JOURNAL OF THE C.R.H.A. PACIFIC COAST DIVISION
Vol. 41, No. 2, Issue 162

Summer 2016

ISSN 18188-1755

 B.C. Budd — RDCs on Canadian National
 B.C. Budd — All-time roster

In This Issue

 B.C. Budd — RDCs in non-revenue work
 Arbutus line gone in 40 days
 Evergreen Line update

Summer 2016 - Page 1

This journal is the official publication of the
CANADIAN RAILROAD
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

PACIFIC COAST DIVISION

P.O. Box 1006, Station A, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2P1

Table of Contents
To Our Readers

Page 3

Dates to Remember

Page 3

Division News

Page 4

Years Ago in The Sandhouse

Page 5

B.C. Budd — the Rail Diesel Car
on Canadian National

Page 6

B.C. Budd — an all-time roster

Page 14

B.C. Budd — RDCs still make a mark
without revenue service

Page 17

End of the line
as Arbutus track lifted

Page 22

Neighbours see red over greenway

Page 28

How a railway line
gets removed

Page 29

Evergreen Line track completed
as construction nears end

Page 36

Short Hauls
Canadian National
Canadian Pacific
Southern Railway of B.C.
BNSF
Rail Industry
VIA Rail
Rocky Mountaineer
SkyTrain
TransLink
Preservation
Modelling
Events
Parting Shot

Page 40
Page 40
Page 42
Page 44
Page 44
Page 45
Page 46
Page 46
Page 46
Page 47
Page 48
Page 49
Page 49
Page 50

Press Date — August 15, 2016

Front cover: Rolling northbound past Rutland in the final year of RDC operation on CN’s Okanagan Subdivision, CN RDC-3 D-354 is operating solo on Kelowna-Kamloops Jct. Train 694 on June
13, 1963. (Photo by John Rushton)
Back cover: SkyTrain Mark I car 006 leads partner 005 through the complex of crossovers just
west of Coquitlam Central Station, in this view looking westward from the Johnson-Mariner overpass
on May 25, during testing and commissioning work for the Evergreen Line. (Photo by Ian Smith)

Page 2 - The Sandhouse

To Our Readers
With this issue, we conclude our four-part
coverage of the long era of the Budd Rail Diesel
Car in B.C., with a look at two short-lived CN
services, an all-time roster of RDCs used in this
province, and a round-up of some unusual nonrevenue appearances of these cars over the years.
The saga of the Arbutus Corridor seems neverending, but following its sale to the City, CP tore

out most of the visible signs of the railway in
little more than a month. This was watched
closely by Corwin Doeksen, who offers readers
a diary of the demolition, along with a “how to”
photo essay on the techniques involved.

Ian Smith,
Editor

Corrections and clarifications
 The caption to the photo of the RDC-2 at Brookmere on p. 17 of the previous issue correctly
noted that the service was still scheduled to run via the Coquihalla route at that point in 1959.
However, photographer John Rushton points out that the train detoured via Spences Bridge that
day owing to slide repairs in the Coquihalla section, and would do so for several weeks.

 The listing of RDCs used on CP’s Southern Mainline on page 25 incorrectly stated that RDC-2
CP 9197 would later become BC Rail’s BC-23. In fact, it was CP 9112 that became BC-23.

 The photo caption on page 33 incorrectly stated that the station in downtown Kamloops used by
the Kamloops Heritage Railway is of Canadian Northern Railway origin. In fact, it was built in
1927 by Canadian National Railways, after the Canadian Northern had been absorbed into
Canadian National. The same error appears on page 32 of the Summer 2015 issue.

Dates to Remember
As of September, PCD’s meeting date is changing to the third Friday of the month.
Meetings will be held in Room 206 of Place des Arts from 19:00 to 21:00.
September 16 — PCD Meeting, Room 206, Place des Arts, Coquitlam, 19:00. (Entertainment TBA)
October 21 — PCD Meeting, Room 206, Place des Arts, Coquitlam, 19:00. (Entertainment TBA)
November 5-6 — Vancouver Train Expo 2016, PNE Forum, 10:00-18:00 (Nov. 5),
10:00-17:00 (Nov. 6)
November 18 — PCD Meeting, Room 206, Place des Arts, Coquitlam, 19:00. (Entertainment TBA)

Summer 2016 - Page 3

Division News
Pacific Coast Division wound down the first half of 2016 with a membership meeting on June 16,
featuring a digital slide show by Eric Johnson covering Southern Railway of B.C. operations from
New Westminster to Chilliwack, mostly in the 1990s.
The meeting was also an opportunity for members to purchase some of the wares sold by the
Division at hobby shows like the annual Western Rails event in March. Among those items is a
recent reprint of the 11x14-in. map titled Historic Railways of the Mission-Abbotsford-Huntingdon
Area, drawn by Lorne Nicklason in 1993.
Members are reminded that when our gatherings resume for the autumn, starting September 16, we’ll
be meeting at a new time — 19:00 on the third Friday of the month — and in a new location at
Heritage Square — Room 206 on the second floor of the main Place des Arts building. Meetings will
have to end at 21:00 sharp, shortly before the building is closed for the night. Details on when the
room will be open in advance of the meeting will be provided in the usual meeting reminder sent by
e-mail.

Passing the former site of Fraser Mills Station, now in the custody of CRHA Pacific
Coast Division, Dayliner CP 91 is returning to Vancouver from Mission on June 19,
1993, on the first of two test runs to demonstrate how a commuter rail service might
operate. See pages 17-18 for details. (Photo by Ian Smith)
Page 4 - The Sandhouse

YEARS AGO IN THE SANDHOUSE
40 Years Ago (June 1976 issue)
— CN’s distinctive VIA symbol for passenger trains is coming into use.

35 Years Ago (July 1981 issue)
— a $330-million deal is signed to build an ALRT line from Vancouver to New Westminster.

30 Years Ago (June 1986 issue)
— SteamExpo in May draws steam fans from all parts of the world .

25 Years Ago (June 1991 issue)
— CN demolishes the water tower at Kamloops Junction, its last in B.C.

20 Years Ago (June 1996 issue)
— The City of Vancouver buys part of CP’s South Shore branch for a heritage trolley operation.

15 Years Ago (June 2001 issue)
— CPR ends operations on the Arbutus line section of the Marpole Spur on June 1.
— Now in its fourth year, the Downtown Historic Railway is extended east to Quebec Street.

10 Years Ago (Summer 2006 issue)
— Two CN crewmen die on June 29 in runaway derailment on ex-BC Rail Kelly Lake Hill.
— Southern Railway of B.C. starts operations on Vancouver Island’s E&N line.

5 Years Ago (Summer 2011 issue)
— CPR re-enacts first transcontinental train to Port Moody for 125th anniversary in July.
— Victoria’s VIA Rail station closes on August 12.
— Downtown Historic Railway suspends service after August 20 runs (it never re-opens).

Summer 2016 - Page 5

B.C. Budd — the Rail Diesel Car
on Canadian National
by Ian Smith
While B.C. is known for some of the most enduring and high-profile uses of the Budd Rail
Diesel Car, those operated by Canadian National
Railways had brief lives and have been little
remarked in railway histories.
As a system, CN had the third largest RDC fleet,
some 47 cars, behind Boston & Maine’s 86 cars
and Canadian Pacific’s 54. But the RDC had
only a minor role in CN’s passenger operations
in B.C.

