Trackside Log for Tuesday, December 30, 2008

I took the days between Christmas and New Year's Day off. This day found me relaxing at home a bit. The weather was cloudy but I still felt like photographing something. When I heard Canadian Pacific train 427 get a clearance out of Welland Yard I figured, "Why not?" I quickly got over to Sumbler Road and awaited its arrival.

• 1043 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 8654-CP 6010 (photo)

After the typically short train passed I returned home satisfied with what turned out to be my last digital photograph of 2008.

Trackside Log for Monday, December 29, 2008

I love vacation days. OK, who doesn't? I spent this day at home relaxing with the scanner on again. Canadian Pacific ran a pair of trains over the Hamilton Subdivision in daylight this day.

• 1242 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 8575-CP 9547
• 1550 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 9780-CP 8572

I miss the SD40-2s now. They're very uncommon these days. Ten years ago the only locomotives found on wayfreights were SD40s. As boring as they were in those days I still love the sound they make.

Trackside Log for Saturday, December 20, 2008

I was at home this Saturday and had the scanner on while puttering about the house. In the afternoon I heard some communications from Canadian Pacific Job 2 indicating that they were running down to Port Maitland. I wasn't in time to photograph the train on the way there, but I could see it on the return trip. I found them in Dunville and then staked out a suitable location for the first photograph.

• 1509 Anderson Road, Moulton Station - CP job 2 east - CP 3097-CP 3032
• 1527 Putman Road, Marshville - CP job 2 east - CP 3097-CP 3032
• 1533 Farr Road, Marshville - CP job 2 east - CP 3097-CP 3032

After having photographed the train along the former Michigan Central tracks I returned home happy. I don't often get the chance to photograph Canadian Pacific on this section of track. I'm usually at work.

Trackside Log for Saturday, December 13, 2008

I decided that Copetown would be a nice place to visit for a while this day. I got there later in the morning after the two Via trains and things were pretty dead until after noon at which time things improved markedly.

• 1226 Copetown - CN 385 west - CN 8013-CN 5708
• 1239 Copetown - CN 148 east - CN 2254-IC 1018
• 1309 Copetown - VIA 72 east - VIA 917
• 1330 Copetown - VIA 73 west - VIA 6409
• 1401 Copetown - CN 393 west - CN 5748-IC 1008

I hadn't heard any talk on the scanner of any other pending trains so I took my leave.

Trackside Log for Saturday, November 29, 2008

I woke up this morning and determined that it would be a great day to visit Fort Erie, even if it was rather cloudy. I got my gear together and headed out. I first ran across Canadian Pacific Job 1 at Brookfield just returning from Canadian National's Southern Yard.

• 0932 Brookfield - CP job 1 - CP 3032-CP 3097

Then a little farther east I ran across Canadian National train 338 west.

• 1004 Stevensville - CN 338 west - CN 2608-CN 2647-CN 2435-CN 2501-CN 2658

While waiting for 339 in Fort Erie I heard the hot box detector in Stevensville go off. Two alarms were recorded so it was going to be a while before the train got to me. According to the conductor the wheels on one car were blue. Not good. The car was part of the set-off for NS 369 so it became their problem.

• 1209 Fort Erie - CN 339 east - CN 2650-CN 5791-CN 2691

After an hour of futzing around with their train, 339 was finally ready to go. By now, however, the sun was starting to come out. Beauty!

• 1310 Fort Erie - CN 339 east - CN 2650-CN 5791-CN 2691
• 1340 Fort Erie - CP 246 east - CP 9604-CP 95xx
• 1356 Fort Erie - NS 369 west - NS 9796-NS 9868

After Norfolk Southern train 369 cleared the International Bridge I called it quits for the day. There wasn't likely to be any further traffic anyway. I headed out to the west end of the yard and photographed 369 again...

• 1406 Duff - NS 369 west - NS 9796-NS 9868

...and continued on home.

Trackside Log for Saturday, November 22, 2008

Today I figured I would make the drive to Copetown and the Canadian National Dundas Subdivision to see what traffic might show up for the afternoon. Based on the time of my arrival I expected the pair of lunchtime Via trains to be first but I was wrong. An eastbound freight snuck in before them.

• 1300 Copetown - CN eastbound - CN 5349-IC 6001
• 1305 Copetown - VIA 73 west - VIA 6453
• 1325 Copetown - VIA 72 east - VIA 6431
• 1400 Copetown - CN 385 west - CN 5627-CN 2564
• 1425 Copetown - CN 393 west - CN 5644-IC 1039-IC 6071

After 393 passed I heard on the scanner that train 435 would be working Aldershot shortly. I drove down to take a look at it and managed to find a couple other trains first. I also noticed that the longtime Aldershot landmark, Aldershot Cold Storage, was in the process of being demolished. It was kind of sad to see so I made sure that I photographed train 422 passing by one last time.

• 1454 Aldershot - CN 547 west - CN 7018-CN 4129
• 1619 Aldershot - CN 422 east - CN 5377-CN 5363-CN 4130
• 1551 Aldershot - CN 435 west - CN 8021-CN 2409-CN 253-CN 7260 (photo)

The light was diminishing quickly so I called it a day.

Trackside Log for Saturday, November 1, 2008

Once again I had the scanner turned on while at home and waited for any activity on the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision. It turned out to be a very good day. Both trains in the morning were powered by SD40-2s. That is a rare event these days.

• 0957 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 5919-CP 6044
• 1150 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 6046-CP 6060

The weather was pretty cloudy, but I was able to photograph the two trains anyway.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Well it was a cloudy evening after work but when I heard Canadian Pacific train 426 approaching Fenwick I decided to take a photograph of it anyway. It was too dark for slides but I managed to get half decent digital photo.

• 1714 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8825-CP 9512 (photo)

I guess it's moody or something.

Trackside Log for Sunday, October 19, 2008

Another Sunday at home with the scanner on. This morning I heard Canadian Pacific train 247 obtain a clearance from Brookfield East and decided that I would like to photograph it climbing out from under the Welland Canal. I drove over to Kingsway Street and waited for about 15 minutes.

• 1141 Welland - CP 247 north - CP 9526-CP 9613

The picture taken I returned home. In the afternoon I heard Canadian Pacific train 426 heading my way and popped out to take its picture.

• 1520 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 6045-SOO 6023

It was a refreshing change to see an SD40-2 and an SD60 on the Hamilton Subdivision. The endless monotony of GE locomotives was getting to me.

Trackside Log for Monday, October 13, 2008

This was Thanksgiving in Canada and a day off work. I was at home in the morning and keeping an ear perked for any Canadian Pacific trains to be coming my way. Before long train 246 could be heard and I went out for a photograph.

• 1015 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 9774

That was all I would see that day. I guess it was enough to be thankful for. Something more interesting than a single AC4400 would have been nice. =)

Trackside Log for Monday, September 22, 2008

It was the last day of our little trip and we began with breakfast in Albany, New York. I didn't really have anything planned for the day so we just sort of made up the plan as we went along. I figured it would be nice to find a decent location along the CSX tracks and see what traffic showed up. We found a nice quiet location in Fonda, New York and spent a couple hours there.

