Trackside Log for Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Today Marcus and I decided to venture to the CSX west of Buffalo, New York. We departed my house and drove to Sturgeon Point Road in Angola. The morning proved to be rather quiet.

• 1101 Angola, NY - CSX Q268 east - CSXT 369-CSXT 5344

After a single CSX train an Evans police officer stopped and asked us to leave. In eleven years of visiting Sturgeon Point Road neither the local police nor CSX employees have had issue with me photographing trains there. In fact, they normally waved to me. So we drove west, first stopping in the village of Angola proper. Norfolk Southern train 310 east blew through town just before a CSX westbound but we missed it.

• 1138 Angola, NY - CSX Q115 west -CSXT 5454-CSXT 7880

After the westbound we continued on to Ripley.

• 1329 Ripley, NY - NS 22K east - NS 9345-NS 6805
• 1343 Ripley, NY - CSX Q386 east - CSXT 5373-CSXT 8351
• 1350 Ripley, NY - CSX W990 west dimensional - CSXT 7922
• 1406 Ripley, NY - CSX Q164 east - CSXT 4824-CSXT 7800-CSXT 7578
• 1415 Ripley, NY - CSX Q264 east - CSXT 775-CSXT 5432

Since we were so close Marcus and I decided to continue on to the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society's museum in the former New York Central station in North East, Pennsylvania.

• 1436 North East, PA - NS 206 east - NS 8396-NS 7554-NS 9396
• 1436 North East, PA - CSX Q117 east - CSXT 868-CSXT 7602-CSXT 5447
• 1440 North East, PA - Lake Shore Railway Historical Society power - LSRHS no#
• 1444 North East, PA - Lake Shore Railway Historical Society power - NYC 2500
• 1449 North East, PA - CSX Q109 west - CSXT 5351-CSXT 518-CSXT 866
• 1511 North East, PA - CSX K629 west - CSXT 5472-CSXT 275-CSXT 5491

Well it was starting to get dark so we turned back east toward home. En route we heard an eastbound so we stopped to see it at Westfield, New York.

• 1609 Westfield, NY - CSX Q122 east - CSXT 5237-CSXT 5278-CSXT 5296

So that was it. The motive power wasn't very interesting but at least there was something to see. Our original intent was only to go as far as Angola but the police interfered with that plan.

Trackside Log for Saturday, December 19, 2009

While out walking Missy this morning I missed a northbound with a pair of AC4400CWs. When we got back home I turned the scanner on in time to hear the northbound obtain a clearance from Smithville with a meet. I waited for the southbound to report clear of Smithville before taking Missy behind my house for a photograph.

• 0956 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8878-CP 8796 (photo, video)

After the train passed it was time to get back inside out of the cold.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Once again this evening I was out for a walk with Missy. On our way back home I could hear a southbound approaching town. We waited at the Church Street crossing for a look.

• 1900 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8843-SOO 6028-CP 5928

Too bad it was dark. It would have been nice to have a photograph of that one.

Trackside Log for Sunday, December 13, 2009

After such a beautiful day yesterday it was disappointing to awake to this morning's weather. Freezing rain had covered all of western Pennsylvania with a treacherous blanket of ice. It wasn't safe to go anywhere so I spent the entire morning in my room at the Super 8. By around noon it looked like things were melting so I checked out and began my trip back home. I decided to route my return through Lock Haven and headed out on Interstate 99. Eventually I arrived at Lock Haven and found a pair of GP38-2s parked with train.

• 1522 Lock Haven, PA - NS power - NS 5323-NS 5280 (photo)

After a few photographs I continued my arduous drive back to Canada. At least I was able to get some really nice photographs yesterday.

Trackside Log for Saturday, December 12, 2009

I spent the previous night driving to Altoona, Pennsylvania so that today I could photograph along the former Pennsylvania Railroad. I departed from the Super 8 just after sun rise and drove to Cresson for breakfast before perching atop the Over Bridge Street bridge in Lilly. It wasn't long before the trains began moving.

• 0858 Lilly, PA - NS 21Q west - NS 9673-NS 8883-NS 2613 w/ helper NS 3352-NS 3348
• 0902 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9549-NS 8733-NS 8912
• 0909 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound coal - NS 7211-NS 7208 w/ helper NS 6313-NS 6312

Ah, yes. The new helper power was here. I hadn't been to the Cresson area in quite a while. The NS 6300s were displacing the 3300s which meant the last of the Conrail blue SD40-2s were disappearing. Bummer.

• 0927 Lilly, PA - AMTK 42 east - AMTK 92
• 0931 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound coal - NS 6737-NS 6724-NS 6729 w/ helper NS 6303-NS 6315

Whoa! I felt like I'd gone back in time. All three SD60Is were still Conrail blue. Very nice.

• 0935 Lilly, PA - NS westbound - NS 9759-NS 9768-NS 9747 w/ helper NS 3344-NS 3372

I decided to move around the curve a little which proved fortuitous. The trains dried up for quite a while.

• 1121 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9821-NS 9894 (video)
• 1126 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound power - NS 7209-NS 7207
• 1132 Lilly, PA - NS 65J west - NS 6301-NS 6307-NS 3435-NS 9872 (video)
• 1138 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound power - NS 7210-NS 7213-NS 7205-NS 7202
• 1149 Lilly, PA - NS westbound coal - NS 9928-NS 7712
• 1210 Lilly, PA - NS 500 east - NS 9568-NS 6783 w/ helper NS 3372-NS 3344-NS 3348-NS 3352 (video)
• 1226 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound - NS 2611-NS 9852 (video)

After the intermodal train I figured the light at Cassandra would be nice so I migrated west a few miles.

• 1308 Cassandra, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9489-NS 8850-NS 9510 (video)
• 1323 Cassandra, PA - NS eastbound - NS 2591-NS 7697 (video)
• 1351 Cassandra, PA - NS westbound - NS 8305-NS 5443-NS 6562

Finally, a westbound! The first two engines were Conrail blue too. A nice touch. Then, just as I was about to leave a second westbound arrived.

• 1402 Cassandra, PA - NS westbound - NS 9837-NS 2556-NS 9793

The lighting was turning sour at Cassandra so I turned east for the Gallitzin tunnels. I did manage to miss one westbound en route. Oh well, that's the way it goes.

• 1435 Gallitzin, PA - NS westbound - NS 9953-NS 8844-NS 9247
• 1448 Gallitzin, PA - NS westbound helper - NS 6315-NS 6303 (video)

The sun was dipping below the trees so I moved to Cresson for the last of the light.

• 1510 Cresson, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9393-NS 9775-NS 5672
• 1522 Cresson, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9174-NS 8366-NS 9905
• 1534 Cresson, PA - NS 422 east - NS 2637-NS 9307 w/ helper NS 6310-NS 6300
• 1537 Cresson, PA - NS westbound - NS 8337-NS 8808

The next train took me back in time even farther. It sure looked like steam was back in the Allegheny Mountains as train 20R climbed into Cresson. I'd say the 2768 "blowed up real good."

• 1542 Cresson, PA - NS 20R east - NS 2768-NS 9664-NS 9669 (photo 1, photo 2)

The 2768 was still running amid all that smoke. After a few photographs and acquiring the unmistakable odour of diesel exhast the parade continued unabated.

• 1551 Cresson, PA - NS helper east - NS 3343-NS 3354 (photo)
• 1555 Cresson, PA - NS westbound - NS 9296-NS 8393 (photo)
• 1604 Cresson, PA - NS westbound helper - NS 3352-NS 3348
• 1615 Cresson, PA - NS westbound helper - NS 3344-NS 3372

The sun was setting so I called off the photography but stuck around to watch the activity since all I'd be doing back at the Super 8 was watching television.

• 1619 Cresson, PA - NS westbound helper - NS 6312-NS 6313

Just after I drove to the south side of the tracks a helper set pulled out of the fuel dock.

• 1628 Cresson, PA - NS eastbound helper - NS 6317-NS 6311

They waited for the 6307 helper set before proceeding eastward.

• 1629 Cresson, PA - NS eastbound helper - NS 6307-NS 6301
• 1635 Cresson, PA - NS 36A east - NS 9131-NS 8822

While waiting for the next train I decided to play with some low light. I took a quick shot of a helper set at the fuel dock. What do you know? It looked rather interesting.

• 1709 Cresson, PA - NS helper - NS 3343-NS 3354 (photo)
• 1738 Cresson, PA - NS 242 east (Triple Crown) - NS 9709-NS 9620

I waited around for a while longer but nothing else showed up so I drove back to Altoona. Driving down Route 22 I spied the lights of a westbound climbing the east slope. It had been an awesome day with beautiful sunshine and I accomplished my primary goal: relaxation.

Trackside Log for Monday, November 23, 2009

I happened to be outside when train 247's horns could be heard a couple miles away so I walked to the crossing for a look although it was quite dark.

• 2222 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 9668-CP 9681

Afterward it was back home to prepare for bedtime.

Trackside Log for Sunday, November 22, 2009

This morning as I was brushing Missy before our walk I heard the sounds of an approaching southbound on the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision. I had ample time to get my camera and walk with Missy to the Foss Road crossing before the train arrived.

