Thornton Car Shop

Canadian National's Thornton Car Shop was opened in 1977 as part of a $12 million freight car and motive power repair complex.

Maintenance, repair and servicing work is performed at the facility on railway freight cars used to transport coal, sulphur, grain, automobiles and general merchandise, as well as cabooses. A preventive inspection and maintenance program is also carried out on double-door box cars and multi-level auto cars.

Approximately 200 people are employed at the Thornton Car Shop including carmen, helpers, labourers, electricians, pipefitters, sheetmetal workers, blacksmiths and administrative and clerical staff.

Each year approximately 16,000 of the more than 350,000 railway cars dispatched from the Thornton Yard are repaired at CN's Thornton Car Shop and more than 5,000 pairs of defective freight car wheels are replaced.