Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Reg Shares Some Photos

"I have a bunch of train pictures you might like" said Reg. I said I would enjoy looking through them, and would give them a good home. When Reg brought them to me, I thanked him, not knowing what to expect from the contents of the envelope he handed me. Once I saw these, I knew I wanted to share them on Trackside Treasure. For one thing, to thank Reg for his generosity. For another thing, because I really enjoyed the eclectic and era-bending variety of these train pictures. Appreciating what someone else has collected can be a pleasant eye-opener. As this post illustrates:
Most of the photos were uncaptioned as to date, though some had locations written on the back. The funicular (top photo) has neither. It's a small print, and it's tough to deduce a possible era or location. The above square prints are easier - it's Ottawa, Ontario, and the collection is at the National Museum of Science and Technology. Mystery follows...is this Civil War? Grand Trunk? This cardboard-matted, stained print has a patina of yesteryear, showing some stabled iron horses and turntable:
Closer to home, stuffed-and-mounted Thousand Islands Railway 'Susan Push' 500 reposes at Gananoque, ON on a sunny winter's day:
Mattawa, Ontario railway bridge, likely taken from the Mattawa Marina
If you dare, cross it!
Huntsville, Ontario - the Huntsville & Lake of Bays Railway Society.
Huntsville, Ontario CN station
CN Geep 4131 stationed at Huntsville, from which it serves local industries. 
View from the Northlander in 1994, when CN 4100 was the yard engine here.
VIA 6403 at Kingston, November 2005, in the midst of its 2002-2010 CBC career.
Algonquin Park, 2001. During camping trips, our family definitely visited this plucky little logging locomotive with its visually-arresting spark-arrestor.
CN Tower views, undated. CN Spadina Shops still in service, 14 RDC's and 5 stored Tempo RS18m's might make it 1983:
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre was completed in 1984:
CN's Ernestown station. When this photo was taken, the section truck and piled crossing gates let us know the building was still in use by CN section forces. Notice the old (recently-replaced?) black-and white, not red-and-white, wooden crossing gates.
Pioneer and three United Grain Growers elevators populate Innisfail, Alberta's elevator row.
The Spirit of Sir John A in Kingston's Confederation Park:
Black & white and engraved formats!
English eclecticness - Class A4 4-6-2 Lord Faringdon, Gresley 1935
Moose Jaw CP yard. I taped three of Reg's photos together and added a few 'rails' to fill out the sweeping panoramic image.
Reg is a photographer as well as transportation fan. Years ago, Reg worked at a photographic store to which we took our films for processing. The staff of friendly gentlemen included John, Terry and Reg. Thing is, our family developed nicknames for each of them, respectively: Donovan (he resembled the assistant city editor on the then-TV show Lou Grant), Gretzky (big hair like Number 99) and The Explorer (full-bearded like a trapper or coureur des bois! Thing is, when my wife first met 'Gretzky' she actually called him that - she thought that must be his real name!

Running extra...

This HO-scale Revell interlocking tower train-show treasure got some paint and detailing and will soon find a home on my Vancouver Wharves layout. Sample location shown, watching over Burrard Inlet. Passing by is a train tailed by CP 434539 - a.k.a. Canada's only horn-hook coupler-equipped Rapido Trains Angus Shops van!

Friday, November 20, 2015

Postscript: Toronto Waterfront Stroll

While on this enjoyable November afternoon stroll, the easternmost point I reached was the Water's Edge Promenade, just past Sugar Park, in sight of  Redpath Sugar. Corus Entertainment and the tony George Brown College buildings are here. Looking west, the stern of saltie Torrent is just visible beneath the increasingly leafless maples. Check out the guardrail:
Looking east toward the Essroc cement terminal on Cherry Street, at which the cement boat "Stephen B Roman" often calls with cement powder from Picton, Again, note the guardrail. And when I say guardrail, I mean guard-RAIL. I noticed the blue-painted horizontal segments, intended to retain rubber-necking tourist gawkers like me from tumbling into the water while uttering phrases like, "Gee honey, ever see somethin' that big that didn't have 'John Deere' written on it?" These are actual rails, turned 90-degrees and welded in place, between bollards!
Other strollers might have thought I was photographing Toronto's aquatic life, driftwood, flotsam, jetsam, cinder-block-weighted Habs fans, well you get the idea. But I was merely trying to get good light on the lettering formed on the rail - manufacturer, weight per yard, and year of manufacture and month (vertical 'I' hashmarks). Though several pieces were lettered C.P.R., I wondered about the source of these rails. While they may have come from removed waterfront trackage, that may not necessarily be the case. But they are sturdy! 
Algoma 100-lb 1965

Algoma 85-lb 1920

Algoma 100-lb

Algoma 85-lb  1919

Algoma 85-lb 1913

Algoma 80-lb 1905 C.P.R.

DOSCO (Dominion Steel and Coal Corp.) 100-lb 1967
Running extra...

Steve Young is killing it on Railpictures with his photo collection from Nova Scotia! Mostly MLW!

