anti9ipating astte~trailway and trains -right-of-way,
and thats-
ho.wif ended, simply ~anticipatibn,;.
PhetocoiJrtesy ,of NOtrisAdams; Vanpouver
,., ~ , .. A . …..,,. ~
These cars
on
holding
service tracks
just
outside
the
RC,ER
Kitsilano
Shops
built
in
1913,
and
currently
being
demolished, The
shops
were
in
a
triangle
between
diverging
tracks: -to the west
RCER
#12
carline
,
and
to the east the
V.
&
L
I,
(RCER)
tracks
to
south
shore
industries
,
and
a
curve
off
this to the
south
for
the Vancouver,
Marpole
and
/
or
Steveston
or
New
Westminster,
and
Fraser Valley
traffic
, A
brewery
formed
the
other
side
of
the
triangle
on
the
other
side,
Photo
courtesy
of
Number
13178
Vancouver
Public
Library
, ,
o :t> Z :t> o :t> Z
en ~
::0 :t> r
Kitsilano Loop, 1947, P:C. C. 431 about to leave the
terminus for downtown Vancouver.
The conductor­
motorman has just punched his car card -a time
honoured custom –authorizing him to leave.
Note:
the China Hat arc lamp, above and to the rear of this
r.Rr
Photo courtesy of Norm. Gidney, Burnaby, B. C.
(
Kitsilano trestle looking south with Burrard St. Bridge
in the background. Vancouver 1947. Note the array of
trams and street cars in the background and outside
the Kitsilano Shops,
and also that the line is double­
tracked. The piles under the track bed where P. C. C.
408 is shown are believed to have been of Australian
long-lasting wood –possibly gumwood. The car is
about 7
1
12 city blocks from the loop at Yew Street,
double tracked and high iron.
Photo courtesy
of Norm. Gidney, Burnaby, B. C.
CANADIAN
56
R A I L
An oldie B.C. Electric Box Car x 50, with top
running board and brake wheel, its fate & future not
known, waits under the Burrard Bridge, while Hydro
shops nearby are being demolished.
Photo courtesy
of Norris Adams, Vancouver
Old Kitsilano carline now shortened to end at the
barrier at Chestnut Street. A house now stands
astride the
former right-of-way, ahead. This is just
one city block from the Kitsilano car shops-now
being demolished.
Photo courtesy
of Norris Adams, Vancouver
CANADIAN
57
R A I L
Portable Fire equipment in shed, seems a bit quaint,
Drake Street Yards.
Photo courtesy
of Norris Adams, Vancouver
Interior of Kitsilano Barn 1925
Photo courtesy of Brian L. Kelly C/O Metro Operating
Company.
FtlrllI
18&H.
–
…,..-

ltjlf> li-,-.
*
…..
J
bll
l
..
,
Plan
of
the
City
of
Vancouver, Western Terminus
of
the Canadian
Pacific
Railway
1886.
Wall
map
in the
Special
Collections
, U.B.C.
Library
, Vancouver.
Photo
courtesy
of
Norris
Adams
, Vancouver
() :l> Z :l> o :l> Z
at ~
;u :l> r
CANADIAN
60
R A I L
B. C. s Museum Train ready to leave Drake Street yard
on a goodwill promotion trip.
Photo
courtesy of Norris Adams, Vancouver
C. P. freight leaves Vancouvers waterfront via the
Dunsmuir tunnel for Drake St. yard.
Photo
courtesy of Norris Adams, Vancouver
Kitsilano trestle swing span in process
of demolition,
is towed under the Granville Sf. Bridge. No streetcars
were to use this –the third Granville
Sf. False Creek
span. Photo
courtesy of Norris Adams, Vancouver
Destination signs from B. C.E.R. gas busses, found in
the rubble
during the demolition of the Kitsilano
shops. When street cars finished in
1955, gas busses
filled in till trolley bus overhead
could be installed.
See also picture where older buses of B. C. Rapid
Transit
sit beside street cars in the Kitsilano Car
Shop.
