Tonight as I was readying for bed I heard on the scanner that train 247 was about to depart Welland Yard. I decided to play around with some night photography using the train's headlights to illuminate the scene.
The exposure was for 30 seconds at f11 using ISO 400.
It was a quiet Sunday at home with Missy but I had the scanner on should Canadian Pacific run a train through town. Only one was in daylight and after I woke up. I photographed it under overcast skies.
It wasn't terribly interesting, but it was a relatively long train.
Today exemplified why I take fewer photographs in July and August. It was hot, humid and generally unpleasant. However, I had the scanner on and was alerted to a northbound nearing Brookfield that was to meet a southbound in Smithville. I decided to brave the weather and capture some images. First I found train 255 at Chantler Road.
I had a bit of time before train 246 arrived in town so I drove to the Avondale for some refreshment before taking a position at River Road for a photograph of the southbound.
I had heard earlier on the scanner that train 246 had some dimensional cars. I wasn't expecting fifteen wind turbine loads. That was far more interesting that this train usually is.
Now that the weather was generating a headache I gladly returned home.
This afternoon I had three appointments in Hamilton so before the first of these I purchased some lunch and took it trackside in Aldershot. No sooner had I arrived at Lemonville Road when an eastbound poked its headlight around the corner.
When I turned around I noticed VIA train 73 departing Aldershot station.
It was approaching time for my first appointment so I headed over to MacNab Street. Due to my proximity to the Southern Ontario Railway's yard, I could hear the sounds of a GP9 switching the yard. When I was finished my appointment I made the quick drive to see it. When I arrived I discovered two locomotives switching. RLK 3873 was waiting for RLK 4003 to clear a path.
After a few photographs I was off to my remaining appointments.
I turned my scanner on for my drive home from work this evening. Just as I was approaching my destination, I heard the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision dispatcher issue a clearance to empty ethanol train 641 north from Brookfield East to the north siding switch Welland. I had plenty of time to go home, change, and take Missy to that north siding switch.
Upon our arrival at Hewitt Road I heard the dispatcher talking to the train still at Brookfield. They'd been waiting for a Canadian Pacific and a Canadian National local job. I now had plenty of time to take Missy for a walk before the train's arrival.
Anyone who is familiar with my photography will quickly realise that I am not an avid user of long focal length lenses. However, there are a few circumstances where I quite like the look they achieve. Unit trains of similar cars look quite interesting using this type of lens.
I also watched the train pass through Boyle before returning home.
It's quite convenient when I can incorporate Missy's walk with some photography.
This morning whilst returning from an appointment I happened upon the Southern Ontario Railway beginning their work day. Three of their GP20Ds were switching what remains of the Cayuga Subdivision in Jarvis and pulled across Highway 3.
Later, on my way home from work, I passed by Canadian Pacific's Welland Yard and discovered the currently assigned duo of GP9s heading north with a pair of pipe loads destined for Cappco in Smithville. I had enough time to go home, get my other camera, let Missy outside, and still photograph it in Fenwick.
I've been meaning to photograph the delivery of these pipe cars to Cappco so I immediately drove to Smithville. Upon my arrival, the crew was about to cut off the loaded cars before pulling out some empties. My first photograph was the pair of GP9s pulling the empties into the siding.
CP 8200 is one of a handful of Canadian Pacific GP9s that have received modifications to increase sand capacity. I haven't photographed the back end of these units very often; I did so today.
Next the local coupled the empties onto the loads before backing them into the Cappco siding.
All that remained was for the local to run around their empties before returning to Welland Yard. Since the interesting movements were complete I headed home to take Missy for her walk.
Shortly before I began writing this entry I read a press release from Genesee & Wyoming Inc. from this morning regarding their planned purchase of RailAmerica. One of RailAmerica's railways is the Southern Ontario Railway, the subject of my morning photography. Should the plan come to fruition, Genesee & Wyoming would become the operator of 111 railways around the globe.
When I arrived home this evening I took Missy outside behind my house and happened across the local job headed to Smithville. I had my camera with me so I took a photograph.
The two pipe loads are going to Cappco in Smithville.
It was a rather hot evening so Missy and I returned home to take refuge from the weather.
Hokey smokes! It's actually raining outside. OK, well, it's sort of raining. But considering how dry it's been this summer, we'll take all we can get. Unfortunately the air is laden with moisture and I felt like I was wading through it whilst walking back to the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision to photograph a northbound that I could hear blowing its horn for the crossings south of town.
Train 615 is an empty crude oil train returning from Westville, New Jersey. Its counterpart, train 614, delivers loads of Bakken oil from North Dakota to the refinery in Westville.
This evening I was driving into St. Catharines to pick up my friend Sam from the train station. She was arriving on the GO train at about 2000. I arrived a bit early with the intention of photographing her train at the station. I was a little surprised to see the “Maple Leaf” approaching shortly after my arrival. Its scheduled time is 1808.
I then waited the expected half hour for Sam's train to arrive.
After several photographs I picked up Sam from the station and we headed to Perkins for supper.
Hokey smokes! It's been two months since the last trackside photograph. Lately I've had some other higher priorities and, honestly, I haven't been very inspired by the local motive power. (Oh yeah, and Canadian Pacific went on strike in there too.)
However, today, starting at 1000 I relaxed under a tree in my back yard with Missy at my side and read a book. No traffic rolled through town on the Canadian Pacific's Hamilton Subdivision until late in the afternoon. At that time I was still under the tree reading my book having really only taken a break to walk Missy. I decided it had been long enough since my last photograph. I got the camera and walked to the tracks.
The local power was delivering three loads of pipe to Cappco in Smithville. I had expected the next train to be the local power returning but was surprised when another northbound approached.
After the one-lunger passed by I returned to my book and Missy under the tree. I gave up reading outside shortly thereafter when the mosquitoes started to attack. It was quite the pleasant day.
