Thursday Proto Photo, Jan 2/14

[Lenny53]

[lock4244]

As the winter of run-through and leased power continues, UP leads CP over the Cherrywood trestle just east of Toronto, with an empty crude train. This UP unit being leased, one of ~50-80 supposedly roaming CP:http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=464413

A CN freight rolls through the aftermath of the Dec21st ice storm... would make interesting scenery to model:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=12794

[Bob Bufkin]

Week before Christmas and, believe it or not, near Baltimore.





Both trains within minutes.

[lock4244]

One more. A Christmasesque night shot of a new Canadian Pacific GP20C-ECO during a brief stop for coffee in Pontypool. The consist included two GP20's, a GP38-2, and a GP9u (the power for the Peterborough Switcher tagging along to Toronto for fuel):
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=12721

The ranks of CP GP9's are falling fast with the ECO 'rebuild' program in full swing. I put rebuild in quotes because the GP9's are mostly scrapped and about all that is reused is the trucks.

[packers#1]

It's a shame the GP9's are going away but I'm digging the look of the 20's; they have a workhorse look about them

[GaryHinshaw]

Week before Christmas and, believe it or not, near Baltimore.

Looks just like Tehachapi Bob: lots of BNSF, UP, and bright sunshine. 

[lock4244]

Sawyer, there's always CN... they seem to have no plan to replace them, and are content to work them into the ground. They still get the odd road assignment where I am (Toronto) as witnessed by the below shot of two of'em working a Belleville, ON., to Toronto freight (these are overflow guys running under a road-switchers number):

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=9037

Interesting aside, one of the two GP9RM's in the shot caught fire later after cresting the ruling grade on the Montreal - Toronto run.

[Scottl]

Those CN GP9 units are in Kingston quite a bit, I suspect they are from Belleville. 

[packers#1]

Sawyer, there's always CN... they seem to have no plan to replace them, and are content to work them into the ground. They still get the odd road assignment where I am (Toronto) as witnessed by the below shot of two of'em working a Belleville, ON., to Toronto freight (these are overflow guys running under a road-switchers number):

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=9037

Interesting aside, one of the two GP9RM's in the shot caught fire later after cresting the ruling grade on the Montreal - Toronto run.

That's not too surprising; one shortline near my University (Clemson University in Clemson, SC) has a pair of high hood GP9's, but there isn't direct bus service to where they are so that'll be a trip for next year; the new shortline back home has a pair of GP30u's (I've posted pictures of one of them, the other was still in Belton on the GP9 line being painted.

[NYNE]

Shoreline East commuter train pulling out of New London, Connecticut on New Year's Day 2014.

[Bob Bufkin]

Latest issue of Diesel Era has an article on CP geep upgrades.

[C855B]

Shoreline East commuter train pulling out of New London, Connecticut on New Year's Day 2014.

It could be the telephoto compression making it appear worse than it is, but that turnout thrown the other way makes for three reverse curves. Nasty!

[lock4244]

Those CN GP9 units are in Kingston quite a bit, I suspect they are from Belleville.

Yes, they work out of Belleville... train 518  or 519. Would love to shoot the spur down to the Lake and was out there in late Nov / early Dec, but the closest they got was the head of the spur. I suppose there are certain days they work it or (worse) as required. It's worth the drive from Toronto, but not without pretty exact info.

[lock4244]

Latest issue of Diesel Era has an article on CP geep upgrades.

I hope Diesel Era wasn't calling it an upgrade... bit of a stretch. The SD30's are closer to that, but the GP20's... not much GP9 in them. I know that the SD40-2 cores are shipped to Mayfield for use in the SD30 program, but the GP9's getting parted out and scrapped at so many locations across Canada and a few in the US that there can be almost nothing salvaged for the 'rebuilt' units... would make more sense to ship the cores to the plant if much of anything significant was being used.

Some folks have told me the trucks are being reused, and I can confirm this based on the series of time exposures I did on the 2250 at Pontypool... lead truck clearly has the 'Dofasco' name cast into it.

[Leggy]

The GP20C-ECOs only have rebuilt bogies and traction motors from the old Geeps, everything else is completely new. Less an upgrade more a new build.