Page 3 - October 2022 Track N Times
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FEATURE STORY





           Loram Blue Iron



           By James (Ronny) Knight, Manager Material Handling






           We have seen lots of changes in the blue iron
           department the last couple of years.

           Last year we started working for the Hudson
           Bay Railway (HBR) in northern Manitoba.  We
           began with 4 dump trains and worked until the
           freeze  shut  us  down.  This  year  we  added
           UC1202  to  the  HBR  jobs  working  in  the
           north.

           One of the challenges of working there is just
           getting people and transportation to and from
           the equipment. It is a 12-hour drive from Win-
           nipeg  to  Gillam  which  is  the  last  town  going
           north you can drive to. Then we are unloading
           dump  trains  in  Churchill,  MB  which  is  an  8-
           hour train ride or hi-rail ride north of Gillam.
           And housing for the crews in Churchill is fun
           since there is a limited amount to go around in
           the summer. The crew for UC1202 stayed at a
           camp in Herchmer which is half way between
           Gillam  and  Churchill.    Churchill  is  a  popular
           tourist  destination  for  people  to  watch  Polar
           Bears.                                                      Visiting Polar Bear at Herchmer Camp

           This  brings  us  to  another  challenge  which  is
           the Polar Bears. This year we had a polar bear
           show up in the camp at Herchmer and had to be tranquilized and moved to another location. The opera-
           tors working there will all tell you that they are constantly looking out for the bears.

           Mid-season this year HBR had a major change in management and we were not sure if our equipment
           would continue to be utilized. But after the UC1202 crew showed them what we can do and how good







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