CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY

CNR TRAIN NO. Q115

on the T H R E E H I L L S Subdivision C. van Steenis, Chestermere, Alberta 12 Nov 2009

The Canadian National Railway operates a daily high-priority intermodal from Brampton, Ontario, to Calgary, Alberta, via

Edmonton, Alberta: Train No. Q115. The train normally consists of two or three motive power units with a number of general

merchandise cars and a hundred or more intermodal platforms. From Edmonton, the train travels 95 miles south on the

Camrose Subdivision to Mirror, where it starts a 126 mile run to Calgary on the Three Hills Subdivision. Here we follow the

train on that subdivision from the Town of Three Hills at M 60.2 to Sarcee Yard in Calgary at M 126.0. This section, built by

the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and at that time named the Calgary Subdivision, opened for service in 1913.

CNR’s THREE HILLS SUBDIVISION

The Subdivision from Mirror to Calgary was opened for service by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in Sep 1913 and was named the Calgary Subdivision; full service from Calgary to Edmonton via Tofield commenced on 09 Jun 1914.

The Canadian National Railway was formed by the Government of Canada in 1918 to take over a number of failing railways. The Grand Trunk Pacific was fully integrated into the Canadian National Railway by January 1923.

The stations on the original line between Three Hills and Calgary of Twining, Granger (Grainger), Bircham and Kathryn no longer appear in the current CNR timetable; the station (siding) of Bill Harte, just north of Beiseker has been added.

Since the CNR abandoned its Drumheller Subdivision in late 2008, this route (Edmonton-Camrose-Mirror-Calgary) is now the only connection between the CNR’s transcontinental main line (through Saskatoon and Edmonton) to Calgary.

Canadian National operates two daily trains on this route: the Q115 intermodal from Brampton and the Q114 to Brampton from Calgary. There are a few other scheduled movements weekly but these are not on a daily basis.

Stations from GTP 1916 Timetable

M 60 - THREE HILLS

Q115-8821 SOUTH: CN 8821, CN 5790 & CN 2528 with 33 manifest cars plus 116 intermodal platforms passes between the

1967 Alberta Wheat Pool and 1919 Parrish & Heimbecker grain elevators (1) at Three Hills, AB., on 26 Oct 2009.

M 65 - SOUTH OF THREE HILLS

Q115-8821 SOUTH: CN 8821, CN 5790 & CN 2528 with 33 manifest cars plus 116 intermodal platforms heads south across

the rolling prairie, 5 miles south of Three Hills, AB., towards the next station, Swalwell, on 26 Oct 2009.

M 73 - SWALWELL

Q115-8821 SOUTH: CN 8821, CN 5790 & CN 2528, with 33 manifest cars plus 116 intermodal platforms, struggle to bring the

consist up the 1% grade to the summit of the ridge known as the Knee Hills at Swalwell on 26 Oct 2009.

M 78 – KNEEHILLS CREEK

Q115-2570 SOUTH: CNR 2570, BC Rail 4619 & CNR 5724 with 13 manifest cars and 99 platforms cross the valley of Kneehills

Creek between Swalwell and Bircham on 27 Oct 2009. Below is the 1921 grade of CPR’s Langdon Sub (abandoned in 1995).

M 78 – KNEEHILLS CREEK

Q115-8007 SOUTH: CNR 8077, 2598 & 5799 cross the valley of Kneehills Creek at M 78.8, south of Swalwell. This section of

line was opened by the Grand Trunk Pacific in Sep 1913; in 1956 CN replaced the original trestle with this one. 31 Oct 2009

M 90 – BILL HARTE

CNR 5611 WORK EXTRA NORTH: CNR 5611 & 8022 with an automated 54 car Herzog ‘PLUS’ (Programmable Linear Unloading

System) ballast train have just pulled out of the siding at Bill Harte, AB., after Q115 has passed heading south. 31 Oct 2009

M 90 – BILL HARTE

CNR 5611 WORK EXTRA NORTH: CNR 5611 & 8022 with a 54 car Herzog ballast train departs from Bill Harte, AB., on 31 Oct

2009 to spread ballast along the line. The cars each have a GPS sensor (inset) that allow dumping of ballast automatically at

the locations and for the distances programmed into an onboard computer by CN’s engineering department. The ballast train

travels at a constant 17 mph while spreading ballast; no workers are needed outside of the train during spreading operations.

