Comments on: Not sure what is on this train. Looks like it could be ballast. Any rate, CN 9498 and 9447 are in a power braking struggle helping to hold back this heavy eastbound which has just come down the long (8 mile) Dundas Hill. A scene from the past. I used to enjoy witnessing this action.

By: Eric May

Eric May — Sat, 07 Dec 2019 02:16:43 +0000

Lots of drama in this shot.

By: awmooney

awmooney — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 21:50:06 +0000

I wonder where my copy is? That must be the issue with the snake-skin cover.

By: Snake2

Snake2 — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 20:44:36 +0000

Geez… this pic is very similar to cover photo of the July 1980 Trains mag

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 13:02:33 +0000

Right you are Larry. I worked with those poor guys spreading ballast in the good old days. I remember the railroad tie under the wheels to “level” the ballast as the train moved and definitely thought the unloading mechanism was kinda dangerous for the workers. Those guys were covered in “ballast dust” at the end of the day. God knows how much they breathed in. Back then the difference was ballast was “slag” that is a by product of steel making. Today its only gravel used on the railbed.

By: Larry Parks

Larry Parks — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 05:08:23 +0000

In the Edmonton area the orange cars started showing up in the very late 70′s. What a relief they were/are to work with. Pouring ballast to inside or outside of the rail became a simple operation. Versus the brown sided ones which required getting right in close to the underneath of the car to open up the hatch. Then placing a tie in front of the trailing truck to spread the ballast. The sectionmen basically worked in a cloud of dust all day. I honestly don’t know how they put up with it. 4u is right on with his last comment.

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 02:26:30 +0000

Those are indeed ballast cars. I worked with those types of cars many times in my 36 yrs at CN. The track gangs hated them because of the system used to dump ballast. The orange fleet are far more popular. These types of trains are sadly a memory now as modern Herzog trains do this duty.

By: mercer

mercer — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 17:10:24 +0000

Could very well be a Paris Turn with construction aggregate for, example, Don Yard.
In the immediate past this would have been train 830 but by 1976 may well be carrying a different designation.

By: BradKetchen

BradKetchen — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 12:19:34 +0000

Those could very well be Ballast hoppers. I believe these were the older brown ones before the orange rib sided cars. What year would have the orange ones been entered into service?

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 03:18:49 +0000

Oh man…i can smell the brake shoes. I loved power braking. Way more fun than throttle modulation or dynamic braking!