The two CN services in B.C. were also latecomers compared with those operated by the Pacific
Great Eastern and Canadian Pacific, as covered
in the three previous issues. In total, they ran
from late 1961 to early 1966, with one interruption, and CN used a smaller fleet in this province than either the PGE or CP.
While documentation of their short lives is
scarce, there fortunately exists an excellent article in the CN Lines magazine of May 2004 written by Al Lill, Gordon Jomini and Gordon Wilson, covering the use of RDCs throughout the
CN system, where they were officially called
Railiners.
These authors note that: "The Railiners came to
two B.C. runs in the early 1960s because of a
plan to introduce RDCs on all secondary routes
in the Mountain Region." But they conclude:
"Of all the provinces in which they operated,
CN Railiners were the least successful in British
Columbia."
Where the two services differ, from an historical
perspective, is that one operated between Kamloops Junction and Kelowna on a line that is
Page 6 - The Sandhouse

only partly intact today, and the RDCs marked
the end of regular passenger service. The other
ran between Prince George and Prince Rupert
across the CN North Line, which not only continues to exist as a thriving freight route, but
also still enjoys regular passenger service, 60
years after the RDCs left the scene.
Kamloops Junction-Kelowna
Before the Railiner came to the Kamloops Jct.Kelowna service, the two Interior cities had
been served by daily except Sunday trains that
carried through E-series sleeping cars that were
coupled to, or detached from, one of CN’s transcontinental trains at Kamloops Jct. This sleeping
car would be joined by a day coach for local
travel and a buffet-lounge car, forming Train
194 southbound and 193 northbound.
This facility made it possible to travel overnight
without interruption between Kelowna and Vancouver (on alternating days). Likewise, travellers from the Okanagan could also travel eastbound in a through sleeper to and from Edmonton (also on alternating days), although this was
reduced to a summertime-only option as of 1958
(see “Through Sleepers to Kelowna: a Transcontinental Tradition” in the Summer 2005 issue,
pp. 28-29).
Railiner service using one or more RDCs supplanted the conventional trains starting with the
October 29, 1961, timetable. A test train was
operated on October 26, followed by the first
RDC revenue run on October 29.
The service operated daily as Train 694 southbound and Train 693 northbound. In most time-

tables during its existence, total running time
over the 119-mile route was 3 hr., 30 min., an
improvement of 80 minutes over the conventional trains.
In the first timetable with Railiner service, passengers from the Okanagan – leaving Kelowna
at 18:00 (all times shown in Standard Time) –
had the benefit of a 20-minute connecting time
at Kamloops Jct. for the westbound Continental
to Vancouver (where they would arrive next day
at 07:30 after 13 hr., 30 min.). But they would
have to wait almost five hours at the junction if
they wanted to travel eastward on the Super
Continental.
For coach passengers travelling into the Okanagan, the connections were inconvenient.

Westbound, passengers for Vancouver could
also avail themselves of a sleeping car that was
attached to the Continental at Kamloops Jct.
This was available for boarding even before the
Railiner arrived from Kelowna.
To expedite switching sleeping cars into and out
of the Continental, a stop of 25 to 30 minutes
was scheduled at the junction.

Carried by the Super Continental, dedicated
sleepers were available daily in the spring and
summer for passengers travelling between Kamloops Jct. and Jasper, and in the peak months
this service was extended to Edmonton. In winter, sleepers were available three days per week
between Kamloops Jct. and Jasper.

If they arrived at Kamloops Jct. from points
east on time at 03:05, they had a wait of nearly
four hours before the southbound Railiner departed for Kelowna at 07:00, getting there at
10:30. Those coming from Vancouver would
have to detrain from the eastbound Continental
at 04:40 and then wait more than two hours for
departure for Kelowna. These connections generally got worse in later timetables.
However, those willing to pay for sleeping car
service could avoid this disadvantage, as CN
continued the practice of including a dedicated
sleeper in one of its trans-continentals between
Vancouver and Kamloops Jct., and also between
Kamloops Jct. and Jasper or Edmonton.
On the eastbound Continental from Vancouver,
the sleeper would be detached at Kamloops Jct.
and its occupants would be allowed to stay on
board right up to the time the Railiner departed
for Kelowna.

Right: The first timetable with RDC Railiners
used between Kamloops Jct. and Kelowna took
effect October 29, 1961. (Al Lill collection)

Summer 2016 - Page 7

A CN ad introducing the Railiner service, published in the October 21, 1961, edition of the
Kelowna Daily Courier, gave a glowing description of the new cars:
“Sleek, stainless steel self-propelled Railiner
cars reduce the travelling time between Kelowna
and Kamloops Junction by 1 hour, 20 minutes.
Carrying 33 passengers and baggage, they also
provide improved express and mail service.”
The mention of express and mail service indicates that the RDCs to be used would include
other cars than the passenger-only RDC-1 variant. The reference to 33 passengers is odd because, by that time, all of CN’s eight RDC-3s,
with baggage and either express or mail sections, had capacity for 48 or 49 passengers.
One CN RDC-3 (numbered D-301) did originally have just 33 seats, but it had been reconfigured to the conventional capacity and renumbered D-355 two weeks before Railiner service
started in the Okanagan. Whether D-355 was

indeed ever used in the Okanagan could not be
determined during the author’s research. But
the car is listed as one of four assigned to the
Prince George terminal two years later in August 1963, as will be discussed later. Perhaps it
migrated from the Okanagan to CN’s North Line
route, but that is speculation.
Photographic evidence of the Railiners operating
on this service shows RDC-2, RDC-3 and RDC4 cars in use. Photos accompanying this article
illustrate RDC-2 D-202, RDC-3 D-354 and
RDC-4 D-401 on the Okanagan trains.
CN was the only railway to use the nonpassenger RDC-4 type in B.C. These cars, some
11 ft., 2 in. shorter than the 85-ft. passenger variants, were designed to carry only baggage and
either mail or express.

Although the Budd RDC had been hailed as a
saviour of branchline passenger service owing to
its cost-efficiencies, it wasn’t enough to save
CN’s Okanagan route.

RDC-2 D-202 and RDC-4 D-401 are seen at Kelowna after arrival as Train 693 on September 3, 1962. (Photo by Roger Burrows)
Page 8 - The Sandhouse

As Lill, Jomini and Wilson state, the run "from
Kelowna to Kamloops Jct. had seen falling patronage using conventional equipment on account of improved highways and the very inconvenient roundabout route to Vancouver via
Kamloops. The two-year Railiner service merely
forestalled the loss of complete rail passenger
service."

Indeed, the October 27, 1963, timetable marked
the end of CN passenger service between Kamloops and Kelowna.
From that date, passenger service was provided
by a single chartered Greyhound bus in each
direction, which was listed in CN’s timetable.
Like the Railiners, the buses made the trip in 3
hr., 30 min., but the connections at Kamloops
Junction were better, reduced to just 15 to 20
minutes. That cut the overall journey between
Kelowna and Vancouver to just under 12 hours.
It’s possible that the last train on October 26 that

year was not operated with RDCs. At the Railfanning
in
Kelowna
website
(http://
www.okanagan.net/ocarc/page3.htm) there is
photographic evidence of conventional trains
being used during the spring and summer of
1963, consisting of a single F7A locomotive, a
steam generator car, a baggage car and one or
two coaches. The site’s creator, Jim Spurway,
says CN 9028 was the regular locomotive, with
9034 as the back-up.
Nonetheless, there are three photos accompanying this article showing RDC-3 D-354 operating
the service as a single car that summer, in June,
July and August, and another photo of the same
car in Kelowna that July appears on page 38 of
the book, “The Canadian National Railways
Story”, by Patrick C. Dorin.
John Rushton, who took the cover photo of D354 that spring, also reports seeing conventional
trains regularly in that period.
Roger Burrows, who took the photo of D-354 at

RDC-4 D-401 reposes during the layover at Kelowna on September 3, 1962. CN was
the only railway to operate RDC-4 cars in B.C. (Photo by Roger Burrows)
Summer 2016 - Page 9

Vernon on July 30 that year (opposite page, lower), saw a conventional train in operation the
next day, with F7A CN 9066 as power. The train
included CN business car No. 23 en route to the
Kelowna Regatta.
So while the Railiner did operate during the final timetable of Okanagan passenger service, it
definitely shared that role with conventional
equipment.
Prince George-Prince Rupert
CN’s use of RDCs between Prince George and
Prince Rupert began one year after Railiners had
been introduced on the Okanagan service.
RDCs were used to cover only the western section of the long-established run between Jasper
and Prince Rupert, as the service on either side
of Prince George had different characteristics.
Lill, Jomini and Wilson explain that: “On the
B.C. North Line, the conventional trains were
not being well utilized between Prince Rupert
and Jasper. There was an overnight run and
heavy head-end loads between Prince George
and Jasper so this portion remained with a conventional train.”
This was a thrice-weekly service, running westbound on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and
eastbound on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Initially, the westbound run was numbered
Train 695 and the eastbound Train 696. As of
October 25, 1964, the westbound became Train
605 and the eastbound Train 606.
RDC service was continuous from October 28,
1962, through April 24, 1965. For the spring/
summer timetable of 1965, the service reverted
to conventional equipment to cope with greater
passenger volumes. RDCs returned from October 31, 1965, to April 23, 1966, but after that,
year-round conventional operation resumed permanently.

