AMT COMMUTER - GO TRANSIT

AMT Agence Metropolitaine de Transport

AMT News Editor Jean-Francois Turcotte

amtnews@canadianrailwayobservations.com

At Ile-Perrot, QC April 12^th Warren Mayhew snapped AMT F59PH 526  with train #22 running eastbound on the north CP track, which made it easier to get a nice shot.   He later caught AMT Cab Car 2002 leading #13 on the same track westbound.  CP had been operating a Track Evaluation train on the South track that day with CP SD40-2 5928 and three cars, causing  CP and AMT trains to be diverted to the north track on the Vaudreuil Sub.   On April 24th the train was testing on the AMT/QGRY in Ste-Therese, QC with SD40-2 6080. 

After a four-month hiatus, a few AMT ALP45DP have finally hit the road again, albeit for testing purposes only.  Although unconfirmed, early reports indicate that the 1352’s derailment in Central Station last December was caused by track condition. 

14 units are on the property, two unconfirmed, and one more in transit.

IN SERVICE: Nil

AMT 1350   On March 24^th, AMT brought ALP45DP 1350 to Central Station for testing. Road tests have been conducted infrequently since, with the ALP45DP's  testing on the Deux-Montagnes et St-Hilaire lines.

AMT 1351  Stored in St-Eustache since mid-February.

AMT 1352 Removed from service following derailment.

AMT 1353 was sighted in road testing in late March and early April

AMT 1354  In storage following testing.

AMT 1355  In storage following testing.

AMT 1356 Stored in Ste-Eustache since early January.

AMT 1357 Stored in St-Eustache since mid-February.

AMT 1358 Stored in St-Eustache since mid-February.

AMT 1359  Stored in Ste- Eustache since early January..

AMT 1360  Stored in St-Eustache since mid-February.

AMT 1361  Stored in St-Eustache since late-February.

AMT 1362  Arrived in St-Eustache on April 8^th

AMT 1363  Arrived in St-Eustache on April 8^th

AMT 1364  Arrived on property?  (unconfirmed)

AMT 1365  Arrived on property?  (unconfirmed)

Brand new  Agence Métropolitaine de Transport/BBRX 1366 hurries north across Iona Island, NY in the consist of CSX Q434 on a warm spring afternoon on April 20^th  (Adam Twombly)

Earlier, Robert Mungenast clicked AMT 1366 in transit on CSX at Bagota, NJ on April 20^th.

“New” F59PH’s in Pointe St-Charles

Several former GO Transit F59PH locomotives that were stored at Mimico yard in Toronto have moved to Pointe St-Charles yard, arriving during the week of April the 15^th.  10 have been purchased by AMT and will eventually displace older and less fuel-efficient F40PH’s and GP40FH-2’s.  They may also be used to increase service on the Vaudreuil line during the Turcot interchange construction.

Tim Quetton’s photo shows RBRX F59PH 18531 pushing train 13’s six  2000-series cars up the westbound grade from Vendome Station.  Note the shortened platform in the foreground (compare to the full-length south platform on the left) and the temporary embankment's roadbed awaiting its tracks, both to permit the next phase of the Decarie Boulevard overpass reconstruction.

Loram rail grinding train RG 404 was working very late at night on the AMT/CP  line west of Montreal West Station April 24^th.  Micheal Berry snapped a few shots just before midnight while stopped at the station between the Westminster and Elmhurst crossings. The locomotive was LMIX 3404 and CNRX 2660 was the accomodation passenger car on the tail end.

On March 6th, 2010, Michael Berry photographed what looked to be three GO Transit trains. In fact they were AMT trains laying over for the weekend at Delson, Quebec, as the AMT Candiac line has no weekend service. This location is is where the ex-Napierville Junction track (currently CP) from Rouses Point, NY joins the CP line. An interesting fact is that the town of Delson is named after the DELaware & HudSON. The three units are all leased F59PH's: RBRX 18524, RBRX 18523 and RBRX 18531. The cars are ex-GO Transit "Go Karts" which have since been replaced by new Bombardier multilevel cars.

GO Transit News Edited by Daniel Dell’Unto

In mid-April, the tarps were removed and the engines were test started in preparation for movement of 10 ex-GO F59PH’s sold to AMT that have been stored at Mimico Yard.  They began arriving in Montreal in late April. 

Funny how things change …  Four  years ago it would have been a 10 car train with an F59PH shoving now it's a 12 car train with an MP40 shoving. Seen here a 12 car midday GO train heads west through Sunnyside with GO 602 shoving, anyone else spot the second cab car in the consist?  On April 6^th, Michael Da Costa snapped GO train 913     at Mile 9.4 on the Oakville Sub, lead by MPI-built GO MP40PH-3 602.  

The Toronto Rocket deliveries have continued from Bombardier, with 5551-5556 delivered mid-March, and 5561-5563 were on delivery mid-April. Train sets up to 5531 are in revenue service, with 5541 and 5551 sets to follow.

Your TTC news editor caught TTC 5521 southbound leading its set in revenue service, just north of Eglinton West Subway Station in early April 2012. CLICK HERE TO VIEW A PHOTO.

Also of interest: TR set 5391-96 was recently spotted at Bombardier's Millhaven test facility for testing. This was the first set delivered to the TTC, and after testing the two lead cars (5391 & 5396) were sent back to Thunder Bay for modification. The rest of the cars of that set (5392-5395) sat around the TTC's Wilson yard, until they left the property. It was later thought they too were sent back to Thunder Bay, but were recently spotted at BBD's Millhaven test facility. It is likely 5391 & 5396 were sent there as well to test with the set, as the cabless cars cannot operate by themselves.

While many are still in daily revenue service, the TTC's mid-1970's Hawker Siddeley Canada H5 (5670-5807 series) retirements have started. Some have been noted mothballed in Wilson yard, and a few cars have been shipped to Future Enterprises (along with the already retired H4's) in Hamilton for scrapping. Class car 5670 (as well as other units in the 567x series) were noted as suffering this fate. 255 of the H5 and H6 cars have been sold to Nigeria for a Lagos light rail line, but the specific car breakdown is unknown at this point. To date, no H6 retirements have surfaced.

© CRO May 2012