Railfan Stories

After hearing that the La Salle grain elevator was demolished on August 22, I decided to go there the next morning to photograph the wreckage. Moments after I started driving, I saw fog – lots of fog. I’m no stranger to fog. I lived in the Halifax, NS area for three years and saw fog … Read more

In my last post, I talked about having railfan friends and the benefit of being plugged into the “railfan network”. On August 13 the news came out that westbound train CP 421 would have not one, not two, but three SD70ACu locomotives on it, including a “heritage” maroon and gold locomotive. Three of a kind… … Read more

It’s very helpful as a railfan to develop a network of friends. You can share your good shots, commiserate on the “one that got away”, and share intelligence of interesting train movements. I’m fortunate to be friends with a good group of people who support each other. Word came from “the network” that a Canadian … Read more

Rumour had it that “heritage” locomotive CP 7018 was on train CP 298 due into Winnipeg early Saturday morning, August 8. Nobody knew if it was in the lead or not, but it was coming. I awoke at my usual 6 AM, and after a shower and a quick breakfast, I was on the road … Read more

Sometimes when you’re out taking photos, things just seem to “click”. Pun intended. Sometimes, though… everything seems like a near miss. A Good Start On the holiday Monday – Terry Fox Day, August 3 – I got up early to get some sunrise photography in. I headed up to the CP main line and headed … Read more

You might ask what the heck that locomotive is. Clearly this locomotive has its origins in CSX… but what’s with the partial Canadian Pacific portion? And the bright red, freshly painted section? I’d like to be able to answer those questions, but I’ve only uncovered some more questions and more mysteries. Hopefully more details will … Read more

A visit to the CP Winnipeg yard one evening yielded another “blue barn” sighting. I had heard that a Central Maine & Quebec locomotive had arrived in Winnipeg but I understood it wasn’t very visible. I decided it was worth a trip to the yard. At the east end, a generic GE locomotive was sitting … Read more

Set your wayback machine to July 14-15, 2006. My wife and two youngest children were away in Winnipeg visiting her relatives, and my oldest son was with his mother, so I was alone for the weekend. Time to volunteer at the New Brunswick Railway Museum! I drove to Hillsborough after work on Friday, July 14. … Read more

There have been a few more CP “heritage” locomotives visiting Winnipeg over the past few months. Here are the ones that I’ve seen… CP 7013 I was fortunate to catch maroon and gold CP 7013 by the shops in Winnipeg on May 8th. This unit has the “Canadian Pacific” in “script” lettering. Half of the … Read more

Back in 1988, Canadian Pacific Railway received the first of 25 SD40-2F locomotives. These Canadian-built locomotives were the only new locomotives delivered in the “Action Red” scheme, and were unique to CP. They were essentially SD40-2 locomotives with a cowl body instead of the usual “hood” that SD40s had. They were quickly dubbed “red barns” … Read more