Saturday, June 11, 2016

Triple Crown: Recent VIA, CN and CP

Over the past month, I've experienced some time trackside with Canada's three largest railways. Fellow photographer Reg Aitken shared some VIA photos he'd taken, all showing VIA 900-series locomotives with LRC consists in April, 2016.  Two refurbished Business Class cars cascaded through Napanee (top photo) and another two were eastbound at Kingston's VIA station:
Ditch lights on at departure time!
 Dual VIA Business Class cars 3461-3478:

On May 22, thanks to some OS reports from fellow railfans, I was able to catch up to eastbound potash unit train CN No 730 at Mi 179 Kingston Sub. Barrelling down the south track, the train splits the signals 1796S and 1796N:
Rounding the curve, with 152 cars of Saskatchewan potash in tow:
CN 2827-3034 proceed then recede:
Canpotex has legalized potash.

Still rare for CN's Kingston Sub, rear DPU CN 2848 lights the red lamp:
Also in May, we were driving past the CP section buildings in Roblin, ON north of Napanee on Highway 41. Several of these homebuilt wooden units were ready for use nearby:

Classic CP Rail multimarked TOFC now section storage shed was nearby:

In the backtrack was a short tie train with a Jimbo tie crane and M-O-W Transporter CP 420983
 Heavily-graffiti'd gon CP 427073 was one reporting mark still legible:

Running extra...

Speaking of crowns, the Queen turns 90. No early retirement in her workplace. The only monarch most living Britons have ever known. In solitude she contemplates the place where her reign began, in this evocative painting by Ralph Heimans:

2 comments:

Michael said...

You covered a lot of bases with this post, Eric. I love the shot from Napanee. The multimark trailer shot reminded me of a similar trailer that is near Ottawa's main station that I have never photographed. This being another year of the mundane, I guess I should get a shot before it's gone.

Eric said...

Blisteringly mundane. Now, if CP had seen their way clear to send a juicy freight through in the few minutes we were there, I would not be engaging in such borderline NOTROPHY.

They could be hauling your trailer away as I type this :)
Thanks for your comments,
Eric