Mini Website by Helmut. Set up Aug/99. Updated December 4^th 2001

Last of the Alcos on BC Rail, put into service account power shortages. These are C-420s, also known as "Alligators", and we see these two engines with consecutive numbers (631 & 632) in BC Rail's two main paint schemes they have had. The crews really like them, they wind up quickly !

 Electrics on the Tumbler Ridge Line

Many of you know that one of my main interests in railways are electrics, hence my interest in The Milwaukee Road. BC Rail's Electric operation was one of only a few in the western part of North America.

One is the "Black Mesa and Lake Powell", a 90 mile line operating between New Mexico and Arizona, between a mine and the power plant at Page. Another one, about 20 to 30 miles in length between Blue Mountain, CO. and Bonanza, UT. Also a mine to power plant operation. As well, there may be one or two operating in Texas.

Word has it the BC Rail Electrics won't survive long for various reasons, the main one being economics. The traffic is not what was expected initially, the price of export coal has dropped dramatically and diesels can now get through the tunnels with much less problems that was experienced when the line was built. BC Rail successfully tested the Morrison-Knudson 5000 HP Caterpillar engined locomotives for some time last year on the Tumbler Ridge Line. Though, where it was thought that 3-5 trains would use the line daily, it is at present not even 1 train per day.

Some of the reasons the electrics are unlikely to survive:

- They are not as reliable as is perceived. All traction motors had to be redone.

- There is no more support for these locomotives. When EMD built them during the fuel crisis it was thought, electrics were the wave of the future, and many railways would go this way. Not so.

- They are not owned by BC Rail and the lease runs out next year.

- They (BC Rail) have bought all the spare parts from EMD, but that's it. All there is.

- They are the only engines of this type on BC Rail, and similar to other railways they are trying to standardize their power. This would be an obvious move.

- Upkeep Cost, catenary, haulage of electrics for standard inspection.

- Traffic density, due to global economics (price and demand of coal) plus local politics is not up to required levels to support this type of operation.

- Cost of power was not bad, BUT there was an additional "Demand Charge" which was very high and remained the same whether BC Rail ran 1 or 7 trains a day. Running only 1 train a day this was very uneconomical. I believe the charge was in the neighbourhood of 100,000 plus per month, and had it not been for BC Hydro (the local utility) reducing this demand charge twice over the last 2 years (due to pressure from BC Rail), the electrics would be gone already.

Bottom line, if you want to see these electrics, BETTER HURRY !! Photo ops are a bit of a tough drive, but can be found at Tacheeda, Parsnip River Bridge, Wolverine and Table Tunnels, Teck and Qunitette Loadouts as well as the Murry Bridge. If you're using a scanner, radio frequency is 159.570.

The trains come empty from the unloading facility at Ridley Island at Prince Rupert and over 4 Subdivisions and 467 miles on the CN to Prince George, where BC Rail crews take over, bring them on to BC Rail tracks and take them 72.5 miles North to Tacheeda where the catenary begins. Just 2 miles north of Tacheeda is Wakely Jct. where the catenary turns off BC Rail's main line towards Tumbler Ridge and the Wolverine and Quintette Mines, 82 miles away. This is also the lowest crossing of the Rockies by a railway in North America and is accomplished by two tunnels, "Table Tunnel", 5.6 miles long and "Wolverine Tunnel", 3.7 miles long. The highest elevation of 3815' is reached here as well. It was these tunnels that were one of the reasons the line was initially electrified.

The masts are galvanized steel, power is 50 Kilovolts (50000 Volts). There is only one substation on the line, quite near Tumbler Ridge where a main transmission line passes by. BC Rail has a total of 7 electrics Nos 6001-6007 built by EMD and Ahlstrom. BC Rail leases the locomotives, and since EMD was not going to build any more, they have taken over all spare parts etc. Remember this was done during the height of the fuel crisis.

Since I was in Prince George for the PGE/BCR & CN Sig convention recently, I thought I'd find my way out to Tacheeda and snap a few pictures. Luck was on my side and I was able to catch the following change off.

Enjoy!

Electrics 6001-6002-6007 sunning themselves in their assigned track at Tacheeda waiting for the eastbound. The 6601 was retrieved from scrapping at Tacoma and is preserved at the Prince George Railway museum from a private donation.

CN Engines backing into their storage (holding) track

Electrics pulling out to main line and train.

With a whoosh of fans the train of empties leaves over the East Switch Tacheeda.

Freddie riding the last car. And this will be it until early the following afternoon when the loads return and the electrics are swapped for the diesels. It will also be the same crew who spent the night in Tumbler Ridge.

http://webhome.idirect.com/~helmutw/milwrd for Milwaukee Road "Lines West" Website.

http://www.railvids.com for engine cab rides videos on CP Rail in British Columbia and Rick's Videos on Cabooses.

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