May/June 1969         Volume 8, Number 3

CP Rail Gondolas Designed for
Advanced Unit Train Operation

Canadian Pacific Railway Hawker Siddeley built bathtub gondolas were initially painted with red bodies but were later changed to black - 2001 Grahame Morris.
 

The 348 steel gondola cars being constructed for CP Rail at Trenton, Nova Scotia, by Hawker Siddeley Canada Ltd., at a cost of $6,000,000, are designed for use in one of the most advanced unit train operations in North America. Delivery is scheduled for the last four months of this year.
 
The new cars will be assigned to a sophisticated unit train system developed by CP Rail to carry more than 3,000,000 tons of export coal annually from the Crowsnest area in southeastern British Columbia to Roberts Bank superport, 20 miles south of Vancouver. The first unit train is expected to enter service later this year.
 
"The equipment order is another example of the substantial economic benefits accruing to Canadians through the development of our natural resources and the selection of an all-Canadian route for the movement of the export coal", said S.M. Gossage, vice-president, CP Rail.
 
The new design development for the 105-ton capacity gondola cars features tapered sides and ends and a rounded bottom that is just one foot above the rails between the wheel and axle assemblies.
 
"The configuration is unique and has several operating advantages", said H.W. Hayward, chief of motive power and rolling stock. "It permits free flow of the coal during unloading, reduces the amount of residue left in the car to a minimum, and lowers the centre of gravity of each car".
 
Each of the cars will be joined by a rotary coupler which will make it possible to turn the cars upside down in a special rotating dumping device and unload the coal without uncoupling the train.
 
Placement of the car order with Hawker Siddeley moved CP Rail another step closer to launching its coal unit train system. In February, the company placed a $19,000,000 order for 51 new diesel locomotives, including 21 units rated at 3,000 horsepower and destined for coal service. The locomotives will be built in Montreal by MLW-Worthington Limited.

This Spanner news article is copyright 1969 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.