Photo courtesy
of Norris Adams, Vancouver
Note the gtrder cages under the traffic deck
of the
Burrard St. Bridge. Intended for street car and railway
tracks –the
project was never finished.
Photo courtesy
of Norris Adams, Vancouver
,
1
~
Hydro
diesel
and
2
Hydro
Thrall
Door
boxes
on
the
late Ki
tsilano
trestle. This
picture
appeared
in
B. C.
Hydros
annual
report
for
1980
/81
with
this
notation:

Major
repairs were
made
to
railway
bridges
over
the
Fraser
River
and
to the
Kitsilano
Trestle
following
accidents
involving
barges.
Photo
courtesy
of
B. C.
Hydro
Photo
l}

H
3.$.
Ii
() ~ 2 ~ o ~ 2
~ ~
::0 ~ r
This
photo
apparently
taken
from
a
plane
—
in
1953-­
shows
Drake
St.
in its finest
hour
–lots
of
activity
and
facilities
and
equipment. The
roundhouse
seems
destined
to remain
as
part
of
a
complex
within
B.C.
Place
and
may
become
the
new
home
for
engine
#374
now
languishing
outside
in Kitsilano Park from
overactive
children
and
weather. The trestle is
.shown, the carbarns
and
vaguely the
#12
carline
right-of-way
to Kitsilano Beach loop.
Photo
courtesy
of
Province Collection, Vancouver
Public
Librarv.
BOMBARDIER INC. OF MONTREAL PLANS TO
combine forces with other Canadian companies
interested in Singapores
multi-billion-dollar
mass transit project and .form a bidding group,
according to Raymond Royer, president of its mass
transit division.
Assembling a
bidding consortium for projects such
as the Singapore development would be the first step
in
building a turnkey capability in the international
mass transit field, he said in
an interview. I do not
believe that Canadians will be able to succeed, in the
long term,
if we go only for producing (subway) cars.
Bombardiers mass transit division has been
highly
successful in the export market. Since 1980, it has
signed contracts
for rolling stock in Mexico ($100-
million), New Jersey (100-million) and Portland, Ore.
($25-million),
as well as making a record-breaking
$1-billion sale to New York City.
But without broader export support from other
transit-related companies in Canada,
Bombardier
will find it increasingly difficult to win such contracts
in future,
Mr. Royer said.
We believe that with the experience on the export
market that we have developed and the attitude
buyers have developed towards
us, we can help
(other companies) become involved. For Bombardier,
it is part
of a total strategy.
The payback would come with the emergence
of a
broadly based Canadian capability in the growing
international market for mass transit systems.
Contracts for the Singapore project will not be
awarded for at least another year, but the first stage in
bidding (the qualification round) is almost completed.
car
Bombardier hopes to form a group from among the
Canadian companies invited to bid on various
aspects
of the project.
The Singapore
contract could yield $140-million
for Bombardier. More important than the size of the
contract, however, is the prospect
of a first sale in
Asia, a lucrative market for major projects.
Competition
for the Singapore contract is intense;
more than 1,500 companies from countries such
as
West Germany, France, the United States, Britain and
Japan are expected to bid.
In case of the Singapore contract, an inability to
offer a complete
turnkey bid will not necessarily be a
problem, Mr. Royer said, because the Government
probably will
not want to award the entire contract to
companies from one
country. But a broader
Canadian expertise in
the field would be desirable.
The whole project will
cost up to $5-billion. He
estimates that the first phase, which involves
17.1
kilometres of track (14.6 in tunnels and 2.5 on the
surface) and 144 subway cars, will cost about $1.4-
billion.
The second phase will extend the system above
ground to a total
of 70 kilometres and will mean a
contract
for about 400 cars.
(GLOBE
& MAIL)
PREPARATIONS ARE WELL UNDERWAY
TO
celebrate the centenary of the Canadian Pacific
Railway in Calgary
this year.
