Comments on: CP 5523 leading a westbound around a curve just west of Woodstock on a frigid January 3, 1981

By: RonaldB

RonaldB — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 04:21:32 +0000

The train is overpowered for an acid train, so I guess they were moving power that was needed in Windsor or other points. Usual power for the 36 car acid was either 2 ‘big” units, or 3 “small units. If they were running the 54 car Courtright train (which this looks like), it was over tonnage for either of those 5100 ton rated consists mentioned, so usually drew 2 big & 1 small unit. Chatham acid trains were either run as turns out of London returning van hop,or could go thru to Windsor if any of: power, crews or vans were needed there.

By: crr200

crr200 — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 03:58:58 +0000

To answer Mercer’s question, I believe that this was a sulfuric acid train.

By: mercer

mercer — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 14:08:13 +0000

Was this a sulphuric acid train ??

By: Stephen C. Host

Stephen C. Host — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 20:14:58 +0000

Ahh, yet another for the time machine. Great show.

By: awmooney

awmooney — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 20:26:33 +0000

Ah!! Super Freeze. That explains why my notebook has no photo entries between Dec 30/80 and Jan 9/81 !!! Too bloody cold !!! ) You had more ambition than I.

By: crr200

crr200 — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 18:20:23 +0000

Thanks for the comment about the cold. To be young again. I didn’t think of it when I posted the picture but according to a Wikipedia page, the very next day was the coldest temperature ever recorded at Pearson Airport (“The coldest temperature recorded at Toronto Pearson International Airport was −31.3 °C (−24.3 °F) on January 4, 1981, and the coldest windchill recorded was −44.7 on the same day.”). It wasn’t much warmer on the 3rd. We were in Toronto that night; I was shocked that the car started.

By: awmooney

awmooney — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 17:57:38 +0000

Nice. I just get to thinking we won’t go to the store for a bag of milk in miserable cold weather, but think nothing of freezing our (bleep)s off waiting for a train in same.