• 1105 Fonda, NY - Amtrak westbound - AMTK 179
• 1114 Fonda, NY - CSX Q621 west - CSXT 7786-HLCX 6337 (photo)
• 1126 Fonda, NY - CSX westbound - CSXT 7681-CSXT 292 (photo)
• 1127 Fonda, NY - CSX eastbound - CSXT 8543-BNSF 4587-CEFX 3151-CSXT 5295-CSXT 5461-CSXT 5448 (photo)
• 1150 Fonda, NY - CSX Q620 east - CSXT 8637-CSXT 8458-CSXT 7893 (photo)
• 1209 Fonda, NY - Amtrak eastbound - AMTK 717 (photo)
• 1228 Fonda, NY - CSX Q184 east CSXT 269-CSXT 393-CSXT 8749 (photo)

After a while we decided it was time to move on. I wanted to stop at Utica to see what might be around the station. The Mohawk, Adirondack and Northern had two C-425s parked amidst some clutter that I was able to photograph.

• 1426 Utica, NY - MWHA power - MWHA 2454-MWHA 2456 (photo)

Nothing else was around so we continued westward. I like to try to stop off at Geneva whenever I'm in the neighbourhood. I photographed a somewhat dismantled Finger Lakes Railway B23-7 out behind the shops.

• 1754 Geneva, NY - FGLK power - FGLK 2304 (photo)

Then we completed our journey home. Overall it was a nice trip. I got to visit two more states on my list and we saw some great scenery. The trains seen certainly weren't plentiful but they were interesting. Like most trips I later discovered a couple other locations we probably should have visited, but Connecticut and Rhode Island aren't that far away. I can always return.

Trackside Log for Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sam and I awoke in Providence, Rhode Island to a beautiful day. We ate breakfast and headed out so take in the scenery and find a few trains along the way. Today the term "few trains" would be accurate. We checked out a couple places around Providence but didn't find anything readily photographable. So we pushed on to Central Falls where the Providence & Worcester greeted us with a GP38-2 parked right by the road.

• 1014 Central Falls, RI - P&W power - PW 2007 (photo)

After a couple photographs and a tour of the old mill site in Central Falls we continued on to Worcester, Massachusetts. Now this is a P&W town. I was initially struck by how many buildings had P&W logos on them. Quite interesting. There were a variety of locomotives parked outside the shops.

• 1207 Worcester, MA - P&W power - PW 3908-PW 4004 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1207 Worcester, MA - P&W power - PW 3001-PW 3002 (photo)
• 1209 Worcester, MA - P&W power - PW 150 (photo)

We were at a service station across the street from the Providence & Worcester shops when a local train passed through.

• 1215 Worcester, MA - P&W yard job - PW 2006-PW 2008

After exploring town a little we headed west toward home. The first stop was Palmer where we discovered a New England Central yard job switching at the interchange with CSX. I was amused to see my old friend "Barney", GEXR 3843, performing the work.

• 1352 Palmer, MA - NECR yard job - GEXR 3843 (photo)

There were also a pair of leased engines parked in the yard, but I was unable to photograph them. Bummer. Next we continued on to Springfield where I had intended to visit the yard there to see what was going on. Bad timing. It was state fair time and the area around the yard was ridiculously busy. Sam and I quickly decided that we didn't need to be mixed up in that mess so we had lunch at the IHOP and moved on. Next on my hit list was Westfield, home of the Pioneer Valley. However, when we got there the yard was devoid of any motive power. Either it was all out on line somewhere or inside the sheds. Either way no photographs were to be had. Sam and I then drove to Albany, New York to spend the night.

Trackside Log for Saturday, September 20, 2008

Sam and I woke up refreshed. I woke up earlier to go photograph the first Metro North train leaving Danbury. Sam stayed behind to get ready to leave.

• 0739 Danbury, CT - Metro North 6813 south - MNCW 128

I returned to the hotel, had breakfast with Sam and we were off again. The first thing I wanted to do was photograph the Metro North return train so we found an interesting location on Shelter Rock Road.

• 0955 Shelter Rock Road, Danbury, CT - Metro North 6810 north - MNCW 128

Then we were off to the Danbury Railway Museum to see what they had to offer. Because the museum is right by the Metro North station I'd already scoped it out a bit. There is definitely some interesting equipment to be seen. The first thing we did was take a short ride on the New York, New Haven & Hartford RDC #32.

• 1038 Danbury, CT - Danbury Railway Museum - NYNH&HRR 32 (photo)

Parked in front of the beautifully restored station was a Metro North train. There were several others parked as well, but they were inaccessible.

• 1101 Danbury,CT - Metro North power - MNCW 204 (photo)
• 1105 Danbury, CT - Danbury Railway Museum - NYNH&HRR 141 (photo)
• 1107 Danbury, CT - Danbury Railway Museum - NYNH&HRR 162
• 1108 Danbury, CT - Danbury Railway Museum - NYNH&HRR 140
• 1109 Danbury, CT - Danbury Railway Museum - DRMX 1513 (photo)
• 1109 Danbury, CT - Danbury Railway Museum - PRR 6563 railway post office (photo)
• 1111 Danbury, CT - Danbury Railway Museum - NYC 4096 (photo)
• 1113 Danbury, CT - Danbury Railway Museum - SRS 135 (photo)
• 1113 Danbury, CT - Danbury Railway Museum - MNCW 605 (photo)

After an hour long enjoyable tour of the museum Sam and I drove to the commuter corridor between New York and Boston. We hunted around briefly for a decent location and found an excellent one in East Norwalk just east of the Metro North station. My primary goal here was to photograph the two mid-day Acela Express trains.

• 1252 East Norwalk, CT - Amtrak 161 south - AMTK 920
• 1257 East Norwalk, CT - Amtrak 2250 north - AMTK 2033/AMTK 2027 (photo)
• 1309 East Norwalk, CT - Metro North 6526 north - MNCW 8830 (photo)
• 1336 East Norwalk, CT - Metro North 6533 south - MNCW 8935 (photo)
• 1401 East Norwalk, CT - Amtrak 164 north - AMTK 658 (photo)
• 1412 East Norwalk, CT - Metro North 6530 north - MNCW 8930 (photo)
• 1420 East Norwalk, CT - Amtrak 2253 south - AMTK 2014/AMTK 2019

Sam and I also checked out a few other locations on our way to Providence, Rhode Island where we would spend the night. Unfortunately I didn't find anything to photograph in places like New London or Willimantic. But Sam and I enjoyed the scenery nevertheless. If nothing else it was a relaxing drive.

Trackside Log for Friday, September 19, 2008

One of my goals is to visit every Canadian provice, territory and U.S. state. Two states I hadn't visited yet were Connecticut and Rhode Island. So I scheduled a couple vacation days and set out to see them. Sam decided to come along as well for some relaxation time and to see the scenery. Well, to get to Connecticute you have to drive through New York from where I live. So the drive began with a couple stops along the way. First up was Cohocton to see what was at the Bath and Hammondsport. Five of the former Quebec Cartier Mining big Alcos were lined up beside the shops and one of the S-1s was behind.

