Trackside Log for Saturday, December 15, 2012

Today was unexpectedly a busy day for the Canadian Pacific's Hamilton Subdivision. First up was the Hamilton Turn, train 540 south, headed toward Welland Yard. At the same time empty ethanol train 641 north was pulling into the yard.

• 1000 Fenwick - CP 540 south - CP 5978-ICE 6420-CP 5964
  
• 1012 Welland - CP 641 north - CP 5941-DME 6200-DME 6365-ICE 6453
  
• 1015 Welland - CP 540 south - CP 5978-ICE 6420-CP 5964
  

It took several hours for both train 641 and train 540 to switch Welland Yard. The plan was that both trains would be combined for the journey north to Kinnear Yard. During this activity train 255 north waited at Brookfield from about 1000 until train 641/541 departed at about 1300.

• 1313 Fenwick - CP 641/541 north - CP 5941-DME 6200-DME 6365-ICE 6453-CP 5964-ICE 6420-CP 5978
  

Train 246 was also delayed at Vinemount from about 1030 until 1330 when the empty ethanol train met it. Eventually it made it to Fenwick.

• 1416 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 9623-CP 85xx-CP 9556-CP 6050
  

During the confusion in Welland Yard it was announced that an empty wind turbine train was also getting ready to depart the yard. After train 246 pulled in, it was able to leave. It tripped the detector at 270 axles.

• 1458 Fenwick - CP DIM005 north (empty wind turbine train) - CP 9594
  

This wasn't a very efficient day for the Hamilton Subdivision. Two trains were parked for three hours each and an empty ethanol train had to wait for a local to switch the yard. Train 255 finally passed through Fenwick at approximately 1600 after working the yard.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Today Sam was going to be visiting with her friend in Syracuse. Since they were going to be spending their time engaged in knitting interests, I decided to leave them to their own devices and find someplace trackside to see what CSX as doing. The weather wasn't great, but it was relaxing. It took quite a while before anything rolled down the tracks, but eventually a quick trio arrived.

• 1306 Jordan, NY - Amtrak 63 west - AMTK 110
  
• 1312 Jordan, NY - CSX eastbound - CSXT 7693
  
• 1323 Jordan, NY - CSX eastbound - CSXT 5331-CSXT 5225
  

Just after the third train passed by I got a call from Sam asking me to meet her at her friend's house. That signalled the end of my time trackside. By the time we departed Syracuse for home it was dark.

Trackside log for Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Sam asked me along on a short trip to Syracuse, New York to visit a friend. The idea was to drive leisurely there with a few photographic diversions. I decided to follow the Falls Road line in search of anything interesting. In Medina we encountered the Medina Railroad Museum and their New York Central painted E8s and former Waterloo-St. Jacobs passenger equipment.

• 1157 Medina, NY - power - RPCX 4068-RPCX 4080 with coaches RPCX 5735, RPCX 2143 and RPCX 761
  

Next we headed back toward the CSX mainline and had some time to park trackside to wait for any traffic that might be in the area.

• 1414 Churchville, NY - Amtrak 64 east - AMTK 110
  
• 1428 Churchville, NY - Amtrak 63 west - AMTK 43
  
• 1458 Churchville, NY - CSX eastbound - CSXT 5377-CSXT 860
  

The weather was getting darker and we were due in Syracuse for about 1700 so after the intermodal train we drove straight to our destination.

Trackside Log for Thursday, November 22, 2012

Today I had the scanner on in the background and heard a clearance for an SD40-2 to depart Welland Yard for Kinnear Yard. I decided, since catching SD40-2s is quite difficult any more, to drive over to Farr Street to have a look.

• 1142 Fenwick - CP 541 north - CP 5945-CP 6079-CP 5957
  

I was a little amused to see a trio of SD40-2s with a single covered hopper in tow. Mind you, they accelerated very quickly out of the slow order in Fenwick.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Tonight was even foggier than yesterday. I decided to continue my experimental dark fog photography. Once again I had both trains 254 and 247 as subjects. The first train, Canadian Pacific 254 south, didn't work out as well as I'd hoped but my photograph of train 247 north was more interesting.

• 2313 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 9641-CP AC4400CW
• 2346 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 8802-CP AC4400CW-CP AC4400CW-CP ES44AC
  

Framing photographs in this much fog was mostly guesswork. I really didn't know if I had the camera pointed correctly or not. At least, thanks to the artificial horizon function, I knew the camera would be level.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Tonight there was a bit of fog around town so I got to thinking what the scene would look like with a train illuminating it under those conditions. Since trains 254 and 247 usually meet in Welland Yard at night, I waited for them to approach town before driving over to Sumbler Road with Missy to experiment.

• 2305 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 9735-CP AC4400CW
  
• 2330 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CP 9662-CEFX AC4400CW
  

I think the results are interesting.

Trackside Log for Friday, November 9, 2011

Today I happened to hear horns approaching town so I walked over to the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision to see what it was.

• 1337 Fenwick - CP 255 north - CP 9764-CP 8750-CP 5642-CP 5957-CP 5996
  

I was somewhat surprised to see the three SD40-2s that I'd photographed in Waterdown earlier in the week.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Today I had an appointment in Hamilton. It was a rather nice day so I took my camera along in case I found anything to photograph afterward. I had the scanner on and not long after the appointment's conclusion I discovered that a northbound was leaving Canadian Pacific's Kinnear Yard. I decided on Waterdown for a photograph and specifically the Mill Street bridge.

• 1430 Waterdown - CP 541 north - CP 5996-CP 5957-CP 5642
  

On my way back toward Aldershot I heard Canadian National train 435 conversing with car control about lifting two tracks in Brantford. I found them easily at the end of Howard Road.

