Vol. 17 No. 12
December, 1987
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Stay Safe in 87
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"Most Difficult" Military Exercise Tested Railway's
Performance Too
CP Rail's Paul Godman said competitive
pressures, as well as military demands for service, facilities, equipment, and timing of railway shipments were much
more severe than in previous years.
"On-time" performance was never more crucial than during
a multi-faceted move by CP Rail of military equipment to Alberta this summer.
The move involved more than 1,300 rail cars of equipment from various locations in Canada. It culminated at
Wainwright, Alberta, where 11,000 Canadian Armed Forces personnel were involved in a 70-day-long
military exercise called Rendezvous '87.
It was the fourth time CP Rail has participated in the biannual exercise. Paul Godman, national marketing
representative with CP Rail's automotive group in Toronto, said this year's exercise "was the most difficult
Rendezvous yet".
"Competitive pressures, as well as military demands for service, facilities, equipment, and timing (of
shipments), were much more severe than in previous maneuvers", he said, noting that its success was a credit to
the cooperation of CP Rail staff in all departments.
The scheduling of the many trains involved was critical.
"The logistics of the movement were such that the trains had to arrive at the same time as the military
personnel so that the various training activities would not be delayed", he said. the activities were
prescheduled and could not be altered without great difficulty.
Two sizes of flatcars, bi-levels, gondolas, boxcars, chain-tie-down flatcars, and
intermodal trailers were used to carry everything from M60 tanks and personnel carriers to trailers and medical
supplies.
Wayne Lucas, manager off-line car service in Montreal, was charged with the task of leasing more than
500 chain-tie-down flatcars for the move. He also co-ordinated the allocation of rail
cars from CP Rail's own fleet.
Mr. Lucas teamed up with Doug Courtney, manager, transportation operations in Montreal, who set up solid trains,
secured the necessary motive power and co-ordinated train schedules to meet the military's
on-time requirements.
Planning for the move began in September, 1985, with a post-mortem meeting with the military about CP
Rail's successful involvement in Rendezvous '85. Involved in the planning from day one was Maurice Daynard, now
retired as sales director for CP Rail at Smiths Falls, who drew on his experience with the three previous Rendezvous
exercises.
As this summer approached, rate levels were negotiated, dimensional clearances confirmed, a streamlined freight
claim procedure developed, and new vehicle inspection procedures established.
During training sessions at Valcartier, Quebec, Petawawa, Ontario, and Edmonton, Alberta, CP Rail staff instructed
military personnel on the proper techniques to load, unload, and secure their equipment on the various rail car
types to ensure a damage-free delivery.
CP Rail also upgraded its loading/unloading facilities at London and Petawawa, Ontario, and Rosyth and Suffield,
Alberta, in order to secure a greater share of the military's move.
At Rosyth, Saskatoon Superintendent Mark Mudie and his staff pulled out all the stops to ensure the military's
equipment was transferred smoothly from rail cars to awaiting trucks for the final 64-kilometre journey
to the Canadian Forces Base at Wainwright.
The use of trucks to deliver the military equipment was a first for the Rendezvous exercise and it provided just
another wrinkle for the railway to iron out successfully.
"This is the third time I have been involved in this type of move and the efforts of many individuals across the
CP Rail system definitely made this project the most successful yet", Mr. Godman said.
These last three photographs depict the
loading of military equipment onto flatcars at London, Ontario, earlier this summer. It was the the fourth time CP
Rail has successfully participated in the exercises.
This CP Rail News article is copyright
1987 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.
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