Evraz in Regina

When I was in Regina, I had a look through the good old Trackside Guide looking for interesting things to see in the area. I noted that Evraz Inc. had quite a selection of industrial switchers, so I spent some time there in the morning of August 5.

Evraz has a large facility just north of Regina on Albert Street. They basically fill a square bounded by Pasqua Street to the west, Albert Street to the east, Sherwood Road to the north, and Armour Road to the south. They are served by CP off the CP Lanigan subdivision, which runs right next to their facility. Click on the map to see it in Google Maps.


When I arrived there, I saw an orange switcher pushing some gondolas down a spur track. I waited patiently at the Pasqua Street crossing until it came back. It was engine #11, a GMD SW900 built in 1955 as CP 6716.





I found this little video, shot from the same location I was at.


Another switcher was active, #5, an EMD NW2 (!) built in 1949 as Great Northern #156. It did not venture out of the property but I was able to get a few shots with the long lens.



Note the homemade #582 on the freight car. It was pulling a string of those cars.



I think that is a track scale in the foreground.

After that, I drove around trying to see more of their switchers. I started down Industrial Drive and met an SUV coming out of the facility. He waved me over and asked if I was "the gentleman taking pictures of our facility." I said, yes, that is me. He asked me very politely what I was photographing, and I told him that I take pictures of trains and I was shooting their locomotives. He asked if I was going into their facility, and I said, "no, of course not!" He said OK and was on his way.

That's how a challenge like that should go. Plant security has an obligation to go question suspicious people, and there's no doubt I was doing something out of the ordinary. I was being very obvious about what I was doing, not skulking about, and certainly not trespassing.

Some might say I was within my rights to say nothing, or to challenge him back, but what would be the point of being belligerent? He'd probably call the police and then I'd have to talk to them. Better to be up front about what you're doing, and 9 times out of 10, they'll nod and be on their way.

After he drove away, I got out and shot a few of their stored locomotives from Industrial Drive. Clearly they are being parted out.





I also saw #10 (in BN green) but didn't get any decent photos of it. #6 and #8 might have been there or they may have been scrapped already.

Wheat City Metals is co-located with Evraz, and they deal in scrap metal... like old Government of Canada grain cars!


Here's the complete list of Evraz switchers, according to the 2011 Trackside Guide:

• 1 - Alco S-2, built 8/1943
• 5 - EMD NW2, built 1949
• 6 - GMD SW900, built 3/1955
• 7 - MLW S-3, built 3/1955
• 8 - MLW S-3, built 5/1957
• 10 - EMD SW1200, built 4/1956
• 11 - EMD SW900, built 3/1955

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of a big place!