Wildfire season is underway across North America. And as extreme weather events increase in frequency and duration, railroads are preparing to combat wildfires along their right-of-ways to keep their freight operations running smoothly.
One of those railroads is the Montréal-based Canadian National (CN), which recently announced that it has added two new firefighting trains along with two additional railcars to its fire mitigation and suppression fleet. The trains, named the Trident and the Neptune, will join the company’s existing firefighting train, the Poseidon. Together, the three trains will support firefighting efforts along CN’s right-of-way, bringing a significant amount of water and fire suppression capacity to isolated areas, according to the railroad.
The Poseidon, CN’s original firefighting train, is a 66-foot bulkhead flat railcar equipped with two 3,500-gallon tanks, three water pumps, fire hoses, and a diesel-electric generator. Two tank railcars, each with a capacity of nearly 21,000 gallons, are attached to either side of the flat railcar, enabling it to spray various types of fire prevention and suppression agents, including water, foam, and fire retardant.
CN’s Trident and Neptune firefighting railcars are similar in design to the Poseidon but with some key improvements, the railroad says. These include additional 360-degree cameras placed at both ends for real-time visibility; a separate 20-foot container to hold pumps, hoses, and generators; and a 40-foot container with an elevated crow’s nest fitted with two additional water cannons.