Page 10 - The Sandhouse

Typical times through the rest of the RDC period were 07:30 or 08:00 departure from Prince
George with arrival at Prince Rupert 11.5 hours
later. Overall time eastbound was the same, with
07:30 departure from Prince Rupert, arriving
Prince George at 19:00.
The conventional trains were slower; for example, when RDC use was suspended for the
spring/summer of 1965, trains took 90 minutes
longer over the full distance.
Along the 468.5-mile route, mandatory stops
were at Vanderhoof, Endako, Burns Lake, Houston, Telkwa, Smithers, New Hazelton, Kitwanga and Terrace. The number of flagstops in
the timetables during the RDC period ranged as
high as 57.
As Lill, Jomini and Wilson explain, the use of
RDCs on this route had mixed results: “The connecting service from Prince George to Prince
Rupert was certainly more economical for CN to
run with RDC cars, but they had considerable
mechanical problems on rough track and the
RDCs were frequently stuck in wet, heavy snow.
There were complaints from on-line communities about the loss of sleeping and dining car
service. RDCs did not have the capacity in the
summer months to meet demand.”
They add that: “It appears that CN did consider
going back to RDCs again in the 1970s to stem
the heavy losses on the conventional trains, but
this didn't happen despite at least some CN folks
believing the mechanical problems had been
overcome.”
There are no photos with this article to show
RDCs at work between Prince George and
Prince Rupert, as the author’s requests to various long-established photographers failed to find
any in their collections. This service operated in
remote territory that would have drawn few railfans in the conditions of 50 years ago.
Indeed, the author has seen only one photo of

Two photos show RDC-3 D-354 operating the Okanagan train by itself in the summer of
1963, soon before the service ended. Above, at some time in August, the car is seen at
Kamloops. (Photo by Ray Warren, WCRA Archives). Below, on July 30, the Railiner
departs Vernon on the northbound run as Train 694. (Photo by Roger Burrows)

Summer 2016 - Page 11

RDCs in this service. It's in Trains magazine,
January 2004, page 80. The caption reads:
“Three Canadian National RDCs led by D-453,
an RDC-4, stop at Smithers, B.C., on July 27,
1963, as First 695 . . . . Why "first" 695? Because a balky RPO [Railway Post Office] RDC
left behind at Prince [George] that day was expected to run later, but it never did get
out.” This implies that this train might otherwise have had four cars. The consist is D-453
followed by an RDC-1 and an RDC-3, but only
the leader is identified.
In his book “The RDC in Canada”, Ray Corley
lists the terminal assignments for CN’s 28 RDCs
across Canada as of August 20, 1963, providing
a snapshot of how the Budd cars were allocated.
The only B.C. allocation was to Prince George,
which then had four cars on its roster: D-202, D355, D-401 and D-453 (but no RDC-1s, even
though one appears in that Trains photo). No
allocation is shown for Kamloops although the
Okanagan service still had two months to go at
that time.
Note that D-202 and D-401 from the Prince
George allocation are known to have operated
on the Okanagan service in 1962, as seen in accompanying photos.
Altogether, at least six RDCs were operated in
B.C. by CN, including the mystery RDC-1 in the
Trains photo. The known cars are shown in the
accompanying box. The Editor would welcome
confirmed identifications of any cars that have
been overlooked, and the same applies to any
omissions in the three previous articles in this
series.
As concluded by Lill, Jomini and Wilson, CN’s
use of RDCs in B.C. was brief and unsuccessful.
Not only was it the last of the province’s three
main railways to give these cars a try, it was also
the first to stop using them.

Page 12 - The Sandhouse

However, thanks to CP, VIA Rail and the PGE
and its successors, RDCs would soldier on and it
would be another 45 years after the short CN era
before the Budd Rail Diesel Car disappeared
from revenue service in B.C.

Budd RDCs in regular service on CN in B.C.
RDC-2: D-202
RDC-3: D-354, D-355
RDC-4: D-401, D-453
An unidentified RDC-1 can be seen at Smithers in a photo taken on July 27, 1963, published in the January 2004 issue of Trains magazine, p. 80.
Total = 6

REFERENCES
Corley, Raymond F. The Budd RDC in Canada. Toronto: Upper Canada Railway Society, September
1967.
Dorin, Patrick C. The Canadian National Railways Story. Seattle: Superior Publishing, 1975. (has
photo of D-354 at Kelowna in July 1963 on page 38)
Lill, Al; Jomini, Gordon; and Wilson, Gordon. "The Railiners: Part 2: CN Budd RDC Assignments
and Modelling Notes", CN Lines, Vol. 12, No. 3, May 2004, pp. 29-43.
Canadian National Railways passenger timetables in the CRHA Pacific Coast Division archives and
the collection of CN historian Al Lill.

Kelowna Daily Courier: news stories and CN advertisements in the editions of October 27, 1961, and
October 4, 21, 26 and 27, 1963.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Photographs were provided by Roger Burrows, Robert Hunter (from the Ray Warren collection in the
West Coast Railway Association Archives) and John Rushton.
Thanks to Corwin Doeksen for reviewing back issues of the Kelowna Daily Courier on microfiche in
the Kelowna public library. Articles and advertisements from those issues revealed interesting details
that have been cited here.
CN historian Al Lill provided details from CN timetables in his collection and patiently answered the
author’s questions.

Summer 2016 - Page 13

B.C. Budd — an all-time roster
Over the past four issues, The Sandhouse has documented the operation of Budd Rail Diesel Cars in
British Columbia, and included a table with each article listing those cars known to have run on the
route in question. In some cases, cars operated on more than one route or ran on the same route under
different owners.
The table below lists those RDCs known to have operated in B.C. in revenue service, arranged by
builder’s number. The type of each car is listed, along with its road name(s) and number(s) in B.C.
service. For simplicity, the road name is not given for RDCs on the PGE and its successors, but the
“Routes operated” column shows whether the car ran during the PGE, British Columbia Railway and/
or BC Rail era.
This table is based primarily on a comprehensive listing in the book “RDC: The Budd Rail Diesel
Car” by Donald Duke and Edmund Keilty (Golden West Books, 1990), but gives only the details
applicable to each car’s service in B.C. Readers wishing to see the full details of cars that operated
elsewhere, either before or after their B.C. service, should consult the listing in that book and another
in “The RDC in Canada” by Ray Corley (Upper Canada Railway Society, 1967).
Builder’s
number
5416

Type
RDC-1

Road number(s)
in B.C.
VIA 6143 (9306)

Routes operated
in B.C.
VIA Vancouver Island

5904

RDC-4

CN D-453

CN North Line

5910

RDC-3

CN D-354

CN Okanagan

5913

RDC-1

CP 9052

CP Vancouver Island

5916

RDC-1

CP 9054

CP Vancouver Island

5924

RDC-1

CP 9055

CP Vancouver Island

6014

RDC-2

CP 9100

CP Southern Mainline

6019

RDC-3

CP 9022

6021

RDC-3

CP 9023

CP Vancouver Island
CP Southern Mainline
CP Vancouver Island

6221

RDC-1

CP 9056

CP Vancouver Island

6223

RDC-1

Farmrail 6130

VIA Vancouver Island

6229

RDC-2

CP 9102

6302

RDC-3

BC-31 (second)

CP Vancouver Island
CP Southern Mainline
BCR/BC Rail

Page 14 - The Sandhouse

Builder’s
number
6305

Type

Road number(s)
in B.C.
CP 9024

Routes operated
in B.C.
CP Vancouver Island

6308

RDC-2
RDC-2

CP 9103
VIA 6213
VIA 6207

CP Vancouver Island
VIA Vancouver Island
VIA Vancouver Island

6309
6310

RDC-2

CP 9105

CP Vancouver Island

6312

RDC-2

CP 9107

CP Southern Mainline

6317

RDC-1

VIA 6133

VIA Vancouver Island

6319

RDC-1

BC-10

PGE/BCR/BC Rail

6320

RDC-1

BC-11

PGE/BCR/BC Rail

6321

RDC-1

BC-12

PGE/BCR/BC Rail

6426

RDC-9

VIA 6006

VIA Vancouver Island

6508

RDC-3

BC-30

PGE/BCR/BC Rail

6509

RDC-3

BC-31

PGE/BCR

6510

RDC-3

BC-32

PGE

6601

RDC-3

BC-33

PGE/BCR/BC Rail

6602

RDC-3

CN D-355

CN North Line

6607

RDC-2

BC-23

BC Rail

6609

RDC-1

VIA 6148

VIA Vancouver Island

6618

RDC-1

BC-15

BC Rail

6619

RDC-1

CP 9064

CP Vancouver Island

6706

RDC-1

VIA 6134

VIA Vancouver Island

6708

RDC-1

CP 9067

CP Vancouver Island

6803

RDC-4

CN D-401

6905

RDC-1

VIA 6135

CN Okanagan
CN North Line
VIA Vancouver Island

6908

RDC-2

CP 9196

CP Southern Mainline

6909

RDC-2

CP 9197

CP Southern Mainline

6910

RDC-2

CP 9198

CP Southern Mainline

RDC-3

Summer 2016 - Page 15

Builder’s
number
6911

Type
RDC-2

Road number(s)
in B.C. service
CP 9199

6915

RDC-1
RDC-2

VIA 6125
CN D-202

7003

RDC-1

BC-14 (BC-20)

Routes operated
in B.C.
CP Southern Mainline
CP Vancouver Island
VIA Vancouver Island
CN Okanagan
CN North Line
BCR/BC Rail

7004

RDC-1

BC-21

BCR/BC Rail

7008

RDC-1

BC-22

BCR/BC Rail

The above table lists 44 RDCs known to have operated in revenue service in B.C. Beyond
that, as noted on page 12, an unidentified RDC-1 is shown in a Trains magazine photo
operating on CN’s North Line on July 27, 1963, at a time when there was no RDC-1 in the
allocation of four RDCs to the Prince George terminal. That car, then, can be added to this
total to make 45.