• 0821 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8879-CP 9619 (photo)

After watching the relatively short train pass by Missy and I resumed our walk.

Trackside Log for Sunday, November 15, 2009

It was an overcast day spent at home but I left the scanner on anyway. It was very quiet. The Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision didn't make a sound until the afternoon when train 246 called out Smithville and Boyle. Missy and I went over to Sumbler Road to take a look.

• 1343 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8716-CP 9766 (photo)

They proceeded straight through to the Canadian National Stamford Subdivision and on to Buffalo.

Trackside Log for Saturday, November 14, 2009

Today I took Missy out trackside for the first time. Well, we went farther than Fenwick for the first time at any rate. I was initially going to Copetown but the elevator track was full of Loram equipment so we continued on to Lynden. It took a while but eventually the trains showed up.

• 1152 Lynden - CN 383 west - CN 5730-IC 1011-GTW 6420
• 1313 Lynden - CN 873 west - CN 5640

The empty grain train was interesting even if the power wasn't. Also noteworthy were the handful of mixed frieght cars at the back.

• 1318 Lynden - VIA 72 east - VIA 905
• 1326 Lynden - VIA 73 west - VIA 6415
• 1339 Lynden - CN 148 east - CN 2535-CN 5623

At that point I decided to call it a day. Train 435 would be along in a while but I was content. So Missy and I went to Binbrook to visit my family before the night's Hamilton Bulldogs game.

Trackside Log for Friday, November 13, 2009

Today found me working on a diagram at home for the day. I decided to turn the scanner on to keep abreast of activity on the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision. Late in the morning I heard a southbound report the south siding switch Smithville returned to normal position. I waited for the conductor to report mile board Boyle before taking Missy for a ride to River Road.

• 1100 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8884-CP 8535

After a couple photographs Missy and I returned home again. Around mid-afternoon a 10,000' train 247 arrived at Welland Yard. I waited for them to finish switching before heading out with Missy for a photograph in the afternoon sun.

• 1512 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 9644-CP 9602

While 247 was switching Welland Yard train 427 pulled into Brookfield and waited to enter the yard. I decided to take a quick jaunt over to see it. When I got there the train was parked at the yard office.

• 1525 Welland - CP 427 north - CP 5935-CEFX 1056 (photo 1, photo 2)

It's been quite a while since I've seen an SD40-2 running down here. That was nice to see.

Trackside Log for Friday, October 30, 2009

Just as Missy and I were starting our evening walk I could hear horns approaching from the south. We walked back to the Canadian Pacific tracks in time to see a northbound.

• 1645 Fenwick - CP northbound - CP 9649-CEFX 1030

Well, what do you know? Another CEFX AC4400. I'm not sure what this train was since its entire consist was about 12 UTLX tank cars.

Trackside Log for Thursday, October 29, 2009

Tonight when Missy and I were on our way back from our evening walk we heard horns approaching from the north. We met train 246 at the Foss Road crossing.

• 1555 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8711-CEFX 1053

A CEFX AC4400 is about as exciting as it gets these days.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Like yesterday I was working from home again. However, I hadn't yet turned the scanner on when I heard horns approaching from the south. I walked out behind my house for a look.

• 1012 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 8713-CP 8837 (photo)

Wow, what a huge train. There was a total of three autoracks today.

Later in the day I heard train 246 call out station name sign Smithville. I took Missy for a short walk to see it.

• 1539 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 9562-CP 9664 (photo)

Then we walked back home.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, October 20, 2009

I was spending the day working from home again. While editing a diagram I left my scanner on to keep an ear on what Canadian Pacific would be doing for the day. Mid-morning yielded a conversation between a work train led by CP 3032 heading to Port Maitland and train 254 which was approaching Smithville. I waited for 254 to near Fenwick before heading to Chantler Road for a photograph.

• 1027 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 9538-CP 9631

For a change the sun was shining. After a photograph I picked up some food before heading back to work at home.

Later on, just before getting ready to walk Missy, I heard train 255 obtain a clearance from Welland Yard to Smithville. I took MIssy out behind my house to watch.

• 1701 Fenwick - CP 255 north - CP 9615-CP 9625 (photo)

Once the train passed us by we continued on our walk.

Trackside Log for Sunday, October 11, 2009

When out walking Missy I discovered it was going to be a nice sunny day.  When we got back home I turned on the scanner and waited for something to happen.  Sometime mid morning train 247 arrived at Welland Yard and began working.  Once they obtained a clearance to leave I drove over to Farr Street for a photograph.

• 1200 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 8854-CP 8784

It wasn't very exciting, but it was something.

Trackside Log for Sunday, October 4, 2009

I was home cataloguing slides when I heard the horn of a northbound Canadian Pacific train approaching. I dashed up to the crossing to take a look.

• 0850 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 8782-CP 8824-CP 8741 (photo)

The remaining few trains on the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision have been rather long lately. This morning's train was as well. After a while a southbound announced mile sign Boyle so I walked out behind my property to see it.

• 1111 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 8646-CP 9546 (photo)

It was beginning to rain so I hustled back into the house. After walking my dog, Missy I heard train 255 leaving Welland Yard. Once again I walked back behind my house for a photograph.

• 1315 Fenwick - CP 255 north - CP 8814-CP 8797 (photo)

After train 255 passed by I walked back to my house where I heard it hit the detector at mile 27.8 with 612 axles. Like I said, the trains here are pretty big these days.

Later on in the afternoon train 246 triggered the detector at mile 27.8.

• 1532 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 9659-CP 9549

OK, so 246 was actually pretty short.

Trackside Log for Monday, September 14, 2009

I brought some work home with me this afternoon and before very long heard a Canadian Pacific southbound call out mile board Smithville. I waited for it to get to Boyle and then quickly went out for a photograph.

• 1605 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 9612-CP 9825

Afterward I returned home to my work.

Trackside Log for Sunday, September 6, 2009

I spent the previous night in Binbrook and woke to a rather nice day. I decided to go out for a few photographs although I didn't get a very early start. I arrived at Copetown by 1000 but nothing happened for a long time.

• 1151 Copetown - CN 301 west - IC 2698-CN 2237

I was a bit sleepy from sitting around at Copetown for so long so I thought a change of scenery would be good. I drove through Brantford and found train 301 working. I drove on ahead to Paris. I missed train 148 en route but got to Paris Junction in time to see Via train 72.

• 1250 Paris Junction - VIA 72 east - VIA 916
• 1306 Paris Junction - CN 301 west -IC 2698-CN 2237
• 1330 Paris Junction - VIA 73 west - VIA 900

Canadian National was very quiet but after a while I heard on the scanner that RaiLink was in Brantford and heading down the Hagersville Subsivision. I drove to Caledonia to photograph the train crossing the Grand River.

• 1703 Caledonia - SOR southbound - SOR 5005-RLK 1755
• 1727 Hagersville - SOR southbound - SOR 5005-RLK 1755
• 1740 9th Concession, Garnet - SOR southbound - SOR 5005-RLK 1755
• 1747 8th Concession, Garnet - SOR southbound - SOR 5005-RLK 1755

When I got to Nanticoke a job was switching the Esso plant. Before long it emerged to meet with the southbound.

• 1806 3rd Concession, Nanticoke - SOR switcher - RMPX 9431-RLK 4057

The southbound's power was cut off. The switcher then pulled the cars clear thereby enabling the southbound to run around its train.

• 1812 3rd Concession, Nanticoke - SOR southbound - SOR 5005-RLK 1755
• 1815 3rd Concession, Nanticoke - SOR switcher - RMPX 9431-RLK 4057 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1820 3rd Concession, Nanticoke - SOR southbound - RLK 1755-SOR 5005 (photo)

Well it was getting late so I turned for home. I've long desired to photograph a train crossing the Grand River in Caledonia. Happily today I got my chance.

Trackside Log for Saturday, September 5, 2009

It was the first day of the Labour Day long weekend and I was at home relaxing with the scanner on. All was very quiet until about noon when Canadian Pacific train 255 obtained a clearance to Welland Yard. After switching the yard another clearance to Kinnear Yard was given and I went out to have a look.

• 1448 Fenwick - CP 255 north - CP 9521-CP 9504

This was the same consist as Thursday's train 254 although the 9521 had been rotated.

Trackside Log for Friday, September 4, 2009

Once again I was working at home for the afternoon with the scanner on. At about 1400 I heard the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision dispatcher talk to train 254 south. Their location was Smithville so they would be along shortly. Since it was another nice day I went out for a photograph.

• 1436 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 8647-CP 8728

It wasn't anything exciting, but with only four trains a day lately I'll take what I can get.

Trackside Log for Thursday, September 3, 2009

Today at lunch I returned home to work there. Once again I had the scanner on and heard Canadian Pacific train 254 obtain a clearance from Welland to Brookfield. I quickly grabbed my camera and popped out for a photograph.

