Still no money for Chaleur line

[Tom Box [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

A report by Gilles Gagné in le Soleil, <http://goo.gl/5PBr68>
or <http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/affaires/les-regions/201407/21/01-4785690-la-societe-du-chemin-de-fer-de-la-gaspesie-toujours-en-attente-de-financement.php>,
says that the Gaspésie Railway is still waiting to hear whether
the Quebec government will give it money for repairs to the
Matapedia - Gaspé line.

An update from Mr. Gagné:
<http://www.graffici.ca/nouvelles/chemin-fer-quebec-reflechit-toujours-3545/>.
The management of the Gaspésie Railway met with the provincial
Transport Minister on August 6, but is still awaiting a response
to their request for money. The request has changed from $105
million over 5 years to $33 million over 2 years, and now to
$35 million without a time limit. The president of the railway
admits that authorities' confidence in the railway was shaken by
its use of salt water as weed-killer a year ago, resulting in
corrosion of the rails and problems with the signals at grade
crossings.

For $35 million, the railway aims to reestablish passenger
service as far as New Carlisle, and increase the line's load
bearing capacity to 263,000 pounds to Port Daniel (where a
cement plant is being established) and to 225,000 pounds to
Gaspé, for use by the tourist train and shipments of wind
turbine blades.

How much does a rebuilt F40 weigh? More than 225,000 lb.,
I suspect, so the above would not allow VIA to return to
Gaspé. More money would be needed for that.

Most of the railway's maintenance of way staff was laid off
at the end of June, and the president says that the it would
not be able to carry out a major repair at present, if a new
problem arose.

Thanks to the Facebook page of the Coalition des Gaspésiens
pour l'avenir du train for the above news item.

Tom Box
tbox at ncf dot ca
Port Hope, ON, Canada


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Posted by: Tom Box <tbox-***@public.gmane.org>
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On August 19 Tom Box wrote:> How much does a rebuilt F40 weigh? More than 225,000 lb.,
I suspect, so the above would not allow VIA to return to
Gaspé. More money would be needed for that.

The Canadian Trackside Guide says that a VIA F40-PH3 weighs in at 266,000 lbs..I thought the P42DC might be lighter but the CTG puts it at 268,800.

Ken Voelker,
Toronto

[[e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

hey guys,how much does an RDC weigh? I suspect if VIA comes back, perhaps RDC all the way from Matapédia to Gaspé if an RDC weighs under 225 000 lbs each. I find it the weight issue interesting because I have serious doubts that the loco used by l'Amiral (the admiral) tourist train is lighter then either an F40PH-2D or for a better guess an RDC.

The tourist operation is using ex CP RS18Us with a <<HEP generator>> former steam gen converted to HEP possibly by the AMT.

http://trainamiral.com/ http://trainamiral.com/lamiral/lamiral-en-images/ http://trainamiral.com/lamiral/lamiral-en-images/


I'm not that much in the know, but my guess is VIA would need to have something lighter or the same weight as an RS18U. Also, wether it would be a Ren set or Budds, I doubt any coach or sleeper is lighter then the ex GO Transit and later AMT Hawker-Siddeley commuter Tempos. The only<<major>> modifications the tourist company did was to install bathrooms and most likely retention tanks. I do not know how much weight such modifications add but I would be interested to find out.



Apart from that, the video and few articles I have read make only mention of a cosmetic makeover. I do not believe they went all out and renovated the rivet buckets. While in college, I had to transit from Vaudreuil where I was interning to home back on the island at day's end 2x a week for about 2-3 months. I'd always get those damn Hawker-Siddeleys , always hoping to be fortunate to get Bombardier bi levels. Anyhow, the cushions on the seats was much like the rail underneath it, lackluster and you felt the ride all the way from Vaudreuil to Lucien L'Allier. That was back in the fall of 2007!







Mark Charlebois
Montreal, QC

[Gerald E Gaugl [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

A RDC 1 weighs 113,000 lbs and a RS 18 weighs roughly 235,000 lbs.
Gerry GauglOttawa ON



























hey guys,how much does an RDC weigh? I suspect if VIA comes back, perhaps RDC all the way from Matapédia to Gaspé if an RDC weighs under 225 000 lbs each. I find it the weight issue interesting because I have serious doubts that the loco used by l'Amiral (the admiral) tourist train is lighter then either an F40PH-2D or for a better guess an RDC.