Haircut and Trains

If you wish to follow along in Google Earth, here is the kmz file for download.

February 5th, 2011

I usually try to book my bi-annual haircut on a Friday after work as it is only ten minutes from the office, but this time I had to settle for Saturday. This meant having to make an unplanned trip into Calgary, but I would also do some unplanned railfaning. I was already close to being late so that meant no time to stop and take of any train I came across on the way.

As luck would have it, I did see three trains on the way and did manage to take notes of what I saw on the way in. First, there was a mixed freight train leaving Aldersyde heading south. Once in Calgary, there was a grain train waiting on the tracks at Zoo waiting to get into Alyth and further up at Beddington there was a mixed freight train leaving Calgary. The Zoo and Beddington stations are on the Red Deer Subdivision at Mile 1.3 and Mile 8.3 respectively.

I did manage to arrive on time with 5 minutes to spare. After the ritual chopping was done, I decided at the “spur” of the moment to head to Country Hills Boulevard. I don’t know why I decided this because I was not familiar with the area at all; I only knew that it crossed over the tracks at some point. As I drove over and past the tracks, I looked south to see if there were any trains around and there was. I drove on and turned around a couple intersections further down.

The gamble had paid off!

On my way back, there was a mixed freight and intermodal train pulling up northbound at a slow pace on the north side of Country Hills. On the south there was a cut of tank cars. Just when it seemed like I missed the train, it stopped and went into reverse very slowly. I spied a street on the west side of the tracks that looked like there would be a good vantage point to setup my mobile observational headquarters and headed in the direction trying not to violate any forward momentum crippling obstacles, at least not by much.

I ended up on Covington Road which runs parallel to the tracks for a bit and is also fairly elevated. There is also sufficient place to park the car on the side of the road and also plenty of space for one to setup a train observation post. I chose my spot, turned on the scanner, and snapped a few shots of the train backing up under the overpass at about 12:20 and then waited. Locos on this train were 9528 and 8536 both AC4400’s.

In a previous post I mentioned that the trucks could be used as an identifier between the AC4400 and the ES44AC locomotives. I don’t know exactly why I said this, maybe because the photos that I referenced in my library showed it to be so. As you can see in the image below, these two AC4400’s use the two different truck types.

Finally at about 12:45 the voices on the scanner indicated that they were ready to head out. They received their instructions to advance to Harmatton at Mile 48.5 on the Red Deer Sub, wait for another train and restore switch positions when arriving and leaving. I was able to count 120 cars on this train plus 2 locomotives. It is unfortunate that weather conditions were not so good, there was blowing snow and it made the photos a tad blurry and hazy. In the last photo you can barely see the locomotives passing under Stoney Trail which is part of the new ring road.

After that I scouted out a few of the other side roads then figured I should head down to Alyth and see what was happening there.

When I pulled in to my usual look out spot at about 14:20, there was a grain train pulling in but in reverse. They backed in to track P3 and the crew disembarked. This could have been the train I saw earlier in the day, come in off the wye from the Red Deer Sub, back in and be ready to head out either west or south. The Locomotives on this train were CP 8855 and CEFX 1035, an ES44AC and an AC4400.

Here are a few shots of some of the more interesting hoppers on this train, in no particular order.

A few minutes after the crew drove away a trio pulled up on P2 and slowed down beside 8855. The three were CP 8709, CEFX 1023 and SOO 6057, an ES44AC, AC4400 and a SD60. They pulled up and headed around the wye to come back in on one of the far tracks and headed out of sight behind the grain train lead by 8855.

Sitting on the far siding were a few locomotives. The first three coupled together were 3035, 1125 and 8205, a GP38-2, GP35 and a GP9 respectively. 8205 is a former StL&H locomotive.

Here is a bit of interesting information about 3035 and 1125, they are is referred to as mother and daughter mated. 1125 is a control cab slug with its engine removed and replaced with ballast. Power for its traction motors come from 3035. The cab is also fully functional for control purposes.

Also back there coupled together were 1641, 1154, and 401034, a GP9, SW1200RS and a snowplow. 1154 is a control cab similar to 1125 but it is not permanently mated to another locomotive. This trio has been hanging around for at least two weeks now.

Behind them were 3069, GP38-2, and another locomotive which I could not get the number of but it was a GP9. You can see the top of its cab behind 1154 in the picture above.

A few minutes went by and the snow started blowing in and then at 15:05 a pair of CP locomotives types that I have not seen run in a while came out from somewhere near the diesel shops. They were a couple SD90MAC’s.

They disappeared just as quickly as they appeared.

As they were retreating, the hump was pulling out with 6611 and 6614 both form SOO SD40-2’s.

