lorencetoutant
Notch 4 and 12 pound of brake
With an healthy brake application from the 26LUM brake valve located in 9450's cab, a few notches were given on the throttle as L580 successfully crossed Québec Route 113 road crossing just south of the former location of Val-Piché station on remote Chapais subdivision.
With an heavy train of Zinc gons in tow and a roller-coaster track profile, a locomotive engineer working the "SM pool" have always his hands quite busy, keeping the 25MPH track speed on the dot along with minimizing slack action.
This crew workday began at 2300 the day before in Senneterre,QC, the hub of Abitibi territory operation. Deadheading by cab to Franquet, the junction point between Chapais and Matagami subdivision and one of the last reachable point on the line, in order to relieve the "1st 581 crew" who ran the job from Senneterre to Franquet. The 2nd 581 crew boarded the engine and headed thru the darkness of the 61 mile-long Matagami subdivision toward the namesake town of 1500 or so souls.
Spotting the huge Matagami Mines Zinc plant was the first thing done after arriving in town and after relieved the needs of the mine and pulling the outbound loads, diesel fuel was delivered to the local dealer along with cement and empty woodchip cars for the other railway customers in town. At the same time, they collected the released cars and built their outbound train.
It's now early in the morning and after backing up the small train toward the subdivision's half moon, the crew of two went to bed at the local railway bunk situated no more than 100 feet from the idling 645 prime mover.
The return trip began a mere 6-hours after closing their eyes. Bunk was cleaned, handbrakes released and 9450 was soon on the move bound for home.
Rolling about a mile, the train was leaved on the main and light engine rounded the east leg of Matagami wye in order to grab those loaded gons of Zinc, prepared in the wee hours of the day. After a quick brake test and a call to the RTC for an OCS clearance, L580 was quickly on the move and out of town. They must bring back the train to Senneterre before expiring on the 12th hour law.
That day, a side trip was in order to serves Langlois Mine in Grevet,QC near the end of the active part of the Chapais subdivision.
Unfortunately, a single GP40-2 can't pull all the collected cars over that hilly track profile and trafic were leave into one of Franquet back track.
And now we are, watching the diminutive train, racing back toward Senneterre yard before reaching the 12th hour of work, throttle in 4th notch dodging a "run in" from the loaded cars behind on a cloudy late afternoon day in Abitibi.
It's believe that harsh active forest fires in that area completely destroyed many parts of CN Chapais and Matagami subdivision. Damage are still unknown at this time as a part of Senneterre and Lebel-sur-Quévillon cities are stil evacuated and more than 80 fires are still active in Abitibi part of Québec.
For now, Quévillon and Matagami didn't saw active rail service since more than two weeks. CN abolished the "SM Pool" in Senneterre and trafic bout for these trackage was stacked in Senneterre yard.
Also, Matagami Mine closed their Matagami operation in June 2022 ending an operation who began in 1963. With CN's biggest customer out of town and possibly miles and miles of damaged track and structure on the line, many advanced the fact that it may be the end of the Matagami subdivision.
CN L58021-13
9450
Milepost 43.5 Chapais subdivision
Lebel-sur-Quévillon,QC
September 13th 2017
Notch 4 and 12 pound of brake
With an healthy brake application from the 26LUM brake valve located in 9450's cab, a few notches were given on the throttle as L580 successfully crossed Québec Route 113 road crossing just south of the former location of Val-Piché station on remote Chapais subdivision.
With an heavy train of Zinc gons in tow and a roller-coaster track profile, a locomotive engineer working the "SM pool" have always his hands quite busy, keeping the 25MPH track speed on the dot along with minimizing slack action.
This crew workday began at 2300 the day before in Senneterre,QC, the hub of Abitibi territory operation. Deadheading by cab to Franquet, the junction point between Chapais and Matagami subdivision and one of the last reachable point on the line, in order to relieve the "1st 581 crew" who ran the job from Senneterre to Franquet. The 2nd 581 crew boarded the engine and headed thru the darkness of the 61 mile-long Matagami subdivision toward the namesake town of 1500 or so souls.
Spotting the huge Matagami Mines Zinc plant was the first thing done after arriving in town and after relieved the needs of the mine and pulling the outbound loads, diesel fuel was delivered to the local dealer along with cement and empty woodchip cars for the other railway customers in town. At the same time, they collected the released cars and built their outbound train.
It's now early in the morning and after backing up the small train toward the subdivision's half moon, the crew of two went to bed at the local railway bunk situated no more than 100 feet from the idling 645 prime mover.
The return trip began a mere 6-hours after closing their eyes. Bunk was cleaned, handbrakes released and 9450 was soon on the move bound for home.
Rolling about a mile, the train was leaved on the main and light engine rounded the east leg of Matagami wye in order to grab those loaded gons of Zinc, prepared in the wee hours of the day. After a quick brake test and a call to the RTC for an OCS clearance, L580 was quickly on the move and out of town. They must bring back the train to Senneterre before expiring on the 12th hour law.
That day, a side trip was in order to serves Langlois Mine in Grevet,QC near the end of the active part of the Chapais subdivision.
Unfortunately, a single GP40-2 can't pull all the collected cars over that hilly track profile and trafic were leave into one of Franquet back track.
And now we are, watching the diminutive train, racing back toward Senneterre yard before reaching the 12th hour of work, throttle in 4th notch dodging a "run in" from the loaded cars behind on a cloudy late afternoon day in Abitibi.
It's believe that harsh active forest fires in that area completely destroyed many parts of CN Chapais and Matagami subdivision. Damage are still unknown at this time as a part of Senneterre and Lebel-sur-Quévillon cities are stil evacuated and more than 80 fires are still active in Abitibi part of Québec.
For now, Quévillon and Matagami didn't saw active rail service since more than two weeks. CN abolished the "SM Pool" in Senneterre and trafic bout for these trackage was stacked in Senneterre yard.
Also, Matagami Mine closed their Matagami operation in June 2022 ending an operation who began in 1963. With CN's biggest customer out of town and possibly miles and miles of damaged track and structure on the line, many advanced the fact that it may be the end of the Matagami subdivision.
CN L58021-13
9450
Milepost 43.5 Chapais subdivision
Lebel-sur-Quévillon,QC
September 13th 2017