It was
August 11,1883 when the first train moved up
to
the Elbow River -four days later the railway bridge
CANADIAN
66
was completed and the train continued into the new
townsite.
On August 11,1983 the
Glenbow Museum will open
its
doors to a new exhibition celebrating the
accomplishments
of the CPR 100 years ago. The
exhibits will cover a whole
floor of the museum and
they will be on display until May
4, 1984.
From September
21 to 25, 1983 the Glenbow will
sponsor The CPR West Conference, which w!
examine the Q,rrival of the rail company in the west In
1880s and its impact on the region up to the 1920s.
Registration fees are $90.00 before May
31, 1983
and $100.00 after. The conference is limited to 300
delegates. For more information
contact Joyce
Gibson,
Glenbow Museum, 130 -9th Avenue S.E.
Calgary T2G
OP3, telephone 264-8300.
As part
of its own celebrations CP Rail will bring
into Calgary, the Central CommunityTrain which will
feature memorabilia from the early days
of the
railway. The travelling exhibition is being produced
by Omer Lavallee, corporate historian and archivist
for CP Rail.
(FLAGSTOP, CALGARY
&
SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION)
MONTREAL-BASED BOMBARDIER INC. SAYS ITS
$1-billion sale
of 825 subway cars to New York
City wont be jeopardized by the recent ruling by
the U.S. Commerce Department that Canada unfairly
subsidized the deal to the tune
of $91.2 million U.S.
The ruling has no impact on the
contract
whatsoever, a Bombardier spokesman said.
However, the buyer
of the cars, the New York
Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MT A), would
be liable for countervailing duties equal
to the
amount
of the subsidy should the U.S. International
Trade Commission now
conclude that it caused
material
injury to U.S. industry.
The commission
is to decide by March 21 whether
the subsidies harmed U.
S. industry, namely the Budd
Co.
ofT roy, Mich., which lodged a complaint after the
deal was signed last year.
The Commerce Department said subsidization
equal
to $110,-565 U.S. on each car came mainly
through financing provided to the
buyer by Canadas
Export Development Corp. (EDC).
The Bombardier spokesman noted that, should the
trade commission order application
of the duties, the
MT A has the option of appealing
or asking the EDC to
let it seek alternate financing in the U.S., where
interest rates have fallen sharply.
(MONTREAL GAZETTE)
R A I L
CN RAILS OPERATION OF THE OVERLAND
container service by Terra Transport,
in New­
foundland, has become so successful that one
01
its competitors (Atlantic Container Express Inc.) has
abandoned its weekly service between Montreal and
Corner Brook, Nfld. According to a report by the
President
of ACE, the overland container service
offered by CNs Terra Transport, using
their own East
Coast Ferry operation and then by land to Corner
Brook from Port aux Basques, at much lower rates,
had
cut deeply into ACEs direct waterborne cargo.
ACE fears that
further expansion by Terra Transport
may also jeopardise ACEs St. Johns service.
(SRS NEWS)
CANADIAN
NATIONAL RAILWAYS NET LOSS FOR
1982 will be about $223 million, compared with a
year-earlier
profit of $193 million, the company
said.
Its the biggest loss in the Crown-owned corpora­
tions 61-year history.
Almost half the loss results from CNs decision to
write
down the value of two substantial investments:
an 18-per-cent interest in Eurocanadian Ship­
holdings Ltd., which operates the Cast shipping
group, and
wholly-owned Central Vermont Railway.
CN said the decision to write down its Cast
investment, which totals $62 million,
is based on the
effects
of an 18-month decline in demand for ocean
shipping.
The commercial viability of Central Vermont
Railway, which Montreal-based
CN has owned since
1927, has been seriously affected by the merger
of
several American railroads serving the same eastern
market, the
company said in a statement.
Jean-Guy Brodeur, a
CN spokesman, said a
breakdown
of the two investments is not avai lable
yet. But,
he said, its almost a writeoff of the values
involved.
CN Rail, Grand
Trunk Corp. and TerraTransport
are expected to suffer total net losses of $120 million,
against a year-earlier
profit of $241 million.