As well, several cars have operated in non-revenue service over the years. RDC-1 CP
9055 and an unidentified sister ran across the B.C. Southern Mainline on a demonstration
run in 1954, before the launch of any RDC services in B.C. (see photo in previous issue, p.
22). CP 9055 is included in the above table in light of its later service on Vancouver
Island, but it is possible that its mate never ran again in B.C.
The following article identifies four RDCs that have operated in non-revenue service from
the 1990s onward. These are listed below.
And finally, four cars were purchased for use in B.C. but in fact never entered service.
These are three ex-NP/AMTK RDC-3s (B-40/41/42) purchased by PGE and RDC-1 VIA
6128 bought by BC Rail, which was renumbered BC-16 but never ran in revenue service
(see pp. 14-15 and 25, Winter 2015/16 issue).
Altogether, that makes at least 54 RDCs that have had some association with B.C.,
amounting to 13.5% of the 398 RDCs ever produced.

Builder’s
number
6307

Type

RDC-4

Road number(s)
in B.C. service
VIA 6251

Routes operated
in B.C.
Jasper-Prince Rupert trial, 2013

6313

RDC-2

CP 91

Commuter rail demonstration, 1993

6504

RDC-2

VIA 6219

Jasper-Prince Rupert trial, 2013

6902

ex-RDC-1

CN 1501 (15016)

CN system, regularly

Page 16 - The Sandhouse

B.C. Budd — RDCs still make a mark
without revenue service
The Budd Rail Diesel Car has earned a prominent place in the railway history of B.C., with 56
years of revenue operation, as detailed in the
feature articles in this and the previous three
issues.

for this purpose, ferrying officials and politicians between Vancouver and Mission over two
possible routes. That car was CP 91, which had
been 9108 in its revenue service life, but had
since been converted into a mobile classroom.

But the RDC has also made occasional appearances in non-revenue roles over the years, and
it’s still possible to see a few examples that
serve to remind us of its significance.

CP 91 made two runs that day, travelling from
the historic former CP station in downtown Vancouver, which had last seen RDC’s in regular
service in 1958-59, when they operated to
Penticton in one leg of the route along CP’s
Southern Mainline, as documented in the previous issue.

It was an RDC that was used to demonstrate the
potential for commuter rail to Vancouver’s
northeastern suburbs, which led to the creation
on West Coast Express in 1995.
Back on June 19, 1993, CP Rail used an RDC-2

Going eastward, CP 91 ran on the Cascade Subdivision on the route that was ultimately chosen

On June 19, 1993, CP Dayliner 91 passes the B.C. Sugar refinery on the Vancouver
waterfront on the second demonstration run of the day. (Photo by Ian Smith)
Summer 2016 - Page 17

for West Coast Express. But on the return trips,
it diverged at MacAulay in Port Coquitlam to
take the Westminster Subdivision as far as CP
Junction in New Westminster, where it joined
Burlington Northern’s New Westminster Subdivision to run through Burnaby and east Vancouver, then taking BN’s Burrard Inlet Line to rejoin the Cascade Subdivision at Heatley, less
than two miles from the Vancouver terminus.

A fairly regular visitor to B.C. is a former CN
RDC-1 that was converted in 2008 into a track
geometry car numbered CN 15016, since shortened to 1501. It’s equipped with high-speed
cameras and optical recognition software to inspect track curvature, alignment and cross-level.
This car began life as CN’s D-108, later becoming 6108 and retaining that number in VIA service until it was retired in 1990. Today, it can
be seen running over all parts of CN’s system,

including the former BC Rail lines where the
RDC once held sway.
Revenue service using RDCs in B.C. appears to
be at an end with the suspension of VIA’s Vancouver Island run five years ago, although officially it has not been pronounced dead.
But VIA did investigate using RDCs to operate
the Jasper to Prince Rupert service, with a test
run in late November 2013 that featured RDC-2
6219 and RDC-4 6251, which had both been
refurbished at the Moncton plant of the now
bankrupt Industrial Rail Services Inc.
After the test, the pair was forwarded to Vancouver coupled to the rear of the Canadian and
spent several months at VIA’s maintenance centre before returning east in similar fashion.

On its first run to Mission, CP 91 stopped at VIA’s Port Coquitlam Station, which was
replaced by a West Coast Express facility when commuter rail service became a reality
in November 1995. (Photo by Ian Smith)
Page 18 - The Sandhouse

On both days of the westbound test, with an
overnight stop at Prince George, the RDCs ran
considerably late and there has been no indication in the nearly three years since that VIA is
still considering using them in that service.

Squamish before it was disconnected five years
later.

The surest way to see RDCs in B.C. is a visit to
the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in
Squamish.

Also at the Heritage Park is the former BC Rail
RDC-1 BC-14, owned by a private individual. It
had suffered accident damage before retirement
and is not operable, but is currently displayed on
the garden track north of the park’s station
building.

There the West Coast Railway Association’s
two ex-BC Rail cars – RDC-1 BC-21 and RDC3 BC-33 -- are on display and in operable condition. They have been used on a few occasions to
carry passengers under their own power, one
example being a shuttle service in March 2008
to connect the Heritage Park with downtown
during an arts festival. That turned out to be the
last run on the former PGE downtown track in

In 2012, the pair ran as part of a convention to
observe the PGE centennial.

Track geometry vehicle CN 1501, converted from an RDC-1, passes Armstrong on the
Okanagan Subdivision on June 2 this year, following a route that was served by CN
RDCs for two years. (Photo by Greg Sherwood)
Summer 2016 - Page 19

Here’s CN 1501 again, this time on the North Vancouver waterfront on August 26,
2014, before the full closure of the Low Level Road. (Photo by Chris Wasney).
Below, BC Rail BC-33 and BC-21 are on display at West Coast Railway Heritage
Park in Squamish on July 26, 2012. BC-33 has been repainted in PGE livery, with
silver paint standing in for the distinctive wrap-around stainless-steel fluted panels
worn by PGE’s original RDCs. (Photo by Ian Smith)

Page 20 - The Sandhouse

After their Jasper-Prince Rupert test in November 2013, refurbished VIA RDC-4
9251 (above) and RDC-2 6219 (below) spent several months stored at the Vancouver
maintenance centre, seen here on March 27, 2014. (Photos by Ian Smith)

Summer 2016 - Page 21

End of the line
as Arbutus track lifted
by Corwin Doeksen
With the City of Vancouver taking ownership of
the “Arbutus Corridor” section of Canadian
Pacific Railway’s Marpole Spur in early May,
the railway wasted no time in lifting the 5.5
miles of track, even though its agreement with
the City allowed two years for this to be done.
For its part, the City began the work of
removing grade crossings along the route,
although this has not matched the pace of rail
lifting. As noted in the previous issue, the
crossings at Burrard Street and West Fourth
Avenue were removed and paved over on May
14. The City’s initial focus appears to be on the

major crossings, as West Broadway and West
70th Avenue/S.W. Marine Drive were the next
to follow.
CP contracted with Westcan Rail Ltd. of
Abbotsford to lift the rail, remove the ties and
roughly grade the right-of-way.
I followed the progress of the work closely over
the 40 days it took to complete CP’s share of the
work. Here’s a diary of my observations.
June 4 – On this Saturday, the grade crossing at
West Broadway is partly removed by a City

June 4 saw the start of work by the City of Vancouver to remove the grade crossing of
West Broadway, in this view looking south. The job had to wait until June 15 for completion to avoid disrupting weekday traffic. (All photos by Corwin Doeksen)
Page 22 - The Sandhouse

crew, but resumption of weekday traffic means
completion of the work will wait until June 15.

and the point where they were cut near the
Squamish First Nation boundary.

