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.