The 1982 loss on rail operations includes a loss
of
$296 million from transporting grain at statutory
rates, the
company said. With the exception of grain,
which accounts
for 20 per cent of CN Rails workload,
all major
commodity movements declined.
CN Enterprises, a division formed last year to
manage CNs non-rail activities,
is expected to have
earned a
profit of more than $60 million in 1982. The
profit reflects the better results of CN Marine and CN
Exploration. CNs
trucking and hotel businesses
were
particularly affected by the depressed eco­
nomy, the
company said.
(THE GAZETTE)
CANADIAN
THE PERENNIAL WARM WEATHER TRAFFIC AND
parking
problem in the vicinity o~ Vict~ria ~ark in
Niagara Falls,
Ontario is pro~~tlng City, NI~ga.ra
Parks Commission tourist association and Provincial
officials to give c~nsideration to a system which
would combine new parkinggarages, located rem?te
from the river, and a special transit system which
would connect the garages with the Falls area.
Whether a fixed rail
or auto train type of system would
be adopted has not to date been revealed, but Mayor
Wayne
Thomson of Niagara Falls has stated that he
would prefer to have transit cars moving on rails.
The system
would also serve other tourist attractions
in the area, such
as Marineland and Game Farm,
Pyramid Place, the Panasonic Tower, the Skylon
Tower, the Lundys Lane motel strip, Ferry Street and
Clifton Hill. The system would also connect the
tourist areas with downtown Niagara Falls, where a
ten-block redevelopment scheme is presently pro­
posed, including a shopping mall, office buildings, a
convention centre and a hotel. The actual resident
population of Niagara Falls is about 70,000, but ~he
number of people in town on an average day dunng
the tourist season greatly swells that number.
A prime concern is that congestion in the .
tourist
areas causes the average visitor to stay in the city less
than 2% hours, while the average length
of stay in
other resort locations is two to three days. John
Hoffner, President of the local
tourist association and
a
member of the transit planning committee, says that
the new transit system has to be a unique one, and
not
just some standard system which people can see in
their home towns. (Until 1932 the area had the open
cars
of the Great Gorge Route, without any doubt one
of the most spectacular and memorable trolley rides
ever
to have been operated on this continent). The
thinking is further that daily passes would be sold for
use on the new system, at a price in the region of $2 to
$3, enabling the tourist to use the facility not only for
sightseeing purposes but also for multi-ride hopping
between the various points
of interest, more
conveniently and quickly than he drives his car (or
walks) at the present time. Meanwhile, the Niagara
Parks Commission is planning to install a people
mover system
of its own (technology not revealed) i.n
the area of Victoria Park, and design work IS
reputedly already under way. The intention would be
to
incorporate the people mover into the larger
citywide system when the latter is constructed.
(NIAGARA DIVISION)
CN RAIL PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING
officer R.E. Lawless told an international
conference on material handling
that the future
economic health of the railway system will depend in
67
R A , L
part on further innovations in material handling
systems.
Speaking to the International Material Manage­
ment Society in
Toronto, Lawless said that growth in
the demand
for rail freight services, particularly in
western Canada,
will require the achievement of new
levels
of productivity, equal to what has been
achieved over the past
couple of decades.
INGENUITY
Despite the current downturn in traffic and
revenues, he said,
we must be prepared to respond
quickly when the economic picks up steam. We cant
just shut down, and wait for things to get be~ter. T~is
preparation, he noted, will call for the same Ingen~lty
and willingness to innovate which materials handling
professionals have demonstrated in the recent past.
Linking the modern development
of CN Rail to the
growth of material management as a field of study i.n
its own right, he said,
we hope and expect thiS
parallel development will
continue. Because, not­
withstanding the
current economic difficulties, we
are looking ahead
to extensive growth in the demand
for our services.
Lawless said that the recession will somewhat
affect the
timing of expansion plans for the western
rail system. But, he said, the developments will take
place in full
confidence that economic growth in
western Canada will
follow.