June 6 – A City contractor starts dropping off
concrete barriers at every crossing from Fir
Street to Milton Street. Some were left across
the tracks, others off to the side.

June 11 – This day’s observations showed how
the work was being done. Between West Third
and West Fifth, asphalt laid by neighbouring
businesses that encroached on to the right of
way was removed. The rails on either side of
the West Third and West Fourth crossings were
cut with a torch.

June 10 – Track removal by Westcan Rail
begins, starting from the north end. As the
Squamish First Nation owns the right of way
between Mile 0 and Mile 0.32, the rails were cut
just south of there at Mile 0.33. The rails of the
adjacent South Shore Branch stub were cut at a
similar point.
On the first day, rails were removed from the
Arbutus line between Mile 0.33 and West
Second Avenue, Mile 0.38.
Some 0.07 miles of rail were also removed from
the South Shore Branch between West Second

Next, two men on rail-mounted powered bolting
machines, one on each rail, loosened each pair
of joint bars. Any stuck bolts were cut off with
a torch. Finally, a rail sledge hauled by a tracked
excavator was used to pull the rails up off the
ties.
By the day’s end, rails had been removed up to
West Fifth Avenue.

Rail removal began the day before this June 11 photo was taken, looking south from
Mile 0.33. Work including lifting a stub of the South Shore Branch at left. The remaining
rail at right soon reaches the boundary of the Squamish First Nation reserve.
Summer 2016 - Page 23

On June 11, looking north, preparation for rail removal is underway near West
Third, including breaking up asphalt that has covered the tie ends. CP had granted
leases to some neighbouring properties for parking. Later that day, looking south,
rail removal has reached West Fourth, where the City has already removed and
paved over the crossing.

Page 24 - The Sandhouse

June 12 – Tie removal begins, starting from the
north end as far as West Second. All of the ties
on the South Shore Branch were also removed.
June 15 – Rail has been lifted as far as West
14th, and joint bar bolts removed to King
Edward. But there has been no further tie
removal beyond West Second.
June 16 – Rail removal has progressed
southward through the sag between West 16th
and King Edward avenues, stopping exactly at
MP 2 (north of King Edward). Rails have been
picked up by trucks as far as West Fifth, and tie
removal has also reached that point.
June 18 – Rails have been loosened (joint bars
unbolted and anchors removed) south to West
37th Avenue.

June 23 – Tie removal reaches Mile 2, catching

up with rail removal.
Ties were removed by a John Deere wheeled
front-end loader with an attached custom “tie
flipper”. The tie flipper is a steel rectangular
frame with two steel teeth mounted along the
bottom edge. As the frame is pulled through the
roadbed, ties are forced up by the teeth, through
the rectangular frame, and fall back to the
roadbed. A worker would then inspect the ties,
spraying a red dot on those deemed adequate for
re-use.
June 30 – Rail removal has progressed to Mile
4, at about West 47th Avenue. Ties have been
lifted as far as the West 44th foot crossing on
the main (but not the adjacent Kerrisdale passing
track), and are being piled up.
Track bolts and rail anchors had been loosened
and/or removed all the way to the end of the

A crane-equipped truck tractor hauls a low-bed trailer loaded with ties south over the
former West Fourth crossing on June 12, the first day of tie removal.
Summer 2016 - Page 25

On June 16, looking north through the sag between West 16th and King Edward,
rail has been removed as far as MP 2, but tie plates and fasteners have yet to be
picked up. Below, a view on June 30 at the north end of the line shows the gravel
base laid on the right of way. The photographer is standing at Mile 0.32, the official boundary with the Squamish First Nation reserve lands.

Page 26 - The Sandhouse

Arbutus Corridor at Milton Street (Mile 5.82)
earlier in the week.
July 6 – Rail removal has reached just south of
the West 70th Avenue/S.W. Marine Drive
crossing. Ties have been lifted as far as West
61st.
During the work, ties have been sorted into three
categories. The scrap ties were trucked to a point
just east of Oak Street and Kent Avenue -- on
the active section of the Marpole Spur -- where
they would be loaded into gondola cars; 10
gondolas were on site this day.
At the Oak Street site, ties suitable for re-use are
wrapped into bundles and shipped by truck.
July 7 – Ties were ripped up from West 61st to
70th, but remain in place, with exception of
about 400 ties between West 65th and 69th

avenues. These ties had been previously found
to be infested with European fire ants. Lifted
rail has been picked up from trackside as far
south as West 53rd Avenue.
July 8 – The final section of rail is lifted from
70th to Milton, fasteners and other hardware
collected, and the ties ripped up and piled. Rail
removal has taken just four weeks.

July 9 – The right of way has been graded as far
as Milton. Only stacks of ties and bundles of
rail remain to be removed at various places
beside the former trackbed.
July 11 – The ant-infested ties were ripped out
and placed into six specially lined disposal bins,
which were later sealed and removed. The last
ones were removed on July 20.

July 8 marked the end of rail lifting and later on the same day ties are being removed at
Milton Street, at the south end of the section sold to the City, which will be responsible
for removing the crossing.
Summer 2016 - Page 27

July 20 – By this date, all rails, ties and
contractor’s equipment were gone from the
Arbutus Corridor. Tie loading continued
intermittently under the Oak Street bridge on the
Marpole line, dependent on rail car delivery.

When those are gone, and the City has repaved
all of the crossings, the Arbutus line will exist
only in memory and history books.

Thus in the space of 40 days, the presence of a
railway dating back more than a century to 1902
had disappeared from Vancouver’s west side.

The most tangible remaining signs of the
railway are the structures and equipment at 17
controlled crossings along the route. None of
these include arms to block traffic, but all have
bells and lights suspended from gantries and
presumably could be re-used elsewhere on the
CP system.

It’s July 9, one day after the scene on the previous page, the roadbed has been cleared
and the corridor’s resemblance to a railway is slipping away. Only one more day of tie
removal remains to be done farther up the line.
Page 28 - The Sandhouse

Greenway has neighbours seeing red
The City’s conversion of the corridor into a
“greenway” will erase the railway ancestry even
further, but the project has hit a snag.
In late July, paving of the right of way had
begun, working south from West 16th. By July
26 – just 40 days after the last rail was lifted –
the sag between 16th and King Edward had been
paved atop a base of gravel. From there, paving
work was to proceed south to West 41st.
Paving of the northernmost section, between Fir
Street and 16th, had been delayed pending
resolution of right-of-way leases to adjoining
businesses.
From 41st southward to Milton, the City’s
intention was simply to apply a special gravel
surface, rather than asphalt.

But August had hardly begun when protestors
emerged, annoyed about the “paving of
paradise” with the four-metre wide asphalt strip.
The City responded that the paving was only
“temporary”, but necessary to encourage those
with mobility problems or parents with infants
in strollers to use the new walking path.
Two days after news reports broke, the
protestors were granted an audience with
officials on August 4 and the next day the City
announced that paving would stop at West 33rd.
The railway has gone, but the Arbutus follies
continue!

Compare this view with the top photo on page 26. It’s July 26, and a City crew has just
paved the “sag” that features in photographs of the BCER interurban era, seen looking
north from MP 2. (Photo by Corwin Doeksen)
Summer 2016 - Page 29

How a railway line
gets removed
by Corwin Doeksen
The complete removal of a railway in an urban
environment presents a rare opportunity to
document how this work is done. Ordinarily, in
a rural or remote setting, outsiders would
usually not be able to get close enough to the
work without trespassing to take close-up
photographs of the different processes and
equipment involved.
Not so with the removal of the 5.5 miles of CP’s
Marpole Spur that has come to be known as the
Arbutus Corridor. Set in the heart of an affluent
residential district in Canada’s third largest
metropolis, this line was in full public view,
enabling photography to be conducted at close

Page 30 - The Sandhouse

range without setting foot on railway property.

The views that follow document the work
processes in sequential order over the brief time
it took to remove the Arbutus line track,
accomplished by a small crew working with
some specialized equipment.
Below, two men each operate a rail-mounted
bolting machine, loosening the bolts that hold
joint bars in place, between West Third and
West Fourth on June 11. (All photos by Corwin
Doeksen except where noted)

A tracked vehicle dragging a “sledge” behind as it travelled in reverse handled
the job of shearing the rail sections off their fasteners. The machine is seen above
at MP 2 just north of King Edward, on June 16, and below working between West
Fourth and West Fifth on June 11. Joint bars had already been loosened by men
operating the bolting machines seen on the opposite page.

