The largest ever single origin grain train recently moved out of the South West Terminal, west of Swift Current.
The 224 hopper car train, bound for the Superior Elevator at Thunder Bay, was the largest ever moved in the West by Canadian Pacific Railway.
The train hauled 22,000 tonnes (598,000 bushels) of durum in its 13,000-foot length.
The SWT terminal at Antelope, located along the Trans-Canada Highway, recently built a track expansion to accommodate larger trains. The expansion increased each of three ladder tracks to 8,500 feet, so each track can hold 147 hopper cars while waiting for CP to haul it away.
The SWT terminal is one of the few farmer-owned elevators left on the Prairies with part ownership by Cargill.
Terminal manager Monty Reich said the team worked awhile to procure the durum for the train. The region is known for good durum production.
CP named the SWT terminal elevator of the year in 2018.
The terminal has about 60 employees including crop input and fertilizer sales at antelope, Cabri, Gull Lake, Shaunavon, and Wymark.
The elevator handled 443,000 metric tonnes of grain in the 2018-19 crop year — a 13 per cent decrease caused by lower yields in the dry southwest.
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
