The Glorious First of June – Part 1

June 1, 2019 was a pretty glorious day of railfanning. So glorious, in fact, that I have to present it in two parts.

I set out early in the morning to take some photographs of grain elevators with my drone. Since it was June 1, the new drone rules came into effect and there were more places I could fly it. I went along the CP Glenboro subdivision to photograph Starbuck, Fannystelle and especially Culross.

I couldn’t figure out where to launch my drone from at Starbuck, so I didn’t fly there. I always want to launch from, and land on, public property and nothing appeared available. I’ll need to do more research.

Fannystelle

The Viterra grain elevator in Fannystelle, Manitoba
The Viterra grain elevator in Fannystelle, Manitoba

I’ve been to Fannystelle several times, so I went straight to the road leading to the Viterra elevator and launched from the shoulder. A few minutes of flying brought the drone to where I wanted it to be. I took the photos, landed and got back on the road.

I did take a quick photo of the other grain elevator in Fannystelle, the old Stevens & Company elevator. (more info on the Fannystelle grain elevators)

Stevens & Company grain elevator in Fannystelle
Stevens & Company grain elevator in Fannystelle

Culross

The Paterson grain elevator in Culross, Manitoba
The Paterson grain elevator in Culross, Manitoba

I’ve always liked the white grain elevator in Culross. It has such clean lines and it looks spotless. I’ve shared photos of this elevator before (Chasing Down the Glenboro, A Grain Elevator Loop, and the start of my epic Southwest Grain Elevator Trip) – but obviously never from the air.

(More info on the Culross grain elevator)

Again, I just popped the drone up in the air for a few minutes to take photos, then landed it and moved on. I didn’t have time to continue on to Elm Creek, so I turned around and headed back up the Glenboro to the CN Rivers subdivision.

Getting Some Trains In

CN 2959 approaching Winnipeg, Manitoba
CN 2959 approaching Winnipeg, Manitoba

I did manage to get one train on the way home. CN 2959 and 2808 were leading a container train east into Winnipeg. I noted something a bit unusual in the containers trailing the locomotives. The pink ONE (Ocean Network Express) containers have been on trains around here for quite a few months now, but this train also had white ONE containers.

Pink ONE container
Pink ONE container
White ONE container
White ONE container

A Little More

Plasser PTS 62
Plasser PTS 62

There were a few interesting vehicles / cars in the CP Winnipeg yard. Unfortunately for them, they were parked in the area that normally contains cars that are destined for the scrapper, so they may not be long for this world.

Graffiti caboose
Graffiti caboose
Spreader CP 402892
Spreader CP 402892

That was the first half of the day. Not a bad start!

The end of the Glorious First of June, 2019 will feature a glorious sunset to match, with several CP trains… and here it is!

The Back Story

A little back story on the title of this post. Quite a few years ago, I was really into Napoleonic era naval fiction. Very specific, I know, but that’s the nature of being a geek – deep focus in one area. I particularly enjoyed the Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O’Brian, beginning with Master and Commander that was made into a movie.

Anyway, one of the major naval battles of the Napoleonic wars was the Glorious First of June, where a French fleet escorting a supply convoy battled a British fleet. The battle was unusual in that both sides claimed victory after the battle. It was a tactical victory for the French in that the supply convoy got through, but a strategic victory for the British in that they attained naval superiority for the remainder of the war. The British called it the Glorious First of June to celebrate their victory.

Other famous naval battles of the Napoleonic period were the Battle of the Nile and the most famous, Trafalgar.

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7 thoughts on “The Glorious First of June – Part 1”

  1. Great photos Steve. The shots from the drone really show just how flat the land is around there. Being from the Eastern Townships of Quebec it is sure a different land out there. Enjoying your blogs, please keep on.

    • Thanks, Steve! It sure is flat around Winnipeg, and a lot different than the Eastern Townships! Thanks for reading, and for commenting.

  2. Like the drone shots Steve! Seeing the elevators, track and service roads from the air helps me get my models to look prototypical.

  3. I agree with Steve Cornish – very flat! Building railroad in the prairies looks easy! Drone perspective is great for modellers!

  4. Splendid photos, Steve. Looks like it was an ideal day for drone photography.

    I’ve been a Patrick O’Brian geek ever since reading Master and Commander for the first time. I wrote to him to tell him how much pleasure his books gave me, and was delighted to receive a postcard back from him, in his own spidery handwriting.

    A good resource for POB fans is The Gunroom – http://hmssurprise.org/

    • Hi Peter! A hand-written response from Patrick O’Brian! That’s a treasure.

      Thanks for the reference to The Gunroom, I will check it out.

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