Everett Baker travelled Saskatchewan in the 1940's. His photos are so real, so earnest and so honest. What an amazing photographic record of an era of hard work and simple joys. Baker's photos are also in a book.

A 15-second video of the power of CN No 149 westbound through Kingston on November 21.

Thanks to loyal Trackside Treasure readers Jason Paul Sailer (truck sale) and Mark Perry (CP trailer photo) I recently added a couple of CP Express & Transport trucks to my Vancouver Wharves HO scale layout.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Toronto Waterfront-Rail Corridor Stroll

Done early. A few hours to train time. Quandary.
What to do on this fine November day? CN Tower? 35 bucks, reduced visibility, no John Street nor Spadina. Nope. UP Express to the airport again? Nope. Perhaps there is a ship at Redpath...let's go for a walk. Priceless. And free. And I'm cheap. Let's go - we're burning daylight!
Union Station and its environs are undergoing a transformation. One GO concourse has closed, and another has opened. The east end of Union Station includes the GO bus terminal. After passing through the Parthenon-like columns (top photo) and emerging onto Front Street, it's down Bay Street past the Air Canada Centre, to Queen's Quay; at least part of this route used to be served by CP Rail. A pause to reflect:
Redpath looms. The old saying was, "Let Redpath sweeten it!". Until recently, Tate & Lyle covered hoppers were spotted here until the plant trackage was removed in 2008. Cane-sugar is imported by ship.
At the foot of Jarvis Street, this is Toronto's "Whaling Wall":
Torrent was indeed unloading. Preparing to depart? Hard to say. Hold covers not dogged down. Looked like quitsville. No crane activity. TTR Operations vehicle entered the frame. Now that's sweet!
Bulbous bow. Lots of below-waterline showing. Just to left is Sugar Beach - Adirondack chairs, umbrellas, sand-like material. Lots of people relaxing on this 21C November day! The guardrail along the water caught my eye.
Walking west following a Timmy's bagel break, the Harbourfront streetcar line beckoned. CLRV's in use, but Bombardier's Flexity (five-unit articulated) making inroads. Tricky spot for photographers. Streetcar tracks ahead, speedy bike fitness trail behind:
Flexity heading back toward Union Station:
Flexity heading west near the foot of York Street:
Queens Quay West:
One can take the bus to the plane. Through a tunnel, no less. This was one noisy bus.
Heading north along Lower Simcoe Street, the next stop was John Street roundhouse. The 3:00 whistle blew. The CN Tower loomed. Turns out one doesn't have to take the tour to get a free six-ounce-or-so sample. Visited the gift shop. Quaffing ensued.
Strolling around the outdoor exhibits of the Toronto Railway Museum. Nearby was ex-CP Cape Race, latterly operated by the Upper Canada Railway Society, in which we rode during the 1979 CN Toronto-Gravenhurst fantrip pulled by CNR 6060
 CN wooden caboose posed on the turntable:
Bremner Boulevard led behind the Rogers Centre to Spadina Avenue bridge. On the Union Station Rail Corridor tracks below, GO trains were piling up. GO crews were reporting for duty at the North Bathurst yard. A VIA J-train headed east into Union Station via the flyunder:
In the gorgeous golden glow of the late afternoon sun, looking west towards the flyunder towards Bathurst Street:
GOod timing: eastbound GO undercuts a TTC ALRV on the Bathurst Street bridge:
South side of Bathurst Street bridge with CLRV:
North side of Bathurst Street bridge with 'special bus':
Classic view west, with lines diverging to south and to north. Where once Cabin 'D' stood and VIA intercity trains and CN freights trod. The UP Express now uses the line to the north. Then I backtracked along Iceboat Terrace and the Northern Linear Park to Union Station. A darkened delayed departure by a slightly tardy VIA No 48.

Running extra...

Jeopardy clue: This Czech composer was also a trainspotter. In the form of a question - Who is Dvorak? Thanks to Allison for the heads-up. This one's now off my Liszt!
For sale - One (1) only! One (1) pound of VIA paper items - schedules and brochures from various VIA eras. Special price for Trackside Treasure readers: only $30, which includes free postage to a Canadian address. Email me at mile179kingstonATyahooDOTca. First email received - its yours!
Partial package contents shown - sample items above - may not be exactly as pictured. Just to give ya an idea of what's surplus to my collection. This one-pound package is a great item for a VIAphile or someone building a VIA collection. Plus I'm a big fan of fine print and this gives me a rare chance to use some on Trackside Treasure.. 

It may seem that Trackside Treasure has gone totally Toronto-centric. (Well, Toronto is the centre of the universe, isn't it?)  The Queen City! T-Dot! Hogtown! The Big Smoke! Tronna! YYZ! Toronto the Good! Don't worry, we're free to move around the country, as that airline commercial used to say. It's just that there was so much good stuff to see and ride during my recent trips to Toronto aboard VIA!
CN Letellier Sub, 1993 large size: