Since 1987 (at the latest), the Canadian Pacific Railway has employed two special passenger trains (one maroon heavyweight train and one silver streamliner train) chock-full of computers and measuring equipment which they take all over their network to inspect the rails, ties, and roadbed of all the tracks. This just changed after 30 years. (Click "Read More" to keep reading this post) The trains consisted a four axle locomotive (with the exception of an SD40-2, now and then) - it would always be an EMD, anyway, with cameras mounted on it. Then came an "Accommodation Car" with living quarters for the train crew, a boxcar with a HEP generator (or in the case of the maroon train, a Gauge Restraint Measurement Vehicle - a retrofitted boxcar with a HEP generator and another set of wheels for measuring the track gauge), and an Evaluation Car (a theatre-observation car full of computers, measuring equipment, and a horn, bell, and a set of headlights for backup moves. Fun Fact: There is a paint error on CP's Gauge Restraint Measurement Vehicle (CP 424993) says "Gauge Restraint Measurement Vehicle" on one side, and says "Gauge Measurement Restraint Vehicle" on the other. They've been using these two trains for about 30 years to inspect the network, but recently, CP has decided that they're too old. So, they threw the Accommodation Cars and the HEP boxcar into the CPR pavilion in downtown Calgary and put the two Evaluation Cars and the Gauge Restraint Measurement Vehicle on a storage line in the Ogden Yards and tried to sell them as they were obsolete - unlike the Accommodation cars and the HEP car. (look: https://www8.cpr.ca/snpevweb/snp/Pages/ViewTender.aspx?tender=6552) Nobody bought them. And they're still there - but they probably don't have much longer to live. In October 2022, CP sold their downtown pavilion and they couldn't store equipment there any more. So they hooked up the strange consist of a boxcar, a the two accomodation cars, the HEP boxcar, and two other coaches for the Royal Canadian Pacific (all the rolling stock in the pavilion) to a Brandt Hy-Railer and they went to the Alyth Yard. I was fortunate to catch this move, but there was an intermodal train in my way, so I couldn't get many good pictures. They tied down the consist on a storage track in the west end of Alyth for about a month. Eventually the cars were moved from Alyth to Ogden and the consist was broken up. The Accommodation Cars were moved on to the track directly north of the languishing Evaluation Cars. Their future is brighter than the Evaluation Cars (since they don't have 1980s computers in them, which means they're not obsolete), but it's still not terribly bright. You can read more about CP's old TEC trains here: http://www.okthepk.ca/dataCprSiding/articles/200710/tec00.htm#tec05 https://www8.cpr.ca/snpevweb/snp/Pages/ViewTender.aspx?tender=6552 Evaluation Car CP 63 "Mount Wolsey" (foreground) sits by Accommodation Car CP 68 (background). Once inseparable cars in the same consist, they've now been retired and their fates are unknown. The same goes for Evaluation Car CP 64 "Mount Flemmer" and Accomodation Car CP 65, which sit further down the tracks. Clearly, the old TEC Trains are not going to be used any more. What's the replacement going to be? Meet CP's new state-of-the-art TEC Train. CP is going for a real "out with the old (maroon and streamliner look) and in with the new (red paint scheme)" look for this train. It's hauled by specially outfitted GP20c-ECO 2227 and there's no bulky boxcar in the consist. I really like that they've managed to fit the HEP generator and the Gauge Restraint Measurement Vehicle into a passenger car instead of a boxcar. It looks a lot nicer. Just like the old TEC trains, this one shows up semi-regularly around the network and it's quite the treat to see it. If it's ever tied down in Calgary for a weekend, it's usually on the ML Lead (aka the spur beside the wye from 12th St. East onto the Red Deer Subdivision). There are some things about this train that I can't say I like. The first is that it lacks character compared to the original TEC trains. I miss the traditional maroon/streamliner cars, but again, the upside of the new train is that there's not an ugly boxcar in the middle of the consist. The worst thing though, is what I like to call the "Railfan Deterrent". On the back of the last car, they have this cover that they can roll over the rear window. Apparently they don't like people seeing what goes on inside this train (let's not forget that all the other windows are heavily tinted). Other than that, this train is a big upgrade from the old ones. It's got lasers for track measurements which is something the old ones did not have. It's got cRaZy precise measurement equipment. The passenger cars themself are old, but they've all been retrofitted with some pretty high-tech stuff. The locomotive has even been specially assigned to this train. On the old trains, they were designed to have different locomotives. This one has been assigned GP20c-ECO 2227 and I know that because it has special connection cables to the passenger cars that other GP20c-ECOs lack, as well as the message on the back of the long hood which is also on all the passenger cars: "Please consult track evaluation crew before uncoupling". You don't want to unexpectedly jostle a highly calibrated train like this one without notice. If you live near CP, you'll eventually see this train. I've seen it at least 3 times in Calgary already, despite CP's best efforts: Before we wrap up, I should point out that I don't know the history of the rolling stock on this train. I'll probably learn when I get my hands on the latest Canadian Trackside Guide. What I do know, however, are the road numbers of the equipment. Starting at the head end, we have GP20c-ECO 2227. Next, there's CP 94, likely known to CP as the Accommodation Car, if they've carried the name over to the new train. After this, there's CP 93, which is a windowless generator car and Gauge Restraint Measurement Vehicle. Finally, there's CP 91, the Evaluation Car (if CP still calls it that, of course).
The consist order hasn't really changed from the old train. The track evaluation hardware has. Thanks for reading!
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