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Post by paulvanb on Oct 13, 2015 21:08:27 GMT -8
Here is a great Budd car video I discovered tonight. Footage of BC Rail and Via Real on the Island plus a few other parts of Canada.
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Post by paulvanb on Mar 21, 2016 17:12:52 GMT -8
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Post by Mike on Dec 4, 2017 23:11:07 GMT -8
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on Mar 19, 2018 19:07:27 GMT -8
I've never known how coal cars are unloaded... I imagined some kind of vacuum that sucked the coal out, but watching a show on Discovery, 'Rocky Mountain Railroad', I learned about a method that seems much more amazing. At Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver, coal cars are run through a building where a machine grabs each car, turns it upside down, and then places it back right side up, still coupled in place in the train... in ninety seconds. Wow.
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Post by dofd on Mar 19, 2018 19:57:33 GMT -8
They didn't show the spray coating to prevent the coal dust from coating BC from mine the terminal. As for the coal unloading, I think the Roberts Bank terminal now does 2 or 3 cars at a time. My Wow moment was the hardening of the steel ' frog' (not the frog or frog) with unstable explosives.
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Post by Mike on Mar 19, 2018 21:05:37 GMT -8
I've never known how coal cars are unloaded... I imagined some kind of vacuum that sucked the coal out, but watching a show on Discovery, 'Rocky Mountain Railroad', I learned about a method that seems much more amazing. At Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver, coal cars are run through a building where a machine grabs each car, turns it upside down, and then places it back right side up, still coupled in place in the train... in ninety seconds. Wow. It doesn't always go smoothly, as these photos taken at Roberts Bank, from a few years ago illustrate. princerupertrailimages.blogspot.ca/2010/03/why-they-mark-cars-with-rotary-couplers.html
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Post by dofd on Mar 19, 2018 21:59:19 GMT -8
I've never known how coal cars are unloaded... I imagined some kind of vacuum that sucked the coal out, but watching a show on Discovery, 'Rocky Mountain Railroad', I learned about a method that seems much more amazing. At Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver, coal cars are run through a building where a machine grabs each car, turns it upside down, and then places it back right side up, still coupled in place in the train... in ninety seconds. Wow. It doesn't always go smoothly, as these photos taken at Roberts Bank, from a few years ago illustrate. princerupertrailimages.blogspot.ca/2010/03/why-they-mark-cars-with-rotary-couplers.htmlThat was one of the first industry 'How do we get views on YouTube' moments. As they were not young adults, they did not get the idea of the platform. Not photos, but video.
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Post by PNW_ferrynerd on Mar 28, 2018 20:42:30 GMT -8
Sounder
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Post by Mike on Jul 25, 2018 22:23:59 GMT -8
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FNS
Voyager
The Empire Builder train of yesteryear in HO scale
Posts: 4,948
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Post by FNS on Jul 26, 2018 1:41:12 GMT -8
I think the engineers are just being too polite on the communities noisewise.
There's a neat channel on YouTube. This is Virtual Railfan. Skykomish has been added. You may see the Empire Builder pass through. There are some nice echos from the train whistles bouncing off the mountains in this, the Stevens Pass highway route.
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Post by Mike on Aug 24, 2018 10:35:54 GMT -8
One of the more elusive preserved locomotives in BC to photograph is the NRHS BC Chapter's FP9 6300, as it is usually hidden away inside a warehouse. Yesterday, it was outside moving two flatcars, after two of the chapter's passenger cars were loaded on them. No idea when the final move out date is, or where the cars are headed. BC NRHS' 6300 by Michael, on Flickr BC NRHS' 6300 - Braid by Michael, on Flickr BC NRHS' 6300 - Braid by Michael, on Flickr
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Post by WettCoast on Aug 24, 2018 12:46:24 GMT -8
One of the more elusive preserved locomotives in BC to photograph is the NRHS BC Chapter's FP9 6300, as it is usually hidden away inside a warehouse. Yesterday, it was outside moving two flatcars, after two of the chapter's passenger cars were loaded on them. No idea when the final move out date is, or where the cars are headed. Presumably this locomotive was once owned by Via? Before that was it in CN's fleet, or CP's?