M 91 - BEISEKER

Q115-8007 SOUTH: CNR 8007, 2598 & 5799 pass the Canada Malting elevator (formerly a Cargill elevator) on the north

side of the Village of Beiseker, AB., on 31 Oct 2009

M 91 - BEISEKER

CNR # 619-63 Plasser & Theurer Model 62N DTS (Dynamic Track Stabilizer) at Beiseker, AB. on 23 Aug 2008. This unit

compacts newly applied ballast by vibration and removes the need for ‘slow orders’ after ballast has been applied.

M 91 - BEISEKER

Q115-8821 SOUTH: CN 8821, CN 5790 & CN 2528 with 33 manifest cars plus 116 intermodal platforms passes by the 1967

Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevator (1) at Beiseker on 26 Oct 2009.

M 99 – SOUTH OF IRRICANA

Q115-8007 SOUTH: CNR 8007, 2598 & 5799 with a mixed manifest & intermodal consist is one mile south of Irricana, AB.; on

31 Oct 2009

M 103 – SOUTH OF IRRICANA

CNR 5328 WORK EXTRA SOUTH: CNR SD40-2(W) # 5328, after dropping its last section of continuous welded rail at this

location south of the Town of Irricana, AB., on 30 Oct 2009, will move to the siding at Delacour to let the Q115 train pass.

M 104 – SOUTH OF IRRICANA

Q115-2570 SOUTH: CNR Dash 9-44CW # 2570, BC Rail Dash 8-40CMu # 4619 and CNR SD75I # 5724, totaling 13,100

horsepower, with 13 manifest cars and 99 platforms, roll across the prairie south of the Town of Irricana on 27 Oct 2009.

M 107 - KATHRYN

Q115-2570 SOUTH: CNR Dash 9-44CW # 2570, BC Rail Dash 8-40CMu # 4619 and CNR SD75I # 5724 with 13 manifest cars and

99 platforms roll across the prairie 1 mile south of the hamlet of Kathryn on 27 Oct 2009.

M 107 - KATHRYN

Q115-8821 SOUTH: CN 8821, CN 5790 & CN 2528 with 33 manifest cars plus 116 intermodal platforms cross over a prairie

wetland south of Kathryn on 26 Oct 2009.

M 109 – BETWEEN KATHRYN & DELACOUR

Q115- 2291 SOUTH: CN 2291 & BCOL 4607, totaling 8,800 horsepower, leading 37 manifest cars plus 103 intermodal

platforms at M 109 of the Three Hills Subdivision, between Kathryn and Delacour, AB., on 25 Oct 2009.

M 111 - DELACOUR

Q115- 2291 SOUTH: CN 2291 & BCOL 4607 leading 37 manifest cars plus 103 intermodal platforms at Delacour, AB., on 25

Oct 2009.

M 115 – BRIDGE MAINTENANCE

This CNR bridge crew with their 40 ton Ohio crane replacing timbers on this road overpass caused a 10 mile per hour slow

order for the Q115 trains; at Mile 115. The crew would head their work train to the Delacour siding for approaching trains.

M 117 - CONRICH

Q115- 2291 SOUTH: CN 2291 & BCOL 4607 leading 37 manifest cars plus 103 intermodal platforms at Conrich, AB.,

approaching the Calgary city limits, on 25 Oct 2009.

M 126 – SARCEE YARD, CALGARY

Q115-8869 SOUTH: With a chinook arch overhead, brand new CN SD70M-2 # 8869 and # 8872 as well as CN SD40u # 6020

arrive at Sarcee Yard, Calgary, AB., with the intermodal train on 03 Feb 2009.

M 126 – SARCEE YARD, CALGARY

Q115-8869 SOUTH: Typical motive power on a mid-size Q115 train, such as CN SD70M-2 # 8869 and # 8872 and CN SD40u #

6020 with 11,600 horsepower, on 03 Feb 2009 at Sarcee Yard. Heavier trains can have 13,000 horsepower or more.

References:

1. All grain elevator construction and closing data used with permission from: Vanishing Sentinels, Jim Pearson, Delia,

Alberta, 2007, available as a publication from Jim Pearson and at selected bookstores or on-line at:

http://web.mac.com/difdbs/Vanishing_Sentinels/Home.html

2. All digital images by the author 2009