Vol. 17 No. 12
December, 1987
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Stay Safe in 87
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Transfer Facility a Key Player in Delivering Power Project
Parts
By Tim Humphreys
Edmonton - CP Rail is involved in a 300-car movement of
specialized components for the new coal-fired, electrical generating station being built by Edmonton
Power, 50 kilometres southwest of here.
The $1.6-billion Genesee Power Project is expected to be completed by March, 1989. It will have a
capacity of 800 megawatts, enough to meet Alberta's growing electrical needs for years to come.
The railway's steel transfer facility, operated by Bates Equipment Rental Ltd., is playing a key role in handling
the specialized components, said CP Rail's Glen Bradley, sales representative.
The components were manufactured by Combustion Engineering Canada Inc. at plants in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and Long
Sault, Ontario, which are railway-served points.
"As the Genesee site was not serviced by rail, the off-loading and delivery from Edmonton was an
important aspect of the service necessary to secure this contract", Mr. Bradley said.
"This was particularly important given that the boiler pressure components required special care because of
their size, odd-shapes, and susceptibility to damage if special handling precautions were not
taken".
To ensure the shipments were handled correctly, a meeting was held among CP Rail, Bates Equipment Rental, and
Combustion Engineering at the manufacturer's Sherbrooke plant where a number of components could be seen first hand
and handling requirements resolved.
Meanwhile, CP Rail's J.T. McMicking, of marketing and sales in Toronto, developed a rate package which offered
Combustion Engineering door-to-door handling of the components at a competitive price.
Mr. Bradley said the Combustion Engineering business was the largest single contract handled through the Edmonton
steel transfer facility since it opened in April, 1985.
The facility is one of six transfer operations that make up CP Rail's system-wide STEELLINK network.
Measuring 890-square-metres, the facility features a 27-tonne overhead crane. It can
accommodate a string of eight rail cars on its lead track, each car moved in one at a time for unloading.
Bates Equipment Rental maintains a fleet of 25 trailers and four tractors for deliveries to CP Rail customers
within Alberta.
Although more than 80 percent of the product handled through the facility is steel, such as structural beams, plate,
coiled steel, pipe, and casings, the transfer facility has handled everything from glass and drilling mud to ceiling
tile and camper trailers. The majority of the products are inbound.
"Bates Equipment Rental has been involved with CP Rail for more than 20 years, originally
off-loading shipments for us at various team tracks for final delivery", Mr. Bradley said.
"In this market, where trucks are a major competitive force, the Edmonton steel transfer facility has given us
an edge in cornering new business that otherwise would have gone by highway".
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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