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Post by Mike on Aug 25, 2018 8:08:41 GMT -8
One of the more elusive preserved locomotives in BC to photograph is the NRHS BC Chapter's FP9 6300, as it is usually hidden away inside a warehouse. Yesterday, it was outside moving two flatcars, after two of the chapter's passenger cars were loaded on them. No idea when the final move out date is, or where the cars are headed. Presumably this locomotive was once owned by Via? Before that was it in CN's fleet, or CP's? Yes, it was part of a group of 15 FP9s that were rebuilt by CN for VIA in the 1980s. 6300 was originally CN 6524. It was the last FP9 on VIA's roster, and was last used as the Vancouver shop switcher.
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Post by Starsteward on Aug 25, 2018 12:09:40 GMT -8
Presumably this locomotive was once owned by Via? Before that was it in CN's fleet, or CP's? Yes, it was part of a group of 15 FP9s that were rebuilt by CN for VIA in the 1980s. 6300 was originally CN 6524. It was the last FP9 on VIA's roster, and was last used as the Vancouver shop switcher. Very curious as to where the two passenger cars were headed. Each car is of a bit different vintage so wondering if two different destinations for them?
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 12, 2018 17:26:42 GMT -8
Here's an "anatomy of a railfan group" documentary video.
There are good similarities to ferry fans, but no one is interested in the anatomy of a ferry fan.
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Post by Mike on Jan 17, 2021 18:11:14 GMT -8
SRY 900 climbs up 2.7% Mt Lehman Hill in rural Abbotsford with a short westbound freight. July 19, 2020. Delivered to BC Electric in 1955, 900 celebrated it's 65th year of service in 2020. SRY 900 - Mt. Lehman by Michael, on Flickr
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on Jan 17, 2021 20:33:43 GMT -8
SRY 900 climbs up 2.7% Mt Lehman Hill in rural Abbotsford with a short westbound freight. July 19, 2020. Delivered to BC Electric in 1955, 900 celebrated it's 65th year of service in 2020. SRY 900 - Mt. Lehman by Michael, on Flickr Remarkable... in 1955, there were still a few steam locos around- probably not on any mainlines, but on secondary lines. Might this be the oldest operating diesel in BC? I'm also surprised at what you say is the grade there, Mike. 2.7%... that must be one of the steepest inclines any railway still deals with in this province. Were both engines powered? I'd be curious to know what the hauling potential is for one engine at that grade.
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Post by Mike on Jan 17, 2021 21:33:18 GMT -8
Remarkable... in 1955, there were still a few steam locos around- probably not on any mainlines, but on secondary lines. Might this be the oldest operating diesel in BC? I'm also surprised at what you say is the grade there, Mike. 2.7%... that must be one of the steepest inclines any railway still deals with in this province. Were both engines powered? I'd be curious to know what the hauling potential is for one engine at that grade. I'm reasonably sure it's currently the oldest diesel operating in regular service in BC, since Grand Forks Railway 6703, built in 1950, was retired a couple years ago. Both engines were powered, though I'm not sure what the tonnage limit for a single unit is. SRY deals with a similarly steep grade of 2.6% at the other end of the line, descending Kennedy Hill in Surrey towards the Fraser River bridge. I know their 4 largest locomotives are only rated for about 20-30 cars going uphill. The CP holds title to the steepest grade in BC though, with the 4.1% grade on Warfield Hill near Trail BC.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 17, 2021 22:11:11 GMT -8
The CP holds title to the steepest grade in BC though, with the 4.1% grade on Warfield Hill near Trail BC. The steepest grade on the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway (Vancouver Island) is 2.2%, at the Port Alberni summit.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on Jan 17, 2021 22:58:40 GMT -8