• 1552 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 9521-CP 9504

And then I was back home working within 10 minutes.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, September 2, 2009

I was working from home today but kept the scanner on in the background should something interesting approach on the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision. Mid afternoon the detector at mile 27 went off with a count of 24 axles. Job 2 was returning from Smithville with some empty pipe cars.

• 1356 Fenwick - CP Job 2 south - CP 3032-CP 3043 (photo)

After a few photographs I went back to work.

Trackside Log for Saturday, August 29, 2009

Today some friends and I were heading to Toronto to visit Fan Expo Canada 2009 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. We were going to take the GO train from St. Catharines but there was a very long lineup and we didn't think we could buy tickets before the train's arrival. Our solution was to drive ahead to Burlington and catch it there. No problem. We had our choice between the Niagara train and the regular Lakeshore West train which both arrived at the same time.

• 1012 Burlington - GO 910 east - GOT 601-GOT 559 (photo)
• 1013 Burlington - GO 782 east - GOT 618 (photo 1, photo 2)

We opted for the Niagara train because it's an express and two friends were already on board.

Trackside Log for Saturday, August 22, 2009

This morning I was upstairs working on the computer when I heard the horns of a southbound Canadian Pacific train. Well the sun was out so I grabbed the camera. On the way to my chosen photographic location I could see that some rain clouds were imminent.

• 0950 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 9545-STLH 5651

I got rather lucky with the photograph. I managed to grab the last vestiges of sunshine before the sky clouded over.

Later in the day I heard train 247 obtain a clearance from Brookfield East to Kinnear with the same power from the morning's train 246.

• 2025 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 9545-STLH 5651

Shortly after the train passed through town the dispatcher informed the crew of train 247 that they'd have to set off cars 8 through 29 in Vinemount siding.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, August 19, 2009

As I was driving home from work today I heard Canadian Pacific train 247 on the scanner approaching Welland. Since the railway has been primarily noctournal of late I stopped at home, grabbed a camera and headed trackside to have a look.

• 1657 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 9516-CP 8880-CP 8705-CP 9588

Then I was back home. After some basketball, at about dusk a northbound acquired a clearance so I figured I'd walk to the tracks for a look. Remember what I said about a noctournal railway?

• 2029 Fenwick - CP 255 north - CP 9634-CP 9619

Since train 255 was meeting a southbound in Smithville I kept an ear on the scanner. Eventually it showed up and I walked to the crossing just for fun.

• 2132 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 8882-CP 9672

Afterward it was back to washing dishes.

Trackside Log for Sunday, August 16, 2009

This morning I was home working on the trackside log from the prior day's trip to North East, Pennsylvania. After a while Canadian Pacific train 246 called out mile sign Boyle. I picked up my camera and went to Chantler Road.

• 1154 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8763

After the rather small train passed by I returned home and continued editing.

Trackside Log for Saturday, August 15, 2009

Just the previous Tuesday I received my Ontario Enhanced Drivers License. Thanks to good old American paranoia I had been unable to cross the border into the United States since June 1st when the required documents for entry changed. So, with new card in hand, I decided that I should at least make use of the $40 it cost me. The plan was to visit North East, Pennsylvania for the day. Marcus was also going to be joining me.

I headed out the door at 0700 into what promised to be a clear but very hot day. I met Marcus at Fort Erie and we braved the Peace Bridge border crossing. It wasn't terribly busy and we were granted entry with minimal difficulty. In an effort to conserve time we took Interstate 90 straight to North East. A westbound with a pair of Union Pacific SD70Ms was already there when we arrived. We weren't going to be able to photograph it before it took off so we stopped for breakfast at McDonald's. Naturally, while there, an eastbound also passed through. Luckily CSX runs enough trains that we weren't too concerned. We took the food over to Bort Road and after a wait long enough to eat some trains showed up.

• 1017 North East, PA - CSX Q251 west - CSXT 377-CSXT 7678
• 1037 North East, PA - CSX Q371 west - CSXT 8196-CSXT 7628
• 1056 North East, PA - CSX Q281 west - CSXT 8806-CSXT 5824
• 1101 North East, PA - CSX Q268 east - CSXT 5388-CSXT 7789
• 1238 North East, PA - NS 310 east - NS 9195-NS 8773

By noon the air was thick. A lull in the action occurred after the Norfolk Southern train so Marcus and I decided it was a good time for lunch. We drove into North East proper and bought lunch from Subway. We took our subs to the former New York Central station which is now the home of Lake Shore Railway Historical Society. Between lunch and perusing exhibits and magazines some trains passed by the station.

• 1356 North East, PA - CSX Q109 west - CSXT 8758-CSXT 5338-CSXT 5373
• 1405 North East, PA - CSX Q161 west - CSXT 5479-CSXT 5415-CSXT 7911
• 1421 North East, PA - NS 22K east - NS 2639-NS 2527
• 1428 North East, PA - CSX Q146 east - CSXT 97-CSXT 5208

Word on the radio was that Norfolk Southern train 309 was on the way. Marcus and I made our way back to Bort Road for a photograph there.

• 1515 North East, PA - NS 309 west - NS 2629-NS 9249
• 1524 North East, PA - CSX westbound - CSXT 5323-CSXT 7392-CSXT 7612

The sun was starting to cross over the tracks and making photography difficult at Bort Road so we drove to the next crossing west, Remington Road.

• 1604 North East, PA - CSX eastbound - CSXT 5242-CSXT 7507
• 1607 North East, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9822-NS 9120
• 1613 North East, PA - CSX eastbound - CSXT 5263-CSXT 8809
• 1631 North East, PA - CSX Q115 west - CSXT 5377-CSXT 5366-CSXT 5439-CSXT 5230-CSXT 5359
• 1647 North East, PA - CSX Q381 west - CSXT 7689-CSXT 8049
• 1649 North East, PA - CSX ethanol eastbound - CSXT 7915-CSXT 8853
• 1704 North East, PA - CSX K645 westbound ethanol - CSXT 5313-CSXT 9039-CSXT 4795-CSXT 40-CSXT 5466

At that point everything got very quiet again so we made the move eastward, toward home. We followed Route 5 so we had easy access to the tracks if we heard of a westbound in the area. The only known train was a Q108 east which wasn't very photographable anyway. It caught up to us at Ripley, New York.

• 1737 Ripley, NY - CSX Q108 east - CSXT 7691-CSXT 7706-CSXT 5319

We managed to miss the only westbound that appeared during the 70 mile journey back to Buffalo but overall we managed to have a pretty decent, albeit sweaty, day trackside in Pennsylvania.

Trackside Log for Monday, August 3, 2009

After another pleasant sleep at The Station Inn in Cochrane I awoke to the final day of my drive around Northern Ontario. Today I had to drive back home from Cochrane: about 800km. After packing everything back into my car and checking out of the hotel I photographed the day's southbound Northlander which was just pulling into the station. It was getting pretty cloudy, but I managed a few photographs.

• 0730 Cochrane - ONR 698 south "Northlander" - ONT 1800-ONT 204 (photo)

The power for the Polar Bear Express also pulled up to the station but it was the same as the day before which I photographed already. The Northlander was headed in my direction so I decided to find a spot somewhere south to photograph the train again. During my drive I found beautiful clear skies. It turned out that the clouds were really only Cochrane and north. I located a nice location in Ramore across from the former Ontario Northland station which is now the fire department.

• 0914 Ramore - ONR 698 south "Northlander" - ONT 1800-ONT 204

Along the way I heard on the scanner that the Northlander was meeting train 213 at mile 35. I scouted a location to photograph the northbound.

• 1000 Bourkes - ONR 213 north - ONT 2105-ONT 1734

As I continued south the clouds once again built and by the time I got to Englehart it was again overcast. Oh well, it was good while it lasted. I stopped in at the Ontario Northland yard there and immediately found an SD40-2 switching in the yard and a southbound parked just north of the station.

• 1050 Englehart - ONR switcher - ONT 1735 (photo)
• 1052 Englehart - ONR southbound - ONT 2104-ONT 1733-ONT 2103 (photo)

I also noticed another SD40-2 parked down at the south end of the yard.

• 1058 Englehart ONR power - ONT 1730 (photo)

The original plan was to stop at North Bay as well, but during the drive the rain began. Since I'd already done rather well photographing the Ontario Northland I decided to forgo North Bay in favour of making my way home.

And then the trip was over. The only annoying part was the weather. I could have done without the repeated rain. At least I was able to get some nice sunny weather in the middle. The ride on the Polar Bear Express was great and I accomplished all my photographic goals. I guess I can't complain too much.

Trackside Log for Sunday, August 2, 2009

This morning I woke up to the sound of a GP40-2 and GP38-2 outside my room in The Station Inn in Cochrane. I quickly got ready and took my camera outside.

• 0705 Cochrane - ONR westbound - ONT 2202-ONT 1804 (photo 1, photo 2)

Before very long the trainset for the day's Northlander pulled out.

• 0725 Cochrane - ONR 698 equipment "Northlander" - ONT 1806-ONT 202 (photo)

The crew wyed the train so it was facing Toronto and backed it past the station in order to get on the station track.