• 1308 Cohocton, NY - B&H power - SIXX 77-NYSW 3660-NYSW 3674-NYSW 3664-NYSW 3670 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4, photo 5)
• 1312 Cohocton, NY - B&H power - BH 4 (photo)

We then more or less followed the Southern Tier through New York. The only stop I intended to make along the way was Binghamton.

• 1609 Binghamton, NY - NYSW power - NYSW 3010 (photo)
• 1610 Binghamton, NY - NYSW power - NYSW 3020-NYSW 3636 (photo)
• 1626 Binghamton, NY - NYSW westbound - NYSW 1802 (photo)

We checked out Canadian Pacific as well, but there wasn't much to see that day. So we continued on to our night's destination of Danbury, Connecticut.

Trackside Log for Friday, September 12, 2008

After work this evening I heard train 427 north get a clearance out of Welland yard. Mostly because the lead engine was an SD40-2 I drove out to photograph it.

• 1725 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 5970-CP 6048-CP 8893-CP 8892-CP 8895-CP 8896

The four ES44ACs were a bit of a surprise on the back. Apparently they were all returning from Erie, Pennsylvania after some warranty work.

Trackside Log for Sunday, September 7, 2008

Most of the day was nice and sunny but in the afternoon some clouds started rolling in.  There was still quite a bit of blue sky so when I heard the only Canadian Pacific train of the day I drove out to photograph it hoping for the best.

• 1741 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CEFX 1034-CP 9558

Nope...  It was beautifully sunny right up until the train got to me.  I was partially clouded out.  The photograph turned out merely OK.

Trackside Log for Saturday, September 6, 2008

Once again I had the scanner on in the background at home. During the day I heard two trains approaching and, seeing as it was a nice day, headed out to photograph them.

• xxxx Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 9765-CP 9589-CP 9824
• xxxx Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8897-CP 9590

Trackside Log for Thursday, September 4, 2008

I was heading to St. Catharines after work today and the timing was good to see Via 95.  I headed over to the recently completed bridge replacement in Merritton and waited.  It was pretty dark, but I managed to photograph the train with my digital.

• 1928 Merritton - Via 95 east - VIA 905 (photo)

After the photo I continued about my business.  How convenient!

Trackside Log for Monday, September 1, 2008

While at home today heard Canadian Pacific train 247 approaching so I popped out for a photograph.

• xxxx Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 9512

And that was about it for the day.

Trackside Log for Sunday, August 31, 2008

It was a very nice day so I decided to try to find some trains. Sunday isn't the greatest day to try, but at least I could enjoy the weather. First stop was Brookfield to see train 339.

• xxxx Brookfield - CN 339 east - CN 2543-CN 8014-CN 5695

I felt like a drive so I made my way to Scotch Block to see what Canadian National had to offer on the Halton Subdivision. I waited a while before an eastbound showed up.

• xxxx Scotch Block - CN eastbound - CN 5274-CN 5366

Nothing else was going on with the Halton Subdivision so when I heard a Canadian Pacific train obtain a southbound clearance on the Hamilton Subdivision I drove to Guelph Junction to see it.

• xxxx Guelph Junction - CP 426 south - CP 5913-CEFX 3168-CEFX 3163-CEFX 3183

Well, there was little quantity of trains today, but the last one made up for it.

Trackside Log for Saturday, August 30, 2008

Soon after I woke up this morning I could hear a southbound approaching.  I grabbed my camera and drove over to Chantler Road for a quick photograph.

• 0921 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8825-CP 8748 (photo)

That accomplished I returned home.

Trackside Log for Friday, August 29, 2008

Today I took my "floater day" from work.  I mostly puttered around the house but kept an ear out for an trains Canadian Pacific was running.  The first was 246 shortly after noon.

• 1219 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 9512-SOO 6040 (photo)
• 1345 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 9558-CEFX 1034 (photo)

And that was about it for trains today.  Pretty quiet for a Friday.  Oh, wait.  It isn't dark yet.

Trackside Log for Thursday, August 28, 2008

I happened to hear a pair of Canadian Pacific trains on the Hamilton Subdivision today.

• 1212 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CEFX 1034-CP 9558
• 1420 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 9572-CP 5997 (photo)

It was nice to see an SD40-2 for a change, even if it was trailing.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Today was nice and sunny and I managed to get a photograph at one train at least.  Canadian Pacific 426 showed up in the late afternoon.

• 1826 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8754

I don't see too many single unit trains these days, but this was one.

Trackside Log for Monday, August 25, 2008

Today I took the day off and rode the GO train into Toronto to photograph the morning commuter traffic. I hadn't photographed any of GO's new locomotives yet. I was also going to meet up with Sam and check out the Canadian National Exhibition. I hopped on a fairly early train out of Aldershot.

• 0607 depart Aldershot - GO 904 east - GOT 536
• 0706 arrive Toronto - GO 904 east -GOT 536

When I got to Toronto Union Station I walked down to the Bathurst Street overpass to watch the action. Rush hour at Cabin D is busy. Here we go...

• 0741 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 563
• 0745 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 539
• 0745 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 540
• 0753 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 561
• 0754 Canin D - Via westbound - VIA 907
• 0757 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 610
• 0757 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 624-GOT 537
• 0757 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 538-GOT 527
• 0758 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 601
• 0800 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 550
• 0802 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 551
• 0804 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 534
• 0808 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 563
• 0809 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 528
• 0812 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 545
• 0812 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 531
• 0814 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 539
• 0814 Cabin D - Via eastbound - VIA 6405
• 0815 Cabin D - Via 86 east - VIA 6415
• 0817 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 602
• 0823 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 624-GOT 537
• 0824 Cabin D - Via 82 east - VIA 918 (photo)
• 0825 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 554 (photo)
• 0826 Cabin D - GO eastbpund - GOT 544 (photo)
• 0826 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 529 (photo)
• 0827 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 561 (photo)
• 0828 Cabin D - ONR equipment 697 east - ONT 1800-ONT 205 (photo)
• 0828 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 540
• 0829 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 604 (photo)
• 0833 Cabin D - Via 97 west - AMTK 23
• 0835 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 536 (photo)
• 0835 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 528 (photo)
• 0835 Cabin D - Via 90 east - VIA 906 (photo)
• 0836 Cabin D - Via westbound - VIA 6436
• 0838 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 548 (photo)
• 0838 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 554 (photo)
• 0840 Cabin D - Via 86 west deadhead - VIA 6415 (photo)
• 0847 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 607 (photo)
• 0847 Cabin D - GO eastbound- GOT 558 (photo)
• 0847 Cabin D - Via westbound deadhead - VIA 6405
• 0848 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 562 (photo)
• 0851 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 608 (photo)
• 0858 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 525 (photo)
• 0900 Cabin D - Via 90 west deadhead - VIA 906 (photo)
• 0907 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 607 (photo)
• 0908 Cabin D - GO eastbound - GOT 553 (photo)
• 0909 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 608 (photo)
• 0914 Cabin D - Via eastbound deadhead - VIA 6429
• 0915 Cabin D - GO westbound - GOT 558 (photo)

Whew! At times it was a little hard to keep up. After that madness I met up with Sam back at Union Station and we enjoyed wandering around the CNE for the day. When it was time to go I boarded a GO train at the CNE, transferred to a bus in Burlington and drove back home from Aldershot.