• 1441 Aldershot - CN 435 west - CN 5752-CN 5797-CN 4700
  

The train was backing a cut of cars, including an empty welded rail train, into Aldershot yard. When they passed by I discovered a GP38-2 parked on the track behind them.

• 1442 Aldershot - CN power - CN 4710
  

After photographing the surprise 4710 I headed toward home.

Trackside Log for Sunday, November 4, 2012

Today was the first day of standard time. I hadn't really planned to do much but relax at home with Missy but I did turn the scanner on for some background noise. I heard train 246 working in Canadian Pacific's Welland yard and soon found out that train 255 was on the way. Once the northbound departed the yard I took Missy over to the Foss Road crossing to have a look.

• 1153 Fenwick - CP 255 north - CP 9654-CP 8854
  

I thought the pair of 45s for power was numerically interesting but that was the last daylight train.

Trackside Log for Thursday, October 25, 2012

Today I had a couple appointments in the Hamilton area. I would have some time between them so I took my camera along. First I headed over to Aldershot yard just in time to catch train 422 entering the yard.

• 1018 Aldershot - CN 422 east - CN 2175-CN 5661-IC 1002
  

After the next appointment I headed back trackside in Aldershot and narrowly missed train 148. I also heard on the scanner that train 331 was nearly ready to leave Hamilton yard so I made my way to Copetown to await its climb up the Niagara Escarpment.

• 1220 Copetown - VIA 72 east - VIA 6427
• 1228 Copetown - CN 331 west - CN 2576-CN 8020
  

The only other train I expected any time soon was the westbound VIA so I decided to head back home.

I had the scanner on at home and was somewhat surprised to hear that train 255 was approaching the Hamilton Subdivision. I decided to take Missy over to the defect detector at mile 18.3 for a photograph.

• 1534 Welland - CP 255 north - CP 8850-CP 8777
  
• 1551 Welland - CP northbound local - CP 3111-CP 8203
  

As it turned out, the local was also returning from Niagara Falls with three tank cars. Not bad.

Trackside Log for Saturday, September 29, 2012

This morning I was to meet up with Marcus in the Hamilton area. I decided to catch the "Maple Leaf" along the way. I had originally intended to photograph it in Jordan Station but wasn't paying attention and headed the wrong way. New plan: Grimsby.

• 0937 Grimsby - VIA 97 east - AMTK 21
  

Whilst driving along the Queen Elizabeth Way toward Hamilton I heard the Canadian National dispatcher mention a train would soon be working in Aldershot Yard and another in Hamilton Yard. I guessed these to be trains 422 and 331 respectively. I believed I could get to Aldershot ahead of train 422. I did easily but just missed train 148. As I waited I now heard the dispatcher talking to a train 570 in Hamilton Yard that would be ahead of my awaited train. I wasn't sure what to expect from 570 and it was a pleasant surprise when it rolled down the track with HEPX 200, a 20-axle Schnabel car.

• 1040 Aldershot - CN 570 east - CN 4777
  
• 1048 Aldershot - CN 422 east - CN 2183-CN 2248-CN 2243
  

After the GE parade of train 422 passed by I met up with Marcus and his son Brandon at the Royal Botanical Gardens. We chatted with a few other folks on the bridge there before train 331 began to pull out of Hamilton Yard. We pooled into Marcus' car and drove to Copetown for a look.

• 1202 Copetown - CN 331 west - CN 2242-CN 2426
  

With noon upon us we drove to Brantford for Brandon's lunchtime establishment of choice, McDonalds, after which we made our way to the VIA station in town. We arrived just as train 73 pulled into the station with the "Mother Parkers" private car in tow.

• 1331 Brantford - VIA 73 west - VIA 6404
  
• 1335 Brantford - covered hopper - DME 316874
  
• 1411 Brantford - tank training car - CN 911
  
• 1414 Brantford - CN power - CN 4116
  

Since nothing was happening on Canadian National we decided that it was rather boring. We turned back east toward Hamilton and decided to run by the local yards to see what might be interesting. First was the former Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Aberdeen Yard. Here we discovered the TEC train that I photographed a day earlier.

• 1547 Hamilton - CP TEC train - CP 7310
  

Next, Marcus wanted to photograph the GO trains parked in front of the former Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo station (now GO station).

• 1604 Hamilton - parked GO train - GOT 612
  

We were headed over to the Southern Ontario Railway's yard when I heard horns blowing when we were crossing the industrial tracks near Dofasco. After a short search we discovered Southern Ontario Railway heading into National Steel Car to lift some new potash covered hoppers.

• 1640 Hamilton - SOR local - NECR 3840
  

Whilst photographing the GP38-2 I also decided to take a few photographs of the Hamilton-built Paling Industries transporters that Dofasco (now Arcelor-Mittal) uses to transport heavy loads around their facility.

• 1648 Hamilton - heavy transporter - Dofasco Paling 035
  

Also parked nearby was a brand new well car for export. The Arabic lettering gave it away.

• 1651 Hamilton - new NSC well car - DBLSTK 8642
  

One of my favourite buildings in Hamilton, from an architectural point of view, is National Steel Car's gate building on Kenilworth Avenue. It's an excellent example of Art Moderne design. It gives the appearance of being under renovation, but it's looked this way for at least two years. Hopefully it receives the attention it deserves sometime soon.

• 1655 Hamilton - National Steel Car gate building
  

Our last stop of the day, now that the clouds were rolling in and it was getting both dark and late, was the Southern Ontario Railway's yard. We had a quick look at the motive power parked in front of the shops.

• 1711 Hamilton - SOR power - RPMX 9431 & RLK 4003
  

Now it was time to head back home. We went back to the Royal Botanical Gardens in time to see Canadian National train 331 head into Hamilton Yard in the distance. We'd had a good day and the weather was better than forecast. Not bad.