Summer 2016 - Page 31

Rail removal leaves a trail of spikes, tie plates, joint bars and other hardware in
its wake. Above, near the Cypress foot crossing, Mile 2.96, a tracked vehicle uses
a magnet to pick up this material and load it into a trailer behind. Below, a
wheeled loader with a “tie flipper” attachment travels in reverse, lifting the ties
out of the roadbed for inspection, so they can be sorted according to condition for
possible re-use. The scene is in the heart of the Kerrisdale shopping district.

Page 32 - The Sandhouse

After classification, a group of ties suitable for re-use is plucked from the roadbed
by a small tracked vehicle, working in the stretch south of West 41st, above. At the
tie-loading site at the Oak Street crossing in Marpole, these will be bundled for
shipment by truck. Scrap ties were scooped up with a front-end loader, as seen
below south of West 33rd. After being trucked to Oak Street, they will be dumped
into open gondola cars for shipment by rail.

Summer 2016 - Page 33

Ties were taken to the Oak Street loading site on a specially equipped trailer with
a crane mounted at its centre, seen above on the right of way at West 33rd. Below,
ties infested with fire ants required special handling. They were piled into lined
disposal bins before removal from the right of way, seen here looking north
adjacent to West 69th Avenue.

Page 34 - The Sandhouse

Rail placed along the right of way is lifted on to a trailer by a crane mounted on a
truck tractor, just south of the West 57th Avenue crossing. Below, ties were
delivered to a site near Oak Street crossing. The bundled ties in the foreground
will be taken away by truck for re-use. Scrap ties will be shipped by rail in the
gondolas seen in the distance. (Bottom photo by Ian Smith)

Summer 2016 - Page 35

Evergreen Line track completed
as construction nears end
As the Evergreen Line project reaches the final
stages of construction, the focus is on completing the installation of systems within the 2-km
tunnel between Coquitlam and Port Moody.
Track-laying for the northbound running line
was completed in time for the first SkyTrain
cars to pass through the bore on July 3, hauled
by a hi-rail vehicle. Mark II cars 201-202 and
203-204 were en route to the Vehicle Cleaning
& Inspection Facility in Coquitlam to be used in
the testing and commissioning phase, and were
seen in action later that month.

began in the week of June 28, with completion
slated for October.
Parking lot expansion is under way at the two
stations where SkyTrain and the West Coast
Express will co-exist.
A new parking lot is being built to the west of
Coquitlam Central on the north side of Aberdeen
Avenue. This is a separate location from the
existing lot. At Moody Centre, further parking
expansion is also in progress, after the earlier lot
was reconfigured to make way for the SkyTrain
guideway.

The southbound track through the tunnel has
also been finished, so the project has seen its
“last spike”.
However, for an electrified and automated system like SkyTrain, completion of track-laying is
not the final chapter. Work inside the tunnel has
continued on other components, and as of press
time, the linear-induction rail between the running rails has been completed, about threequarters of the power rails are in place, and installation of cable runs is in progress.
At this pace, testing of trains within the tunnel is
expected to begin later this summer.
Directly outside the bore, work is underway to
complete concrete roofs over the entry point for
the tunnel boring machine at the north portal and
the TBM’s exit point at the south portal. These
will be covered with fill and the surfaces landscaped.
Work on the station plazas is well advanced. A
contract for the final three stations from Coquitlam Central to Lafarge Lake-Douglas was
awarded to Jacob Bros. Construction and work
Page 36 - The Sandhouse

Opposite page: Mark 1 cars 005-006 were out
on a testing run on May 25 and are seen above
heading eastbound away from Coquitlam
Central Station.
Below, the two-car set is operating at crawl
speed through the crossovers west of the station,
looking west from the Johnson-Mariner
overpass. This trackwork forms the junction with
a potential future branch to Port Coquitlam.
This section of elevated guideway was built with
full-length precast girder spans rather than with
segments lifted into place by a launching girder.
Another view of this scene is on the back cover.
(All photos by Ian Smith)

Summer 2016 - Page 37

Mark I cars 151-152 repose at the Vehicle Cleaning & Inspection Facility in
Coquitlam on June 14. Below, the same pair with 005-006 behind are stored in the
pocket track just west of Moody Centre Station on June 28,. The structure over the
guideway behind the cars is an emergency footbridge between the West Coast
Express platform at left and the parking lot.

Page 38 - The Sandhouse

The entry pit for the tunnel boring machine in Port Moody has been covered with
forms and rebar in this view on July 26, awaiting the pouring of concrete to create
a roof. Below, just beyond the tunnel on the same date, cables are being laid along
the elevated guideway. At lower left is the roof of one of four power substations
for the new line.

Summer 2016 - Page 39

SHORT HAULS
The Events of Today are the History of Tomorrow

The new bridge has a pedestrian walkway on its
west side, which affords fine views of CN’s
McLean Yard to the west, although steel mesh
fencing reduces the photographic possibilities.

Chief executive Claude Mongeau

resigned as of June 30, saying he found it
impossible to continue in the job following the
surgery for throat cancer he underwent last year.
The treatment removed his larynx, making
speech difficult.

At ground level, photo angles along McKeen
Avenue, which parallels the tracks on the south
side between Philip and Pemberton, have been
ruined by the erection of a high chain-link fence,
topped with barbed wire. (North Shore News/
Editor)

Mongeau, 54, had been CEO since 2010, when
he succeeded Hunter Harrison. He served CN
for 22 years altogether, and had been chief
financial officer prior to replacing Harrison.
Promoted to replace him is chief financial
officer Luc Jobin, who had led the executive
group while Mongeau was being treated. Jobin,
57, joined CN in 2009, after holding senior
positions in the tobacco industry.
Although his background was in finance,
Mongeau gained direct operational experience
on the railway. At Harrison’s insistence, he
qualified as a conductor and engineer while
being groomed for the top executive position.
(CN)

The Philip Avenue bridge spanning CN’s
former BC Rail yard tracks in North Vancouver
was opened for road traffic on July 6.

Coinciding with that, the Pemberton Avenue
grade crossing has been closed, with all access
to industries south of the railway line provided
by the new overpass. On the south side, the road
descending from the bridge curls around the
former BC Rail yard tower.
Page 40 - The Sandhouse

Opposite page: The changing scene on the
former BC Rail property in North Vancouver is
evident in these views on July 15.
Above, Rocky Mountaineer locomotives 80128019 reverse their train after arrival on the
three-day trip from Jasper. Towering above is a
300-tonne crane at Seaspan Shipyards. To the
left of the units is the former site of BC Rail’s
passenger station, overgrown with bushes. At
right is the framework for a chain-link fence,
which will make these photos impossible to
repeat.
Below, the view to the west shows the new
bridge carrying Philip Avenue over the yard,
with the Rocky Mountaineer passing the former
BC Rail steam shops, relocated by CN in 2005.

Summer 2016 - Page 41

Bill Ackman has sold all CP shares

still held by his hedge fund company Pershing
Square Capital Management.

The remaining 9.84 million shares in Pershing’s
portfolio were sold on August 3 and would have
brought in about $1.42 billion US based on the
previous day’s closing price of $146.66 US.
Closing price on the day the sale was announced
rose 62 cents to $147.28 US (and $192.49 Cdn
on the Toronto Stock Exchange).
Pershing Square’s controlling position in CP
was acquired in 2011/12 as the firm amassed
24.2 million shares, some 14.4% of the total, at a
cost of about $1.4 billion. After a proxy battle
in 2012 that saw it install its preferred candidates on the board of directors, who then hired
Hunter Harrison as chief executive, Pershing
Square began to reduce its holdings in 2013.
In April this year, Pershing Square sold off 4.1
million shares, leaving it with the 9.84 million
that were sold in August, which represented
6.4% of the outstanding stock.
Ackman said he will remain on CP’s board of
directors until the 2017 annual general meeting.
(New York Times/Railway Age/CP)

Hunter Harrison will retire as chief ex-

tional between 2004 and 2009, and his recruitment to CP by Harrison had been widely anticipated, but had to wait for a provision of Harrison’s retirement contract to expire. In that deal,
Harrison had agreed to not to solicit any CN
employees to work for him at any another company, until three years after his retirement from
CN (see Winter 2012/13 issue, pp. 33-35). (CP)

CP laid off 500 track maintenance

workers in late June, saying the decision was
“the result of lower car volumes and softening
demand in a lacklustre North American economy.”
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference,
Maintenance Division, slammed CP for making
the decision without carrying out a formal risk
assessment of the possible impacts.

