![VIA 6437 "40th Anniversary" near Winnipeg](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/6437-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-7-1024x683.jpg)
On August 7, I heard that the VIA Rail “Churchill” * train headed to Winnipeg had a 40th anniversary unit leading the train. With the current schedule, it would have come into Winnipeg at 13:45, during my working hours. After checking its forecast arrival time using the VIA Rail tracker site, I found it was significantly late. I decided to try to catch it coming into town, after a quick supper. I ended up catching it in a three way meet with two CN trains.
The Setup
I headed up to the CN Rivers subdivision. As I arrived trackside, an eastbound train was heading into the city. I quickly grabbed a photo at 17:54 as it passed under the Perimeter Highway overpass.
![CN 5489 East](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/5489-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-1-1024x683.jpg)
It had CN 5489 and CN 2677 leading.
I continued west to Diamond to wait for VIA. I saw that there was another east-facing train in the distance on the north track, but it was not moving. I elected to leave it for now and get VIA framed by the east-facing signals at Diamond.
While I waited, a westbound train came creeping up toward Diamond on the south track. It stopped short, setting up a three-way meet.
![CN 2659 coming to a stop outside Winnipeg.](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2659-outside-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-1-1024x683.jpg)
The Meet
At 18:10, VIA 692 came rolling along, threading between the two waiting CN trains.
![VIA 6437 navigating through Diamond.](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/6437-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-2-1024x683.jpg)
It passed the first train on the south track, then crossed over to the north track to pass the second train.
![VIA 692 passing CN 2659 West](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Kokanee-Park-and-CN-2659-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-1-1024x683.jpg)
The CN crew was on the ground for the quick rollby inspection. VIA 692 had Kokanee Park on the tail end, a relatively rare occurrence for this train.
![Kokanee Park passing CN 2659](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Kokanee-Park-and-CN-2659-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-4-1024x683.jpg)
Aftermath
Once VIA passed, the westbound train started moving and rolled past me, with a nice wave from the conductor.
![CN 2659 passing by](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2659-outside-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-3-1024x683.jpg)
Here’s the meet between the two CN trains. The east-facing train was just getting underway.
![CN 2659, meet CN 2199](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2659-2199-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-1-1024x683.jpg)
The eastbound train (CN 2199 East) passed Diamond at 18:20. The photograph below shows them about to cross the CP Glenboro subdivision.
![CN 2199 about to cross the diamond](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2199-outside-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-3-1024x683.jpg)
I waited around for a bit, and after about 20 minutes, another train came rolling along at 18:42, with CN 5700 and CN 8862 in the lead.
![CN 5700 on the move](https://www.traingeek.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/5700-outside-Winnipeg-20180807-SLB-1-1024x683.jpg)
That was enough for me, so I packed up and headed home. I chalked that up as a success – I got the VIA train I wanted, plus 4 CN trains!
* I know it’s not actually the “Churchill” train at the moment, as the line between Gillam and Churchill is still closed at the time of writing. You’re lucky I don’t still call the VIA Winnipeg-Churchill train the “Hudson Bay”.
I took video of the VIA train, and it’s the first train in this video.
P.S. I just finished reading The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s a worthy prequel to The Hobbit and to the Rings trilogy. Fans of minute details will like the extensive notes that Christopher Tolkien included along with the story. Personally, I am a more casual fan and, although I enjoyed the story itself, I skimmed a lot of the pages after the story as they were really “meta” information. It was interesting to read the first mentions of Legolas and Elrond, though!