Foreign Power on CN Dundas Sub - power failure leads to Warbonnet Leader - February 2007

Near the height of the Foreign Power era on CN in Southern Ontario, we headed out for the Dundas Sub to catch 394 with a BNSF GP59 leading and 148 with a pair of WC SD40-3s, sandwiching a BNSF Warbonnet.

The fun part of this hobby, is that you never know what is going to happen. 399, seen early in the video with CN 5667 and BNSF 6946 wound up stalling on the Copetown Hill due to the CN unit failing. They managed to get it going again and we see them creating the hill at Copetown. Shortly after the lead unit fails once again and a decision is made to have 148 set out their third unit at Brantford for 399 to lift. As fate would have it, the MU Cable on BNSF 794 was bolted to the locomotive and with no other MU Cable handy, it was decided to leave the old Santa Fe unit at Brantford to recover 399. As the CN 5667 was unable to lead on a cold winters day with no heat, they ran to Bayview to wye the power and returned to Brantford with BNSF 794 leading. As luck would have it, the snow squalls which dominated the afternoon blew through and the sun emerged just as 399 rolled into Paris for a crew change at Paris West. It was quite enjoyable to watch the drama unfold and have a front row seat as CN got the trains moving on that cold February day.

February 3, 2007
0:00 VIA 97 - Amtrak 100 at Bayview
0:26 CN 399 - CN 5667, BNSF 6946 at Bayview
2:27 VIA 70 - VIA 6432 at Hamilton West
3:00 CN 385: CN SD75I, CN 5529 at Hamilton West
4:40 CN 390: BNSF 3124, BNSF 5070 at Hamilton West
6:50 CN 399 - CN 5667, BNSF 6946 at Copetown
9:26 CN 148: WC 6935, BNSF 794, WC 6936 at Paris Junction
10:35 CN 148 making power moves at Brantford
11:28 CN 399 power arrives Brantford Yard
13:19 VIA 73 at Brantford
14:52 CN 148 leaves Brantford with WC 6935, WC 6936 & VIA 72 arrives
16:20 CN 399 power departs for Bayview BNSF 794 east
17:12 CN 580 switching Brantford Yard with CN 7080
19:40 CN 271: BNSF 4548, BNSF 6771 at Paris Junction
21:41 CN 394: CN 2657, GCFX 6057, CN 5387 at Paris Junction
23:58 VIA 76: VIA 6414 at Paris Junction
24:21 CN 399: BNSF 794, BNSF 6946, CN 5667 at Paris Junction
25:20 CN 330: SD75I, SD60F at Paris Junction
26:29 CN 331: CN 5263, CN 2436, CN 5331 at Paris West
27:31 CN 399: BNSF 794, BNSF 6946, CN 5667 departs Paris West
31:12 CN 393: CN 2565, UP 5485 at Paris Junction
33:57 VIA 75 at Paris Junction

February 24, 2007
34:21: CN 399: CN, UP, CN, BNSF power at Bayview
37:17 CN 385: CN 2518, CN 2678, CN 9488 at Hamilton West
40:45 CN 302: CN 5727, UP 5310, CN 9542 at Hamilton West
42:33 VIA 73 at Bayview
42:48 CN 144: CN 2436 Triple Crown RoadRailer at Hamilton West
43:54 CN 271: CN 5380, WC 6003 at Aldershot West
44:42 CN 383: CN 2584, CN 2627, UP 4706 - Aldershot West
46:59 CN 339: CN 8008 CN 2582, CN 2604, CSXT 7905 switching Aldershot
50:19 VIA 76 at Aldershot West & 435 departing Bayview