Wintertime at the Station, March 2015

It was time for some power railfanning! The afternoon of March 7 was overcast with flurries. I headed out not knowing I would encounter seven trains in 60 minutes! There was action afoot on CN's Kingston Sub. Rolling out to the first stoplight, headlight and ditchlights beckoned to the east. Driving west towards Collins Bay to fill up on gas and coffee (and Timbits!) to find...headlight and ditchlights beckoning to the west! CN No 376 was led by 2335-2132. With a closing speed of 90 mph, the cab of ex-UP 2132 exx-CNW 8550 flashed past mine.

Mid-train was DPU 8854 amid a tempest of tank cars:

Pulling a 'youie' across four vacant lanes, I stopped and rolled down the window in time to snap CN No 369 with 2221-5732 and lumber loads on the head-end. Car control dictated the train's Belleville traffic (likely ingots for CN No 149) be set out at Belleville in yard track BY26.

Burlington Northern green P-S covered hoppers including BN 467424 passed parallel traffic on Bath Road. I like me some Burlington Northern, and the small logo is OK.

Dude, don't worry about looking into my lens...look at those nearly-pristine CN cylindricals behind you!

You know you're in the slowest Timmy's drive-thru in the world when a passing VIA train has fewer cars in its consist than your lineup does! VIA No 64 places its order for two units and eight cars, please. Led by 6427-6431, an LRC Business Class and HEP1 coaches 8107 and 8130 round out the consist. All of these sightings a scant six minutes after squealing out of the driveway! :) Then another six minutes in the DT :(

Where did the snow man keep his money? In the snow bank! Solo 8885 leads CN No 305 westward past the snow bank at east end of the parking lot at Kingston's VIA station at 1420.

The dip in the consist is 89-foot wheel flatcar CN 48994. Resting railfan ride reposes right.

DPU 2249 follows obediently:

Take that, vandals! Enclosed NSC-built TTUX 891129 enclosed flat car accompanies 891193 and 891023. Inside, Sprinters slumber safeguarded.

After 13 minutes and a chat about trains, photography and life in general with Liz Reid, mother of Tim, CN No 149 conjoins John Counter Boulevard crossing behind 5767-5703:

Dang them Homewood thick cabside numerals:

Seven minutes later, VIA No 65: 920-3474-3328Ren-3350-3321Ren-3303Ren-3352 arrives and is soon ready to head west on the south track. My coffee was collapsing and the Timbits were thinning.

Snowbanks are lower but angle is higher:

Also on the south, VIA No 47 arrived at 1457 with 6434-3467-3364-3317Ren-3336.

When Foreman Persad toned the RTC and requested 30 minutes to tighten frog bolts on south track crossovers at Queens West, and the RTC responded "There's nothing close to you for an hour" all I heard was: Time To Go Home.

Running extra...

Congratulations to CN RTC VAP who retired this week, joining TJB in retirement.

Have you seen these sites?
CP La Riviere/Napinka Subdivisions by Neil Froese, TCRC 847 shares photos along the CN, TCRC 295 pays a classy tribute. From the Ellen show, Honk Scares! A staffer rides a bike around the studio lot. The bike is fitted with an air horn and air pig. I need to watch this again, since the first viewing was full of my wife laughing uncontrollably and I couldn't concentrate (or even hear, for that matter) the melodious tones of the tuneful air horn.