Sunset Meet

CN 3148 approaching Lorette at sunset

I had to run an errand for my wife on the evening of August 29. After I did that, I decided to see if anything was happening on the CN Sprague subdivision. As I approached the area, I saw an eastbound train leaving Symington Yard. I gave chase along the Trans-Canada Highway, which parallels the … Read more

Fog in Winnipeg?

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

Scaling Down

The Cranbrook History Centre, home of the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel / Trains Deluxe, recently announced that they are releasing nine cars from their collection of passenger rail cars. It might be a bit shocking but these things happen. Organizations have limits on funds and volunteer time… especially time. Restoring and preserving century-old railway … Read more

Three of a Kind

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

Return to Niverville

CP 7013 passing the heritage display in Niverville

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

A Photo Scanning Jig

Photo Scanning Jig

I had some photographs that I purchased on eBay that I wanted to scan. Unfortunately, I am currently “between scanners” so I had no good way to scan a photo. I did a bit of thinking and ended up using my DSLR camera on a tripod to do the job. Here are a few I … Read more

Smoking Hot Maroon

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

The Waterloo Central Railway

The Waterloo Central Railway is a tourist railway that runs between St. Jacobs and Elmira, Ontario. The WC is owned by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS), a charitable organization dedicated to preserving and operating vintage railway equipment. Because of COVID-19, they haven’t run any excursions this year and the status of the rest … Read more

Not Optimal

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

Derailment Update

On August 1, I visited the site of the CN derailment from two days previous. I knew the line was open, having been reopened approximately 24 hours after the derailment. Crews were working to process the remaining rail cars. I’m not sure if the plan is to scrap them on site or take them away. … Read more