(KEEPING TRACK)
STEAMTOWN MAY BE MOVING: DON BALL,
Steamtown U.S.A. Director, says they are
thinking of moving to Scranton, Pa. Mr. Ball
claims the State of
Vermont has failed to provide an
adequate level of support for the museum. The Dept.
of Transportation has spent 98% of its railraod
budget on the purchase of the Washington County
Branch of the D
& H, and other Vermont rail lines,
and none
forthe tracks Steamtown uses. Attendance
has been
dropping since its peak of 75,000 in 1975.
The State
of Vermont refused to erect a sign on 1-91
that could have diverted about 2% of the traffic to the
museum. Scranton, PA is
thinking of incorporating
Steamtown into a
three-part development project-­
a $13.8 million hotel renovation, restaurant complex
at
an old railroad station and a recreation area with
ski slopes. Steamtown
would be located in an old
freight yard and operate a trolley line to the
recreation area a few miles away. Surveys indicate
the possibility
of 200,000 to 300,000 tourists in the
Scranton area, near the eastern resorts of the
Pocono mountains. Talks began in
July, and are in
the discussion stage Steamtown doesnt want to
move from Vermont,
but if it does, it would take at
least two years.
THE 7.0KM (4.3 MI.) SCARBOROUGH RT (RAPID
Transit) Line, the
first application of a newtransit
concept for Metropolitan Toronto, will bring
direct rapid transit service to the Scarborough Town
Centre. It will be a tool
to help shape land use and
increase
economic development along its route. The
new lines link with the easterly terminal
of the Bloor­
Danforth subway at Eglinton Avenue and Kennedy
Road, together with the re-routing
of surface bus
routes in Scarborough, will ensure that passengers
obtain the maximum benefit from the speed and
convenience
of the new transit facility.
Approval
of the Scarborough RT was granted by
Metropolitan Toronto and the Ontario Municipal
Board
in September 1977. Original design plans
called
for the use of Light Rail Transit (street car-type
vehicles on a private
right-of-way) on the new line,
but as a result
of support from elected representatives
of Scarborough and approval by Metropolitan
Toronto Council, a change in technology to a system based on the Intermediate Capacity Transit System
(ICTS) developed
by the Urban Transportation
Development
Corporation (UTDC) was approved.
The modified
ICTS design is a computer assisted
rail transit system which employs steel wheel/steel
rail vehicles powered
by linear induction motors. It is,
in effect, a
mini-subway, fully grade separated with
pre-paid platforms and high-level loading. The basic
passenger
carrying capacity of the ICTS system
ranges from less than 5,000 to over 20,000
passengers per
hour in each direction. Modifications
to car/train lengths, headways, running times, etc.
provide
for operation outside the basic range. While
the system is designed
for fully automated operation,
the
Scarborough RT will operate with manned trains
at all times.
The ICTS vehicle, which does
not use the wheels
for traction or braking, will operate at reduced
vibration levels compared to conventional steel
wheel/steel rail vehicles. This is made possible
by the
{
-g
f
[L…..—-. __
At Grade
Elevated
Underground
Station
…….••••
•••••••••••••••
At Grade Elevated
linear induction motor traction system. The UTDCs
advanced design steerable
truck allows the axles to
swivel radially and
follow the rails through curves,
resulting in less squeal,
further contributing to
quieter train operation and lower vibration levels.
Completion
of the Scarborough RT is scheduled
for late 1984 at an estimated cost of approximately
$181-million. The capital funding is being provided
by the
Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and the
Province of Ontario. The Province has also agreed to
pay a special subsidy toward the operating cost in
recognition
of the lower ridership levels expected in
the early years
of operation and in return for
commitments on the part of the Municipality to
encourage
public transit use through land use plans
and
other measures.