• 1555 depart Exhibition - GO westbound - GOT 237/GOT 551
• 1646 arrive Burlington - GO westbound - GOT 237/GOT 551
• 1650 depart Burlington - GO bus westbound - GOT 2230 (bus)
• 1705 arrive Aldershot - GO bus westbound - GOT 2230 (bus)

All in all a very good day. The only glitch was that my film camera's batter died half way through. That was a pain considering the beautiful day I had to photograph in. Oh well, the digital camera filled in.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, August 19, 2008

While driving home from work today I heard on the scanner that Canadian Pacific train 246 was about to show up.  I went home, grabbed my camera and found a good spot.

• 1707 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8796-CP9518

Not long thereafter I heard on the scanner that train 426 was also on the way.  I again popped out to photograph it.

• 1745 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8750-CP 9580-GCFX 3095-GCFX 3102-GCFX 3064-RPRX 2405-GCFX 3098

Hokey smokes!  I had to photograph that again.  Thanks to the slow order behind my house I was able to easily drive ahead of it again.

• 1752 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8750-CP 9580-GCFX 3095-GCFX 3102-GCFX 3064-RPRX 2405-GCFX 3098
• 1802 Welland - CP 426 south - CP 8750-CP 9580-GCFX 3095-GCFX 3102-GCFX 3064-RPRX 2405-GCFX 3098

That was worth the price of admission.

Trackside Log for Saturday, August 16, 2008

Was I hearing that correctly?  Did that clearance actually say that Canadian Pacific train 427 north actually had an SD90MAC leading?  Train 427 originates in Buffalo, New York.  The SD90MACs aren't supposed to be permitted into the United States.  I quickly dashed out to Farr Street to check this out.

• 1335 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 9142-CP 9107-HCRY 3013

OK, that was a groovy train.  Not only did it have a pair of SD90MACs, which it shouldn't, it had a Huron Central GP40-2W.  Fantastic!  The next train I saw this fine Saturday wasn't nearly as interesting, but I photographed it anyway.

• 1815 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 9825-CP 9822

Nope, definitely less groovy.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, August 12, 2008

After work today I heard Canadian Pacific train 427 get a clearance out of Welland Yard.  The leader was a CEFX SD90MAC so I had to go photograph it.  Those don't travel the Hamilton Subdivision all that often.

• 1800 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CEFX 100-CP 9602

Then I drove back home and had some supper.

Trackside Log for Saturday, August 9, 2008

Today I heard Canadian Pacific train 427 which I photographed in Welland.

• 1105 Welland - CP 427 north - CP 9622-CP 8627

Not terribly exciting so I really have nothing more to say.  =)

Trackside Log for Saturday, July 12, 2008

Today I met up with Marcus and we drove out to Brantford for some photography.  Shortly after arriving we found that Canadian National train 580 was about to head out on the Brantford Spur.  We first went to Colborne Street to photograph it.

• 1150 Colborne St., Brantford - CN 580 - CN 4125 (photo)
• 1155 Eagle St., Brantford - CN 580 - CN 4125
• 1201 Port St., Brantford - CN 580 - CN 4125

While train 580 switched at the east end Marcus and I headed over to the west to locate a good spot to photograph the train as it passed by the two former railway bridges over the Grand River.

• 1322 Icomm Dr., Brantford - CN 580 - CN 4125

Again we let them finish switching and waited for them to exit.  We caught them running along Holme Street.

• 1354 Holme St., Brantford - CN 580 - CN 4125

Then we photographed them one last time from the former Grand River Railway bridge in Lorne Park.

• 1401 Lorne Park, Brantford - CN 580 - CN 4125 (photo)

After the fun of chasing 580 around Brantford we grabbed a bit to eat and drove over to Paris Junction to see what might pop up.

• 1517 Paris Junction - CN westbound - CN 2419-CN 2678-CN 2270 (photo)
• 1621 Paris Junction - CN eastbound - CN 5510-CN 5381-CN 5518-CN 5293-CN 5710 (photo)
• 1623 Paris Junction - Via 76 east - VIA 6415 (photo)

After the Via train Marcus and I drove back to Brantford to check out the model railway shop in Brantford station.  After that we departed for our respective homes.  We definitely had fun photographing 580.  The crew likely thought we were nuts, but whatever.

Trackside Log for Saturday, July 5, 2008

Wow, it had been a very long time since I'd visited either Guelph Junction or Scotch Block.  I decided that I needed to remedy that problem.  I drove out to Guelph Junction first.

• 1124 Guelph Junction - CP 241 west - CP 8806-CP 8706
• 1243 Guelph Junction - CP westbound - CP 9511-CP 9525

The sun was starting to get around to the right angle for Scotch Block so I made the move.  I also met up with a few friends that I hadn't seen in a while there.

• 1443 Scotch Block - CN 435 west - CN 5730-CN 5369
• 1541 Scotch Block - CN 338 east - CN 5412-CN 2572-CN 2599-WSX 302 (Wierton Steel)
• 1758 Scotch Block - CN 393 west - CN 2513-CN 2415
• 1807 Scotch Block - CN 382 east - CN 2452-GTW 5948

The Wierton Steel switcher was a nice catch for the day.  Well time was getting on so everybody parted ways and I headed back home.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, July 2, 2008

I awoke refreshed at The Station Inn in Cresson to a beautiful morning. I wandered downstairs for a grand breakfast with the other guests. I must return again sometime soon. After food and banter I drove to Lilly to photograph some action on the former Pennsylvania Railroad.

• 0934 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound - NS 6789-NS 9424-NS 3027-NS 6508
• 0949 Lilly, PA - Amtrak 42 east - AMTK 97
• 0955 Lilly, PA - NS 14G east - NS 9930-NS 9283 w/ helper NS 3336-NS 3353
• 1019 Lilly, PA - NS westbound - NS 6756-NS 9515 w/ helper NS 3339-NS 3346
• 1034 Lilly, PA - NS westbound helper - NS 3357-NS 3372
• 1043 Lilly, PA - NS westbound - NS 9560-NS 9367 w/ helper NS 3373-NS 3338
• 1108 Lilly, PA - NS 500 east - NS 9225-NS 6594-NS 8689 w/ helper NS 3351-NS 3342-NS 3345-NS 3350
• 1141 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound - NS 7205-NS 7206/NS 7204-NS 7214

What? A tiny push-pull salt train with a pair of SD80MACs on either end? I had to see that again. I drove back to Cresson to photograph it in the yard there.