I took a couple shots of some hoppers and of a really weathered tank car in the hump.

After that I headed straight for home as the weather was turning bad with cold and blowing snow.

Here is a listing of the trains I saw that day.

TIME	TYPE	LENGTH	DIRECTION	STATION/LOCATION
10:45	mixed freight	N/A	southbound	leaving Aldersyde
11:10	grain	N/A	southbound	Zoo into Alyth
11:20	mixed freight	N/A	northbound	Beddington
12:50	mixed freight/intermodal	120 cars	northbound	Beddington
14:25	grain	N/A	northbound	Alyth
15:00	hump	N/A	pull out	Alyth

Goggle Earth kmz file.

Cheers,

Hang Out At Alyth

October 2nd, 2009

On Friday I did something that I haven’t done in several months. Railfanning! Man did it feel good to do it too. I wasn’t flying around the county side chasing down some train, I was just casually hanging out at Alyth yard checking what was going on.

I got there around noon, parked my car, grabbed my camera and walked along a grassy area on the backside of a warehouse parallel to the tracks. I got near the end and there was a guy sitting in a CP pickup truck, I think he was a yard foreman. When I came near he asked me if I was out take train pictures and I said yes. He went on to explain that he was waiting for container train to come in so he could take readings on the fuel tanks to determine how much fuel the train had consumed from its previous stop in Fields.

He explained that CP had been experimenting with longer trains lately. I know not the reason why except to move more freight. Earlier this summer, they experimented with 10,000 foot long grain trains. Now they are experimenting with 10,000 foot and longer container trains.

The day before, Thursday October 1st, train 110 came through and was a 12,000 foot container train on it’s way to St Paul, Minnesota via Winnipeg from Vancouver. It had five locomotives total, two at the front, one about a third in, the other about a third from the end, and one pushing at the rear. On Friday the 2nd, I got to see train 110 roll by, a 10,500 foot container train, which was the one that the yard foreman was waiting for, with four locomotives total. There were two at the front, one about half way and the fourth pushing in the rear. This train had the same destination as the train 110 from the previous day.

The locomotive roster was 8702 in the lead, an es44ac, followed closely by 9824, an ac4400, then lagging further back were 9750 midway and 8514 pushing, both being ac4400’s. In the first photo, the building you see in the distance to the left is 12th Street Tower. I wish I would of thought of getting a car count on this train. I’ll have to keep my open for the next 10,000 foot 110.

Shortly after that, the hump made its appearance at about 12:30. At the lead end was 6603 and 5795, both SD40-2’s, then there was 75 cars in the string and 6612 at the end another SD40-2.

When it stopped half way on its return in and didn’t move for a while, I decided to get and oil change and tire rotation done on my car.

When I returned shortly before 16:00, the hump was already pulled out. I didn’t get a car count but it was well over 70 cars judging by were the two lead locos were and the fact that I couldn’t see the other locomotive at the end.

I walked down to the end of the grassy area again, and on my way back I saw some headlights coming down. It was a loco trio with a sandwiched SOO unit. Locomotive 3124 was the first, then SOO 4420 and then 3115 at the end. All three were GP38-2’s. They went several times doing some switching. From what I could tell it seemed like they were making a train or two.

There was a crunched up Government of Canada grain car in the hump.

As the hump made another stop as it was pulling in, 8217 pulled up from around the wye. It stopped and waited for the switch to be thrown so it could make its way up and around the hump to end up on the eastern side of the yard and head towards the diesel shop.

At 16:10 the hump that was already out was finally on its way in. Pushing the cars into the hump were 6611 and 6065, both are SD40-2’s.

At 16:20, a local switcher was coming in from the north line with 7 tankers. The locomotives were two GP-9’s numbered 8232 and 1568. The north line comes in on the far side of the hump track. Most of the switches in the yard are controlled from the tower, so they waited a minute and were on their way to the yard that is near the downtown core to which the name eludes me at the moment.

About ten minutes later, a couple locos came out from the classification yard. They rolled back and switched around the hump to end up in one of the diesel shop tracks to be prepped for the next shift. The two locomotives were a GP38-2 numbered 3066, and 3013 being a GP38AC.

There was no action for about twenty minutes, then another hump being pulled out by a familiar looking 6603 and 5795 came rolling by. I can only assume that 6612 was probably on the other end. I could only count 71 cars visible to me. This trio pulled out a hump in my presence earlier that afternoon.

When they didn’t move for a good length of time, I decided to call it quits and said my good byes to a fellow railfanner and his wife who showed up about an hour prior. I then finished my day with a visit to my watering hole for some friendly chit-chat, a game of stick, a hot bite to eat, and a cold one down the gullet.

Cheers,