• 0744 Cochrane - ONR 698 south "Northlander" - ONT 1806-ONT 202

Then, while the Northlander was pulling into the station track, the westbound pulled out of town.

• 0748 Cochrane - ONR westbound - ONT 2202-ONT 1804 (photo)
• 0749 Cochrane - ONR 698 south "Northlander" - ONT 1806-ONT 202 (photo 1, photo 2)

While the Northlander was boarding passengers the power for the Polar Bear Express pulled toward the station.

• 0754 Cochrane - ONR 621 equipment "Polar Bear Express" - ONT 1809-ONT 1808 (photo)

After the Northlander departed the Polar Bear Express pulled its coach consist out of the yard.

• 0815 Cochrane - ONR 621 north "Polar Bear Express" - ONT 1809-ONT 1808 (photo)

They lifted the canoe car and two box cars on the tail end and three flat cars loaded with vehicles on the head end. Then they spotted the train in front of the station. Everyone bound for Moosonee, myself included, boarded and we were off (nineteen minutes late) on the 186 mile trip through the Northern Ontario wilderness.

• 0919 depart Cochrane - ONR 621 north "Polar Bear Express" - ONT 1809-ONT 1808
• 1451 arr Moosonee - ONR 621 north "Polar Bear Express" - ONT 1809-ONT 1808

Unfortunately it was raining by the time we arrived but I took the opportunity to explore Moosonee. During my walk the locomotives switched out the flat cars and ran around the train to prepare for the return trip south. After a while I photographed the results.

• 1550 Moosonee - ONR 622 south "Polar Bear Express" - ONT 203 power car (photo)
• 1555 Moosonee - ONR 622 south "Polar Bear Express" - ONT 1808-ONT 1809 (photo 1, photo 2)

Since there were still another two hours before departure I grabbed a snack and continued exploring Moosonee. Once I'd tired of strolling in the rain I returned to the train to await departure.

• 1803 dep Moosonee - ONR 622 south "Polar Bear Express" - ONT 1808-ONT 1809

On the way south I made my way to the dining car for supper. I had some nice roast beef and blueberry pie for desert. I thoroughly enjoyed eating with the boreal forest drifting by beside me. After a long but satisfying day we arrived back at Cochrane.

• 2316 arr Cochrane - ONR 622 south "Polar Bear Express" - ONT 1808-ONT 1809

Riding the Polar Bear Express was fabulous. My thanks to all the staff for helping make the trip great. I'm glad I decided on the spur of the moment the previous week to do it.

Trackside Log for Saturday, August 1, 2009

This morning I awoke just as Canadian Pacific train 222 was pulling to the east end of Chapleau yard. The Bridgeview Motel is at the west end (of course). I took my time getting the day underway since track gangs had been working through the night. By about 0930 the last track occupancy permit was cancelled. The first train to arrive was 103 west. After the recrew I photographed it from the footbridge.

• 1015 Chapleau - CP 103 west - CP 8762-CP 8750

The White River Subdivision dispatcher informed the crew that their first meet, 104, was at Franz. That's about two hours. I didn't feel like waiting around so I drove to Cochrane. When I arrived Ontario Northland offered nothing noteworthy to photograph so I checked into The Station Inn and picked up my tickets for the next day's Polar Bear Express train to Moosonee. The skies grew dark, the wind gusted and I ate supper at The Station Restaurant before relaxing in my room.

Trackside Log for Friday, July 31, 2009

This morning I once again set out from the Bel-Air Motel at 0730. This time I actually slept until seven though. My first destination was the Huron Central to see if train 149 had arrived in the night. As it turned out, no. Since there wasn't much else to see in Sault Ste. Marie I drove to Searchmont to photograph the Agawa Canyon Tour Train again.

• 0910 Searchmont - ACR 633 north - CN 105/CN 106

After photographing the train passing the old station I got back on the Trans-Canada Highway to check out Montreal Falls. Unfortunately the entire area was fogged in so I kept on driving to Hawk Junction. I arrived in time for the passenger train but evidently it was very late. I waited around for a while but gave up and drove the very lonely Highway 101 to Chapleau. Shortly after my arrival the trains started pulling in. I missed one but saw the rest.

• 1543 Devon - CP 110 east - CP 9710/CP 8834 mid DPU/CP 8798 rear DPU
• 1634 Devon - CP 104 east - CP 8784-CP 8503

Amid the flurry of trains I checked into the Bridgeview Motel which conveniently looks on the Canadian Pacific yard. The rest I watched from my room.

• 1815 Chapleau - CP 115 west - CP 9671/CP 9612 mid DPU
• 1858 Chapleau - CP 223 west - CP 9775-CP 8529

Train 223 set off its trailing unit before leaving Chapleau.

• 1930 Chapleau - CP 223 west - CP 9775

After a while the 8529 lifted three units and became train 222.

• 2045 Chapleau - CP 222 west light power - CP 8529-CP 8514-CP 8575-CP 6601 (photo)

...and after lifting its train 222 came back east through town.

• 2327 Chapleau - CP 222 east - CP 6601-CP 8575-CP 8514-CP 8529

And then it was bed time.

Trackside Log for Thursday, July 30, 2009

Once again this morning I awoke unusually early. I don't know why. So I watched television for an hour before getting ready to go. I was out the door by 0730 with plenty of time to catch the Agawa Canyon Tour Train again. But first I drove past the Huron Central yard to check for any activity. Nothing was stirring so I headed north along the Algoma Central to pick a photograph location.

• 0855 Northland (mile 22) - ACR 633 north - CN 105/CN 106

Since the Algoma Central passenger train to Hearst was departing Sault Ste. Marie soon I waited for it as well. I did, however, want to change the scenery.

• 0958 mile 17.44 Soo Subsivision - ACR 631 north - CN 9549 (photo)

At least 9549 looked better than the very worn looking GP40-2W from six years ago. The train was moving slowly so I drove ahead for one more shot.

• 1006 Northland (mile 21) - ACR 631 north - CN 9549

The weather was fascinating. As I drove around it varied between rather sunny and overcast with thick fog. Next I swung by the Huron Central yard again to check for signs of life. Only the QGRY 2006 had moved and was now sitting in front of the station. With nothing of interest happening I took lunch down to the swing bridge over the Sault Ste. Marie canal.

I spent most of the afternoon relaxing by the canal, listening to the scanner, and watching the clouds move in. Somewhere in that time Huron Central announced that they were putting a train together for Sudbury and that it was to depart at 1600. Finally! I waited around until they had assembled the train and then made my way east to photograph it. Naturally it started to rain just then. Well, this was the whole reason I came to Sault Ste. Marie so I gave chase anyway.

• 1629 Garden River (mile 167.5) - HCRY 148 east - HCRY 3013-HCRY 802-HCRY 3802-QGRY 2006
• 1639 Echo Bay (Watson's Road) - HCRY 148 east - HCRY 3013-HCRY 802-HCRY 3802-QGRY 2006
• 1736 Bruce Station - HCRY 148 east - HCRY 3013-HCRY 802-HCRY 3802-QGRY 2006
• 1808 Thessalon - HCRY 148 east - HCRY 3013-HCRY 802-HCRY 3802-QGRY 2006

After a fifty mile chase in the rain I'd had enough. At least I managed to accomplish my goal of photographing the Huron Central. I turned around and had supper back in my room in Sault Ste. Marie.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, July 29, 2009

This morning I awoke very early and couldn't get back to sleep so I figured I may as well get up. So I left the motel just after 0600. The plan for the day was to drive to Sault Ste. Marie and take some photographs along the way. The day started out cloudy and foggy and at 0630 it wasn't very bright but I swung by the Canadian Pacific yard in Mactier anyway. A southbound was just moving to the south siding switch when I arrived.

• 0634 Mactier - CP 112 south - CP 9731 (photo)

I then drove to the opposite end of the yard to check for a distributed power unit. Found it!

• 0644 Mactier - CP 112 south DPU - CP 9662 (photo)

Also in the yard was a track inspection train and the Sperry Rail Services car from the previous night.

• 0646 Mactier - CP TEC train north - CP 8205 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 0647 Mactier - Sperry Rail Services equipment - SRS 119 (photo)

After a few photographs I continued north to Sudbury. I didn't find anything photo worthy at Canadian Pacific or Huron Central so I headed west to Sault Ste. Marie while keeping an eye on the Huron Central tracks. For 179 miles all I saw on the rails were three hi-rail trucks. Oh well. At least when I got to Sault Ste. Marie I found a yard job switching.

• 1312 Sault Ste. Marie - HCRY switcher - QGRY 2006 (photo)

I proceeded to reacquaint myself with town. My last visit to Sault Ste. Marie was in May 2003 when I was on a three week IBM contract to Algoma Steel. After a little tour I drove north along the Algoma Central to Searchmont to check out photograph possibilities. It was starting to rain but I found a place to take a picture of the southbound Agawa Canyon Tour Train. I waited for a while but it arrived eventually at mile 12.

• 1730 Heyden - ACR 634 south - CN 106 (ex-SKTX 289)/CN 105 (ex-SKTX 283) (photo)

Since I was heading back to Sault Ste. Marie anyway I made my way to the Algoma Central station to see the train again.

