Final time I viewed the train it had a GP30, one of only two, leading it as higher gearing.

 

Had Camera, Got caught in Traffic.

 

Never saw it again. 

 

RDCs had a dismal record in collisions on CPR System Wide.

 

Thank You.

 

ATSF rolled a set over.

 

[M636C]

F2 3001 Chinook the only named Jubilee (or any other modern CPR steam engine). Named for the train it hauled between Calgary and Edmonton. 1942 L.A.Stuckey/Ken MacDonald Joseph Testagrose Collection. 

It was also the only F2 with an F1 style front end...

Apparently there were many more grade crossing accidents between Edmonton and Calgary than affected the remainder of the class in the eastern provinces, which retained the curved pilot until the end..

Perhaps Miningman can comment if automobile drivers in Western Canada are still  more susceptible to crossing accidents.than the residents of Ontario and Quebec?

I prefer this version of the F2.

Peter

[MidlandMike]

Miningman

#2 CN Big shot Class 1 passenger service   10800 and 10900 (ex BCOL TU-108_109) provide the only passenger service on the former BCR since October 2002.  Kaocham Shuttle operates 35 miles between Lillooet and Seton Portage primarily to serve isolated communities of the  Seton Lake Indian Band who handle this 5 days a week service. It has become a tourist attraction despite  operating only one roundtrip a week on Fridays. Lillooet 11/04/2019 Joe Harrison 

The BCR route also has a Rocky Mountaineer.

https://www.rockymountaineer.com/train-routes/rainforest-gold-rush

[Miningman]

CN still runs the Kaocham Shuttle and it's NOT a Via service. I can see why it's popular with tourists, but I bet it's sort of a secret. 

[Flintlock76]

Ah!  A New Year, a new "Very Strange Thingssss...."  

A Mikado pulling one combine?  Well, better to have all that power and not need it, than to need it and not have it!

My, that 9004 was a battleship!  I wonder why they retired it, and then replaced it with a Mike and a combine?  Must have made sense to someone...

Good educational point with those N&W F-Units.  Mergers were the only way the old N&W got road diesels other than Geeps.  When Saunders killed steam () the N&W went straight to Geeps and ignored other diesels.  Waiting until the late 50's certainly saved them all the experimentation the other 'roads went through. 

Some of those ex-Wabash F-units were leased to the Jersey Central around 1970 or so,  the CNJ was really on the ropes by this time and were dealing with motive power shortages.  They kept their N&W markings however, the CNJ was prohibited from applying any Jersey Central logos.

Love that "We ain't mad at nobody!"  caboose assortment!

And aren't those CN "speeders on steroids" the cutest thing?

[Miningman]

1). A Big Mike hauls a single combine for 7 months!  They retired gas electric #9004, ' Old Sparky' and replaced her run with the Mikado and a combine but I wonder if they really thought this through.

Talk about over-powered! P1 Class 2-8-2 5187 has only a combine to haul on #342 southbound at Guelph in this October 18, 1958 better view of the well-kept station. R.J. (Bob) Sandusky

 

5405 arriving with passenger train 740 from Guelph. Sat, March 28, 1959. Bud Laws Collection

9004 sits at Guelph, Sept. 10,1956, hiding most of the well kept station next to the Speed River, between one of its many shuttle runs to Guelph Junction to connect with CPR Detroit or Toronto trains. Dave Shaw/collection of Carleton Smith

9004 "Sparky" shown here Sat. April 26,1958 on the last run of train #346 to Guelph Jct. R.J.Sandusky/JBC Visuals      #2 CN Big shot Class 1 passenger service   10800 and 10900 (ex BCOL TU-108_109) provide the only passenger service on the former BCR since October 2002.  Kaocham Shuttle operates 35 miles between Lillooet and Seton Portage primarily to serve isolated communities of the  Seton Lake Indian Band who handle this 5 days a week service. It has become a tourist attraction despite  operating only one roundtrip a week on Fridays. Lillooet 11/04/2019 Joe Harrison    #3  CN 'Family Days'... well now that's nice! CN Family Days in Winnipeg special train using 5 vans!  PDC 109, BN 12580, GWWD 1360, CN 76665, CCGX 200001. 9/09/2017   #4   Fella gets on the wrong train!   Complains why do we keep stopping? Also, (scroll down) 4062-4446 led this special train that was operated over the Victoria Day weekend May 24, 1952.  It was run for the benefit of Nicholas Morant, CPR Special photographer. What you won't read about is the stowaway! At some point along the way a man complained about the train stopping in the middle of nowhere and being late etc. etc. It was then the conductor realized the lone man had gotten on the wrong train! # 5. Norfolk and Western F's? In Canada? What!?  Well of course, ex Wabash Units and track between Buffalo/Fort Erie and Detroit/Windsor   NW 3667_3660 sitting in Windsor with Detroit in the background. 8/1976 Byron Babbish   #6  Selkirk gets a fill up. Not very often we get to see a fill up on an oil burner.   5921 being fueled up with Bunker C oil. Location and date unknown. Bud Laws Collection   # 7  Ontario Northland Rwy new ' long' flat car.  Not bad! ONT 100510 new long flat car. ONT 100508 with a nice looking part load.   #8  Only named Jubilee 'Chinook' (named for its train.)   F2 3001 Chinook the only named Jubilee (or any other modern CPR steam engine). Named for the train it hauled between Calgary and Edmonton. 1942 L.A.Stuckey/Ken MacDonald Joseph Testagrose Collection.    # 9 A Jubilee again. Who needs an 0-6-0 when a Jubilee is light enough.   2926 is light enough to switch the pier at St.Andrews.   #10  A very rare S-7. Who knew!   S-7   S-7 rare model Canadian-Only Alco built by MLW only for CNR. Added 8210 in orgiinal paint scheme.