Edmonton Transit has purchased several "slightly-used" Siemens-Duwag U2 LRT cars from Calgary Transit, I believe they will only be used for parts. They are being shipped by rail from Calgary to Edmonton, a rather short haul.
https://cptdb.ca/topic/14428-ctrain-u2-cars-retirement-watch/?page=10
Calgary plans to retire their remaining U2 fleet in the next few years, which will make Edmonton's LRT the last North American system to operate them. A fitting end, in the place where modern North American light rail began.
I hope Edmonton Transit sets one aside for preservation when their retirement finally arrives.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Overmod NDG Miningman I propose as many as possible Forum members meet here July 30, 31st and Aug 1st, a Civic Holiday in Canada for a ride behind steam. Make it our Woodstock, spontaneous and a grand old time. Was just going to sign off. You Know, that is NOT a bad IDEA!! Doable by Air, too. If the two of you are going, I will take special pains to be there.
NDG Miningman I propose as many as possible Forum members meet here July 30, 31st and Aug 1st, a Civic Holiday in Canada for a ride behind steam. Make it our Woodstock, spontaneous and a grand old time. Was just going to sign off. You Know, that is NOT a bad IDEA!! Doable by Air, too.
Miningman I propose as many as possible Forum members meet here July 30, 31st and Aug 1st, a Civic Holiday in Canada for a ride behind steam. Make it our Woodstock, spontaneous and a grand old time.
Was just going to sign off.
You Know, that is NOT a bad IDEA!! Doable by Air, too.
If the two of you are going, I will take special pains to be there.
Boy have I got to pay closer attention to this forum.
First off, this year our long weekend is August 4, 5 and 6.
And before anybody goes and splurges on transcontinental plane or train tickets, I must say a few things and pour some cold water here. While I like to talk up the place on here we are nowhere close to what a group like the Illinois Railway Museum has managed to create. We are only open on weekends, only have 0.4 miles of track to run back and forth on at 10 mph, have a huge backlog of deferred maintenance and due to a internal personnel issue will likely not be running steam again this year. I was hoping that last issue would resolve itself but so far nothing has happened.
The Alberta Railway Museum is a really neat place but I'm not sure we are worth a transcontinental trip, even for railfans.
On the other hand, if you are planning a western Canadian vacation the Edmonton area has many attractions that are well worth a visit, to say nothing of being on the way to the Rocky Mountain parks. And if you are in Edmonton on a summer weekend the Alberta Railway Museum is well worth a visit.
And if you are dead-set on travelling to western Canada to ride behind steam, both Winnipeg's Prairie Dog Central and Stettler, AB's Alberta Prairie Railway have actual track worth running on, and give a far better experience for one's time. Alberta Prairie's engine may still be down for maintenance though.
Not trying to play Debbie Downer here, I just don't want anyone to have unrealistic expectations.
Well thats all just too unfortunate. I plan on going, the journey is half the fun, new people to meet, adventure, and get out of Dodge for a bit.
Sorry about the dates mix-up.
Found out from Dude that former Algoma Central car Agawa is there. Met her acquaintance many many moons ago. Also there are a pair of F7's in the original green, black, gold and of course the Museums F3's. Steam likely not running but restored and operable and it is there.
Perhaps Forum members could stage a get together one day... that would be something I would not miss. The clock is ticking and time flies especially as one starts becoming a 'Classic' guy.
Alberta Railway Museum
1977 Sheerness Sub timetable:
http://www.cwrailway.ca/cnrha.ca/Timetables/Mountain%20Region/Alberta%20South%20Division/Sheerness%20sub.jpg
Time for a change-up, this thread's normally about old classics, so here's something new and shiny, fresh out of the box:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=33971
Only 177 more to go! They come with all the bells & whistles, including air conditioning, a hot plate, fridge, microwave, and red marker lights (CN seems to be the last railroad still using them).
And of course (ugh) inside-facing cameras. Oh well, I guess that's progress.
Amazing!
Long way from CN 9000, both of them.
Thank You.
Wonder what those new CN units cost? Probably >$2M, either CDN or US. Also a lng ways from CN 9000!
Nice looking, though, and a good photo. Would be interesting to see what they look like on the inside.
- PDN.
Paul_D_North_Jr Would be interesting to see what they look like on the inside.
Would be interesting to see what they look like on the inside.
Ask and you shall receive, this is from a ET44AC but the cabs are identical. The hot plate is on the right side of the Conductor's desk with the fridge below it, and the microwave is awkwardly located behind the Conductor's seat (they used to be down in the nose but apparently there were issues with stuff getting spilled on the electronics that are also located down there). The centre Brakeman's seat is folded up in this photo:
https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8395/29866853260_d754a28aa6_b.jpg
The dual computer screens in front of the Engineer's seat are for normal operation, and the third one on top of the control stand is solely for PTC. The screen on the Conductor's desk is also for PTC.
ES44AC's 2976 to 2999, ET44AC's 3060 and higher and all the 3800s have two inward-facing cameras, one on each side of the cab:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=25449
More Alberta Railway Museum news:
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/tracking-edmontons-train-roots-railway-family-donates-display-of-train-living-memories
Business car "Dunvegan" is currently slated to receive major additional restoration work starting this winter.
Ex-CN FP9 6514 is on the left. She was also known as VIA 6514 and Algoma Central 1753 during her revenue service life:
http://www.cnrphotos.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=49053
http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/ACR/ac1753.jpg
SD70Dude Paul_D_North_Jr Would be interesting to see what they look like on the inside.
Dude-- Any chance of a pic of the F7's in the green and gold.
NDG, it looks like that link doesn't work, but that's ok, I can help.