The
leTS vehicle has been designed to be
acceptable for elevated operation. The lightweight,
welded
aluminum cars are small, making their visual
impact on the environment low. Track, roadbed and
current collection systems are similar to those of the
subway system. However, the use
of the linear
THE
FINANCIALLY TROUBLED MUSEUM OF
Transportation in Boston,
MA has presented a
plan to a Boston bank aimed at saving a
major
part of its collection from sale at a foreclosure
auction. The museum shut down last May, a victim
of
inflation, high operating costs and reduced attend­
ance. The museum directors decided that any future
reopening of the museum will be dedicated solely to
automobiles, rather than encompassing all modes
of
transportation. The directors will sell about $300,000
worth of pieces not needed for the new museum. The
money from the sales will be used as direct loan
payments to the bank. The repayment plan
is also
contingent upon the impending sale of the museums
portion of the wharfsite building it had occupied
before its shutdown. While nothing
is final yet, both
the Museums Board of Directors and the Bank
representatives are optimistic of a realistic solution to
the Museums problems.
The Manchester Union Leader
of December 30
reports that a group of North Country businessmen
are negotiating to buy the MT. Washington Cog
Railway from the Teague family. Sources close to the
group, which declined to be identified by name, say
that a price
slightly under $1 million has been agreed
to pending approval
of an in-state bank loan. The deal
could
be closed by mid-January. Mrs. Ellen Teague
was quoted
as saying she is delighted and pleased
that the potential buyers are from the local area.
(THE 470)
CANADAS FIRST ELECTRIC FREIGHT RAILWAY
will use locomotives that are at least nominally
Canadian. The British Columbia Railway has
ordered seven 178 tonne 6000 HP equivalent Model
induction motors for propulsion and steerable-axle
trucks to reduce wheel wear on curves are features
designed to reduce operating costs and minimize
noise. The cars will be
12.7 m (40) long -about the
size
of a standard diesel bus -and each will
accommodate
30 seated and 55 standing passengers.
Normal operating speed will
be 70km/hour and they
will be operated in trains
of two, four or six cars.
The 7.
0km (4.3 mi.) Scarborough RT starts at the
Kennedy subway station and proceeds north in
an
open right-of-way adjacent to the CN rail line to a
point just north of Ellesmere Road. At this point, the
line turns east in a 11O-metre (360) tunnel under the
CN line and then rises to
an elevated structure
through the Town Centre area to the terminal station
at McCowan Road. The line will be completely grade
separated at all roads along its route.
This alignment permits an extension to the Malvern
area and
accommodates opportunities for other
possible line extensions.
(TTC TED WICKSON)
GF6C electric
locomotives from Diesel Division,
General Motors,
London, Ontario. Underneath the
full-width body, however, the curious will find that the
50 kv AC electric power is converted to tractive effort
by transformers, converters, and controls supplied
by ASEA of Sweden. The units are of a full-width
carbody design, 20.7 metres long, carried on six
powered axles. Delivery is scheduled
for late 1983
and early 1984. The
Tumblers Ridge coal branch of
the BCR,
including two major tunnels has been under
construction for some time, and is to haul 7.7 million
tonnes
of coal annually on a 15 year contract. Mines
located at Quintette and Bullmoose will
be served by
this line to the main line at Anzac. Trains will consist
of 98 118 tonne hopper cars of coal.
(THE MARKER)
SOME YEARS
AGO THE IDEA OF A POOL OF
boxcars
seemed
to be a good way to combat the
chronic shortage of freight equipment. The pool
would
be available for all to draw upon and so Railbox
was born and eventually grew to a fleet
of 25,000
units. The
company is a part of Trailer Train which,
owned
by thirty major railroads, has similarly
supplied flatcars
for piggypack use for thirty years.
Now Railbox is hard hit not only by the economic
downturn but by the major shift away from the use of
boxcars in favor of i ntermodal trai lers and containers.
(Drive
through any port city and note the mountains
of containers testifying to the effect on that
commerce
as well) About 75% of Railboxs are idle
and default
is staring it in the face. Railboxs
difficulties should
not effect parent Trailer Train.