• 1805 Sault Ste. Marie - ACR 634 south - CN 106/CN 105 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4, photo 5)

I was rather tired from all the day's driving so I decided to check into my room at the Bel-Air Motel for the night and have supper.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, July 28, 2009

After work today I began my northward trek to visit the Huron Central Railway to see it one last time before it ceased operations August 15th.¹ Today's goal was to make Mactier. After checking into the Avon Motel on Highway 69 just south of town I took a quick drive into town to check out the Canadian Pacific rail yard. As soon as parked my car I could hear a southbound approaching.

• 2042 Mactier - CP southbound - CP 9664-CP 6075-CP 5759

Also parked in the yard was a Sperry Rail Services track inspection car.

• 2042 Mactier - Sperry Rail Services equipment - SRS 119

It was getting rather dark so I returned to my room for the night.

---

¹ While I was on the trip the Huron Central Railway agreed to operate the line for up to another year pending approval of its plan with government, local industries and communities.

Trackside Log for Saturday, June 27, 2009

This was the first day for the new weekend GO Transit service between Toronto and Niagara Falls. I wanted to get a few photographs of the occasion so I drove to St. Catharines for the Maple Leaf followed by the second GO train. Lo and behold, the first westbound GO train was very late so I got to see it first. Good way to start the new service.

• 0948 St. Catharines - GO 782 west - GOT 626 (photo)

While waiting for Amtrak I noticed Canadian National train 338 cross Bridge 6 in the distance. I couldn't photograph it. No real loss.

• 1015 St. Catharines - CN 338 west -CN 5662-IC 2725-CN 4119
• 1024 St. Catharines - Via 97 east - AMTK 104 (photo)

The next GO train was due in about an hour so I changed locations to Merritton where I viewed it from the now unused Trillium Townline Spur.

• 1135 Merritton - GO 783 east - GOT 201 (GOT 612 pushing)

After climbing down I drove to Niagara Falls to find a vantage point for its return. The 6th Concession worked nicely.

• 1235 Niagara Falls - GO 784 west - GOT 612

The next train was likely to be Via 92. I returned to Merritton to wait for it.

• 1431 Merritton - Via 92 west - VIA 6421

Since the next GO train wasn't due for quite a while I had some time to kill. I checked with the St. Lawrence Seaway website and discovered that the laker Algolake was to be at Lock 3 at 1630. Perfect. fter watching the boat enter Lock 4 West I made my way to the old railway swing bridge over the second Welland Canal to see the westbound Maple Leaf and the third eastbound GO train of the day. Both arrived within minutes of each other. How convenient!

• 1800 Welland Canal - Via 98 west - AMTK 190
• 1802 Welland Canal - GO 785 east - GOT 230 (GOT 626 pushing)

And with that I was done. I departed for Binbrook after a rather successful day.

Trackside Log for Saturday, June 20, 2009

It was a very wet day having rained all night and morning.  I spent the day indoors and turned the scanner on for the afternoon when it had stopped raining.  Before long I heard train 427 receive a clearance from Brookfield East to Kinnear.  I walked behind my house for a photograph in the dull grey day.

• 1811 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 9613-CP 8541 (photo)

Then I walked back to the house and resumed what I was working on.

Trackside Log for Sunday, May 31, 2009

Sam was visiting this weekend and went back to Toronto this morning.  I dropped her off at the Burlington GO station and then decided to spend some time at the tracks. I swung by Aldershot but nothing was imminent so I drove to Guelph Junction. No signals were set up there so I continued on to Scotch Block to relax. Eventually Canadian National provided a cluster of eastbounds for me to watch.

• 1254 Scotch Block - CN 148 east - CN 2575-CN 2556
• 1312 Scotch Block - CN eastbound - CN 5719-IC 1035-CN 2508
• 1329 Scotch Block - CN eastbound - CN 2566-BCOL 4619 (photo 1, photo 2)

Then it was back to the waiting game. At long last train 339 showed up.

• 1622 Scotch Block - CN 339 west - CN 8808-CN 2651 (photo)

A while after train 339 passed a Canadian Pacific northbound obtained a clearance onto the Galt Subdivision to proceed westward. Since that was the direction I needed to go I drove to Guelph Junction to intercept it. I was just a bit too late so I drove ahead to Victoria Road where I was able to photograph what turned out to be a rail train.

• 1720 Puslinch - CP westbound - CP 9547-CP 8724 (photo)

I was visiting my family in Binbrook that evening so after a few pictures I made my way there.

Trackside Log for Monday, May 25, 2009

Well, today was Memorial Day in these parts and I was flying from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Boston, Massachusetts. I slept in a little bit before leaving the Courtyard Hotel and driving to Newport. The Canadian Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe share track there. I hung around for an hour but nothing showed up. I had enough and figured I'd drop by Pig's Eye Yard before driving to the airport. There were a variety of Canadian Pacific locomotives there but nothing worth photographing. I did however photograph a couple of parked engines in the Union Pacific yard.

• 1129 CDT St. Paul, MN - UP power - UP 734-LLPX 2271 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)

Then I dropped off the rental car and grabbed lunch at the airport before my flight.

Trackside Log for Sunday, May 24, 2009

Today I awoke to beautiful clear skies in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I set out fairly early to get to Canadian Pacific in Thief River Falls, Minnesota in good time. Since the tracks are aligned north-south I elected to visit there first to take advantage of sun angles. A southbound train was parked in the yard but I couldn't photograph it. However, I did notice a long line of stored power. While navigating to the east side of the yard I found an elevator switcher.

• 0819 CDT Thief River Falls, MN - elevator switcher - ILSX 1373 (photo)

Next I photographed the long storage line in the yard.

• 0827 CDT Thief River Falls, MN - CP stored power - SOO 6049-SOO 6026-SOO 6027-SOO 6040-SOO 6045-SOO 6059-SOO 6042-SOO 6044-CP 778-SOO 6036-SOO 6041-CP 5739-CP 779-CP 1512-CP 1513-CP 1511-CP 776-SOO 774-SOO 2403-CP 8270-CP 777-SOO 775

When Marcus and I visited in 2001 Independent Locomotive Services was using the old Soo roundhouse for maintenance. In 2009 they are now gone. Next to the storage line was a pair of snow plows.

• 0902 CDT Thief River Falls, MN - CP equipment - SOO 900078-SOO 900184 (photo)

Having photographed what I came for I started the drive back to North Dakota to locate the Northern Plains Railroad. Just before entering North Dakota I found another elevator switcher in Oslo, Minnesota.

• 1002 CDT Oslo, MN - elevator switcher - FECA 1920 (photo)

Why is everything so far apart in this neck of the woods? Eventually I arrived at Fordville, North Dakota, home base of the Northern Plains Railroad.

• 1103 CDT Fordville, ND - Northern Plains power - NPR 3505-NPR 3503-NPR 3502-NPR 3509-NPR 2283 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4, photo 5, photo 6)
• 1111 CDT Fordville, ND - Northern Plains power - NPR 5558-NPR 5556-NPR 5555-NPR 3501 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4)
• 1122 CDT Fordville, ND - Northern Plains power - NPR 5557-NPR 3504 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)
• 1125 CDT Fordville, ND - Northern Plains equipment - CP 414651
• 1126 CDT Fordville, ND - Northern Plains power - MSCI 700-NPR 410 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4)

This little trip was so rewarding that I ran out of slide film while photographing the Northern Plains. At least I still had the digital. Having achieved all my shortline goals I drove to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe mainline west of Fargo, North Dakota to see what action would present itself. I didn't have to wait long.

• 1437 CDT Casselton, ND - BNSF westbound - BNSF 9960-BNSF 9231-BNSF 8866 (photo)
• 1453 CDT Casselton, ND - BNSF eastbound - BNSF 4503-BNSF 5308 (photo)
• 1502 CDT Casselton, ND - BNSF eastbound Herzog - BNSF 791-BNSF 1082 (photo)
• 1505 CDT Casselton, ND - BNSF westbound - BNSF 1004-BNSF 7501-BNSF 5019-BNSF 4479 (photo)
• 1549 CDT Casselton, ND - BNSF eastbound - BNSF 6609-BNSF 4096 (photo)
• 1554 CDT Casselton, ND - BNSF westbound - BNSF 9940-BNSF 8961/BNSF 9713 (photo 1, photo 2)

At 1600 I decided to call it a day. I had to catch a flight from Minneapolis to Boston the next day and wanted to get back before it got late. After a four hour drive along Interstate 94 I pulled into the Courtyard Hotel in Mendota Heights, Minnesota feeling very satisfied with a productive two days of photography.

Trackside Log for Saturday, May 23, 2009

Three days ago I flew from Buffalo, New York to Minneapolis, Minnesota to visit Compellent in Eden Prairie. Some folks from work and I spent two days testing their disk storage array. Everyone else flew back home but I had made arrangements to stay for the Memorial Day long weekend.

