CP never got close to "planning" on electrifying around Toronto. In
that era the option was looked at, but for various reasons it was
quickly dropped. A big issue is the enormous capital cost of building
the new electrical plant, upgrading all the existing signal and grade
crossing systems, rebuilding overhead and truss bridges to provide
clearance for the catenary, and new locomotives. This requires very
significant related operational savings to justify, which in general
do not exist. There is usually not the traffic density for the
numbers to add up.
In the Toronto area, there might be some validity for GO Transit to
make the change, especially on the Lakeshore line, but this would be
solely used by GO Transit. Only a limited area will be electrified so
the numbers are smaller.
For the freight carriers, using your example of Toronto west to Orrs
Lake will illustrate why they lost interest. The capital cost might
be low because of the limited distance but introduces inefficiencies
in operation that eliminate any possible savings. You can't eliminate
any diesels since they will be required beyond the electrified
territory, whether they are hauled dead or the power is exchanged at
the end points. So now electrification has to be extended to Windsor,
at considerable additional cost. Still the problem of how to move the
train beyond the end points remains, so to really achieve anything
electrification should be extended east to Montreal, and maybe on to
Chicago. Now the numbers are getting enormous, and there are lots of
other places on the railway crying for investment with a higher,
faster and more certain return.
The most serious look at electrification was out west in the
mountains, where it was considered as an alternative to the double
tracking in the Rogers Pass. The theory was that that the higher
horsepower available from electric locomotives (not limited by the
output of a diesel prime mover) would increase line capacity through
increased train speed on the heavy grades. To eliminate having to
swap power the scenario planned electrification from Calgary to
Vancouver and also the coal route from the Crowsnest area. The entire
route had heavy traffic density.
Studies were advanced to the point that a very short piece of test
catenary was erected beside the tracks on the west side of Rogers Pass
to investigate its performance in the winter snows typical of the
area. The idea, never strongly espoused, eventually faded away.
John
--- In cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "dave hill" <techill@...> wrote:
land
Ok another question for those out their in Candian Pacfic historical
the grades around Toronto are tough in all directions its a toughtlong up
grade North aclimb to Bolton East climb to Agincourt west the realtough
one climb to Orr lake . In the seventys CPR was planning on electrifingconsidering the
around Toronto 20/20 hidsight they made an expensive mistake
cost of diesel fuel these days any body got the story . regardsDAVID HILL