(RAILROAD ENTHUSIASTS JOURNAL)
CANADIAN 70
R A , L
LANGLEY
IOWNSHIP
MAPLE RIDGE
MAISQUI
PROPOSED
ROl/TtS
fOR INnGRATED
COMMl/TtR IRANSIT SYSTEM
_ TrOlnRoule
____ .. Honey Bus Roule
-Mbslon8usRouie
-PI Meadows Bus Roule
@ Ploposod Siolion
Mapping out commuter line: The proposed commuter service will run along the Burrard Inlet from downtown. Vancouver to Port Moody and into Port
Coquitlam. From Port
Coquitlam, the fine will link up with the communities of Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Haney and MISSIOn.
PART OF THE DRAMATIC CHANGE OCCURRING
within the Vancouver Division is the proposed
modification
of the existing freight line, from
Vancouver to Port Coquitlam,
to also accommodate
commuter trains.
Don Stewart, manager, development, says the
Vancouver terminal of the
commuter rail service will
be the former CP Rail Station on Cordova and
Granville streets.
CP Rail will operate the rail
commuter service, part of an integrated rail/bus/sea­
bus/ ALRT system,
for B.C. Transit.
From Granville Station, rail
commuters will be
able to go north via the Seabus, or south or west to
bus connections, Mr. Stewart says.
The Seabus is
unique in that it is a ferry transporting people across
Burrard Inlet, from Vancouver
to North Vancouver.
The rail
commuter service is a separate venture from
the mass rapid transit planned
for the lower
mainland. However, the rail service complements the
other planned transit system.
Earlier, CP Rail turned over the
Dunsmuir Tunnel
for
an underground light rail transit link to B.C. Place.
Rail
commuter users will be able to transfer to the
advanced light rapid transit system.
The
commuter rail line will run along the CP Rail
right-of-way on the south shore of Burrard Inlet
through Port
Moody into Port Coquitlam, a distance
of
17 miles (27 kilometres).
In order to conti nue to move our own freight traffic
along the lines,
we are undertaking various capital
improvements, says Mr. Stewart. Initial
work at stations includes some demolition
and building of platforms at the initial station, Port
Coquitlam, and the final station, Vancouver Granville.
Some
work will be done as well at the intermediate
stations at
Coquitlam Centre and Port Moody. New
track will have to be laid and it will be necessary to
lower the existing track by six feet (two metres) in
front of the Vancouver station. B.C. Transit will also
install stairwells and escalators for passengers
disembarking.
The track improvements and station improve­
ments necessary for our operating efficiency must be
made in
order to assure safe, comfortable movement
of
commuters and no disruption to our own freight
traffic.
The service
is estimated to cost $35.6 million over
four years. There will be two trains inbound in the
morning and two
outbound in the afternoon,
scheduled
to run at peak traffic times.
It is estimated that 65 per cent of all commuters
working in the downtown area are within a five block
radius of the Vancouver Station. The Vancouver
Station will be the hub
of Canadas most unique
transportation network, says Mr. Stewart.
CP Rail will
do all construction work and be
responsible
for safe operation of the service on behalf
of B.C. Transit. All costs for construction and
operations will
be borne by the crown corporation.
B.C. Transit has purchased five locomotives and
will lease
22 cars for the service. The trains will move
900 people each, says Mr. Stewart.
Over the three years following the inauguration of
the service, we will do additional grading track work,
ballasting,
building a new bridge over the Coquillam
River and extending the bridge at Windermere Street.
When this
is completed, the potential will be there to
expand the service as needed to four trains each way.
Studies indicate that the populations of CoquitJam,
Maple Ridge and Port
Coquitlam will double in the
next decade. Thus the project will fit into the
changing requirements of the lower mainland
tran
sportation network.
(CP RAIL NEWS)
THE INTRODUCTION OF LRC TRAINS ON THE
Quebec-Windsor corridor brings Canada a step
closer to the high-speed passenger train service
of Europe and Japan says Rejean Bechamp, vice
president
of planning and development for VIA Rail
Canada Inc.