This morning I departed the Fairfield Inn in Eden Prairie in my rented Dodge Caliber. The weather started out overcast but I was looking forward to the skies clearing up later on. The first stage of my trip was to follow the Twin Cities & Western toward Appleton, Minnesota. The first town to present a photo opportunity was Glencoe.

• 0833 CDT Glencoe, MN - Twin Cities & Western power - RRVW 406-TCWR 1503 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)

While searching town further I noticed a pair of slugs at Seneca Foods.

• 0844 CDT Glencoe, MN - Twin Cities & Western power - TCWR 201-NS 9830 (photo 1, photo 2)

I continued following the Twin Cities & Western west. I checked out the towns along the way but didn't find any interesting railway subjects until Montevideo, Minnesota where I espied the Milwaukee Road Historical Park.

• 1057 CDT Montevideo, MN - Milwaukee Road Historical Park - MILW X19-MILW 991960 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1059 CDT Montevideo, MN - Milwaukee Road Historical Park - NSP X-5 (79 in number boards) (photo)

I followed the rails all the way to Appleton, Minnesota but did not see anything else on the Twin Cities & Western. My next target was the Sisseton-Milbank Railroad. While en route I heard a Burlington Northern Santa Fe westbound report clear of mile 600. I looked for the nearest mile board on the BNSF track next to me and read mile 590. The train was a mere ten miles ahead of me. I kept moving and caught up to it just before Milbank, South Dakota. I was able to get ahead of the train on the west side of town for a photograph.

• 1238 CDT Milbank, SD - BNSF westbound - BNSF 4390-BNSF 4980

I went back to Milbank and found the Sisseton-Milbank. The west leg of the wye was full of covered hoppers and the mainline was full of empty coal hoppers. I couldn't find any locomotives though so I followed their tracks to Sisseton. I found plenty of cars parked along the way but no power so I continued to the Canadian Pacific in Hankinson, North Dakota. Once again there were many parked cars but nothing of interest. Next I drove to the Red River Valley & Western's home base of Breckenridge, Minnesota where I hit pay dirt.

• 1512 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western power - RRVW 2001-RRVW 2002-ILSX 179-ILSX 180 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4, photo 5)
• 1517 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western power - RRVW 2005-RRVW 1276-RRVW 2051-RRVW 309 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4)
• 1521 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western power - RRVW 303 (photo)
• 1536 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western power - RRVW 404 (photo)
• 1542 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western equipment - RRVW 113 (photo)

Wow, that was rewarding! Then I grabbed a bite to eat from the local Kentucky Fried Chicken and ate in front of the old station where a Great Northern caboose was on display.

• 1601 CDT Breckenridge, MN - preserved caboose - GN X111 (photo)

My next railway was the nearby Otter Tail Valley in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Soon after arrival I could hear them switching somewhere in town. I searched but couldn't find them. After the third time by their engine shed I got extremely lucky. They were just about to park three of the four locomotives inside.

• 1700 CDT Fergus Falls, MN - Otter Tail Valley power - MNN 1484-MNN 1463-OTVR 192

The MNN 1484 cut off the trailing two engines before taking off westward. The previously set off OTVR 3900 then joined the two geeps inside the shed.

• 1708 CDT Fergus Falls, MN - Otter Tail Valley power - MNN 1484
• 1710 CDT Fergus Falls, MN - Otter Tail Valley power - OTVR 3900

After some photographs in nice light I followed the Otter Tail Valley Railroad northwestward to Dilworth, Minnesota where I checked out the BNSF yard. There were dozens of engines but nothing photographable.

I decided that Grand Forks, North Dakota would be my final destination for the day. During the drive there I ran across an elevator switcher at the Alton Grain Terminal.

• 1917 CDT south of Hillsboro, ND - Alton Grain Terminal switcher - DLSX 2307 (photo)

When I got to Grand Forks I immediately drove to the old roundhouse which I knew from my previous visit in 2001 would be my only chance for decent light.

• 2006 CDT Grand Forks, ND - BNSF power - BNSF 3404 (photo)

That was it for the day's photography. I found a room at the America's Best Value Inn, filled the car with petrol and me with a sub before calling it a day.

Trackside Log for Sunday, May 17, 2009

I was spending the day at home relaxing mostly.  It was a somewhat typical day for the Canadian Pacific Hamilton subdivision.  There were no trains until late in the afternoon.  Eventually I heard train 426 call out the Boyle mile sign.  I drove down to mile 23 for a photograph across a field of corn stubble.

• 1807 Pelham - CP 426 south - CP 9530-CP 8609

After my photographs I turned back for home.  That was all for daylight trains, but after dark there was a couple.

• 2235 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 8820-CP AC4400CW
• 2351 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 9766-CP SD40-2

Thus ended another (rather uneventful) day.

Trackside Log for Thursday, May 14, 2009

This morning I woke up with a migraine caused by changing air pressure.  Consequently I stayed home from work for the day.  The Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision was quiet the entire day until about 1645 when I heard job 2 announce they were entering the main track and headed to Smithville.  By that time my headache was nearly gone so I popped up the road to take a photograph.

• 1700 Fenwick - CP job 2 north - CP 3032-CP 3097

The train had a Canada grain car for a buffer and four pipe loads.  A few minutes after I arrived back home I heard job 2 clear a southbound through its working limits.  After a few games of cribbage on my iPod I heard the southbound report mile board Boyle and out I went again to take a photograph.

• 1749 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 9586-CP 9806

I didn't know when job 2 would turn back but I knew it wouldn't be long.  I drove back home but as soon as I turned onto my driveway I heard its horn approaching.  Back out I went.

• 1759 Fenwick - CP job 2 south - CP 3097-CP 3032

As expected the pipe loads were now gone and the spacer car remained.

Trackside Log for Sunday, April 26, 2009

It was a cool, damp, cloudy morning and not long after I got up I heard horns approaching from the south.  I figured, "Why not take a photograph anyway."  So I picked up my D80 and walked to the crossing up the road.

• 0916 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 9537-CP 8792 (photo)

After watching the train pass I walked back home to sort out my day.  While working on my website I heard train 426 give a track release from Vinemount to the Hamilton Subdivision dispatcher.  When they called out the mile sign at Boyle I walked to Foss Road for a photograph.

• 1444 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 9824-CP 9503 (photo)

I chuckled when I noticed that 9824 still retains its Christmas lights from the Holiday Train.

Trackside Log for Sunday, April 19, 2009

Once again I was at home indexing photographs.  When you put it off they really pile up on you.  Again, I had the scanner on and in the afternoon heard train 426 south approaching town.

• 1348 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 9829-CP 8831

Train 426's opposite, train 427, had arrived at Welland Yard earlier and departed northward as soon as train 426 arrived.

• 1411 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 9520-CP 8549 (photo)

And that was the extent of trains in daylight on the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision for the day.  After darkness fell a further three trains blew through town.

Trackside Log for Saturday, April 18, 2009

I spent much of the day indexing slides.  I turned on the scanner in the morning but the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision was completely silent until a little before 1900.  Now that the sun was gone a southbound was on its way.  I decided to walk over to the tracks to see it anyway.

• 1911 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8549-CP 9520 (photo)

As railfan law dictates, I heard the dispatcher talking to a northbound approaching as well.  It would be well and truly dark when train 247 north got here.

Trackside Log for Saturday, April 11, 2009

Shortly after I got up this morning I could hear an approaching Canadian Pacific train.  I didn't have enough time to go out to see it but watched it pass from the window.  I was surprised to see a pair of CEFX AC4400s for motive power.  It turned out that the train was 254 with no work at Welland.  If I was going to photograph it, I'd have to drive ahead and it wouldn't be easy.  I got my gear and headed out.  My first attempt was for House Road.  As I crossed Point Abino Road I could see 254's headlights not far away.  At least I was ahead of it, but not by much.  The light angle at House Road wasn't to my liking yet so I continued on to Fort Erie where I knew the light angle would be much better.  I only needed to wait about five minutes before 254 came around the bend.

• 0940 Fort Erie - CP 254 east - CEFX 1048-CEFX 1026

After several photographs I returned home to work on my website.  After a while the Hamilton Subdivision dispatcher issued a clearance to a northbound out of Welland yard with a "do not proceed" instruction.  I went down the street to photograph the southbound.

• 1350 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8833-CP 8780

I waited for the northbound to pass over the defect detector at mile 18.3 and then headed out for a photograph of it.

• 1430 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 8643-CP 9524-SOO 6027-CP 8798

And that was it for daylight trains for Canadian Pacific.  It was a good Saturday.

Trackside Log for Friday, April 10, 2009

Today was Good Friday and I was at home relaxing a bit while indexing photographs. I had the scanner on and heard Canadian Pacific train 426 call out Boyle mile sign late in the morning. I drove over to Sumbler Road for a photograph.

• 1138 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 9524-CP 8643

I was very low on fuel so after a photograph I went to fuel up and then returned home.

Trackside Log for Sunday, April 5, 2009

I was at home today working with some of my photographs.  In the morning a northbound passed by with an AC4400, SD40-2, AC4400, AC4400 combination.  I didn't have enough warning to get trackside though.  After the northbound I turned on the scanner.  Nothing much happened until the afternoon when I heard Canadian Pacific engine 8815 call out the slow order the other side of Smithville.  I drove over to Sumbler Road for a photograph in the nice sunshine.

