A tired looking Canadian Pacific GE AC4400CW Number 8564 leads the eastbound “Expressway” Trailer on Flatcar service from Toronto (Milton) to Montreal on May 1, 2018. This Friday (June 1, 2018), assuming the impending strike by CPR workers doesn’t change things, the final 6:30pm eastbound departure of this service will run as the CPR is cancelling it. The service, originally billed as the “Iron Highway” ran between Montreal, Toronto and Detroit starting in 1996, and was rebranded as the Expressway in 2000. The service was eventually reduced to just the Toronto-Montreal leg. This is the last trailer on flatcar service running in Canada, a type of service that has existed in some form since the 1950’s.
The End? Will we see a return of this kind of service to try and reduce the number of trucks on the highway, or has rail truly become un-competitive with roads for this kind of traffic?
Musings on my Model Railroading Addiction 