On my way to work this morning I once again swung by the Southern Ontario Railway's yard in Garnet. As I was approaching along Concession 8 I saw all three CEFX GP20Ds in plain sight and great light. I made a brief stop for a photograph.
Since the arrival of the third GP20D, CEFX 2006, I'd been hoping to be able to photograph les trois amis together. Mission accomplished.
I was on my way out to visit a client this afternoon and decided to take a pass by the Southern Ontario Railway tracks in Nanticoke en route. I found one of the CEFX GP20Ds with a cut of tank cars for Esso parked at the crest of the hill in front of that facility.
The other two GP20Ds weren't visible in the area. I suspect they were busy working at Lake Erie Steel.
Today I was driving to Port Dover and Delhi for a pair of appointments. I had some time at lunch so I got my camera and tripod out to photograph some more panoramas. I managed to create three in Simcoe.
The first is the former grade crossing of the Lake Erie & Northern and the Canadian National's Otterville Subdivision (later the Simcoe Subdivision). Both these rights of way are now part of the Lynn Valley Rail Trail.
NOTE: You can download the full resolution image of each panorama by clicking the “download” button at the left above the photograph after clicking the thumbnails.
Next I drove a little north to where the three tracks of the Canadian National and Wabash's Cayuga Subdivision passed over the Lake Erie & Northern. The trees have formed a decent canopy but the LE&N tracks are down there.
My final stop in Simcoe was the former Simcoe Junction location. This is where, a long time ago, the Canadian National and Wabash's Cayuga Subdivision passed over the Canadian National's Otterville Subdivision. However the Otterville Subdivision was abandoned in 1935 from this point north to Otterville. From Simcoe Junction to Port Dover then became the Simcoe Subdivision. The bridge was replaced by fill. If you look closely the eastern concrete bridge abutments are visible in the photograph.
That evening, after Missy's walk, I turned the scanner on. Not long before sunset I heard a soutbound announce the Boyle mile board. It was such a nice evening I drove to River Road to see the train.
That shiny new ES44AC made the rest of the locomotive consist look rather bad.
This morning I was just returning from a quick trip into town and was stopped at the Church Street crossing for a southbound.
Considering both the motive power and the rainy weather I wasn't very disappointed to be without my camera.
Just after noon I heard more horns approaching. It was still raining but I needed to get out of the house for a few minutes. I took my camera to River Road for a rainy photograph of train 246.
This was the same locomotive consist from train 255 of the day before. Both sides of CP 9505 have lost their CP Rail dual flag logos.
The next train would be after dark. A second 254 of the day was arriving so I took Missy for a short walk to see it. She decided she needed to howl at the train tonight (MPEG4 audio).
This morning when I awoke I turned the scanner on just in case Canadian Pacific decided to shine the rails of the Hamilton Subdivision. I was a bit surprised when the dispatcher issued a clearance to train 255 soon after. She also informed 255 that a loaded ethanol train was parked on the main track in Welland Yard. It was another overcast, damp day but I elected to take Missy for a drive and check out the two trains.
CP 9505 has had its engine doors replaced at some point and is now devoid of a logo on at least the conductor's side. I didn't see the other side.
While train 255 was slowly rolling through the siding Job 1 was making its way over to the CaSo track to lift some traffic. I took a look as I passed by on my way back to Fenwick.
I managed to buy some milk from the Avondale in town and get back home before 255 rolled through Fenwick.
Later on after Missy's walk I missed train 246 south led by SOO 6035. But while listening to the scanner I found out that train 626 was being moved to the siding in Brookfield. So in ten hours the train had moved about five miles. After parking the ethanol train the power was wyed on Canadian National and returned to Welland Yard to lift freight and head back north.
It was rather dark by this point so I contented myself to listening to it rumble through town.
Today was a dismal rainy autumn day. Why not create some dreary photographs of trains? After missing a train 255 I heard on the scanner that a pair of southbounds were on the way. I got Missy and my camera and headed out into the rain for photos. First was train 254 working Welland Yard. I waited for it to depart at Philips Road.
While 254 was switching the yard train 246 waited at mile 30. After photographing the former I drove to River Road to see the latter.
Having achieved the effect I was seeking I drove back home to get out of the rain. The way I see it, the dreary looking AC4400CWs matched the weather conditions perfectly.
I was on my way to an appointment in Peacock Point today when I discovered the Southern Ontario Railway beginning to switch the Esso Refinery in Nanticoke. I first found two trains at the 3rd Concession.
I wasn't able to get any photographs there so I drover over to the 2nd Concession and waited for the Esso train to drag the empty tank cars to the south end of the yard.
The Southern Ontario Railway recently received the CEFX 2006 and today it showed up on the Hagersville Subdivision. Right now all three of the GP20Ds on the SOR are working together.
Just for fun I also decided to play around with High Dynamic Range processing on this photograph. Here's what that turned out like:
Tonight I was just returning from Missy's walk and thought I heard distant horns to the south. I went inside to get my camera and my neighbour Steve, his dog Riley, Missy and I walked back to the tracks to check it out. Sure enough what looked like train 255 was approaching in the waning light.
A pair of Mexican migrant workers watched the train pass but there were no shiny new ES44ACs in tow. Evidently this was a 2nd train 247 that lifted overflow traffic out of Welland.
After a very quiet day before, with nary a train over the Canadian Pacific's Hamilton Subdivision in daylight, I turned the scanner on when I got up. I wasn't expecting much but It wasn't very long before a southbound announced the Boyle mile board. I drove over to Chantler Road for a nice morning photograph.
This was the weekend of Binbrook Fair and I was on my way to Aldershot to pick Sam up from the train station. Her train wasn't due until 1357 so I had plenty of time to photograph some trains beforehand. First I decided to meet up with The Maple Leaf at Grimsby station.
Next I headed on over to Lemonville Road in Aldershot to see what Canadian National was running for the morning. As it turned out, nothing. I wound up reading much of the book Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman. The Canadian National Oakville Subdivision was asleep. It wasn't until the mid-day VIA trains when I saw something rolling down the rails.
Unfortunately train 422 sneaked by me after 148. However, it was then time for Sam's train. I picked her up and we drove to Binbrook and the annual fall fair. It was a perfect weekend for it.