It may take ten rr :Ire years before we
see high-performance trains in Canada comparable
to certain
other countries, but theres no doubt we are
entering a
new railway age. VIA now runs 18 LRC
trains a day in the Corridor, including three each way
between Montreal and Toronto. According to Mr.
Bechamp,
On the Montreal-Toronto corridor, a train
every
hour is our long-term objective. We are
convinced the market is there to support that
frequency. We see ourselves carrying 30 to 50 per
cent of the total intercity traffic in Canada in the 300-
500 mile range. It·s more and more apparent the
airlines are not interested in the short haul, and more
and more businessmen are
taking the train for
reasons of cost and service.
On the Quebec-Windsor corridor, VIAs LRC trains
operate at
top speeds of 155 km/h. The objective is to
reach top speeds of 200 km/h by 1990. The 540 km
journey from Toronto to Montreal would then take
three
hours forty minutes instead of todays4 hours 30
minutes. The trip between Toronto and Ottawa would
be covered in 2 hrs 40 min., between Montreal and
Ottawa in 60 min, and between Montreal and Quebec
City in 90 min. For all this to happen means exclusive
track for passenger trains. to eliminate the wear and
tear
of the freight trains which makes speeds in
excess
of 155 km/h unfeasible.
The VIA LAC lIeet consists of 50 passenger cars
and
21 locomotives. which will be expanded by 1985
to
100 cars and 31 locomotives.
(TRANSPORT
ACTION-TRANSPORT 2000)
Back cover
BCR; TUNNELLING AND BRIDGE BUILDING
continue apace on the Tumbler Ridge line. (CO)
Despite the
higher initial cost, authority has been
given
to electrify the new line thoughout. $10m. will
come
from federal and provincial funds to offset the
extra $14.2m. cost. Elaborate ventilation systems in
the 15 km.
of tunnels will be avoided. 98·car coal
trains
will operate over the 130 km line: 7 new
locomotives will be ordered to run on the 50 kv.
system (the second in
North America, after Black
Mesa and Lake Powell
in Arizona.), at $2.6m. each,
abOut $700,000 more than
a comparable diesel, but
with an expected longer life and lower manitenance
costs. Design
work is being done by CP Consulting
Services Ltd. of Montreal. Some new diesels will be
needed
for the Anzac-Prince George haul, where the
trains will move on
to CN tracks. The only NA builder
cu
rrently making electric units of the size needed
(6,000
hpj is General Electric, but rumour is the
GMOO will build the units at its London, Ont8riO,
plant,
under a manufacturing arrangement with
ASEA
of Sweden. Overhead catenary at 50 kv. will
feed 6-axle locos. Remote
Control Cars #106, ACC 7.
8,9 (aU ex-BN) are on lease to CPo
(The Sandhouse)
MR.
MICHAEL TOOLE. A 24-YEAR-OLD GRAPHIC
designer arrived five minutes early for the last
train, the 1.10 a.m. from
Oxford to Banbury. A
porter had to
admit that the train had left five minutes
earlier. but BA
promised to get Michael home
somehow.
He expected a taxi
but instead SR provided a 117
Ions, 100 mph diesel locomotive crewed by two
amused drivers.
Twenty·five minutes and 22 miles
later the VIP one passenger special pulled
into
Banbury.
Mr. Toole,
who had been visiting his girl friend.
said: I
couldnt believe my eyes, I was the sole
passenger.
British Rail said yesterd
ay: We aim to please.
Regulations say that if a passenger
is stranded and
Its
our fault we have to do something about it.
The 1.10 did pull out early so we gave the young
man the full works.
(DAILY TELEGRAM UK)
Hydro train on the Kifsifano trestle. Taken rom the
opposite side
Photo courtesy of 8. C. Hydro Photo
Canadian Rail
P.o. Box 282 St. Eustache, Que., Canada
J7R 4K6
Postmaster: if undelivered within
10 days return to sender, postage guaranteed.
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