Summertime at the Station, July 2024 - Part 2

This post began as a pop-up post fastidiously featuring freight cars, but burgeoned with VIA's LUMI and recent railfanning. On my day of railfanning just about two weeks ago, I caught CN freights 372, 305, 271 and 306. Bearing in mind that all three of the 300-series freights are already 50% auto racks and 271 is 100% auto racks, there are only three half-manifests out of those four trains. So finding interesting cars to photograph was a challenge. But I did my best - after all, this post caps off Trackside Treasure's Crystal Anniversary! Sweet Sixteen is just around the corner...

IHB 17018 (top photo) carried a load of sheet steel on CN No 306 at Collins Bay. Also in the same train was UP 701340, one of a large number of Union Pacific/BKTY hi-cubes in forestry-product pool service. The taggers are slowly finding these capacious canary canvasses: 

BNSF 'swoosh' covered hopper 431141 carries its load eastward:

Earlier in the afternoon at Kingston's VIA station, this Conrail/TTGX auto rack was one of the fallen flags in the consist:

Just after noon, scrap-carrying bathtub gondola AIMX 22096 was the first of several, with many more following CN No 305's DPU in their black and grey paint schemes..

This level Lebel lumber load on a NOKL centre-beam was one of a few on CN No 305, bereft of any of its usual Irving lumber loads:

This noon-hour CN No 372 bore hi-cube boxcars like single-door ex-Illinois Central TOFX 887084:

When you have too much graffiti, this happens. Also, a rare zero-led car number NCLX 016!

Bringing up the rear....auto racks on 372. Instagramm-y.

Patchwork panel palette. This WRWK auto rack (find the Kansas City Southern logo!) had its bits rearranged (a fleetmate has the same appearance!)

But wait, as mentioned above, there's more than just freight to share! On August 2, VIA Venture Set 18 'LUMI' made its first revenue run over CN's Kingston Sub to Toronto as VIA No 47. A day earlier, it made its maiden run from Montreal to Ottawa. VIA made a big deal out of the LUMI Venture Set 18 (out of 32 ordered) so why shouldn't I? Westbound through Collins Bay at 1508 the only all-yellow set cruises past on its way to Toronto. Thanks to Paul, Malcolm and Nik for heads-ups. Video captures below:

For the full experience, here's the Youtube video link.

Also on August 2, Venture Sets 19 & 20 were delivered from Siemens in California. While I hoped to salvage some sunshine, the special movement symbolized P276 behind CN 2293 made it to Belleville by 1900. Delayingly dallying there a bit waiting for recreating, the twins did make it to Kingston until decidedly dusky dark 2110. While waiting at Collins Bay, I observed the following trains before darkness fell and I left.

1855 EB VIA No 646: 2215-2315 - Youtube video link

1905 WB VIA No 647: 903-4 HEP

1931 EB VIA No 68: 911-6 LRC (above)

1940 EB CN No 122: Engs 8887-3845

2002 EB VIA No 54: 2202-2301

2010 WB VIA No 69: 6437-4 LRC-2 HEP

2020 WB VIA No 59: 910-4107-4115D(&H)-4105D-4000D-918

David McCormack was more successful than I, with a day-long drive that ranged from Ottawa to Bayview and back to Belleville to catch the double-delivery, and kindly shared his photo in my Trackside Treasure Venture deliveries post. David also has a delectable deliveries Flickr photo album here.

Just today, I was running some errands and stopped in to the station just in time to catch VIA No 62/52 making its station stop. One engineer cleaned his cab-side window and the other yelled, "Hi, Eric!". One of the last times I met this particular engineer was the nocturnal first Siemens Venture test run to reach Kingston at 0222 on 2/2/22! Today's consist: 6459-3470-3468-3308-3304Ren-3370-3325-904-400x D(&H)-4117-4112D-8107.

And OWS hi-rail boom truck and two hi-rail excavators were parked south of the south track:

Running extra...

UberVIAphile Tim Hayman has begun to document his June trip across Canada by VIA Rail. This is going to be a good series. Be sure to check back often as Tim adds more of his travel thoughts, in-progress pics, menu mentions and mouthwatering meals! I was lucky to meet Tim against Kingston station, albeit briefly due to a cautious car attendant.

Roaming Goose makes quite a compelling case for taking Business Class aboard VIA. The video doesn't really push the free beer and liquor available to drown your sorrows if you have any regrets about how much you've spent. 

Here's a video that shows not only the contrast between Economy and Business Class, but at the 8:00 mark, only empty spaces in the Toronto Union Station Business Class lounge where the complimentary computers and printer used to be. Maybe they disappeared during the pandemic? The concise review at the 10:00 mark (above). If you've read this far, you're interested enough to know next week's post will be Trackside Treasure's Sweet 16th Anniversary.