W. K. Lis
Superstar
^In the last couple of months, Bombardier has in fact obtained more flat cars, mostly because more delivered cars are going more places.... the rewelding program, Kingston coming on line as a TTC car builder, and the shipment of one car to the US have all resulted in need for more transporters. But the real story just now is just how congested CP is, due to winter conditions.
CP pretty much stopped returning transporter cars to Thunder Bay after unloading in Toronto. Its yards and mainline operations are in free fall. It may in fact be more expedient to set up and supply new transporters in Thunder Bay than to attempt to return the old ones directly from Hillcrest. The transporter that took the flood-damaged car to NY just turned up at Thunder Bay, possibly getting there via Chicago.
Same with deliveries. TTC 4527 is still out there someplace, having come down from Thunder Bay around Valentines' Day. 4403 left Hillcrest around the 20th, and only reached Montreal yesterday.
Things have improved a little in the past few days, but it's a cold snowy jungle out there. Let's hope for an early spring so operations get moving again.
- Paul
So the number of flatcars needed would be used not only for the delivery of Outlooks from Thunder Bay to Toronto, but also from Kingston to Toronto, Outlooks taken back and returned for welding repairs & flood damage. Also some of the flatcars would be needed for Flexity Freedom delivery to the Mt. Dennis yard.