Great Western Railway (Saskatchewan)

The Great Western Railway (reporting mark GWRS) is a Canadian short line railway company operating on former Canadian Pacific Railway trackage in southwest Saskatchewan.^[1] GWR is the operating company whereas Westcan Rail Saskatchewan Ltd. is the owner of the track and structures. WRS was owned by WestCan Rail of Abbotsford, British Columbia, a railway contracting and maintenance company.

In 2004 the railway was purchased by local investors from the area of Saskatchewan it serves. It is now locally owned and operated. Great Western Railway continues to serve many producer loading sites along their entire railnetwork, but also provide railcar storage for Class I railways and railcare companies.

The Great Western Railway line network consists of 471 km, when combined with the Fife Lake Railway (97 km) and Red Coat Road and Rail (114 km) the resulting network is 682 km.^[2]

A trio of GWRS M420s idling outside of the Shaunavon shops.

Great Western Railway (Saskatchewan)

Legend Great Western Railway Red Coat Road and Rail Fife Lake Railway CPR trackage others former line to Weyburn Pangman Ogema Glasnevin Horizon Viceroy Verwood Readlyn Willows Poplar River Power Station Poplar River Coal Mine Coronach Fife Lake Constance Rockglen Southern Rails Cooperative Colony subdivision Lisieux Scout Lake Assiniboia former Wood Mountain Sub Limerick Melaval LaFleche Woodrow Meyronne Glenbain Esme Vanguard Pambrun Neville Blumenhof Kincaid Hazenmore Aneroid Ponteix Cadillac Admiral former line to Val Marie Bracken Instow Shaunavon Climax Frontier Dollard Eastend Claydon Robsart Consul Notukeu Jct former line to Stirling, AB

Engine Roster

Great Western Railway had humble beginnings hauling hopper cars of grain for small producer loading sites, but as Great Western Railway gradually gained trackage rights over Red Coat Road & Rail and Fife Lake Railway, the railway required more motive power to provide sufficient customer service for their new customers. Up until 2011, Great Western Railway utilized an all MLW M420 roster; however with the increased maintenance cost of operating Montreal Locomotive Works locomotives, Great Western Railway decided to purchase their first General Electric units. In March 2011 it was announced Great Western Railway would receive two former Burlington Northern Santa Fe GE B40-8Ws for the original Great Western route.^[3] The shorter branch lines that are owned by Red Coat Road & Rail and Fife Lake Railway will continue to utilize three M420s, while GWRS will sell off two of their MLW locomotives.

Unit	Model	Built	Acquired	Retired	Status	Image
563	B40-8W [4]	N/A	2011	N/A	Active Ex-BNSF.
575	B40-8W [5]	N/A	2011	N/A	Active
2000	M420	1973	2000 [6]	N/A	Active
2001	M420	1973	2001 [7]	N/A	Active
2002	M420R	1974	2002 [8]	N/A	Repairs, not operational
2003	M420	1977	2008 [9][10]	N/A	Active Ex-Canadian National.
2004	M420	1976	2008 [11] [12]	N/A	Not in Service - Water leaking issues. Ex-Canadian National.
4062	B23-7	1979	2013	N/A	Active
4064	B23-7	1979	2013	N/A	Active

References

External links

• Great Western Railway