• 1159 Cresson, PA - NS eastbound - NS 7205-NS 7206/NS 7204-NS 7214 (photo)

The clouds were gathering and starting to become frustrating so I packed up and headed for home. Back in Canada again I heard Canadian National train 565 leaving Port Robinson. I was in a good position to catch it at Netherby.

• 1830 Welland, ON - CN 565 east - CN 4110-CN 4112

And with that I drove back home. Overall the trip was a good one but that first day in Virginia was monumentally frustrating.

Click here to view a map of the GPS data collected during the trip.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Today is another day.  I awoke with the intent to put the previous day behind me.  The first step was to leave Norfolk Southern behind me.  I made my way to Clifton Forge and back to CSX.  Shortly after arrival I found an eastbound coal train leaving the yard.  Things were looking better already!

• 0943 Clifton Forge, VA - CSX eastbound - CSXT 777-CSXT 791

There wasn't much else for me to photograph there so I decided to follow the Buckingham Branch toward Staunton.  Just as I'm about to go another eastbound with a Buckingham Branch engine comes through.  Where'd that come from?  "No problem," I say.  I'll just drive ahead and photograph it.  My first stop was Goshen where I sat and waited... quite a while

• 1203 Goshen, VA - Buckingham Branch eastbound Herzog - CSXT 369-CSXT 218-CSXT 760

That wasn't the train I saw.  Where'd it go?  Oh well, at least I photographed a train here.  I waited around a bit longer but nothing showed up.  I continued my drive through the Shenandoah Valley toward Staunton.  This is a very nice drive by the way.  When I arrived in Staunton I quickly found the Shenandoah Valley Railroad and the crew just parking their locomotive.  They gave me permission to take a few photographs so away I went.

• 1249 Staunton, VA - Shenandoah Valley Railroad power - DGVR 40 (photo)

Next I drove over to the Buckingham Branch shops to see what was there.  After obtaining permission for a few photos I took a quick photo tour.

• 1309 Staunton, VA - Buckingham Branch power - BBRR 3 and BBRR 11 (photo)
• 1312 Staunton, VA - Buckingham Branch power - BBRR 6 (photo)

Number 6 was looking pretty bad.  Nothing else was to be seen in Staunton so I headed for Gore and the Winchester & Western.  They've been good to me in the past.  Today was no exception.

• 1609 Gore, VA - Winchester & Western power - WW 709-WW 498 (photo)
• 1611 Gore, VA - Winchester & Western power - WW 120 (photo)
• 1613 Gore, VA - Winchester & Western pieces - WW 403 long hood (photo)

WW 120 was nice to see since it's a former slug with an SW1500 cab hacked onto it.  I love weird stuff like that.  I decided about this time that my night's destination would be Cresson, Pennsylvania.  The route to get there took me through Romney, West Virginia where I ran across the Potomac Eagle train parked and waiting for the next excursion.

• 1708 Romney, WV - Potomac Eagle power - C&O 8016 (photo 1, photo 2)

A couple years earlier I had visited Cumberland, Maryland in hopes of photographing at the bluffs in Locust Grove.  I waited for hours and nothing showed up.  This time however there was a westbound just departing Cumberland.  Yes!  I quickly drove over to the bluffs and waited for about ten minutes.

• 1801 Locust Grove (Cumberland), MD - CSX X389 west - CSXT 7812-CSXT 9018-CSXT 9026

Since the train was heading my way for a little bit I drove ahead and photographed it again in Hyndman, Pennsylvania.

• 1823 Hyndman, PA - CSX X389 west - CSX 7812-CSXT 9018-CSXT 9026

Wow.  This day was so much better than the previous day.  I was starting to feel much better about things.  I drove to Cresson and on a whim decided to see if The Station Inn had any rooms for the night.  Fortune was with me and I was able to secure the PRR room for the night.  What a great conclusion to a much improved day.  I spent a wonderful night at the inn watching Norfolk Southern move plenty of freight right outside.  I had a nice chat with some of the other guests and then had a restful sleep.

Trackside Log for Monday, June 30, 2008

I woke up in Beckley, West Virginia this morning to a very nice looking day.  I set out to follow the Norfolk Southern for the day in hopes of finding some trains to photograph.  The first signs of life I discovered were in Kellysville where several engines were moving around.  Unfortunately they weren't cooperating with me and I couldn't photograph them.  Onward it was.  One of the locations I wanted to photograph was the tunnel in Montgomery, Virginia.  Shortly after arrival I was greeted with a pair of eastbounds.  Unfortunately the photograph for the tunnel is for westbounds.

• 1353 Montgomery, VA - NS eastbound - NS 2549-NS 9837
• 1411 Montgomery, VA - NS eastbound - NS 9435-NS 6574-NS 6618

While waiting for, hopefully, a westbound a man walks over from a local house and tells me that I'm making the old woman there nervous and she's called the police.  To make life simpler I left and continued eastward.  My thanks to the U.S. government for instilling paranoia in the American populace.  Way to go.  Anyway, I ran across a very nice westbound which would have been great to photograph at the tunnel.  Son-of-a...

• 1528 Shawsville, VA - NS 23G west - UP 8553-CEFX 3153

Oh, and I got screwed by a cloud on this photograph too.  Alright, time to find one of the other locations I was looking forward to, the four track coaling tower in Vickers, Virginia.  I found it easily enough and even had the required eastbound on the way.  I was angling for a nice photograph when I discovered a very angry dog nearby.  I stayed just outside of leash range, took my photo and left.

• 1758 Vicker, VA - NS eastbound - NS 7617-NS 9704-NS 8890

Man, this day is not going well.  I was thoroughly frustrated by this point.  The sun was coming back out again but I'd had it.  I drove to Christiansburg and checked into the Fairfield Inn called it quits for the day.

Trackside Log for Sunday, June 29, 2008

Wow, I got up pretty early this morning. How unlike me. Anyway, I started the second day of my Virginias trip by heading over to the Amtrak station in Charleston to see if CSX would be so kind as to run a train or two.

• 0746 Charleston, WV - CSX eastbound - CSXT 478-CSXT 656 (photo)
• 0803 Charleston, WV - CSX eastbound - CSXT 4842-CSXT 532
• 0821 Charleston, WV - CSX westbound - CSXT 5213

That plan worked out rather well. Since I had to drive through Winifrede Junction anyway, I checked out the Big Eagle Railroad again. The two geeps were again missing from the junction so again I drove west along their tracks to find them. I didn't need to go far before I found them dumping balast in Winifrede.

• 0932 Winifrede, WV - Big Eagle westbound - JTPX 2012-JTPX 2011 (photo 1, photo 2)

After a few photographs I continued my trek toward Thurmond, my primary destination for the day. I was following CSX for much of the way and heard a westbound on the scanner in Pratt.

• 1010 Pratt, WV - CSX westbound Herzog - CSXT 369-CSXT 218

A little farther east I found a westbound coal train parked in Handley.

