Some Caribbean GE’s
Since Modesto & Empire Traction’s fleet of GE 70-ton locomotives were sold off nearly a decade ago, the largest operator of the endcab switcher is Central Romana in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The roster of 18 units have been rebuilt with Caterpillar engines, raising the hood and adding a large radiator grill. Some units were built new for CR, others acquired used from various American shortlines. In late December 2015 the fleet is ready for the sugar cane cutting season. No. 19 was built new for CR in 1957; No. 30 was originally Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co. in Arizona in 1951; and No. 33 was originally Pere Marquette No. 21 built in 1947.
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL BURKHART
CANADIAN SHORTLINES GLENN COURTNEY
Motive Power Shorts Cargill has assigned SD38 No. 602
(built as Penn Central No. 6952, later Conrail No. 6952, Norfolk Southern No. 3817, and most recently NREX No. 3817) to its terminal at Elm Creek, Man. The terminal in Davidson, Sask., is being switched by SD38 No. 603 (built as Penn Central No. 6951, later Conrail No. 6951, Norfolk Southern No. 3816, and most recently NREX No. 3816) ... Parrish & Heimbecker has assigned SD40M-2 No. 11 (built as Southern Pacific SD45 No. 8863) to Gladstone, Man. Its elevator in Moose Jaw, Sask., is being switched by S20 No. 15 (built as Southern SD24 No. 2522) ... Viterra is using former Canadian Pacific chop-nose GP9u No. 1553 to switch its elevator at Grimshaw, Alb.
Ontario Northland Lockout Update As of early December,
IRON ORE ROADS DAVE SCHAUER
Iron Ore Woes Continue
A glut of overseas steel has pushed ore prices to a ten-year low and forced the temporary closing of many major mining operations on Minnesota and Michigan iron ranges. The following is a 2015 timeline of the production disruptions. Feb. 24: Magnetation announced it would idle its Keewatin plant, affecting 49 workers. March 12: U.S. Steel Corp. said it would idle its taconite plant in Keewatin in May, laying off up to 412 workers. BNSF serves this plant. March 31: U.S. Steel Corp. announced it would idle parts of its Minntac taconite plant in Mountain Iron in June with 400 workers laid off. Most have been called back as the plant resumed full production in the fall. May 24: Steel Dynamics announced
Ontario
Northland’s shop workers who repair the railway’s cars and locomotives, as well as the company’s highway buses, remained locked out. On December 7, the company announced that it had reached a five-year deal with the union representing its signal maintainers. Despite its labor troubles, Ontario Northland ran its annual Christmas train to visit online communities. The train’s first stop was Temagami on December 2. Eleven communities were visited by the time the train made its final stop in North Bay on December 21.
12 FEBRUARY 2016 •
RAILFAN.COM
the immediate idling of its Canadian National-served Mesabi Nugget plant in Hoyt Lakes and Mining Resources in Chisholm. Nearly 200 workers were laid off for at least two years. June: Cliffs Natural Resources shuttered its Empire mine at Palmer, Mich. This mine and pelletizing plant restarted in late October with pellet production being routed over CN through Escanaba, Mich. July 29:
Cliffs Natural Resources
said it would idle United Taconite operations in Eveleth and Forbes, laying off 420 employees. This CN-served plant remains closed through at least the first quarter of 2016. November 18: Magnetation idles BNSF-served Plant No. 2 with 163 jobs
furloughed.
November 27: Cliffs Natural Resources idles Northshore Mining in Silver Bay, laying off most of its 540 workers
there. The mine’s 47-mile
private railroad is also idle at this time. The plant and railroad are expected to be down through the first quarter of 2016. December 8: Iron Ore Company of Canada delays development of its Wabush 3 mine expansion. The Newfoundland and Labrador governments gave their approval for the new open pit mine in September and development was expected to begin in 2016 with mining to commence in 2018. This expansion is critical to IOC’s continuing operations and its delay concerns local officials. On November 23, U. S. Steel confirmed it will temporarily idle its Granite City, Ill., mill near St. Louis in December. Granite City was once owned by National Steel Corporation and acquired by U.S. Steel in 2003 through a purchase of
National’s assets in bankruptcy
court. This mill traditionally received its iron ore pellets via BN (BNSF) all- rail trains from National Taconite (Keewatin Taconite) but have been supplied by Minntac after Keewatin’s May shutdown.
BNSF Railway
Despite depressed iron ore business, BNSF is receiving 200 new ore cars from Freight Car America’s Alabama plant to upgrade its fleet and replace older cars that have been retired or damaged. On December 10, Train UBIRALL1-07 with C44-9W 4891/C44-9W 4508 as power arrived at BNSF’s Allouez (Superior, Wis.) ore terminal with the first 100
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