I hadn’t been down the CN Letellier subdivision (Winnipeg-Emerson) in quite some time, so I decided to do something about that. I set out on March 20 down highway 75 from Winnipeg toward Emerson and the US border. As I drove down, I was hoping to see a CN train along the way. While you … Read more
I was watching a freight train roll by a few weeks ago, and I saw a series of sand cars with a variety of patched reporting marks. I thought I’d share them – they are interesting if you look hard enough! (what is a reporting mark?) PMRX 13105 has a relatively clean patch over the … Read more
I’m sorry to report that noted railway historian James Arthur “Art” Clowes has died. Art worked for CN for more than 30 years. After he retired, he volunteered at the Salem and Hillsborough Railroad and was instrumental in creating the museum there. I met Art at the museum. He was one of the few people … Read more
I was reading this very thought provoking article by Levi Sim, Taking Street Photography Should Be Illegal, and it got me thinking about ethics with railway photography. Levi’s article touches on some of the ethics of street photography, and taking photos of people without their permission. One key paragraph in his article talks about taking … Read more
You may remember that I featured Nick Lafreniere’s LEGO® VIA Rail “Canadian” a while ago. He was trying to get 10,000 supporters in order to get the LEGO company to consider it for a kit. Well, he made it! It’s now being evaluated and hopefully they’ll give it the green light. Heck, even VIA Rail … Read more
April 28, 2018 was a busy, busy train day for me. I had just returned from a conference (PI World) in San Francisco the day before, and I was eager to get out and see some trains. Before we get to the trains, check out this retro themed Air Canada jet I saw in Toronto … Read more
Following on my previous post, I went out again on Sunday, February 28 to do some railfanning before returning home at 11 with coffee in hand.
I often go railfanning on weekend mornings. I’m an early riser, while the rest of my family likes to sleep in, so it’s either putter around by myself or go look at trains. The trains often win. On the last weekend of February 2021, my wife and I made a deal. I would go railfanning … Read more
When I was a teenager, I read a lot of science fiction. One of the classic SF short stories is “The Roads Must Roll” by Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1940. The gist of the story is that rolling roads (similar to airport luggage belts) have replaced conventional roads to move people and material around … Read more
I hadn’t really intended on going train watching. Honestly. It was Saturday, February 20. My wife had left for work and I was sitting in the kitchen, finishing my breakfast, browsing my phone, and thinking about what I should do for the rest of the day. I got up and looked outside, and saw a … Read more
