After the CP cornucopia of cargo trains (see Hot Times on the CPR), I went south to the CN main line to see some more trains. I decided to head to Nattress on the east side of the Assiniboine River.
As I approached from the east, I saw the tail end of a westbound freight train. I wasn’t able to see the head end, but the distributed braking boxcar CN 0061 on the tail end made a decent photo at 09:32.
![Red boxcar on tail end of a freight train](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CN-0061-Nattress-20210620-SLB-3-1024x683.jpg)
I wanted to get an eastbound train with some sun on the nose. It ended up being an hour wait before CN 3058 came around the bend at 10:40 AM.
![CN locomotive rounding a curve](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/3058-Nattress-20210620-SLB-8-2-1024x683.jpg)
It was a pretty generic freight train, but one of the tank cars caught my eye with its lack of a top valve.
![White railway tank car](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/LTCX-1606-Nattress-20210620-SLB-1-1024x768.jpg)
LTCX 1606 contains liquid argon. It’s non-toxic, non-flammable… after all, we breathe it all the time. Argon is almost 1% of the atmosphere – the third most common element after nitrogen and oxygen. Update: Reader Jim sent me a link to this sales brochure on the Argon Tank Car SR-386. It’s a DOT-113 car suitable for argon or nitrogen.
I hit the road, chasing the train east toward Winnipeg. I managed to get to Elie before it and photographed it by the elevator at 11:10.
![Long freight train on prairie under blue sky](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/3058-at-Elie-20210620-SLB-4-1024x768.jpg)
The chase was on again, and I beat it to mile 20 to photograph it against the blue sky at 11:29.
![CN freight train under blue sky](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/3058-mile-20ish-west-of-Winnipeg-20210620-SLB-3-1024x768.jpg)
Only a few minutes later, CN 8017 came storming west at 11:36.
![Three locomotives leading a freight rain under a blue sky](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/8017-mile-20ish-west-of-Winnipeg-20210620-SLB-2-1024x768.jpg)
I liked the look of the red, white and black locomotives against the blue sky.
![Two locomotives nose to nose](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/5777-2202-mile-20ish-west-of-Winnipeg-20210620-SLB-1-1024x768.jpg)
That was a wrap on a good morning of railfanning. Homeward!
Just One More Thing
I’ve added a few more images to my Redbubble portfolio, including a few VIA Rail trains. If you’re looking for gift ideas, check them out!
![Framed photo of a passenger train at sunset](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/work-133941101-framed-art-print.jpg)