• 1420 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8815-CP 8798

And that was it for daylight trains on the Hamilton Subdivision.

Trackside Log for Saturday, April 4, 2009

Today began with me recovering my Windows computer. Somehow the registry had become corrupted and it was behaving badly. I decided to rebuild from a backup. Anyway, while working on this I heard horns approaching and decided I needed a break. I grabbed the camera and dashed over to Sumbler Road.

• 1307 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8879-CP 9814 (photo)

After the photos I drove to the fuel station for, well, fuel and then returned home.

Trackside Log for Thursday, April 2, 2009

I was working with some of my photographs when I heard Canadian Pacific train 426 call out Smithville mile board.  I figured why not go photograph it.  I drove down to River Road to have a look.

• 1817 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8879

The sky was starting to cloud over but there was just enough sunshine to make the picture interesting.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, March 31, 2009

No sooner had I gotten home from work today when I heard train horns approaching. I grabbed my camera and dashed over to Farr Street to take a photograph across the field.

• 1703 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 8790-CP 9573

I haven't had much luck seeing trains after work in a while, so this was nice to see. Soon after a light power northbound ran by but I didn't hear it in time to photograph it.

• 1725 Fenwick - CP work 3097 north - CP 3097-CP 3042

So I waited to see if it would return from Smithville before it got dark.  It did.

• 1845 Fenwick - CP work 3042 south - CP 3042-CP 3097

There wasn't a lot of light left, but certainly enough.  The train returned with a single pipe flat car.  Not bad for after work.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Today was the day after Sam and I returned after our trip to the Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade. Our entire plan for the day was to relax which we mostly accomplished by playing Lego Batman on the Xbox 360. Very nice. The weather was quite nice so I turned the scanner on. Canadian Pacific held off running a train until late afternoon, but at least it was something.

• 1643 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8643-CP 8750-CP 3042

The 3042 was to be dropped off in Welland yard. A northbound was also soon to follow, but I decided to just listen to it pass behind my house.

Trackside Log for Monday, March 23, 2009

It was the Monday after the Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade and it was back to work for our hosts Ken and Kim and time for Sam and I to start our trek home. First we drove to Farnham, Quebec to see if anything was there. Farnham used to be home to a variety of Montreal, Maine and Atlantic power but in the last couple of years it has all been moved to other locations. Today the yard was void of locomotives so Sam and I continued on.

Our next destination was Rouses Point, New York. My GPS (nicknamed Flo) decided that the best way to get there was to cross the border at Alburg, Vermont. Now I've crossed the border between Canada and the United States over one hundred times from coast to coast and never had any significant problems. Today was the day. We were pulled into the office to fill out paper work and have the car submitted to a search. I have no idea what prompted this, but in the end nothing came of it. What a bother. Anyway, when we got to Rouses Point, New York Canadian Pacific train 252 south was just clearing customs. I think they took less time than we did.

• 1328 Rouses Point, NY - CP 252 south - CP 8730-CP 8751

I decided to photograph the train again in Plattsburgh so Sam and I hit Interstate 87 and made our way to the rather amazing Delaware & Hudson station there. It wasn't long until train 252 arrived.

• 1422 Plattsburgh, NY - CP 252 south - CP 8730-CP 8751 (photo)

I considered photographing it again, but it stopped to switch along the way so I went to Port Henry to find the former CP 1800 which is on display there.

• 1600 Port Henry, NY - display at station - CP 1800 (photo)

To be honest I was getting a bit frustrated with the way things were going that day so Sam and I made the decision to blast back to my home for the night. The border crossing back into Canada at Fort Erie was a breeze by the way. Overall the long and winding road trip to this year's parade was good. The trains certainly weren't plentiful, but they were interesting. I normally capture the GPS data during trips like this. Click these words to see a map of our route.

Trackside Log for Friday, March 20, 2009

Sam and I awoke to a beautiful morning in Brunswick, Maine. After our complimentary breakfast we headed a few blocks to the junction of Guilford and the Maine Eastern, my first quarry for the day. There was nothing of interest there so we ventured east to Rockland whilst keeping an eye and ear out for anything in between. US 1 sort of follows the track, but we found nothing between. Upon arrival at the shops in Rockland we were rewarded with one of their FL9s and a snow plow. This is what I was hoping for.

• 1003 Rockland, ME - Maine Eastern power - MERR 488 (photo)
• 1005 Rockland, ME - Maine Eastern plow - ME 64525 (photo)

We then made our way down to the cement unloading facility on the coast and managed to locate a local switching cars.

• 1018 Rockland, ME - Maine Eastern local - MERR 3573 (photo)

Sam wanted to get a photo of her by the ocean so we headed over to the local pier and took a couple pictures. After exploring a bit more we heard on the scanner that the local was switching so I returned to the unloading facility and caught the local leaving with a cut of concrete cars.

• 1040 Rockland, ME - Maine Eastern westbound - MERR 3573

The rest of the day was filled with nice scenery and visits to railways with nothing to photograph. Nothing was left at the Belfast and Moosehead Lake in Belfast. The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic offered nothing at either Bangor or Brownville Junction. We also dropped by the MMA shops in Derby. I could see a pair of ex-Canadian National SD40-2s off in the distance, but nothing to photograph there since everything was behind the shop buildings. It was interesting to see though.

That was about it for daylight so Sam and I drove straight on to our friends Ken and Kim's home in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec for the Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday.

Trackside Log for Thursday, March 19, 2009

Sam and I awoke to what was looking to be a promising morning in Rutland, Vermont. After a quick breakfast at the Red Roof Inn we drove over to the Vermont Railway yard to see what was up. There were two sets of power around but the Providence & Worchester and Washington County pairing was hiding on us. However, the pair of former Helm Leasing engines was easily photographable.

• 0837 Rutland, VT - VTR eastbound - VTR 308-VTR 205 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)

Next we began our northerly trek through Vermont. First stop was White River Junction where we discovered a New England Central GP38-2 parked across from the Amtrak station.

• 1020 White River Junction, VT - NECR power - NECR 3869 (photo 1, photo 2)

The sun was just starting to come out on the way to our next major stop, St. Johnsbury, Vermont. This is on the former Canadian Pacific (later Canadian-American) Lyndonville Subdivision. It's now operated by the Washington County Railroad, a member of the Vermont Rail System. Two locomotives were present with the crew chatting in front.

• 1219 St. Johnsbury, VT - Washington County power - VTR 307 and GMRC 304 (photo)

We continued north to the junction at Newport, Vermont but aside from a variety of freight cars nothing else was present. We then turned southeast and drove to North Stratford, New Hampshire to check out the New Hampshire Central. Unfortunately the only locomotive around was comfortably parked inside the shed. Onward we trekked through Crawford Notch en route to North Conway and the Conway Scenic Railroad.

• 1652 North Conway, NH - Conway Scenic power - BM 4268 (photo)
• 1653 North Conway, NH - Conway Scenic power - CSRX 573 (photo)
• 1654 North Conway, NH - Conway Scenic power - CSRX 23 (photo)
• 1659 North Conway, NH - Conway Scenic power - CSRX 6505-CSRX 6516 (photo)

After photographing what I could we continued eastward to the St. Lawrence and Atlantic's shops in Lewiston Junction, Maine. It was getting pretty dark, but I managed to photograph two locomotives parked in front of the shops. Quite a few other engines were parked back by the shops.

• 1851 Lewiston Junction, ME - St. Lawrence & Atlantic power - SLR 3008-LLPX 1505 (photo)

It was getting dark quickly so Sam and I bolted for what would be our overnight location, the Travellodge in Brunswick, Maine. Since it was the coast of Maine we had to have fish and found some good food at Joshua's Tavern.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, March 18, 2009

This was day one of our trip to Montreal for the 185th St. Patrick's Day Parade. Sam and I decided to take a few vacation days and make a trek out of it. Our route would take us through New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine before arriving in Quebec. I picked Sam up from the train station in Aldershot. Before her GO train arrived I photographed a couple Canadian National trains.

• 1207 Aldershot, ON - CN 435 west - CN 2518-CN 8006
• 1224 Aldershot, ON - CN eastbound - CN 2688-CN 5251-IC 2710

The weather was starting to improve after the trains of course. But Sam's GO train arrived and we were off. As soon as we got to the border of New York the weather started getting dark and miserable. It didn't improve as we drove east. The first stop I wanted to make was at the Finger Lakes Railway. It was still dark, but I wanted to see what was going on anyway.

• 1641 Geneva, NY - Finger Lakes Railway power - FGLK 2301 (photo 1, photo 2)

The lighting was really low and I was just able to manage a few slides. Since conditions didn't get any better Sam and I motored for Rutland, Vermont which was our overnight destination. Hopefully the next day would be better.

Trackside Log for Sunday, March 15, 2009

I spent the day at home but had the scanner on. Sundays are typically pretty quiet on the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision and today was no exception. However, train 426 did announce itself in Smithville so I drove over to Boyle for a photograph.

