Canadian Pacific Railway Employee
Communications
Room 500 401-9th Ave S.W. Calgary AB T2P 4Z4
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VOLUME THIRTY-TWO
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NUMBER THREE 2002
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Push Comes to Shove in Rogers
Pass
Roger Burrows
Correspondent
Rogers Pass, BC - "Thanks for the push"
has been a typical radio response here this summer, as westbound CPR train crews
saluted the pusher crews tucked safely in the backtrack at Stoney Creek siding.
For the first time since the completion of the new main line through Mount
MacDonald, regular manned helpers have been in operation through BC's Selkirk
Mountains on the steeper "Connaught Track" between Rogers and Stoney
Creek siding. The territory is CPR's Mountain Subdivision between Field and
Revelstoke, BC.
Since 1989, the Connaught Track with its 2.3 percent grade has been the downhill
route for most eastbound traffic. The MacDonald Track, with an easier one percent
incline, has handled most of the uphill westbound movements, particularly heavy
unit trains of export coal, potash, and grain. But with the Shaughnessy Tunnel in
need o repair, the Mac Track was temporarily closed.
"Squeezing all our traffic through on the Connaught Track represented a
significant operational challenge to the NMC (Network Management Center), as well
as to our employees in the BC interior", said Stan Bell, field operations
service area manager in Revelstoke. "And the performance has been
outstanding".
Mountain Subdivision Rail Traffic Controller Barb McAstocker explained that
"The single track operation required opposing trains to meet at sidings at
Glacier, Stoney Creek, and Griffith - rare occurrences under normal operations.
Train crews that have never before had to make a Griffith meet had to be cautious
coming down the grade into the siding". It was also a challenge
"juggling trains longer than normal, to meet or pass other trains", she
said.
Until the new westbound track was completed, the main line up the Beaver River
Valley had always required helper engines for heavy trains. In steam days, pushers
operated uphill from a facility at Beavermouth (east of Rogers), through the
Connaught Tunnel to a wye (or turning track) at Glacier. Diesel pushers took over
in the 1950s. The terminal was moved to Rogers in 1974 to accommodate the
construction of a dam on the Columbia River. Following the completion of the
Mount MacDonald Tunnel track in 1988, the manned helpers were discontinued and the
pusher station at Rogers retired.
To provide for the necessary work blocks, and to keep traffic moving, manned
helpers were reinstated. "The foresight of building the MacDonald Tunnel
became readily apparent once we lost the use of it", said Brian Hodgkins,
assistant director in the Network Management Center. Going back to single track
operation required us to dust off the best-practices of the past.
Crews experienced with this type of operation became a distinct asset".
Beginning in early August, two four-unit sets of AC4400 locomotives
were based at Rogers, designated "Push 1" and "Push 2", each
set generating 17,600 horsepower.
The pusher crews were housed at Glacier Park Lodge at the summit of Rogers Pass.
Revelstoke engineer Bob Eley, one of those experienced with pusher operations,
explained that trains are longer and heavier than they were back in the eighties,
so the equipment is under extra stress. "Each little locomotive slip puts a
lot of strain on the knuckle", he said. "There was a learning curve for
both train and pusher engineers, as we adapted to the new realities. But one
thing these big locomotives do well is pull".
Between shifts, the crews spent time at the lodge. "One ting I have enjoyed
is the camaraderie that has developed", Bob said. "At mealtime, we all
sit together, talking about the day's pushes or when we're going to go to work
again. A real closeness has developed amongst all involved".
Tunnel Gets New
Lining
Steel forms:
200 feet of new lining was installed
Hundreds of feet below
the pusher operations, work progressed inside the Mount Shaughnessy Tunnel.
Crews from CPR maintenance contractor Emil Anderson Construction (EAC) were
busy working at each end of the 1.1 mile (1.8 Km) bore.
About 200 feet of lining would be required near the east portal, and more
inside the west portal.
Large steel concrete forms, 36 feet long by 20 feet high (11 by 6 meters)
were used, but because the strength of the surrounding rock was
questionable, rock anchors could not be used to hold the forms. Instead,
large cross-struts were required over the track to hold the
forms in place until the concrete cured. "Each pour required a work
block of 36 hours to move the forms, install the struts, place and cure the
concrete, and strip the forms before traffic could resume", said Danny
Wong, CPR structures specialist.
The steel forms were set seven times between 9 August 2002 and the end of
September, while another EAC crew drilled and inserted reinforcing rods for
new infill pours near the west end. Finally, to complete the job, the
contractor sprayed "shotcrete", a finishing layer, onto the arched
ceiling of the tunnel, this time requiring only 12 hour work blocks.
The tunnel work was scheduled to be complete by the end of September. The
pushers will again be history. Or, as Stan said, "We're ready to step
back to the future".
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This article is copyright
2002 by Roger Burrows and is reprinted here with his permission. All photographs,
logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Company.
©
2005 William C. Slim
http://www.okthepk.ca
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