• 1015 Handley, WV - CSX westbound - CSXT 5357-CSXT 5463 (photo)

At Deep Water I turned south and enjoyed the drive along some more twisty mountain roads on my way to Pax to begin my search for R. J. Corman. In Pax I found the coal loadout but no locomotives. So I started tracing the track back east toward Thurmond and discovered the three tunnel motors parked at a new office facility in Meadow Fork.

• 1200 Harvey, WV - R. J. Corman power - RJCX 8718-RJCX 8336-RJCX 8569 (photo 1, photo 2)

After a few cloudy photos I drove the short trek to Thurmond where I visited the National Park Service in the fabulous Chesapeake & Ohio station. Then I began the wait for trains. Nothing showed up for nearly five hours but in that time the sun came out. When the westbounds began to flow the lighting was very nice.

• 1502 Thurmond, WV - CSX westbound - CSXT 7739-CSXT 4838
• 1700 Thurmond, WV - CSX westbound - CSXT 7684-CSXT 5383
• 1715 Thurmond, WV - CSX westbound rail train - CSXT 2220-CSXT 6917
• 1731 Thurmond, WV - CSX westbound - CSXT 4755-CSXT 871
• 1750 Thurmond, WV - CSX westbound - CSXT 337-CSXT 487
• 1922 Thurmond, WV - Amtrak 51 west - AMTK 152

Scheduled time for The Cardinal was 1847 so it was late. There were still plenty of clouds in the sky but miraculously every train was sunlit and every train was a westbound. I couldn't have asked for more. Well, Amtrak could have been on time.

After the westbound extravaganza I packed up and drove to the Fairfield Inn in Beckley for the night.

Trackside Log for Saturday, June 28, 2008

For a little vacation time this year I decided to take a drive through the Virginias to photograph some railway scenes. After work the previous night I drove to Fairmont, West Virginia and stayed at the Fairfield Inn. This rainy morning I awoke and made the short drive to Grafton to see what was going on at CSX. There was a variety of motive power parked at the fuel racks and quite a few LLPX engines leased by the Appalachian & Ohio at the far end of the yard. A CSX westbound was parked under the Bridge Street bridge and provided my only photograph in Grafton.

• 0840 Grafton, WV - CSX westbound - CSXT 403-CSXT 452 (photo 1, photo 2)

Very little seemed to be going on at the time so I continued on to the West Virginia Central in Belington. I've been there a couple times in the past but every time I go there's something different. Today was no exception. Fortunately the rain subsided enough for some photography.

• 0937 Belington, WV - West Virginia Central power - WVC 92 (photo)
• 0939 Belington, WV - West Virginia Central power - RT 10 (photo)
• 0940 Belington, WV - West Virginia Central power - WVC M-3 Edwards Motor Car (photo)
• 0941 Belington, WV - B&O C3014 caboose (photo)
• 0943 Belington, WV - West Virginia Central power - WVC 39 Plymouth ML-8 (photo)

My next destination was the Appalachian & Ohio. I stopped by Buckhannon but no motive power was there. I figured the abundance of LLPX engines in Grafton explained that. So onward to Burnsville I drove where I found a pair of CEFX SD90MACs.

• 1112 Burnsville, WV - Appalachian & Ohio power - CEFX 130-CEFX 125 (photo)

While photographing the SD90MACs the sun started to come out which was nice. When I got to the Elk River Railroad it was mostly sunny but a bit hazy.

Every time I visit Gassaway the Elk River geeps are in a different location yet I never get to see them actually working. Well, except for ELKR 4 which never goes anywhere.

• 1158 Gassaway, WV - Elk River Railroad power - ELKR 4 and ELKR 1-ELKR 3 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1206 Gassaway, WV - Elk River Railroad power - ELKR 2-ELKR 5 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)

From Gassaway I began to make my way toward the night's destination: Charleston. This part of my drive was great fun. The route I chose took me through some wonderfully winding two lane roads through the West Virginia mountains. I had a great time winding my Mustang around them. All good things must come to an end though. Shortly before I got to Gauley Bridge the skies opened and it rained hard. I pulled off the road to wait it out near Alloy where coincidentally a set of Norfolk Southern motive power was parked with a coal train. Once the rain stopped I took a few photos.

• 1547 Alloy, WV - NS power - NS 8730-NS 9368 (photo)

Just as I was finished photographing these two engines I noticed a security guard coming out of the coal facility they were parked at. I'm not sure if he was interested in me or not. The fact that I was leaving anyway made it moot. Other sets of mixed Norfolk Southern and CSX power were to be found on the opposite side of the facility and easily photographable from the side of Route 60.

• 1551 Alloy, WV - NS power - NS 7576-NS 9631 (photo)

Next stop was the Big Eagle Railroad in Winifrede. First I stopped off at Winifrede Junction but neither of the JTPX engines were there so I deduced they were out on the line somewhere. I drove west along Fields Creek Road which parallels the track. I ran across the train loading gravel just beyond the town of Winifrede.

• 1628 Winifrede, WV - Big Eagle Railroad eastbound - JTPX 2011-JTPX 2012 (photo)

They were just finishing the load so I drove back along the track to find a suitable location to photograph them again.

• 1654 Winifrede, WV - Big Eagle Railroad eastbound - JTPX 2011-JTPX 2012

With some more time left in the day I drove back to Winifrede Junction and photographed the train as it passed under the CSX line and Interstates 64 and 77.

• 1720 Winifrede Junction, WV - Big Eagle Railroad eastbound - JTPX 2011-JTPX 2012

After a fun day I checked into the Fairfield Inn in Charleston. I had some time to kill so I walked around town and then noticed the lights on at the Apalachian Power Park. I walked over and watched the minor league West Virginia Power defeat the Lexington Legends 3-1.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, June 25, 2008

I was home from work not feeling well today but by mid-afternoon was starting to feel a bit better.  I heard a southbound Canadian Pacific train and walked out behind me house to see it.

• 1419 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8613-CP 5978 (photo)

OK, that was enough.  I went back inside and laid down again.  It's depressing when you're ill on a nice day.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, May 20, 2008

This was the last day of our 2008 grain elevator extravaganza in Saskatchewan and beyond. We got started in Medicine Hat, Alberta and needed to get to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that day to catch our plane the following day. No problem, we had plenty of time. Along the way we discovered a number of Canadian Pacific trains on the main line.

• 1005 MDT Dunmore, AB - CP power - CP 5919-SOO 6035 (photo)

Wait a second. That train looks familiar.

• 1029 MDT Irvine, AB - CP westbound - CP 6069-CP 8840-GCFX 3097 (photo)
• 1120 MDT Walsh, AB - CP westbound - CP 9117-CP 9137 (photo)
• 1325 CST Maple Creek, SK - CP westbound - CP 8505-CP 8719 (photo)
• 1340 CST Maple Creek, SK - CP 671 west - CP 8573-CP 9731/CP 8743-CP 9591
• 1454 CST Gull Lake, SK - CP westbound - CP 6604-CP 5757-GCFX 3062 (photo 1, photo 2)

After Gull Lake we left the Canadian Pacific main line and drove to Saskatoon and our lodging. This was a good trip. I we photographed plenty of grain elevators, trains, scenery and generally relaxed. That's why I take these trips.