Remarkable... in 1955, there were still a few steam locos around- probably not on any mainlines, but on secondary lines. Might this be the oldest operating diesel in BC? I'm also surprised at what you say is the grade there, Mike. 2.7%... that must be one of the steepest inclines any railway still deals with in this province. Were both engines powered? I'd be curious to know what the hauling potential is for one engine at that grade. I'm reasonably sure it's currently the oldest diesel operating in regular service in BC, since Grand Forks Railway 6703, built in 1950, was retired a couple years ago. Both engines were powered, though I'm not sure what the tonnage limit for a single unit is. SRY deals with a similarly steep grade of 2.6% at the other end of the line, descending Kennedy Hill in Surrey towards the Fraser River bridge. I know their 4 largest locomotives are only rated for about 20-30 cars going uphill. The CP holds title to the steepest grade in BC though, with the 4.1% grade on Warfield Hill near Trail BC. My knowledge of the BC railway map isn't good. What sort of traffic is hauled up and down that 4.1 grade near Trail? That's pretty extreme.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 18, 2021 7:34:24 GMT -8
The CP holds title to the steepest grade in BC though, with the 4.1% grade on Warfield Hill near Trail BC. My knowledge of the BC railway map isn't good. What sort of traffic is hauled up and down that 4.1 grade near Trail? That's pretty extreme. The customer is a fertilizer plant, owned by Teck Company. Here's a map-link to show the huge complex, which is on the hill above the Trail Smelter. Map Link Here
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Post by Mike on Apr 14, 2021 14:26:14 GMT -8
A SRY Annacis Island-bound transfer crosses the swing bridge over the North Arm of the Fraser River in Queensborough. April 11, 2021. SRY 384 - Queensborough by Michael, on Flickr
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Post by paulvanb on Sept 21, 2021 14:44:52 GMT -8
Great video of 1970's rail footage in Washington and Oregon. The audio is dubbed in, but very realistic!
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grk2
Deckhand
Posts: 91
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Post by grk2 on Oct 18, 2021 20:09:26 GMT -8
On Sep 26 I left Toronto on VIA Rail’s Canadian. 18 cars and 2 locomotives. Bright autumn colours all the way to Vancouver and plenty of wildlife. Of interest to rail buffs might be some details offered by a CN representative providing an onboard talk regarding train lengths in Canada. Most container trains are 12,000 feet in length, a few up to 14,000 feet. They are running tests on 15,000 feet. Power is distributed with a locomotive at front, mid and rear. The huge problem is keeping air pressure throughout the train; the rear locomotive is not need for power to move the train but rather to keep air pressure up. The cold winter temperatures causes metal in the brake systems to contract and air some air leaks out. Train lengths are ofter adjusted to “just” 8,000 feet during cold snaps. They have rebuilt a few box cars with diesel driven air compressors thus freeing up locomotives.
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Post by WettCoast on Oct 20, 2021 8:50:42 GMT -8
Of interest to rail buffs might be some details offered by a CN representative providing an onboard talk regarding train lengths in Canada. Most container trains are 12,000 feet in length, a few up to 14,000 feet. They are running tests on 15,000 feet. Power is distributed with a locomotive at front, mid and rear. The huge problem is keeping air pressure throughout the train; the rear locomotive is not need for power to move the train but rather to keep air pressure up. The cold winter temperatures causes metal in the brake systems to contract and air some air leaks out. Train lengths are ofter adjusted to “just” 8,000 feet during cold snaps. They have rebuilt a few box cars with diesel driven air compressors thus freeing up locomotives. Those air cars come both in the form of converted box cars, and modified containers sitting on flat cars. I have seen quite a few of them operating on CN's north line to Prince Rupert. The photo below shows an air car (modified container) on a flat car on the tail end of a typically long stack train heading west on the Skeena Sub from last February. CN over recent years have been lengthening & restoring passing sidings on the north line. Typically the length when converted is in the range of 12,000 to 13,000 feet, not enough to let really long monsters get by one another. I am uncertain as to how CN/CP deal with really long trains to pass one another on the main lines leading to/from Vancouver. It seems more really long sidings & double track sections are required.
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