PACIFICAT EXPLORER, DISCOVERY, VOYAGER - Photos & Discussion

[Retrovision]

"This forum is a wonderful tool for sharing our passion for ferries. Hopefully it will continue this way well into the future."

Cheers to that! I guess that I was speaking a little presumptuously <Sp?> with that last post of mine. What I really was trying to say was that I've seen bickering and people being put down before on *this* board in the past, and that I think that people who's involvment here is motivated by reasons other than their interest in ferries should find another place to talk.

I'm sorry that I implied that that place is, or should be the other board. I, in fact, have spent very little time at the other board, and as such feel that I shouldn't comment on its content.

[Retrovision]

But, again, Cheers to the statement:

"This forum is a wonderful tool for sharing our passion for ferries. Hopefully it will continue this way well into the future."!

[Dane]

I can give you a name via private e mail, [e-mail] A few of the sudo-senior people from BCF that were involved in the FastCat project were asked, but there was no formal contract or anything to that extent offered. It would seem to be more a testing of the waters.

The engines were replaced several years ago now, just after the shops were taken off line. It was done via insurance since the old engines were such a joke. Some one posted "they only cut fuel consumption by 25%". I'll give you a moment to reflect on how big 25% actually is...

[Low Light Mike]

Grahame:

I had a neat experience in October, on the Queen of the North positioning cruise. I met 2 other ferry-board posters on the trip, and it was so neat how we were different people but had a common bond of the interest in ferries.

That's what this board is like. We've got so many differences: age, occupation/school, politics, union-vs-mgmt, NDP-vs-BC Liberals, etc, but we all like our ships.

That's pretty cool.

Where else can you find a north-shore ski-dude, a church organ-player, a short-wave radio enthusiast, a Canadian living in Washington-State, a Squamish guy who collects horn-sounds, a grocery-store worker who takes ariel-photographs, a BC Historian with an adorable black dog named "Bo", a SaltSpring weekender with a Mercedes-Benz, the son of a ferry company GM, a British ferry-insider who has Vancouver-Island roots, and a Vancouver-Island teenager who has English roots.

and that's just the 1/2 of it.

(oops, I forgot about the guy who likes History, loves Jesus, and has in-laws at French Creek, and a new daughter.......he's kind of important here too - he hits the hammer on the mark).

[Political Incorrectness]

That is what keeps this place unique is how diverse we are all.

[Balfour]

That's one thing that I like about this forum

[Retrovision]

I agree with all of you, and share your enthusiasm. That list makes me want to find out who all those people are! (I know a few)

"he hits the hammer on the mark"

lol! gee, I wonder who you're talking about there

"3 guess only and they start with a "W"..."

Hmm... w... w... w... For the life of me, I can't think of any heavy-weight in the coastal shipping industry that starts with a 'W'... lol.

[Ferryman]

flugelhorn said:

Grahame:

I had a neat experience in October, on the Queen of the North positioning cruise. I met 2 other ferry-board posters on the trip, and it was so neat how we were different people but had a common bond of the interest in ferries.

That's what this board is like. We've got so many differences: age, occupation/school, politics, union-vs-mgmt, NDP-vs-BC Liberals, etc, but we all like our ships.

That's pretty cool.

Where else can you find a north-shore ski-dude, a church organ-player, a short-wave radio enthusiast, a Canadian living in Washington-State, a Squamish guy who collects horn-sounds, a grocery-store worker who takes ariel-photographs, a BC Historian with an adorable black dog named "Bo", a SaltSpring weekender with a Mercedes-Benz, the son of a ferry company GM, a British ferry-insider who has Vancouver-Island roots, and a Vancouver-Island teenager who has English roots.

and that's just the 1/2 of it.

(oops, I forgot about the guy who likes History, loves Jesus, and has in-laws at French Creek, and a new daughter.......he's kind of important here too - he hits the hammer on the mark).

I sure hope those are friendly comments there, Ultra Walker.

[Doug]

Cascade...the engines have already been replaced.

[Political Incorrectness]

dane said:

I can give you a name via private e mail, [e-mail] A few of the sudo-senior people from BCF that were involved in the FastCat project were asked, but there was no formal contract or anything to that extent offered. It would seem to be more a testing of the waters.

The engines were replaced several years ago now, just after the shops were taken off line. It was done via insurance since the old engines were such a joke. Some one posted "they only cut fuel consumption by 25%". I'll give you a moment to reflect on how big 25% actually is...

here is the information you need cascade

[Retrovision]

cascade,
I'd dig a little if I had the time, but presently don't. Within the last year a big story in the local media was a massive influx of $ to build a new container terminal at Prince Rupert. Of course the ETA on its completion was a ways down the road, but I'm fairly sure it was set for sometime before 2010 (more like 2008 or 09, if I remember correctly).

This is probably old new to you, but I figure I'd put it out there just in case.

[Scott]

There was an article in the paper a few months back about how much cheaper it is to ship TO China than to ship FROM China, for that exact reason.

As for Prince Rupert, I don't see why the port couldn't handle a large ship, it's just the container capacity that is the issue, and that's what is being expanded.

[Scott]

Yes, the rail line to Prince Rupert is good, and it's being upgraded too. The container port is being expanded, and I think it's already under construction, at least that's what I got from a brief news clip on the radio today about CN investing big bucks over the next few years.

[Retrovision]

the media reports that I remember had an official announcement press conference with top brass from PR, as well of top political official, including provincial and federal, and there was a relatively sure promise made... but depending on the upcoming election, these funds are almost guaranteed to not be set in stone, leaving the posibility of a Conservative led government pulling the funding.