Trackside Log for Monday, May 19, 2008

OK, we're going to try this again. This is the third time I've been to Sandpoint to photograph a morning train crossing the Lake Pend Oreille bridge. Sam and I got out nice and early and no sooner got on our way when we heard a foreman get a work permit for the bridge. Son-of-a...! That's the third time that's happened to me. So instead Sam and I drove over to the interchange yard and photographed the local power.

• 0840 PDT Sandpoint, ID - BNSF power - BNSF 3009-BNSF 3013 (photo)

I was pretty frustrated so I decided to push north to British Columbia. After a quick border crossing we headed to Cranbrook where we found a westbound just arriving and an eastbound about to depart.

• 1221 PDT Cranbrook, BC - CP eastbound - UP 8287-CP 9702
• 1228 PDT Cranbrook, BC - CP westbound - UP 8259-CP 9556/UP 8303 (photo)

Nothing else was in the area so we continued eastward along Highway 3. Sam and I enjoyed the scenery of Crowsnest Pass and exited the mountains at Cowley, AB. Here we found a meet between two Canadian Pacific trains.

• 1536 MDT Cowley, AB - CP westbound - CP 8754-CP 8800-CP 9707 (photo)
• 1548 MDT Cowley, AB - CP eastbound - UP 8301-UP 8263 (photo)

We figured out that our evening's destination would be Medicine Hat, Alberta. On our way through Lethbridge we checked out the monster trestle over the Oldman River. Sam was suitably impressed. No trains were immenent though so we continued east toward Medicine Hat. At Burdett we photographed our last train of the day.

• 1847 MDT Burdett, AB - CP westbound - CP 5919-SOO 6035

Then it was straight to Medicine Hat for a good meal and night's sleep.

Trackside Log for Sunday, May 18, 2008

Sam and I woke up from a restful night in Consul, Saskatchewan. The first order of the day, after breakfast, was to cross the border into Montana. Our border crossing was remote and opened at 0900. We were about fifteen minutes early so we waited and took a few photographs at the border. After explaining the convoluted rental situation we were allowed into the United States and off we went. The next few days were purely railway and scenery oriented.

The first train of the day would be met in Burnham, Montana.

• 1029 MDT Burnham, MT - BNSF eastbound - BNSF 5413-BNSF 4012-BNSF 8633-BNSF 4441 (photo)

We continued west on Route 2 and saw headlights approaching. It was the Empire Builder.

• 1140 MDT Dunkirk, MT - AMTK 8 east "Empire Builder" - AMTK 206-AMTK 146 (photo)

In Shelby we found two parked power sets.

• 1206 MDT Shelby, MT - BNSF power - BNSF 2349-BNSF 2881 (photo)
• 1211 MDT Shelby, MT - BNSF power - BNSF 880-BNSF 5155 (photo)

From Shelby we started into the mountains and stopped at the Izaak Walton Inn at Essex, Montana. Originally we were going to try to spend the night there but the timing of our trip didn't work out quite right. Another time. We hiked up to the footbridge over the tracks and waited a while but no trains showed up. Getting a little impatient we moved on and caught up to a westbound intermodal train at Pinnacle. Apparently we just missed it at Essex. Bummer.

• 1503 MDT Pinnacle, MT - BNSF westbound - BNSF 4833-BNSF 4971-BNSF 5240

Since the train was headed the same way we were we gave chase and photographed it a few more times.

• 1518 MDT Nyack, MT - BNSF westbound - BNSF 4833-BNSF 4971-BNSF 5240 (photo)
• 1524 MDT east of West Glacier, MT - BNSF westbound - BNSF 4833-BNSF 4971-BNSF 5240
• 1607 MDT Whitefish, MT - BNSF westbound - BNSF 4833-BNSF 4971-BNSF 5240 (photo)

At Whitefish we left the tracks for a while because Route 2 diverges from the main line. Having not heard very much we drove all the way to Sandpoint, Idaho. We were exploring town a little and before long heard on the scanner that an eastbound was on its way. Perfect! This was my third visit to Sandpoint and the other two times I'd been hosed on photographing trains on the bridge over Lake Pend Oreille. This was the reverse vantage point from what I really want, but I'd take it.

• 1905 PDT Sandpoint, ID - BNSF eastbound - BNSF 9895-BNSF 9570/BNSF 9175 (photo)

Finally! The photograph looked great so it made an excellent cap to the day. The light was waning and I hadn't heard any more trains in the area so we found a place to stay for the evening and some food.

Trackside Log for Friday, May 16, 2008

Today started at a car rental agency. The previous day we discovered that our rental Grand Prix had a malfunctioning fuel gauge. This is not good when you're driving around remote parts of Saskatchewan. You really want to know how much fuel you have in the tank. We made arrangements to exchange cars this morning. Our first replacement was a Toyota Sienna but when we got it up to about 80 km/h on the Trans-Canada Highway the trim around the windshield vibrated and made a rather annoying screaming noise. Back to the rental agency where we got our next replacement, a Buick Century. All this took a couple hours. What a pain.

Anyway, when we finally got on the road we found a Canadian Pacific westbound in Ernfold.

• 1101 CST Ernfold, SK - CP eastbound - CP 5936-CP 5956

After photographing the grain elevator in Morse we espied Canadian Pacific eastbound coal train from the Trans-Canada Highway.

• 1134 CST Herbert, SK - CP eastbound - CP 8794-CP 8601/CP 8551 (photo)

Next, after photographing the Paterson elevator in Herbert we find yet another Canadian Pacific eastbound. This time it's an intermodal.

• 1202 CST Fauna, SK - CP eastbound - CP 8862-CP 9543

This was the first Vancouver 2010 Olympic locomotive I'd seen.

After traipsing around some remote areas of Saskatchewan south of Swift Current we arrived in Assiniboia where the Great Western Railway usually stores their engines. Today we found three. One of their newly aquired M-420s was absent.

• 1610 CST Assiniboia, SK - Great Western Railway power - GWRS 2004 (photo)
• 1612 CST Assiniboia, SK - Great Western Railway power - GWRS 2000-GWRS 2001 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)

Our destination for the evening was Weyburn, Saskatchewan. We followed branch lines all the way there and discovered a Canadian Pacific baggage car parked in the small yard in Amulet.

• 1859 CST Amulet, SK - CP 404925 tool and cable car (photo)

I have no idea why it was in Amulet which is pretty much the middle of nowhere.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Today was the first day of my grain elevator excursion to the Canadian prairies for 2008. Once again Sam was with me to take in the scenery and help with the photography duties. As always, the primary purpose is to photograph the dwindling number of country grain elevators in the prairies. Any trains I happen across are merely a bonus. The exception this year is that we're taking a side trip to Montana and Idaho purely for trains. The first train we encountered was in Landis, Saskatchewan.

