Canada Day 2017

I was watching a train DVD the other day – Manitoba Trains by Railfan Video Adventures – and I was surprised to see myself on the screen, briefly.

Suddenly I remembered the day – July 1, 2017. Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

A group of railfans decided to organize a railfan meet in Portage. Several people took the reins and made plans. A barbeque was set up. The local train museum was opened up. Chairs were brought. Fun was had!

Lloyd de Zeeuw and his wife Anne made a lot of train videos. I remember him and his tripod, and me with mine, trying not to get in each others’ shot. I guess I wandered through his field of view at least once!

En Route

On my way out of Winnipeg, I caught a westbound CN train at the Perimeter Highway. It had three locomotives, with the most interesting (to me) being the aged cowl unit, CN 2441, in CN North America garb.

It looks like I decided to take the CP Carberry subdivision (highway 221 / 26) route to Portage la Prairie, rather than the CN Rivers sub (Trans-Canada Highway) route, because I spent a lot of time in Meadows on the way.

Meadows

I wasn’t there long – twenty minutes or so – but I was able to take a lot of photos, and CP very kindly sent a westbound train past the beautiful Paterson grain elevator.

It’s a good thing I spent time there, because the grain elevator was demolished 16 days later. I was there.

Portage la Prairie

The first train I caught in Portage la Prairie was this westbound general freight, led by CP 9804, at 10:10 AM.

The former CPR station (shown above) was open for visitors as part of our railfan festivities. It’s owned by a local group who have model train layouts inside and periodically open the station to the public.

Before I managed to get inside the station, an eastbound CN container train rolled past the ex CN station “across the way” at 10:22 (CN 2982, 3092).

This is what it looked like in the station in 2017:

The group has continued to work on the station and it is looking really good now!

I finally made it over to the CN side, where the railfan group was assembling.

From there, I shot CP 8736 heading east with a grain train at 10:59. CP 9754 was on the tail end.

I think the organizers placed an order with CN and CP, because the trains just kept coming.

At 11:12 IC 2718 and CN 2258 led an eastbound general freight train past the former CN station. That’s Lloyd with the video camera, and mine is straddling the cracks in the station platform.

I photographed a few of the autoracks. I really liked this Providence & Worcester Railroad logo.

You know I’m going to photograph any grain car with the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool logo on it! Here’s SMW 850957…

It was not long at all before the next train came along at 11:22, a westbound with CN 3093, 2803 and 2943.

There’s Lloyd again in the distance, and the Winnipeg Railfan is also seen at the far right with his video camera.

You can view Winnipeg Railfan’s video of the day – it’s long!

Next up was CN 2925 leading a westbound container train at 11:55. I was over at the CP side but there were plenty of railfans to record and greet the train by the station.

I was on the CP side because the local switcher, CP 2238, was doing some work.

Those refrigerated boxcars were likely going to Simplot on the west side of Portage la Prairie.

There was finally a lull in the traffic. A BBQ was going and hot dogs were enjoyed, and stories were shared.

Back to the action! Next up was a westbound CP freight led by 9360, passing the former CP station at 12:46.

CN wanted in on the action, so CN 3006 led a train past at 12:58.

Hot on the heels of that train was another eastbound container train, led by IC 2713, at 13:10. Nice wave from the engineer!

There was a 15 minute break in the action, and then a third railway entered the chat – VIA Rail. It was time for the westbound Canadian, at 13:32.

For VIA 1, I relocated to the west side of the station to get the station itself in the shot.

Befitting a summer Canadian, it had a long train: 6452 / 6426 / 8604 / 8103 / 8123 / 8511 / 8140 / 8139 / 4118 / 8512 / ALEXANDRA / HUNTER MANOR / CAMERON MANOR / BROCK MANOR / BLISS MANOR / CARLETON MANOR / HEARNE MANOR / STUART MANOR / GRANT MANOR / CHATEAU VIGER / 8500 / CHATEAU LAUZON / CHATEAU MAISONNEUVE / GLACIER PARK.

22 cars – a decent summer consist.

Note the railfan on the overpass.

Someone brought cupcakes!

That was it for me, as my family was going to the Canada Day block party in Osborne Village later that afternoon. I said my goodbyes and hit the road… only to pause just outside Portage la Prairie to capture two Union Pacific engines sitting by the Tucker grain elevator.

I caught one more train on the way to Winnipeg, outside Elie at 14:16. Not a great photo, but something is better than nothing…

Just One More Thing

The Osborne Village block party was fun!