BTW, as we all know, CN recently aquired the old BCRail line between N Van and PGeorge, leaving another outlet for shipping good to/from PRupert... Although we've also all seen recently how dangerous it can be to run a long enough train on those rails to make the route not cost-prohibitive.

[Ferryman]

Well on the subject of CN.....
A third train has derailed todat on the stretch of track going through the Cheakamus Canyon up here....the only good way to look at is, good thing there was no body on the derailed cars...it's going to be interesting if/when they get any commuter trains running through there after they get the Royal Hudson running next year...
But Prince Rupert looks like its going to have a huge economic boom within the next few years. I would consider purchasing property up there if I had the spare pocket change while it's still fairly cheap right now..

[Dane]

ferryman said:

Well on the subject of CN.....
A third train has derailed todat on the stretch of track going through the Cheakamus Canyon up here....the only good way to look at is, good thing there was no body on the derailed cars...it's going to be interesting if/when they get any commuter trains running through there after they get the Royal Hudson running next year...
But Prince Rupert looks like its going to have a huge economic boom within the next few years. I would consider purchasing property up there if I had the spare pocket change while it's still fairly cheap right now..

1) If you knew the causes of the derails, you wouldn't be concerned. It's basically poor marshalling by CN. Light cars surrounded by heavy cars.
2) There is no commuter rail planned with any group that actually has money, or ability to operate it.
3) The line itself is safe, nothing has changed to the physical track allingment since CN took over, it's just poor decisions made in a hurry.

[Scott]

www.rockymountaineer.com/default.aspx

Whistler Mountaineer - set to start in 2006. Not a commuter train, but it is a passenger train.

[Dane]

and I am an applicant to be a host, but I think I'll be withdrawing my name soon.

I did work for BC Rail.

[Retrovision]

Dane wrote:
"If you knew the causes of the derails, you wouldn't be concerned. It's basically poor marshalling by CN. Light cars surrounded by heavy cars... nothing has changed to the physical track allingment since CN took over, it's just poor decisions made in a hurry."

I'm sure we'll be seeing more measures with possible negative effects taken by CN to make the old BCR line as financially viable as possible, which I doubt will be limited to speeding the marshalling process, and the new one that I read about recently, charging residents using private crossing to make upgrades that were free in the past and charging anual fees for the use of those crossings (one "safety-measure", clearing a hill that, all of a sudden, after decades under BCR rule, became a 'dangerous obstruction', will cost a widow $20000 in addition to new annual fees).

John H. wrote:
"Whistler Mountaineer - set to start in 2006. Not a commuter train, but it is a passenger train."

Not really a passenger train, in traditional terms, either. There's been a lot of critisism about this new venture, mainly its "one-class" service (there might be another class, but when we're talking these kinds of prices, you need to be in a particular "class" to afford either), and the lack of an alternative on the same line. Up until a few years ago, BCR ran a "traditional" service using the same kind of self-propelled, no-frills, service offered by VIA on the island; BCR tried their own version of what's now proposed (VIA bought (some of?) the cars from the old service for use on their PRupert to Jasper route) , but it seems the people who only wanted a means to get from point A to point B were cutting into the bottom line.

-------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------

CN Derailment Update:

Just today, within 24hrs of the recent BCR line derailment, another train, albeit under presumably different circumstances, carrying cars from where they're unloaded from ships from Asia (located on the opposite side of the Deas Island Tunnel as Deas Pacific Marine), derailed while passing over the Lulu Island Trestle (between Richmond and Burnaby); one car was submerged.

Read the story:
www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_derailments20051206.html

[Dane]

cascade said:

So are we saying that there might be or is a small problem with the rail network out of Prince Rupert?

The amount of containers coming off the biggest vessels will number around 7,800 containers - that is one hell of a lot of rail cars - to transport them to the mid-west markets.

Thats 39 trains, or 7800 trucks... how many days/hours does it take to unload a ship like that?

[kylefossett]

cascade said:

So are we saying that there might be or is a small problem with the rail network out of Prince Rupert?

The amount of containers coming off the biggest vessels will number around 7,800 containers - that is one hell of a lot of rail cars - to transport them to the mid-west markets.

the problem that cn rail is having right now is that they are running trains that are to big for the curves that are on the old bc rail mainline running north of squamish. bc rail had derailments but not this many because they ran shorter trains on that track. the grain trains are already running to prince rupert and these are some of the longest trains run in canada and they are not a problem on this line. i don't see a problem with trains hauling cans(containers) on that line.

[Doug]

Yes...so many derailments in the last couple of months....

[Retrovision]

While we're on the topic of CN, here's an excerpt of a story I found on the CBC's website:

"Federal Transport Minister Jean Lapierre has ordered CN Rail to limit the length of its northbound trains through Squamish to no more than 80 cars after another train wreck this week in the Cheakamus Canyon." -cbc.ca-

Here's the link to the full story:

www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_cn-restrictions20051207.html

And here's their story about the bank-breaking fine of $75000 that's been leveled against CN, after an admittance of neglect after one of their trestles collapsed:

www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_mcbride-crash20051207.html

[Scott]

tsawwassenterminal said:

And here's their story about the bank-breaking fine of $75000 that's been leveled against CN, after an admittance of neglect after one of their trestles collapsed:

www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_mcbride-crash20051207.html

Yup. $37500 per dead employee.

[NMcKay]

and yet some one who spills coffee on thier own lap gets 50,000$. see the poetic justice?