roster

With more ES44DC's on the horizon, perhaps CN could finally kill off the SD40-2W fleet. The executioner sure looks good though. Even compared to the "kinda new" Dash 9-44CW behind him.

Before I came to Saskatoon, I did my best to research the local Railway scene. I managed to find a website with "real" train photos by local modelers. 8100 pairs (SW1200's) were prominently present @ Sutherland in those dated photos. Needless to say I've seen no such engine until now...

In 2004 CN decided to get into DPU aka Locotrol, well behind most RR's, especially CP who has been running distributed power for decades! DPU equipped CN 2200-2205, were numbered separately from the rest of CN's Dash 9-44CW series (2500-2700). They were also restricted to Eastern Canada where...

For starters, these aren't real WC engines. For over 30 years they were CN SD40's, the backbone of the fleet. Just like their SD40 brothers before them, who became CN 6000 SD40u series, they were sent for re-building to PSC in the 90s, who by that time was privatized by ALSTOM. Hence they got...

Not that long ago this sight would be unthinkable, back when WC engines stayed on WC rails and CN still had their 278 strong GP40-2LW fleet. Now that most of it has been retired (~60 left), with the need for 3000h.p. 4-axle power remaining, WC GP40's are brought up north to the rescue...

After leaving the Maritimes I was worried about not seing CN GP38-2's again, since this is widecab country after all. Thankfully CN has proven me wrong by replacing two GP38-2W's on the local wayfreight, with two GP38-2's. Don't really like the latest replacement though: SD75I+SD50F - just not...

I've already made a collage on this unit months ago, can't add much else besides even tighter cropping. LOL. http://tinyurl.com/yrrru4

I've never been a big fan of the TRACKMOBILE, as small industries are operated them in favor of the little GE/Plymouth critters that they have replaced. It was a major suprise to me, when I saw CP, a major Class I RR, operate at least two of them here in Saskatoon. Now I would understand if they...

With the arrival of the AC4400CW's, CP started the long process of removing and demoting SD40-2's from mainline service. The SD40's & the real beat-up rent-a-wrecks were sold off, than the rest were demoted to yard/local/wayfreight service. In Winnipeg they went a step futher by creating at...

Recently CP has experienced a small surge of N&W hoppers in Saskatoon, i.e. 7 at a time. Most are still in NW colors, and a couple have been patches NS. This looks to be an older one, but I'm no NW expert to judge, as I've never seen NW before moving to Saskatoon, a bit ironic as this is far...

While I've seen this many times, I've often not been unable to capture it, since the moment I take out the camera the smoking stops. This time I got lucky however. I was shooting brand new ES44AC, CP 8761 who is right in front of him, when all of a sudden he starts smoking. If you look really...

Brand new ES44AC, probably less then a week old here, has made his way to Saskatoon. While I doubt it is the first one to do so, it is certainly the first one I've captured. Ironically only a couple feet to the left of it stands 8732, a slightly older ES44AC from the first order, whom I was very...

Coming home trailing his way into the shops. That's 1603 in the background, he now works with 1546 on the east yard as a belt-pack crew better known as 1546B.

I was hoping to catch CP 454 that day, as I haven't seen him for a while and he'd been officially annuled the day prior. So it was an extra suprise when I saw him with a SD90MAC leading and it wasn't a 91xx. The big boys have struck again! Don't think I can say much more about him then I've...

I've seen this Geep at the Sutherland shop many times before, facing me long-hood forward http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=40774&cat=500&ppuser=3391, but have now finally caught him working with sister CP 3112. Its amazing how a repaint changed the whole look of...

CP 1501 + 1566, GP7u & GP9u of 50s vintage work the west end of the yard daily, inluding the IMS switching. Hard to believe that an industry as high-tec and precise as container logistics relies on this pair for major work, but its true.

One upon the time GP9's romed the country in roadswitcher, freight and even passenger service. For the last twenty years however they have been the backbone of CP's swticher fleet. Some, as 1546 are such dedicated switchers that they lack ditchlights and are fully remote controlled. I have to...

CP has a huge fleet of Geeps, GP40's, GP38-2's, rebuilt GP9's and GP7's? That's right, hidden in that pile of Geeps are about 20 rebuilt GP7u's of 1953 vintage. As there are so few of them, CP paires them with the more common GP9u's, not treating them any differently, which is a shame as it...

Just when the GEVO era was beggining and everyone learned that an AC4400CW was a toaster, CP made a daring move and ordered about 100 more including lessors (CEFX). Less then two years later and CP 9803 already looks a bit burned. I do like the color they paint them in though. I doubt the...

I know CP is famous for running junk, seen it many times, especially the peeling 54xx SD40-2's. However this train is new-new-new. It makes the two year old leader look old, that's how new it is! Trailing the AC4400CW are two ES44's, CP 9803-8714-8725. First time seing the new GEVO's for me.