In response, CP said that it had "carefully considered the changes that were being made and
concluded that since they posed no additional
risk to employees, the public, property or the
environment, a risk assessment was not required. Transport Canada was notified and
agreed with this conclusion." (CBC News)

The crew change point at Revelstoke was

eliminated for coal trains as of June 20, which
means a longer run for crews based there. They
now work a further 90 miles east to Golden, for
a total run of nearly 215 miles between Kamloops and Golden. (Kamloops crews handle the
trains west of their home terminal).

ecutive on June 30, 2017. He will be succeeded
by Keith Creel, the current president and chief
operating officer, who joined CP in that capacity
in February 2013.

The added 90 miles is in difficult operating territory through Rogers Pass, and crews will be
hard pressed to complete their runs within the 12
hours allowed on duty, particularly in winter.

Harrison, who joined CP in June 2012 after retiring from CN at the end of 2009, will stay on
for a further three years as a consultant.

The change is being challenged by their union,
the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which
says CP did not give adequate notice nor provide enough detail of what the union claims is a
“material change” to the collective agreement. It
further contends that some of the proposals go

Creel had been viewed as Harrison’s protegé
while the two worked together at Canadian NaPage 42 - The Sandhouse

beyond what is allowed in a material change.
Currently, 19 coal trains are operating in the
cycle between the mines and the Vancouver port
terminals. (TCRC)

Grain trains are operating in pairs on

the Crowsnest Subdivision, which sees two
trains given simultaneous clearance, with the onboard conductors responsible for keeping them
safely apart.
The conductor of the leading train reports its
position mile-by-mile, and the following train
stays 10 miles or so behind. The rail traffic controller is not involved in the conversations.
The practice, known as an Item 6 in the Canadian Rail Operating Rules, is being used through
the Crowsnest owing to heavy grain traffic, as
shipments move to the U.S. west coast ports to
clear the prairie elevators for the upcoming harvest. (Railway Age)

The O Yard in south Vancouver ap-

pears to be an early casualty of CP’s plan to
remove 843 redundant switches throughout the
system.
On a conference call with investors in July,
Keith Creel, CP's president and chief operating
officer, announced the plan to remove the redundant switches, half of them from mainlines, and
half from yards and backtracks. He stated that
redundant switches can be a cause of slow orders and derailments, and their removal would
increase speed and productivity, while providing
a surplus inventory for future use.

The locked and spiked switches include: O26
loco track; O37 old Chrysler spur; O30, O31,
O32, O33, O35 on the east side and O32, O33,
O35, O36 on the west side.
Usable switches are O29 to Pacific Metals, O34
East and O34 West, and O31 West.
As a result, only tracks O34 and O35 are accessible in the yard.
Strangely, the O31 switch remains in service at
the west end, giving access to the long O31
track, but the O31 switch at the east end is
spiked, so O31 track is unusable. Was that an
oversight? (Corwin Doeksen)

The Royal Canadian Pacific heritage

train ran as an internal charter between Calgary
and Vancouver in July, departing July 15 and
making overnight stops in Banff and Kamloops,
arriving at Coquitlam Yard on July 17.
Classic FP9Au CP 4107 led F9B 1900 and sister
4106 on the westbound leg, hauling 10 cars.
Turnaround was almost immediate, with the
deadhead return movement led by 4106 leaving
in the evening of July 17 and arriving in Calgary
the next day. (Editor)

The O Yard sees a train less than once a week,
serving a handful of customers who take one or
two cars. During July, 11 of its15 switches were
locked out and spiked. As a result, the locomotive track, four of six yard tracks, and the main
track around the north side of the yard are unusable. Only two of the yard tracks and one industry track remain usable.
Summer 2016 - Page 43

A Caterpillar-engined locomotive is

undergoing a three-month trial from July to September on Southern Railway of B.C.
CEFX 2036, a one of 40 examples of a unique
GP20D model built in 2000, is being evaluated
in all types of service, with a particular focus on
its emissions control performance. The locomotive was jointly produced by Motive Power Industries and Electro-Motive Division.
The CIT Group/Capital Finance Group owns all
40 GP20D units. CEFX 2036 wears that company’s powder blue livery and has various spotting
features that reflect its Electro-Motive Division
influences, but the unusual cab and lowered
short hood at front are what catch the eye.

GP20D units are powered by a Caterpillar 3516
diesel engine, similar to the 3512 version used in
BC Rail’s conversion of RS-18 locomotives to
CRS-20 models in the 1990s. (SRY/Corwin
Doeksen)

Drawbridge 69 in Crescent Beach is

being converted to a concrete structure in the
same fashion as the longer Bridge 70 about 1.5
miles to the north (see Autumn 2014 issue, pp.
44-45).
Built in 1930 and featuring a mid-bridge swingspan, the bridge over the Nicomekl River is located from MP 127.6 to 127. 8 of BNSF’s New
Westminster Subdivision. (Ken Storey)

CEFX 2036 is seen at work in New Westminster on July 21, in the early days of a threemonth trial on Southern Railway of B.C. (Photo by Corwin Doeksen)
Page 44 - The Sandhouse

Rail Industry
Carrying crude oil in DOT-111 tank

cars will be banned in Canada as of November 1
this year.
The Transport Canada directive imposing the
ban brings forward the previous deadlines by six
months for unjacketed cars and 16 months for
jacketed cars.
The deadline for using DOT-111 cars for
carrying other flammable liquids remains April
30, 2025. (Transport Canada)

U.S. emissions standards for locomotives

will be adopted by Canada. Transport minister
Marc Garneau said the new standards will come
into force after a consultation period that ends in
September. (Globe & Mail)

The Harper government’s measures to
force railways to give priority to grain
shipments, which included allowing Ottawa to
set minimum weekly volumes, will be continued
by the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau.
The measures had been set to expire August 1.

The new government is keeping the Fair Rail for
Grain Farmers Act and its associated regulations
in place for one year while it considers the
recommendations of the review of Canada’s
transportation system headed by former
Conservative cabinet minister David Emerson
(see previous issue, page 44).
Under the legislation, the Harper regime
imposed minimum weekly thresholds between
April 2014 and March 29, 2015. CN was fined
$100,000 for missing two weekly targets and CP
was fined $50,000 for one infraction, but CP’s
penalty was dismissed on appeal.
The Trudeau government has not set any

A southbound BNSF oil train crosses Bridge 69 on May 18, as work to convert the
bridge to a concrete structure proceeds from the south end. (Photo by Ken Storey)
Summer 2016 - Page 45

shipping quotas thus far.
The decision to maintain the Fair Rail for Grain
Farmers provisions means that the extended
interswitching limits of 160 km in the three
Prairie provinces will also be continued. This
applies to all commodities. Elsewhere in
Canada, the limits are 30 km (see Spring 2014
issue, pp. 41-42). (Transport Canada/
Branchline)

The westbound Canadian ran via the

north side of the Fraser River on July 18, on
account of a defective switch at Fraser River
Junction in Surrey on the approach to New
Westminster Bridge.
The train crossed the Fraser at Mission, running
via the Cascade Subdivision to MacAulay and
then the Westminster Subdivision to CP Junction, where it rejoined its usual route via the CN
New Westminster Subdivision into Vancouver.
During this maneuver, the train stopped at Fraser Mills, the spiritual home of CRHA Pacific
Coast Division, while awaiting clearance to proceed west on to CN trackage. (Chris Wasney)

A 29-car train operated eastbound out

of Vancouver on August 9, the longest Canadian
of the year to that date.
Two locomotives handled the train, which included three Skyline dome cars, a glass-roofed
car and a Park-class dome car. There were three
large tour groups aboard the train, which had
about 340 passengers in total. (Corwin Doeksen/
Greg Menard)

Page 46 - The Sandhouse

Refurbishing of the Gold Leaf bilevel
fleet has been subcontracted to Ontario Northland Railway, which will carry out the work at
its shops in North Bay, Ont.

