RailNews

In January, it was announced that five Ontario Southland units built by the Montreal Locomotive Works will be headed east for service on the Sartigan Railway in Quebec, including RS-18 181 seen here. Photo by Stephen C. Host.

Ontario Southland Alcos Bound For Quebec

The Alco era on the Ontario Southland is drawing to a close, but fans of the iconic locomotives shouldn’t fret. In January, it was announced that five OSR units built by the Montreal Locomotive Works will be headed east for service on the Sartigan Railway in Quebec.

The Sartigan operates on the former Quebec Central Railway, a one-time subsidiary of Canadian Pacific. It presently operates from an interchange with Canadian National in Charny (near Quebec City) to Vallée Junction, with work to reopen the line further south to Thetford Mines presently underway and on target for this year. The Sartigan was founded in 2012.

Sartigan presently owns a fleet of four former BC Rail M-420s, along with an RS-18, RS-23 and M-636, all ex-CP. Five MLWs from Ontario Southland will include RS-18 181 (ex-CP 1861) and RS-23s 503 (ex-CP 8029), 504 (ex-CP 8044), 505 (ex-CP 8021), and 506 (ex-CP 8013). All five units are expected to regain their old CP numbers.

—Justin Franz