• 0810 CST Landis, SK - CN eastbound - CN 2266-CN 5748 (photo)

Farther along the Canadian National main we find a second eastbound.

• 0833 CST Cavell, SK - CN eastbound - CN 2509-CN 5504 (photo)

After switching to the Canadian Pacific tracks we run across a CP eastbound.

• 1054 CST Senlac, SK - CP eastbound - CP 9644

Now following the Canadian Pacific branches we see a set of two Canadian Pacific GP38-2s in the yard in Kerrobert, Saskatchewan.

• 1224 CST Kerrobert, SK - CP power - CP 3048-CP 3068 (photo)

The remainder of the day was spent on low volume branch lines so we didn't see any more trains this day. We found a nice motel to spend the night in Kindersley, Saskatchewan and reflected on a fine day of photography.

Trackside Log for Thursday, May 1, 2008

I wound up in Austin, Texas for the week.  I was at the IBM research centre there with two others from work to learn about upcoming technology.  I had some time to myself on Thursday morning so I walked from the hotel down to the Amtrak station to have a look at the Texas Eagle.

• 0916 Austin, TX - Amtrak 22 east "Texas Eagle" - AMTK 4 (photo)

After a couple photos I walked back to the hotel to meet up with the others.

Trackside Log for Friday, April 11, 2008

After work I heard a northbound leaving Welland Yard so I quickly drove to Farr Street for a photograph.

• 1758 Fenwick - CP northbound - CP 8515-CP 9511-GCFX 3072-GCFX 3097

The GCFX SD40-2s were a nice catch even if it was rather cloudy.

Trackside Log for Friday, March 21, 2008

I heard Canadian Pacific train 246 approaching and had enough time to drive out to Boyle to photograph it.

• 1150 Boyle - CP 246 south - CP 8621-GCFX 3086-GCFX 3055

I didn't know there were two Alstom engines on the train so I drove over to Welland yard to photograph them again.

• 1210 Welland - CP 246 south - CP 8621-GCFX 3086-GCFX 3055

Most excellent.

Trackside Log for Monday, March 17, 2008

Sam and I were heading home from Montreal today after the St. Patrick's Day Parade the previous day. We took the scenic route through Vermont and New York. The weather was perfect for it. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the mountains looked amazing. We stopped off at St. Albans, Vermont to see what might be parked at the New England Central.

• 1218 St. Albans, VT - NECR power - GSWR 1901
• 1220 St. Albans, VT - NECR power - NECR 3848
• 1221 St. Albans, VT - NECR power - NECR 3857-NECR 3840-NECR 5032
• 1224 St. Albans, VT - NECR power - CSOR 8552-NECR 3854

NECR 3854 was looking a little sad with a missing prime mover and traction motors. After a really nice drive through the mountains we stopped at the Vermont Railway in Rutland where a Clarendon & Pittsford GP38-2 was parked.

• 1522 Rutland, VT - VTR power - CLP 204

After Rutland Sam and I drove straight home. The drive through the mountains was a really nice ending to this year's sojourn to the Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Trackside Log for Saturday, March 15, 2008

Today Sam and I left for this year's Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade. We decided to take the route through New York to get there and made one stop along the way, at the Finger Lakes Railway in Geneva. I was hoping to photograph the two B23-7s they had recently purchased from the Providence & Worcester. Luck was with me and they were both parked in front of the shops.

• 1621 Geneva, NY - Finger Lakes power - FGLK 2306-FGLK 2307

After a few photos we drove to Montreal.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Shortly after getting home from work today I heard Canadian Pacific train 254 south approaching so I went out to photograph it.

• 1730 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 8771-CP 8527

It wasn't anything special, but someday it will be interesting.

Trackside Log for Sunday, March 9, 2008

I ventured out this morning after a fairly heavy fresh snowfall last night.  I found myself at House Road in Stevensville where I noticed a decent sized snow bank had been created over the Canadian National Stamford Subdivision tracks by the snow plow.  I decided to try to photograph a train breaking through the snow.  After a while I heard train 333 approaching and got into position.

• 1132 Stevensville - CN 333 east - CN 5724

The photograph worked out great.  The only problem was that I had to stand in snow up to my waist to get the shot.  After the photo I went to visit Kirbi and Tony for a bit but later in the day I managed to find Canadian Pacific train 725 at the Churct Street crossing in Fenwick.

• 1625 Fenwick - CP 725 north - CP 8625-CP 8527

I only photographed two trains this day but the first one made it all worthwhile.

Trackside Log for Saturday, March 8, 2008

I heard Canadian Pacific train 725 obtain its clearance from Welland yard on the scanner and went to take a photo.

• 1408 Fenwick - CP 725 north - CP 6055-CP 6005

The number combination was interesting.

Trackside Log for Friday, March 7, 2008

Before heading to work this morning I heard Canadian Pacific train 255 north leaving Welland yard. I decided to grab a photograph before work.

• 0959 Fenwick - CP 255 north - CP 8647-CP 8527

After a couple nice snowy photographs I drove to work.

Trackside Log for Monday, March 3, 2008

After work today I heard on the scanner that Canadian Pacific trains 426 and 427 were to meet in Welland yard. Train 426 had a CEFX SD90MAC as a leader so I drove out to photograph the pair.

• 1636 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CEFX 118-CP 5674
• 1652 Fenwick - CP 427 north - CP 6066-GCFX 3097-CP 6055

As luck would have it train 427 also had a leased engine. Sometimes luck is with you.

Trackside Log for Sunday, March 2, 2008

I woke up and decided to spend the morning at Brookfield to see what Canadian National and Canadian Pacific would be running for trains. Nothing showed up for a while and then everything happened at once.

• 1111 Brookfield - CN 333 east - CN 9551
• 1131 Brookfield - CN 338 west - CN 8847-CN 5266
• 1142 Brookfield - CP 246 south - CP 8888-CP 8891-CP 8827

Interesting. Train 246 had a whole mess of new locomotives. I wasn't expecting much else to happen so I returned home.

Trackside Log for February 2008

This is an entry for which my notes have been lost. Some time in February I photographed the following train in Canadian Pacific's Welland Yard.

• xxxx Welland - CP southbound - CP 9589-CP 8891-CP AC4400

Trackside Log for Monday, February 18, 2008

After spending the night at Cathy and John's I was returning home.  On the way I stopped briefly at Newtonville to see if anything was pending.  Lo and behold, a Via was on the way.

• 1037 Newtonville - Via westbound - VIA 916 (photo)

Nothing else seemed to be imminent to I got back on the 401 and motored home.

Trackside Log for Sunday, February 17, 2008

I was driving to north of Bowmanville today to meet up with Cathy and John to talk about their wedding.  I had some extra time to I stopped at Port Hope station for a bit.  My timing was good as I saw a pair of quick trains.

• 1419 Port Hope - CN 106 east - CN 2401-CN 5268 (photo)
• 1433 Port Hope - CN 376 east - CN 8818-CN 5600-CN 5770 (photo)

After a few photographs I zipped over to meet up with Cathy and John.