Railroading In Atlantic Canada (Switching Operations)

A varied mixture of Alco/MLW and GM diesel locomotives have carried out
switching duties in Atlantic Canada.

Switching on Canadian Pacific was performed by Alco RS23s in New Brunswick and by GM SW1200RSs, in either their original or rebuilt states, on the Dominion Atlantic Railway in Nova Scotia.

A very dirty RS23 in need of cleaning and painting! Seen outside the old shops at Saint John NB 9 October 1977. Most of this trackage has since been removed.

Here we see three cleaner RS23s outside the new shops at Saint John, NB on 15 September 1989. The first is in the livery of the short-lived CP Rail subsidiary - the Canadian Atlantic Railway. The trackage has now been sold and the New Brunswick portion is owned by the Irving interests and is called the New Brunswick Southern Railway while the Maine & Quebec portions are owned by Iron Horse Railroads and is called the Canadian American Railroad.

The DAR in Nova Scotia was separate from the CP Rail lines in New Brunswick and used SW1200RSs for all duties (except passenger services which used two Budd cars as single units). Here we see 8138 & 1273 at Hantsport on 18 August 1990. When the DAR was sold to the Windsor & Hantsport Railway the SW1200s were kept by CP and instead the W&H received RS23s (see page on shortlines & industrial operations in Nova Scotia).

A mixed train ran from Windsor to Truro and back until the end of the 1970s. Here we see SW1200RS 8132 bringing the mixed into Windsor NS on 17 October 1979. Further information and pictures can be seen in the page on Passenger Operations in Atlantic Canada.

The main freight operations for the DAR and its successor the WHRR is the haulage of gypsum from the mines near Windsor NS to the shipping terminal at Hantsport for which a series of air operated dump cars are used in trains of 25 cars. CP has a connection with CN at Windsor Junction. From there CP had running rights to Rockingham and Ocean Terminals in Halifax which they used until the late 1970s. Here CP 8133 & 8137 (in new & old liveries) are returning with four empty grain cars and a box car from Halifax in June 1973.

IN the 1970s and 1980s Canadian National switching was generally performed by Alco S4, S7, S12 and S13 units as well as GM SW1200RSs.

Two late model S4s - 8193 & 8192 are switching cars in the Moncton yards on 14 June 1982.

CN 8233 is an S7 and is entering the yards at Rockingham with a car carrier and two cabooses in April 1973. The S7 was a Canadian version of the S4 and was only built by MLW for 3 months in 1957 and all 29 were sold to Canadian National.

Here we see S12 8238 with COFCs at Ocean Terminals Halifax NS in May 1975. This model was also unique to Canadian National and only 11 were built by MLW over four months in 1958.

One S12 unit, 8245, is preserved in operating condition on the Salem & Hillsborough Railroad in New Brunswick.

The S13 was similar to the S12 but the 539 turbo engine was replaced by a 251C. Both units can be distinguised by the higher body which necessitates a step in the walkway towards the front of the locomotive. 8518 is seen at Moncton shops on 24 March 1989.

The size difference between the S4 8192 and the S13s 8606 & 8612 is clearly seen as they shunt cars at the Moncton yards.

From the mid 1970s to the late1980s SW1200RS dominated the local scene in the Halifax area performing switching and transfer duties as well as freight haulage along the South Shore to Bridgwater and Lunenburg. A few returned to the area in 1998.

SW1200RS 1330 switches the maintenanace and piggyback yards at Fairview NS in June 1976. Note the wide assortment of freight cars.

SW1200RS 1334 with two cabooses and a string of oil tanks leaves the Dartmouth yards for the Imperial Oil refinery and passes the old Dartmouth station probably in the fall of 1972.

SW1200RS 1335 (note old style number) arrives at Southwestern Junction with two empty FGE/UP reefers in May 1974. The crew are using the telephone in the hut to request permisssion to enter the mainline near Fairview and will then back their train into the Rockingham yards.

In this picture we see SW1200RS 1329 paired with RS18 #3661 on a transfer freight between Dartmouth and Halifax via Windsor Junction, NS in August 1974.

When the S7s & S12s were retired some of the S13s were rebuilt into the 8700 series as switchers and into 100 or 300 series as hump yard units which were paired with slugs built from S3s. All of these units have now been retired.

In this picture we see 8705 which was working with 8700 switching the Dartmouth NS yards in February 1996.

Here we see two S13s which have been rebuilt for hump yard duties pausing on the Moncton hump on 4 August 1990. 110 is set up as a lead unit and 119 as a trailing unit; the two slugs are 164 & 356 (both built from S3s).

Yard duties at Moncton, New Brunswick, were also carried out by GP38-2ms with slugs in the 1980s. Initially these were numbered in the 7500 series but were later renumbered into the 200 series. The slugs were specially built by GMD in 1978 & 1980. Here we see Geeps 224 & 222 with slugs 282 & 280 pushing cars up the hump in February 1981.

Hump use was discontinued about 1997.

For a brief period in September 1993 mother GP38-2m 7530 and slug HBU-4 526 appeared in Dartmouth.

A few rebuilt GP9s with slugs occassionally appear in the region. Here we see "mother" GP9RM #7271 with "daughter" (slug) 271 in the Moncton yards on 1 July 1994. In 1999 and 2000 a mother and slug has been operating at Ocean Terminals in Halifax.

In 1994 GMD1s 1900 - 1902 & 1910 arrived at Moncton. Then in 1997 GP40s in the 9300 series took over many of the switching duties in the Moncton yards. These were withdrawn and sold in early 1998 and were replaced for a short while by rebuilt GMD1s in the 1400 series then by 7100 series "Sweeps". Now switching is done mainly by GP9RMs, some with slugs, but other life-expired units such as GP38-2s and GP40-2s have been used, presumably until they have a major breakdown.

By 1998 switching in the rest of Atlantic Canada was briefly taken over by a few GM SW1200RSs, by the rebuilt version (without the characteristic cylindrical exhaust manifolds) in the 7300 series and by SW1200RMs "SWEEPS" in the 7100 series (SW1200RSs with components from scrapped GP9s including a cut down front hood). In late 1998 a number of GMD1s appeared in the Halifax area but within a year all four models had left.

By 2000 rebuilt GP9s in the 7000 or occassionally 4000 series and an occassional GP38-2 carry out switching, yard and transfer duties.

Here two unrebuilt GMD1s 1901 & 1900 originally equipped with steam generators (hence the grilles on the end of the short hood) are attired in different liveries at Moncton on 3 August 1996.

GP40 9304 is switching Moncton yards on 2 August 1997.

Two GMD1s 1418 & 1421 are switching Moncton yards on 9 July 1998. Note the absence of grilles alow the CN logo to be placed higher on the short hood.

SW1200RM (SWEEP - GEEP with SW hood) 7101 is seen at Dartmouth on 4 February 1998. The GP9 body is clearly evident and the dynamic brake housing has been opened up to allow an air-filter to be installed

Rebuilt SW1200RS 7304 is seen at Dartmouth coupled to 7101 seen in the picture above. Note that the cylindrical exhaust manifolds have been removed.

Here one of the first rebuilt GP9s to work in the region is seen at Moncton yards on 15 August 1998. Note the unusual location of the bell on these units.

RETURN TO CANADIAN TRAIN PHOTOGRAPHS INDEX PAGE

Updated 19 May 2002

Thanks to Rob Chant for assistance with page design.