Public Relations and
Advertising Department
Windsor Station Montreal Que. H3C
3E4
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Volume 11
Number 15
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Nov. 18,
1981
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CP Rail Breaks New Ground
with Honda Deal
By Paul
Thurston
Glittering
Hondas: CP Rail has spent $250,000 on its Toronto car compound to help
Honda Canada distribute its vehicles.
Toronto - CP Rail has spent $250,000 on
improvements to its automobile compound here to help Honda Canada Inc. distribute
cars to its Canadian dealers.
Under a new contract, CP Rail is moving Hondas from the west coast to a
newly-paved part of the compound in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough,
near the main city freight yard.
Imported automobiles account for about one quarter of new car sales in Canada, and
Honda ships about 18,000 cars a year for distribution through Toronto.
"The large-scale Honda movement is new to CP Rail and gives us
more opportunity to use equipment that would otherwise return empty from Western
Canada", said John Kelsall, general manager of operation and maintenance for
the Eastern Region.
Vehicles produced in central Canadian factories are carried west on
specially-designed multi-level railway cars which are not
suitable for other types of traffic, noted Bill Manion, automobile marketing
director for CP Rail's Eastern Region.
"This contract represents a step in the right direction for overall railway
capacity," said Mr. Manion.
During a recent visit to the compound with Honda Canada President Saichiro Fujie,
the two railway officials inspected a newly-paved parking area which
can accommodate more than 1,000 cars.
CP Rail crewmen Frank Anderson and Jack Laing had just finished positioning several
carloads of 1982 Hondas at an unloading ramp, and preparations were underway to move
the cargo onto the parking area.
LARGE CAPACITY
Grading of the entire 22-acre compound was carried out before asphalt
was applied to 10 acres of parking lot and an access roadway. The area now used by
Honda had been finished in stone chips.
"Paving makes it easier to move cars quickly and contributes to overall
efficiency," said Mr. Manion. "Elimination of the stone chip surface also
reduces the risk of damage".
Overall capacity of paved and unpaved portions of the compound is 3,500 vehicles.
Two other foreign manufacturers - Toyotoa and Mazda - have leased separate parts of
the compound while some Toronto retail dealers use other areas for receiving and
storage. CP Rail's agreement with Honda is not a lease but does guarantee the
manufacturer space according to its needs.
With the Honda contract in force, the yearly through-put of the
compound, located on Canadian pacific property, will increase by about 55 percent.
Actual unloading of incoming cars and the day-to-day supervision of
the compound have been sub-contracted to Hansen's Forwarding, a
company experienced in these fields. Unloading was previously carried out by
individual manufacturers.
This CP Rail News article is copyright 1981 by
Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All
photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian
Pacific Railway Company.
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