Carlton Trail Ry 3532 South, north of Tallman, Sask; Sept 8, 2001-
Continuing my Canadian shortline and regional theme (CSART)...and maybe MLW Monday - Memorial Day Edition (MLWMMDE). All fun aside, thanks to the Veterans, including my Dad (Navy), that we are honoring today.
I traveled Canada extensively in the early 1990s before the shortline movement from the US spilled over to north of the border. So in the later years of the decade it was fun to go back and shoot some of the former CN and CP lines with new operators
In 1997 shortline holding company OmniTrax made a splash into Canada by operating some former CN track in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. These were fairly large operations that included the over 600 mile long line to Hudson Bay, and a 100 mile line from near Saskatoon to Prince Albert. Making things interesting was the fact they acquired 20 CN MLW M420Ws and the six BRC C-424s. In addition a former INCO RS11 and three BCR M420 B-units along with some interesting EMD Geeps. They also announced some nice paint schemes along with logos based on local interests.
But like most things OmniTRAX this was too ambitious. Not much happened in the way of paint. And most of the ALCos and MLWs quickly fell into disrepair.
I did manage one chase on the Carlton Trail of their daily Prince Albert to Saskatoon freight on the Warman Sub. Here a former CN M420W leads a BC Rail M420B and an ex-Southern Pacific GP9.
Carlton Trail Ry 3532 South, north of Tallman, Sask; Sept 8, 2001-
Continuing my Canadian shortline and regional theme (CSART)...and maybe MLW Monday - Memorial Day Edition (MLWMMDE). All fun aside, thanks to the Veterans, including my Dad (Navy), that we are honoring today.
I traveled Canada extensively in the early 1990s before the shortline movement from the US spilled over to north of the border. So in the later years of the decade it was fun to go back and shoot some of the former CN and CP lines with new operators
In 1997 shortline holding company OmniTrax made a splash into Canada by operating some former CN track in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. These were fairly large operations that included the over 600 mile long line to Hudson Bay, and a 100 mile line from near Saskatoon to Prince Albert. Making things interesting was the fact they acquired 20 CN MLW M420Ws and the six BRC C-424s. In addition a former INCO RS11 and three BCR M420 B-units along with some interesting EMD Geeps. They also announced some nice paint schemes along with logos based on local interests.
But like most things OmniTRAX this was too ambitious. Not much happened in the way of paint. And most of the ALCos and MLWs quickly fell into disrepair.
I did manage one chase on the Carlton Trail of their daily Prince Albert to Saskatoon freight on the Warman Sub. Here a former CN M420W leads a BC Rail M420B and an ex-Southern Pacific GP9.