One way to overcome the boredom of living in the USSR was to go on vacations. It wasn’t easy. There were restrictions on travel outside of Moscow, and you had to file a trip plan and get approval before you were allowed to go.
At one time, rails reached Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia. They ran over a pretty circuitous route from Windsor Junction to Dartmouth, through Shearwater, Lawrencetown, Three Fathom Harbour, Petain, Chezzetcook, and into Musquodoboit and even a little beyond. This timetable from June 1, 1919 shows a lot of stations that don’t exist on a map today. Back … Read more
I’m reading the book “An Anthropologist on Mars” by neurologist Oliver Sacks. He presents seven unusual cases, including the “Memory Artist”, Franco Magnani. Franco has the unusual combination of an almost eidetic memory, an artistic talent, and an obsession with the town of Pontito, Italy. He spent most of his childhood there, until his father … Read more
I want to wish blog partner Eric Gagnon a hearty “happy anniversary” on this auspicious day, the 15th anniversary of the start of his great blog, Trackside Treasure.
I was in Toronto recently. While walking toward the UP Express to get to Pearson, I came across the exhibit “We Are Still Here” by Blake Angeconeb. This is a collection of six paintings on display in the west end of the station just outside the great hall. From the artist’s statement: ‘In Anishinaabemowin, “Mino … Read more
I love train stations and I love abandoned buildings. The old station in Piney, Manitoba ticks both of those boxes! Our family took a road trip to Piney in April 2017 to see the old station. You can read this post if you wish. That one post ended up getting more than 14,000 views and … Read more
The world’s economy is shifting toward greener technologies – far too late – and one part of that is changing what fuels we use to power our trains.
Every now and then I like to share which railway-related web sites I read on a regular basis. Please consider giving them a visit and bookmarking the ones you like!
I love doing research.
Last year, I was asked about an accident that happened in the 1960s at a railway crossing in McGivney. A truck was struck by a train and dragged a long way, and the truck driver was killed.
Here are some slides I purchased recently, all featuring trains in Alberta. Unfortunately I don’t know who was the photographer for any of them. The lead slide shows a westbound CN train rolling through Drumheller, Alberta in 1993, led by CN 2454 and another cowl unit (CN 53xx?). Clearly it was a dreary rainy day. … Read more
