eric789fal
What Year is it Again?
With CP's North Toronto Searchlights soon to expire with cut-overs expected in the coming years, and BNSF ramping up their deadlines of BN-Executive-Paint SD70MACs, seeing one lead under the Howland cantilevers was a sight I couldn't resist seeing.
US origin CPKC trains forbid PTC-free power from leading, and often Toronto will prioritize crew-favourites for power over anything else. Fortunately, Toronto has been power-hungry lately (case-in-point: CP 5936 is leading the autorack local in the foreground) as BNSF 9783 was originally destined for Montreal on a 132, but was promptly taken off and put trailing on a Detroit-bound 135 behind CP 9753. Usually Detroit's access to a wye guarantees the use of such prior to the power returning on 134, and I, among many other railfans, was 90% sure they would keep the AC4400 leading especially considering 9783 is PTC-less. An update shortly after midnight of 9783's leading position on 134 was posted with only 7 hours of notice to those in Toronto. This time-frame would've been much smaller, had 134 been a faster train, and perhaps a higher hp/ton ratio. These guys had 508 axles powered by only 8400 horsepower, so the slow-sailing train allowed a suckerhole to finally contact the south track after about 35 minutes of daylight, and 10 minutes to spare prior to 134's arrival.
What Year is it Again?
With CP's North Toronto Searchlights soon to expire with cut-overs expected in the coming years, and BNSF ramping up their deadlines of BN-Executive-Paint SD70MACs, seeing one lead under the Howland cantilevers was a sight I couldn't resist seeing.
US origin CPKC trains forbid PTC-free power from leading, and often Toronto will prioritize crew-favourites for power over anything else. Fortunately, Toronto has been power-hungry lately (case-in-point: CP 5936 is leading the autorack local in the foreground) as BNSF 9783 was originally destined for Montreal on a 132, but was promptly taken off and put trailing on a Detroit-bound 135 behind CP 9753. Usually Detroit's access to a wye guarantees the use of such prior to the power returning on 134, and I, among many other railfans, was 90% sure they would keep the AC4400 leading especially considering 9783 is PTC-less. An update shortly after midnight of 9783's leading position on 134 was posted with only 7 hours of notice to those in Toronto. This time-frame would've been much smaller, had 134 been a faster train, and perhaps a higher hp/ton ratio. These guys had 508 axles powered by only 8400 horsepower, so the slow-sailing train allowed a suckerhole to finally contact the south track after about 35 minutes of daylight, and 10 minutes to spare prior to 134's arrival.