Fasten your seatbelts...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfKP9Cpz8AY
"Fifi" came through Richmond about 20 years ago, and let me tell you, that is one BIG airplane, although not as big as it looks on film. Does that make sense?
One of my uncles who flew in WW2 as a radio operator on C-47's was called back for Korea and flew on B-29's, I got to see where he used to work.
And don't any of you think those B-29 missions over Japan were a cake-walk, they were anything but. Those Superfort crews had two implacable enemies to deal with, the Japanese and the Pacific Ocean.
NDG's link worked OK for me.
Wonders of modern technology!
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
SD70Dude - Thanks for sharing those! Wow - that's quite the interior, looks more comfortable than my office! In the Flickr.com one, I like the "420,000 lbs." hand-written with a marker above the engineer's window.
Not to impose, but someday it'd be nice to know what all the controls and other gadgets are.
NDG - You're welcome, look what SD70Dude shared from that request!
Amazing cab shots 'Dude, looks more like the bridge of a yacht than the cab of a locomotive!
Microwave? Hot plate? Makes sense. Without a hot backhead to fry bacon on or warm up coffee or soup what's a crew to do?
Much more interesting material re cab interiors.
NDG SD70Dude Paul_D_North_Jr Would be interesting to see what they look like on the inside. Thank You, Again!!. Nothwithstanding I would prefer to be running and In Charge of 1392, 41 or Wpg Hydro 3. Thank You, Sir.
To be honest, I prefer the cramped footplate and short seatboxes of steam too! Burned on one side and frozen on the other in the wintertime.
Later steam locomotives like CN 6060 got fully-enclosed insulated cabs with steam radiators for heat. Yep, it gets that cold up here!
Today CN is the only Class I railroad that requires microwaves in locomotive cabs. Our current cab ammenities came about as part of a arbitration case which also took away the crew's right to stop the train in order to eat. That ruling only applied to through-freight service, yard crews and roadswitchers still get lunch breaks. But nearly all older locomotives have been retrofitted with microwaves.
CP gets fridges and hot plates, but not microwaves. I think BNSF only gets fridges. Not sure about the rest, but recently on another forum some UP guys were discussing manifold cooking recipes...
Even without graffiti there is quite a bit of writing on the cab interior. Weight, maximum speed, wheel wear data and so on.
And who is Bozo Texino, anyway?
Well, That did not seem to work.
Hmmmmm.
Miningman Dude-- Any chance of a pic of the FP9's in the green and gold.
Dude-- Any chance of a pic of the FP9's in the green and gold.
6514. The second unit is F9B 6614. NW2 7944 is on the left:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/617551/
All 5 F-units currently at the Alberta Railway Museum. 9000 is playing yard engine. The first two to go by the camera, RPCX 6304 and 6311, were both rebuilt by VIA Rail in the late 1990s with HEP gensets (with 2-stroke Detroit Diesel Series 92s) and are fully compatible with modern VIA or Amtrak equipment. Those two are privately owned, the other three belong to the Museum:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lzpqJ2MH59g
6304 was originally CN 6509, and was also numbered 1967 for a time:
http://www.cnrphotos.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=14553
6311:
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/10/9b/51/dc/beauty-with-the-history.jpg
6514 currently does not have any radiator grilles, they were taken off prior to repainting and found to have suffered either corrosion or fire damage. Painting them silver and re-installing them is on the to-do list, but so far other more important work has taken priority.
We investigated having them re-chromed, but the cost was prohibitive.
UP 844 after the pedestrian strike. This video was taken at the next crossing and only shows the emergency stop, the woman's death is not visible. But the frantic whistling brought me to tears, if only it were not in vain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbMvvvDFkMw
Aside from the tragedy, this is an excellent recording of many of the sights and sounds a steam locomotive makes. After the brakes are applied in emergency (hear them squealing as the train comes to a stop) the Engineer shuts off the throttle, and the fire loses most of its draft. This causes the black smoke, as the Fireman needed a bit more time to "dial down" the fire, so to speak. Then the safety valve lifts with a great rush, as all steam demand had suddenly disappeared and the boiler had just been generating it at a high rate. And finally the air compressor starts pumping, perhaps the Engineer released the air brakes to recover from the emergency application? And all this is overlain by the whine of the turbo-generator.
And finally we have a all-too familar modern sound, the million-mosquito sneer of the drone that captured the fatal impact on video, returning to its owner.
Firelock76Microwave? Hot plate? Makes sense. Without a hot backhead to fry bacon on or warm up coffee or soup what's a crew to do?
What's a hot plate or microwave? We don't even have fridges on our engines - just coolers. Which I prefer - much easier to clean. I've seen fridges in foreign power, and I think some of them are growing a brakeman in there.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
SD70Dude...but recently on another forum some UP guys were discussing manifold cooking recipes...
I've heard that there are several cookbooks in the trucking community along that line.
I recall reading in one of the magazines about a fellow who decided to warm up a can of Spaghettios on the manifold of an F unit. Unfortunately, it exploded - leaving the engine room smelling of tomato sauce for quite some time...
. And who is Bozo Texino, anyway?
A well known early practitioner of a practice that shall not be discussed here...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
tree68 SD70Dude ...but recently on another forum some UP guys were discussing manifold cooking recipes... I've heard that there are several cookbooks in the trucking community along that line. I recall reading in one of the magazines about a fellow who decided to warm up a can of Spaghettios on the manifold of an F unit. Unfortunately, it exploded - leaving the engine room smelling of tomato sauce for quite some time... . And who is Bozo Texino, anyway? A well known early practitioner of a practice that shall not be discussed here...
SD70Dude ...but recently on another forum some UP guys were discussing manifold cooking recipes...
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Whoah -- what happened .. the image is in my email but not in the thread! Weird.
cant even post the link !
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