E&N Railway

[Quinsam]

I thought I would make a post about the ENR, I seem to have an ambition to overtake it, double track it and put this stock onto the tracks.
www.therailwaycentre.com/EMU%20photo%20file/313_advertWAGN
www.therailwaycentre.com/EMU%20photo%20file/313_NSE_Wagn

[YZFNick]

Busses are faster and they go to Campbell River and all points north.

[Quinsam]

THe picture of the 365 train, goes 100 mph, so it can get to Parksville Non-Stop in one hour or less.
THe others go 75 mph.
We can get High-Speed trains on there too if the track is double, www.lexcie.zetnet.co.uk/tops/edin-43-small.jpg

[YZFNick]

The cost to lay track these days is a cool million per kilometre.

[Quinsam]

Is it?
I thought it would be a million dollars to make a track from Campell River to Victoria.
Ask ENR 3870, where ever he is, maybe we can ask what it would cost to overtake the ENR, and Double Track it, and the service would run nightly as well as daily.

[CN2972South]

It does cost about $1million per mile for brand new track. The E&N will never be double tracked, there just will never be the traffic to justify it. I would love to see the E&N double tracked and complete with CTC, but it will never happen.

Nick, while the train is slower, it is about 10 dollars cheaper than the bus.

The last two owners of the E&N, Canadian Pacific and RailAmerica have run the E&N into the ground. RailAmerica went and chased away 85% of their freight revenues. The Island Corridor Foundation is trying to turn things around, trying to fix what CP and RailAmerica have done. They plan to run commuter trains from Nanaimo to Victoria, regular freight service to Victoria, Courtenay, and Port Alberni. They also have plans to fix up the trackage, replacing the lighter rail with continuously welded 115 lb(115 lbs per yard) rail.It's easier to maintain than the bolted rail they use now.
They also have a list of 25 potential freight customers. Freight is the "bread and butter" for all north american railways, and the E&N is no exception.

As it stands right now, the entire E&N Railway from Victoria-Courtenay and Parksville-Port Alberni is worth $15 million.

What most people don't know is that the northern end of the E&N's Victoria Subdivision was supposed to run to Campbell River, but due to WW1 construction ended 8 miles north of Courtenay, a few years later the line north of the north end of the Courtenay yard was removed, but the grade remains.


E&N freight engines(2 General Motors GP38's and a GP20) sitting in the Nanaimo "shop".


VIA Budd Car 6148 at Courtenay. The train is run under contract by E&N Railway employees.


Freight train pulls into the Victoria yard.


For more info on what's going on with the E&n, go to groups.yahoo.com/group/ENRailway

[Quinsam]

Does the GP-20 ever move?
I have seen those engines when I lived in Nanaimo, I used to sit on the wooden bridge there, and look through the binoculars at the ferries, and the trains.
I also looked at the Ships that don't move (Baron and Knight).
I ran there in the morning from my place about 500m away from there, down to the railyard and watch the activity.
I wonder if someone french in Quebec, is thinking of bringing TGV's over to Quebec.

[CN2972South]

GP20 2099 hasn't moved since 2001. They've stolen too many parts of it to keep the two GP38's running. The historical society I am with (E&N Division of the Canadian Railroad Historial Association) have been trying to get RailAmerica to lend it to us in return for returning it to service. So far the only reply we've gotten is "NO".

[harbourlynx]

that train in france there, looks kinda cool.
But I am frightened of the high-speed class 365, it sounds like a racing car when starting and stopping, but I am frightened befause it goes so fast.

[Quinsam]

Yes, it goes to 100 mph, did anyone hear about the Potters Bar crash 3 years ago?

[Quinsam]

I have an Idea!
We could have this running the E&N High Speed service to Nanaimo, Parksville and Courtenay, then back.
Along with the 365, 313 and 317's

www.transportblog.com/images/390002test.jpg

[CN2972South]

While it would be nice to see the E&N running those trains, the Budd RDC Cars seem the most well-suited for passenger operations. The Budd RDC's have a top speed of 90 MPH.

[Quinsam]

Although I cannot believe that one train is all that runs between Victoria and Courtenay, and back each day, there should be local services, every hour at least.

[YZFNick]

Someone has to pay for it.

We should have our own Chunnel while we're at it.

[Quinsam]

I mean just have the main passenger line double tracked, then the port alberni and Wellcox be single tracked, then a terminal in Esquimalt like Kings Cross

I mean demolish the track ovr Johnson St Bridge, and the current Station in Victoria, then have the terminus where the roundhouse is now.
Then at Courtenay, have a Peterborough type station as a terminus.

Then the stations/stops in between, should have a station looks like this:
How much would that approximatly come to in $?

[Quinsam]

And Electrification of 5.5m High along the route from Vic to Court.

[CN2972South]

welwyn said:

Although I cannot believe that one train is all that runs between Victoria and Courtenay, and back each day, there should be local services, every hour at least.

One PASSENGER train, yes. But they also run freight, usually 2 freigh trains a day Mon-Friday out of Nanaimo. Unfortunately, Vancouver Island does not have nearly the same population as the UK, maybe a second return trip could work. But the current service runs at a loss of $1.8 million/year so don't expect hourly express service anytime soon. There just isn't a demand for it.

The E&N will always be a branch line railway, maybe with nicer track than the current conditions. Unfortunately, while those trains that run in the UK can make money, it's just not possible on the E&N, it needs freight to survive.

I should also mention that "The Malahat" is VIA Rail's most frequent train in Western Canada, the only other daily passenger services by VIA Rail runs are in the Windsor, ON-Quebec City, PQ corridor.

Commuter Rail service between Victoria and Nanaimo could also work. But it would be maybe 2 trains to Victoria in the morning and 2 trains back to Nanaimo in the evening.

I don't mean to disappoint you or hurt your feelings, but the type of rail service you're proposing is impractical for the Island.

[Quinsam]

I heard of one that is like the Trans-Canada Train and only works in the summer, it goes from Victoria or Langford or somewhere near there.

[CN2972South]

Not in recent years, that was the Pacific Wilderness Railway that ran in 2000 and 2001, but due to lack of cooperation from the City of Victoria, Canadian pacific and RailAmerica they went broke. It ran from Victoria to Malahat station and back, a 40-mile round trip.

[Quinsam]

Where is it now?

[CN2972South]

welwyn said:

Where is it now?

Gone. The Pacific Wilderness Railway no longer exists.

[Quinsam]

I mean the train, and what services now run on the E&N?
Just the Dayliner and sometimes the Rail America Freight.
When does the Rail America freight come down to victoria?

[Quinsam]

The E&N will always be a branch line railway, maybe with nicer track than the current conditions. Unfortunately, while those trains that run in the UK can make money, it's just not possible on the E&N, it needs freight to survive.

Maybe they need more freight loco's and a nightliner as well as the dayliner.

[Quinsam]

I might overtake thw west coast express route.

[CN2972South]

welwyn said:

I mean the train, and what services now run on the E&N?
Just the Dayliner and sometimes the Rail America Freight.
When does the Rail America freight come down to victoria?

The Dayliner, and the freight. The ENR runs freight to Duncan, Nanaimo, and parksville. No regular freight service to Victoria or Courtenay. They just recently, however hauled 5 tank cars to Langford.