Comments on: CN 5303 and 5322 scoot up the valley at mile 47 of the Bala Sub with 486′s train of 65 CWR and crude oil loads. Their pace will diminish in the next 10 miles as they begin the climb up the Oak Ridges Moraine. I used to scoff at a consist like this on the Bala when I first started shooting up here, preferring anything exotic, which in the late 1990′s wasn’t really much. Now all of those GP and SD40′s are good catches (if you can catch them), and I waited close to two hours here for this guy to arrive. 1918hrs.

By: Mike Lockwood

Mike Lockwood — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 00:19:19 +0000

Michael, they came back WB five days later… with CWR loads, but not the same cars as on 486.

Robbie, they seem to move lots of crude loads on 306 out of Toronto.

By: Robbie

Robbie — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 01:35:58 +0000

Great shot Mike! I should have made the trip to the Bala sub to see this train!

There aren’t as many unit trains of oil running lately, but most of the 302 and 318s, that are running have a block of oil for Montreal or St. John on them. Not sure if 486 was filled out up north or right out of Winnipeg, but it makes sense to fill out a bypass train like this to carry on eastwards. Some 318s have also been rerouted to Montreal because they’re all eastern Canada traffic. The Loaded CWR cars are speed restricted and usually operate as an O series train, which do not count against train speed. It is not uncommon to have them perform local work, lifting and setting out enroute to keep the M series trains rolling.

By: mberry

mberry — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 12:00:09 +0000

Though I wasn’t clear in my first comment, the CWR also made it past Montreal. For the Mont-Jolin sub.

By: Mike Lockwood

Mike Lockwood — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 06:22:24 +0000

They’re just filling it out, Cam. Not a CP exclusive move… though they invented putting grain anchors on IM’s.

Michael, CWR likely came of at Belleville… Oshawa a possibility, but Belleville most likely.

By: mberry

mberry — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 12:54:25 +0000

Made it to Quebec City with the crude.

By: Cameron A.

Cameron A. — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 00:16:57 +0000

Crude?? CN Pulling some CP sh$t! Nice shot, Mike.