It has been a work in progress for almost 2 years. A move that should have occurred a year ago, but didn't because the contact we were dealing with was downsized so to speak. A summer of dealing with my original contact came up with nothing. So, the 3 ex-CP Rail 40' steel boxcars owned by the Niagara Railway Museum Inc. sat at the end of the old north siding of what was once part of the mighty Canada Southern/Michigan Central yard in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The cars have been owned by the NRM for 10yrs, and have spent the past 5yrs on that piece of track behind stored empty double stack cars. It was a mechanical department inspection of the well cars last week that lead to the phone call about our cars. It seems that the track they are sitting on will soon be removed.

All of this came about very quickly, 2 days actually. Details that were started but never finished, like extra insurance and car inspection were dealt with in record time. CP moved the cars to a new temporary location for the Museum, so we can move them by road the short distance to the Museum site. Why you ask? Simple, they are not allowed to be interchanged under AAR rules due to age, so CN refused them. CP runs past our Museum site, but has no access to the yard. So, they will now be loaded on a low float and moved the remaining distance to the site. Not an easy or cheap task. The Museum has started some fundraising to help offset some of the cost of the move. Thankfully we have some non financial support for doing some of the prep work around the shop for when they arrive.

Below are a few pics from the move on Tuesday. Next weekend we will access the cars and secure everything for the road journey. The move should take place by years end, as long as it doesn't, ugh, snow!!

Ken Jones
President - Niagara Railway Museum Inc.
http://www.nfrm.ca

And for those that don't know, the Niagara Railway Museum Inc. is located in the former Canadian National diesel shop in Fort Erie, Ontario. 3 tracks inside are currently occupied by our 3 locomotives, our ex-CNR flanger, and numerous MOW pieces. The boxcars will soon take up residence inside as well.

Of course, railroads are not obliged to obey American Association of Railroads' interchange rules, and the A.A.R. sometimes complains about that. But, they can choose to do so, as Canadien National is demonstrating now. Rebuilding the cars might reset the clock on their ages, but that's expensive. I don't know if classifying them as Maintenance of Way equipment would change CN's mind.

You're very unlikely to find a Canadian railroad that is willing to bend the rules at all anymore.

Up until the mid 1980s things were very different... at RMEO we moved a 1930s CSTX tank car with K brakes that was interchanged three times on its trip in regular freight trains... a CN single sheathed wooden boxcar with cast iron wheels was interchanged twice, and traveled most of its journey on CP at track speed... and five coaches from Montreal were gladly handled in a hospital train (at no cost) which was interchanged once. Our live connection was lost by then, so they were trucked across town.

Congratulations to Ken and NRM. Having these cars at home is a great accomplishment. Thanks very much to CP for the move!

Steve Hunter