Since I pass by the wheat pools in Vancouver and North Vancouver almost daily, I have become conscious of the normal hustle and bustle that goes on day to day. But what I have noticed lately is that traffic seems to be down, way down. Tracks that were normally full of wheat cars are bare - lots of track. The other day I stopped into one of the wheat pools I was considering modeling and talked to the 100 Year old (I exagerate - but not by much) security guard. He told me at this particular wheat pool, the labour has been cut back to two day and evening shifts a week. Is wheat production down this year, or has Canada lost contracts with other countries? Anyone in the know, or have an opinion, or know I am wrong about the wheat traffic?
It's very possible that canada has grown too much wheat, and at the rate that they could chop it out would reduce the price of wheat so much that it becomes cheaper to cut the crews(that are also an expenditure) and therefore decrease the supply of available wheat for sale. Sounds to me like a "The Octopus" all over again.
Yes but at the same time last year there was a severe drop in traffic too (at Lynn Creek), today there were 2 switch crews very busy keeping the cars moving. Happy Railroading! Dane
I just got home from a cross country trip that took us through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC. The prairie provinces are very dry and 90% of wheat crops we saw were poor. A bleak year for wheat farmers. Harvesting was going on and a few farms looked fair. Whith cost of fuel I don't know how farmers can keep going. I am not surprised that the ports are not busy.
An article in our local newspaper backed up what your oberservations were Robin. I guess a drought is hitting pretty hard, thus reducing wheat cultivation. Wow! Low wheat production and now the American tariff on Canadian softwood lumber is going to really hurt our economy including CN, CP, and BCR. The closure of Tumbler Ridge in Northern BC to coal production, and now the soft wood dispute with the states is going to hit it pretty bad, I reckon. PS: If you are ever out to BC again, let me know and I can give you some great rail fan spots to check out.
Thanks Rick, I was fortunate enough to see a couple of BNSF locos pulling a freight along the track that passes along the beachfront at White Rock. We also follwed the route through the Fraser Canyon both ways as I much prefer that to the Coke.
