Essex Terminal Railway salutes long heritage with commemorative switcher
10/29/2021
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
Next year, the Essex Terminal Railway Co. (ETR) will mark its 120th anniversary. One of Canada’s oldest railroads, the short line was incorporated in 1902.
But ETR is marking the occasion ahead of time with a commemorative SW1200, its longest-serving locomotive. The switcher recently was overhauled and repainted with the heritage green and yellow colors it sported in 1956, when the unit was manufactured by General Motors Corp.’s Electro-Motive Division (EMD).
Known as Unit 105, the switcher will remain in service and be displayed to customers and the public. The locomotive needed a major overhaul due to continued years of service, and the short line opted to perform the work and tie it into the upcoming milestone marker.
“We wanted to wait until our 125th anniversary, however we could not with this engine needing a lot of work. So, we took the opportunity early,” says Michael Semande, the corporate director of operations for ETR and sister companies Morterm Ltd. and Motipark Automotive Storage. “We have now just surpassed our 120th-year mark.”
Owned by Essex Morterm Holdings, ETR operates between Windsor and Amherstburg, Ontario, and interchanges with CN, Canadian Pacific and CSX. Its 23-mile mainline roughly parallels the Detroit River that separates Windsor from Detroit.
ETR began its existence as a connection between the Grand Trunk Railway (now part of CN) and the Canadian Bridge plant on Windsor’s near east side. The short line then was extended in sections over a 16-year period until 1918, when it reached a station known as Quarries in what today is Amherstburg.
The short line operates 23 miles between Windsor and Amherstburg, Ontario, and interchanges with CN, CP and CSX. Essex Terminal Railway Co.The railroad played a prominent role in the industrialization of the Windsor area, providing service to many industries that created jobs and helped develop the region, ETR officials say. When auto plants in Windsor were converted to military equipment production during WWII, the railroad helped move the equipment from the facilities.
The short line continues to play an important role in the Windsor-LaSalle-Amherstburg area, helping to attract development that requires rail service, ETR officials say. The railroad provides switching services for customers in the industrial chemical, agricultural, food product, salt, automotive engine, lumber and scrap sectors.
The ETR’s three Class I connections enable shippers to access any rail network point in North America. The short line also offers rail-car storage and track maintenance services, while Morterm provides transloading, stevedoring, warehousing and inventory management services, and Motipark handles rail loading and storage for autos.
In 2017, ETR purchased a former GM plant in south Walkerville, renovated into an auto logistics yard and named the operation Motipark Automotive Storage, which is owned by Essex Morterm Holdings.
The short line operates four locomotives, and Unit 105 has sported different color schemes for many years. It was produced by EMD with a 567 prime mover, which in 1956 was considered the newest innovation in locomotive power, ETR officials say.
Going forward, Unit 105 will serve as a centerpiece, helping to demonstrate the short line’s legacy and long tradition.
“Many things have changed over 50 years, and our railway company has changed and adapted as well,” ETR officials said.