• 1313 Boyle - CP 426 south - CP 8634-CP 8522

I took a couple slides and returned home. That's about as eventful as it got.

Trackside Log for Saturday, March 14, 2009

The weather was to be very nice today and I hadn't spent time on the CSX Buffalo Line around Angola, New York in quite a long time so I grabbed my gear and headed out at about 0730. After a relatively quick border crossing I made my way to Sturgeon Point Road. After a short couple of minutes I could see the headlights of a westbound ethanol train and hear the horns of an eastbound.

• 0910 Angola, NY - CSX K655 west (ethanol) - BNSF 5856-BNSF 6094
• 0912 Angola, NY - Amtrak 48 east "Lake Shore Limited" - AMTK 132-AMTK 104

Soon after Amtrak I could hear more horns approaching from the west on the Norfolk Southern tracks.

• 0921 Angola, NY - NS eastbound - NS 9936-NS 2535

Then a foreman got on track one east of me to conduct a track inspection. Unfortunately that meant all trains were routed on track two for most of the morning.

• 0926 Angola, NY - CSX eastbound - CSXT 5264
• 1001 Angola, NY - CSX westbound - CSXT 7926-CSXT 7359
• 1010 Angola, NY - CSX westbound - CSXT 5337-CSXT 7660
• 1045 Angola, NY - CSX Q114 east - CSXT 5319-CSXT 5215
• 1056 Angola, NY - CSX Q263 west - CSXT 7735-CSXT 8723
• 1122 Angola, NY - CSX westbound - CSXT 5428-CSXT 5467
• 1128 Angola, NY - CSX westbound (Somerset coal) - CSXT 680-CSXT 274
• 1243 Angola, NY - CSX eastbound - CSXT 7524-CSXT 9004
• 1306 Angola, NY - CSX Q140 east - CSXT 5102-CSXT 5115
• 1335 Angola, NY - CSX eastbound ethanol - CSXT 7348-CSXT 8666
• 1346 Angola, NY - CSX eastbound light power - CSXT 7628-CSXT 2662
• 1347 Angola , NY - NS eastbound intermodal - NS 2762-NS 2725
• 1409 Angola, NY - CSX eastbound - UP 4621-CSXT 7512

I was getting rather tired of the eastbounds so I was delighted to see a westbound signal.

• 1442 Angola, NY - CSX westbound - CSXT 5460-CSXT 5242
• 1509 Angola, NY - CSX westbound intermodal - CSXT 5415-CSXT 5317

Time was getting on and the lighting at Angola was degrading so I decided to call it a day. I couldn't stay much longer anyway because I was going to a Bulldogs hockey game at 1900.

Trackside Log for Thursday, March 5, 2009

I was home sick today which sucked. The day started out sunny but would Canadian Pacific run any trains? Of course not. In the afternoon it clouded up and that's when the first train of the day showed up. I was feeling up to a walk so I hiked down to the Foss Road crossing to see train 426.

• 1553 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 9653-CP 9631

It was gloomy but at least I got to photograph something.

Trackside Log for Saturday, February 28, 2009

Today I was having a few guys over for a slide show. Marcus was heading to Niagara early to meet up with me for some photographs. I headed out toward Brookfield to meet up. By the time I got to Dain City I heard Canadian National train 564 obtain a track warrant on the Humberstone Spur. This was a once a month occurrence so I immediately changed my route to intercept 564 at the Highway 140 overpass and informed Marcus about what was transpiring.

• 1033 Yager West - CN 564 south - CN 4131-CN 4112

Since track speed very slow it's really easy to chase on the Humberstone Spur. I set off for the next level crossing.

• 1041 3rd Concession Road, Port Colborne - CN 564 south - CN 4131-CN 4112

I met up with Marcus at the next crossing.

• 1049 2nd Concession Road, Port Colborne - CN 564 south - CN 4131-CN 4112
• 1053 Main Street, Port Colborne - CN 564 south - CN 4131-CN 4112
• 1058 Killaly Street, Port Colborne - CN 564 south - CN 4131-CN 4112 (photo)
• 1103 Mitchell Street, Port Colborne - CN 564 south - CN 4131-CN 4112
• 1105 INCO siding, Port Colborne - CN 564 south - CN 4131-CN 4112 (photo 1, photo 2)

Train 564 set off its lone acid car at INCO and the chase was over. Marcus and I decided to try for a photograph of Norfolk Southern 369 in Fort Erie so eastward we went. As luck would have it 369 arrived while we picked up some food so we waited for it to drop its train and return to make the lift out of track 99.

• 1303 Fort Erie - NS 369 east - NS 3469-NS 3039-NS 5640 (photo 1, photo 2)

Then things got interesting. NS 369 returned to the east end of the yard on the main track, paused, then backed into the siding. After a short wait it swithed over to track 99 where we thought it was positioning for the lift. But they never coupled. It turned out they were waiting for Canadian Pacific train 427 west.

• 1348 Fort Erie - CP 427 west - CP 8810 (photo)

Next 369 moved back to the siding again which got me to thinking Canadian National train 339 was imminent.

• 1412 Fort Erie - CN 339 east - CN 8820-CN 2651 (photo)

Train 339 set off freight for 369 to lift. Marcus and I decided the action was more or less over so we drove off for my house. Shortly after we got there Canadian Pacific train 246 informed train 427 that it was at Boyle. We went out to photograph 246.

• 1605 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8852-CP 9629

Train 427 also arrived not long after but we didn't bother with it. Then Dave and Steve arrived and it was pizza and slide time.

Trackside Log for Monday, February 23, 2009

Just after I got home from work I heard a northbound get a clearance out of Welland yard. I popped into the house to get my camera and went trackside.

• 1718 Fenwick - CP northbound - CP 9530-CP 9769

It's nice that the days are getting a bit longer so it's actually light enough after work to take a picture or two.

Trackside Log for Monday, February 16, 2009

It was Family Day in Ontario (or Dalton Day as I refer to it) which I spent at home. I turned the scanner on throughout the day and when train 426 announced its imminent arrival I headed trackside.

• 1327 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 9772-CP 9564

Trackside Log for Saturday, January 24, 2009

I was spending a nice Saturday at home with the scanner on again. Proximity to the tracks is one of the reasons I bought my house. Canadian Pacific graced me with a pair of trains this day.

• 0928 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8821-CP 8816
• 1459 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 9610-CP 9815

I was amused to see that 9815 was still adorned with Christmas decorations from its trek on the Holiday Train.

Trackside Log for Sunday, January 11, 2009

It was a beautiful sunny day with snow all over the ground. This is the kind of day that explains why I like winter. I hadn't been to Fort Erie to see the Norfolk Southern transfer, train 369, in quite a long while so I decided to head there for a while. En route I heard on the scanner that Canadian National train 339 was at about Port Robinson so I met up with it at House Road in Stevensville.

• 1108 Brookfield - CN 339 east - CN 8011-IC 2716

Then I continued on to Fort Erie where I photographed the train again while setting off cars for Norfolk Southern to lift later that day.

• 1200 Fort Erie - CN 339 east - CN 8011-IC 2716 (photo)

Lo and behold, Norfolk Southern crossed the International Bridge soon after.

• 1218 Fort Erie - NS 369 west - NS 8910-NS 9580

I'd accomplished what I wanted for the day so I headed back home but not before catching NS 369 pulling across Pettit Road to shove its train back into the yard.

• 1237 Duff (Fort Erie) - NS 369 west - NS 8910-NS 9580 (photo)

I like it when I accomplish what I set out to do.

Trackside Log for Sunday, January 4, 2009

I found out last night that Canadian National would be running an ethanol train through Niagara today. The ethanol was destined for Dunkirk, New York. Through IRC this morning I discovered the train had made it to Glenridge by 0855 or so. I drove out to House Road in Stevensville for a photograph. First I'd have to wait for it to work Port Robinson though.

• 1111 Stevensville - CN 704 east - CN 5758-IC 1033-IC 1007

Later in the day while listening to the scanner at home I heard that train 704 tied down in track 99 in Fort Erie.

Trackside Log for Saturday, January 3, 2009

I hadn't been to Merritton in an age and the day was beautiful and sunny with snow on the ground. Perfect. Merritton Road bridge over the Canadian National Grimsby Subdivision had been replaced recently so I wanted to get a picture of it. I've spent a lot of time there before and have many photographs of the old iron bridge. The new concrete structure doesn't have the same charm but at least it will accommodate busses and fire trucks better. I arrived on the scene just in time for the Maple Leaf.

• 1005 Merritton - VIA 97 east - AMTK 24
• 1111 Merritton - CN 339 east - CN 2727-IC 2703-IC 1038-CN 5601

Train 339 was interesting in that three of the four locomotives (2727, 2703 and 1038) are in fact Illinois Central power. Alas only 1038 is so painted.

• 1432 Merritton - VIA 92 west - VIA 915

Well, that was about all the traffic I was likely to see for the day since business is pathetic on Canadian National these days. I decided it was time to return home.