Bracketing Christmas

VIA Rail train in winter

I hope the end of the year was good for everyone. I was off work for a few weeks and I really enjoyed the rest, and especially the presence of our daughter home from university for the holiday. Despite “not feeling it” I did do a bit of railfanning, on Christmas Eve and on Boxing … Read more

Railfanning With Jason, 2021 Edition

Person and train in snow

These days, it’s hard to get together with people. You don’t want to spread anything and of course there are rules about gatherings. My friend Jason contacted me late in 2021 to let me know his family was going to be in Winnipeg over the holiday break to visit family, and asked if I was … Read more

Looking Back, Looking Forward

VIA Rail train in Moncton

As I write this on the morning of January 1, 2022, I am conflicted about what to write. It’s generally expected that one would reflect on the past year, celebrating triumphs and mourning losses, while sharing plans for the new year. However, the way forward isn’t clear to me and I definitely look back on … Read more

Support a Railway Organization

Steam locomotive

I try to support various railway-related organizations, either through money, time or exposure, to help them on their missions to preserve and promote railway history. Here are a few that I support. I hope you will consider supporting them. If you have your own favourite museum or organization, please promote them in the comments. The … Read more

Happy Holidays

No matter how you celebrate the end of December – or if you celebrate it at all – I hope you have a wonderful time and best wishes for 2022 and beyond. Thank you for stopping by and we’ll see you again in the new year.

New Chaleur Timetables

Title of railway timetable

You may know that I collect railway paperwork, specifically timetables and train orders. I have a pretty large timetable collection, and for years I’ve shared some scans online (links below). Recently I’ve been drawing a map for a project that Richard Manicom and Bill Linley are working on. I’ll likely share the map here in … Read more

Quite a Combination

We stopped in Thunder Bay for the first night of our return trip from Toronto. We decided to break the almost 2,500 km trip up into 3 days for the return trip, with Sault Ste Marie as the first stop and TBay as the second. (see Variety Pack in Sault Ste Marie) My wife and … Read more

A Few Minutes in Schreiber

Railway passenger car

On our way back from Toronto in late August 2021, we stopped in Schreiber, Ontario for a few photos. Schreiber was once a busy division point, with a roundhouse, turntable, coal tower and all the amenities needed to service a fleet of steam locomotives. That is all gone now, and what remains is a rail … Read more

Efficient Railfanning

The Canadian Pacific line north of Lake Superior is very scenic – possibly rivaling their lines through the Rocky Mountains. On our way home from Toronto in late August, I had the opportunity to do a tiny bit of railfanning on the long, long trip home.