Rocky Mountaineer had contracted in 2015 with
Canarail Consultants Inc. for the refurbishment
of the 16-car fleet, with the work to be done by a
subcontractor in Quebec’s Gaspé region. Five
cars have been completed to date, but Canarail
has switched the subcontract to Ontario Northland for the remaining 11 cars.
In the original contract, the work was to have
been completed in 2018, but the deal with ONR
calls for the job to be done by 2020. (ONR)

The first Mark III trains in revenue ser-

vice are scheduled for August 18, with the first
run leaving Waterfront following an open house
event that will start at about 11:15.
This follows a period of testing Mark III trains
during regular service hours slotted in between
passenger-carrying revenue trains. That began
with the first trainset, comprising cars 401-402403-404, running on the Millennium Line between 19:00 and midnight on July 8, and then on
the Expo Line the next day between 06:00 and
10:00 and from noon to 16:00.
SkyTrain attendants rode the trains during these
test runs to make sure passengers did not board
during station stops. (The Buzzer Blog)

to rail services:

Allocation of $741 million for an initial

round of improvements to Greater Vancouver’s
transit system has been agreed by three levels of
government.
The federal government will provide $370 million, B.C. will add $246 million and TransLink
will contribute $125 million. TransLink expects
to raise its share by selling the former bus garage at Oakridge.
The plan includes the following improvements

•

SkyTrain will get another 28 Mark III cars
and upgrades to stations.

•

The Canada Line fleet will see 22 more cars
added to its current fleet of 40.

•

West Coast Express will get a new locomotive and five more coaches.

The funding will also cover planning and design
work for the extension of SkyTrain in subway
beneath Broadway and Surrey’s proposed Light
Rail Transit system.
The funding is viewed as covering the first
phase of the 10-year transit plan proposed by the

Work to create an extra platform for Expo Line trains at Commercial-Broadway Station
is advancing. This view on July 6 shows a westbound train departing, with the new platform at left. It will enable westbound trains to be accessed from either side, thus improving passenger flows to and from the Millennium Line platforms in the Great Northern Cut. A new footbridge will be built over Broadway to connect the new platform
with the Millennium Line platforms. (Photo by Ian Smith)
Summer 2016 - Page 47

Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation.
However, the Mayors’ Council and the B.C.
government remain at odds over how the rest of
the plan will be funded.
For its part, the Mayors’ Council is prepared to
raise property taxes and transit fares, introduce
mobility pricing and charge fees to developers
building higher-density housing around transit
stations. But mobility pricing requires approval
of the B.C. government, which appears leery of
a public backlash. (Vancouver Sun/ Government
of Canada/B.C. Government)

operation, the equipment was converted to 9.5in. gauge.
The Stanley Park railway was rebuilt in the
wake of Typhon Freda in 1962 and the original
equipment was sold to a local entrepreneur, Ted
Humphrey, who had hopes of creating an
amusement park. That did not materialize, but
the equipment was carefully maintained, and the
Humphrey family has decided to donate it to
WCRA for display at the West Coast Railway
Heritage Park. (WCRA News)

WCRA is disposing of 11 pieces of

equipment and offering them to other railway
preservation organizations.

Preservation
Ex-BCER steeple-cab No. 961 is for
sale.

Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society is
selling the 1912-built Alco freight motor to
make room at its Cloverdale premises. FVRHS
had acquired the unit in 2012 from the
Edmonton Radial Railway Society.
No. 961 originally worked on the Oregon
Electric Railway as No. 20. It was renumbered
961 when acquired in 1946 by B.C. Electric
Railway, whose successor, BC Hydro Rail, sold
it to Edmonton Transit in 1980. (Trains
Magazine online)

The Stanley Park miniature railway’s

original equipment has been donated to the West
Coast Railway Association.
In use from 1947 to 1962, it consists of a 4-4-2
steam locomotive of the 1920s era and six open
cars that could accommodate two to three
children each. These were originally built to 7.5
-in. gauge for the private railway of the
Provincial Chief Engineer, John Armstrong, in
Victoria. For better stability in the Stanley Park
Page 48 - The Sandhouse

Its membership has approved a recommendation
by the Collections Committee to dispose of the
items on account of poor condition, lack of
relevance to B.C. or duplication of other pieces
in the collection.
De-accessioned from the collection are: Alco RS
-1 locomotive of Minneapolis & St. Louis
Railroad origin (but painted in GN livery); CP
coach 2271 (named Quesnel in Royal Hudson
service); CN heavyweight combine 7186; CN
heavyweight diner 60605; PGE snow plow
6002; PGE flat car X402; and GN heavyweight
parlour-observation car 1090. The latter has
already found a new owner, as reported below.
Four other items had never been officially
accessioned into the WCRA collection. These
are: the tender from CP 4-6-2 steam locomotive
No. 2366; tank car BCEX 894; PGE tank car
1910; and the tank car from the provincial
museum train. (WCRA News)

Ex-GN parlour-observation car 1090

has been acquired from the WCRA collection by
Trevor Mills of Squamish, who plans to restore
the car as a private project.
The car was built in 1910 by Barney & Smith
and ran at the rear of Great Northern’s prime
long-distance trains, such as the Oriental

Limited. Featuring a 42-ft. observation room at
its outer end and a 30-ft. smoking parlour, it was
originally numbered 7582. Renumbered 1090 in
1927 after it had received a steel frame and steel
side-sheathing, the car remained in passenger
service until 1940.
Trevor, who was named as the 2016 Norris
Adams Memorial Award winner and is
WCRA’s longest serving employee, has created
a website to publicize the project and seek
donations. He estimates $100,000 will be
needed for the project, starting with a complete
rebuilding of the roof. For more information,
visit www.trevorstrains.weebly.com.

Modelling
PCD member Charles Sutherland of

Groundbirch, B.C., is seeking information to
help in building an HO scale layout based on
CNR in the early 1950s. In particular, Charles is
looking for information on yards and engine
houses and hopes to find photographs and written material. If you can help, please e-mail him
at psutherland49@hotmail.com.

Events
Vancouver Train Expo will be held once

again at the PNE Forum, after a successful first
time at that location in 2015. This year’s dates
are Saturday, November 5 (10:00 to 18:00) and
Sunday, November 6 (10:00 to 17:00). For more
information, visit vancouvertrainexpo.ca.

Trevor Mills has taken
on the project of privately restoring exGreat Northern 1090,
a parlour-observation
car seen here at the
WCRA’s shops in
Squamish. (Photo by
Trevor Mills)

Summer 2016 - Page 49

Opinions expressed in The Sandhouse are those of the author concerned and are not necessarily those of the
PCD or CRHA. Brief excerpts of articles and news items may be used in other publications, provided The
Sandhouse and author are credited. Photographs may not be reproduced, in any form, without permission.
The Sandhouse is normally published once each quarter, in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, and mailed
to paid-up members. Copies can also be purchased from the following retail outlets:
Central Hobbies, 2825 Grandview Hwy., Vancouver (604) 431-0771
Kelly’s Kaboose, 634 Victoria St., Kamloops
(250) 377-8510
All contributions are gratefully received, but are subject to editing. Please send all news items, photos and
articles to the Editor, care of the Division address (see page 2).

Ian Smith — Editor

Parting Shot

As a new British Airways Airbus A380 super-jumbo jet descends into Vancouver International Airport on July 10, a 114-year old railway line has just been removed. The
West 70th Avenue crossing gear is still in place, though. (Photo by Corwin Doeksen)
Page 50 - The Sandhouse

Canadian Railroad Historical Association, Pacific Coast Division
P.O. Box 1006, Station A Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2P1

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US
Get together with fellow railway enthusiasts and take part in the varied activities of
the CRHA's Pacific Coast Division.
We meet nine times a year on the 3rd Friday of the month (see below)
 Meetings feature slide shows, video programs, talks by railway officials and writers on railway
subjects, and the opportunity to socialize with other railway enthusiasts.

 We publish The Sandhouse, a quarterly journal on B.C. railway matters. Membership dues
include a subscription.

 We operate a museum in the preserved Fraser Mills CPR station at Heritage Square.
 We're restoring a CP Rail caboose at Heritage Square.
We hope you'll join us. Please send your address details (name, full address, phone number, e-mail),
together with your payment, to our postal address or bring it to one of our regular meetings.
Annual dues are: $30 for Canadian residents; $30 U.S. for U.S. residents and $40 Overseas
Visit our webpage at http://www.exporail.org/en/crha/divisions/

Pacific Coast Division’s regular meetings
are held on the third Friday of each
month (except July, August and
December) at

Room 206, Place Des Arts
Heritage Square
1120 Brunette Avenue
Coquitlam, B.C.
Presentations begin at 7:00 p.m.
Summer 2016 - Page 51

Coming soon!

Page 52 - The Sandhouse