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Caption: Just off Kenny St in Sarnia is the little known Sarnia shortline railway known as VIP Rail. Once known as the Vidal St Industrial park this little shortline has grown by leaps and bounds, now has two sites, one in Corunna (completely inaccessible for any photos) connected to CSX, and this site connected to the CN Farm track and the St. Clair River spur. Check satellite images, they filled this place with tracks, built a new yard in the forest (cleared it out) and appear to have more tracks going on on the former Royal Polymers site. This locomotive while lettered for Lambton Diesel Services (also in Sarnia) is apparently part of the VIP roster. VIP has about 5 locomotives in total including a GMTX leaser, three VIP painted locos, and one or two more purchased or leased from LDS. Unfortunately, VIP is difficult to photograph as very little happens within sight of public property, and any excursions anywhere near their tracks for any length of time will result in a visit from security patrol (VIP has their own). I used my vehicle to get above a fence for this one from Kenny St, but it's not often something is parked here. Here's an example of a photo from a few years ago complete with more info on Sarnia ops.
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That looks like an ex-CN SW1200Rs except that the trucks are wrong as are the exhaust stacks but the number boards are right.
LDSX 0178, SW1200RS serial #A759, built by GMD in May,1956 as CNR 1589, renumbered CNR 1218, sold to A. Merrilees in 1992, and to LDS in 2003. Worked at Montreal’s Petromont facility during the years with Merrilees.
It is pretty neat seeing this unit still active. In Edmonton, during the 70′s, it worked the Calder hump. The 1218 had the 1217 and 1219 as slave mates and the 1220 and 1221 as mothers. One hump set consisted of 2 units, the other a triple.
Strange the unit doesn’t have MU capabilities. Must have been removed during rebuild.
Hey Jacob,
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Here is a link to a Charlie Prutton photo, http://trainweb.org/westernrails/bc/cp-CN1218P.jpg
It shows the 1218 in 1980, if you look careful , you can see the MU cable curled up at the front. By 1979, the 1200 hump units were being replaced by 200 series GP38′s. Thanks to Mr. Prutton who took many good rail photos at this time.
Please excuse the misquote. Rather than Charlie, the correct name is Claude Prutton. My apologies.