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General railway discussions

If southern Ontario construction could put its shoulder to the mass timber wheel, maybe that could put some wood TEUs back on the rails to replace the decline of paper? I believe Element5 in St Thomas is rail connected but the HamSpec article is paywalled
 
dowlingm said:
If southern Ontario construction could put its shoulder to the mass timber wheel, maybe that could put some wood TEUs back on the rails to replace the decline of paper? I believe Element5 in St Thomas is rail connected but the HamSpec article is paywalled
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These things are complicated. I know a busy lumber yard that recently rebuilt its siding in expectation of continuing rail service, only to have the railway offer a container based, truck delivered service at a price they couldn't decline. The back story being, the railway had an ongoing need to backhaul empty containers on the same line. By filling them with lumber, they could derive revenue from the backhaul, while sharing the savings (no bulkhead flat car utilization) with the customer.

Maybe if the container flow changes, they will go back to carload deliveries.

- Paul
 
crs1026 said:
These things are complicated. I know a busy lumber yard that recently rebuilt its siding in expectation of continuing rail service, only to have the railway offer a container based, truck delivered service at a price they couldn't decline. The back story being, the railway had an ongoing need to backhaul empty containers on the same line. By filling them with lumber, they could derive revenue from the backhaul, while sharing the savings (no bulkhead flat car utilization) with the customer.

Maybe if the container flow changes, they will go back to carload deliveries.

- Paul
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Last Mile service? Sounds like someone was using their nugget to good use. There are some reports out of the USA stating that long haul trucking is loosing out to more competitive rail rates and service,. I am not sure how validated those claims are, but it is interesting all the same. I have long thought that rail could do far more to carry truckload freight currently hauled over routes 6 hours of more in duration - West GTA to Montreal, Moncton for example. Especially with advances in technology and handling equipment. Perhaps this has been quietly happening?
 
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Former lands of the Midhurst Ballast Pit. They've actively been planting trees in spots with some success. Anyone have any old photos of this pit when it was in operation? Some ties are still visible where it looks like a wye came off of the Mactier Sub.

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Allandale25 said:
Key leader in the train and transit enthusiast community.
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Bob Sandusky had an incredible inspirational impact on just about everyone who wanted to take pictures of trains,

His contribution to the founding of the Rockwood Museum is also stellar.

He was also a total gentleman. He is already greatly missed.

- Paul
 
NW87 said:
Former lands of the Midhurst Ballast Pit. They've actively been planting trees in spots with some success. Anyone have any old photos of this pit when it was in operation? Some ties are still visible where it looks like a wye came off of the Mactier Sub.

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No photos but it is within my memory to see some rail still in place visible from Anne St. North - long abandoned. The scar of the pit and the wye are easily visible from Google Earth.
 
Thanks, there's little information online other than it was a ballast pit for the railway and rails were laid for steam shovels to excavate linear cuts, which explains the pattern of scaring.
 
So recently I heard that CPKC has been scrapping some engines lately at Moose Jaw and Toronto yards. Most of them being GP38-2s and the last GP40s at Toronto yard. I haven’t heard if the stored SD40-2s are to be scrapped next? Ex SOO 6619 and 6621 are to be scrapped I heard while 5945, 5956, 5958, 5962 and 6007 are somewhat staying along with the stored AC4400s that weren’t running for few years iirc.
 
If you were to take a cross section of a typical rail on a mainline, a subway line,and a streetcar line, would they all be the same dimensions? I know track gauge is a whole other discussion.
 
micheal_can said:
Which then begs the question, with all of our rail projects going on,why are we not sourcing our rails from Canada?
Or are we? My understanding is we are not.
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If you are going to advocate for free trade, you have to walk the talk. Overseas sourcing of rail has been quite common for the last couple of decades.
To date, under a free trade regime, our steel mills still managed to (mostly) stay above water. With the changes brought on by tariffs, that may not be so. But if we go too far in demanding Canada-first solutions.... well, our belief in free trade is somewhat in question.
How that plays out for railway steel, I guess we wait and see.

- Pau
 
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