Just like Day One, Day Two of Four Days in September - Friday September 27 - dawned bright and sunny heading for a high of 24 degrees C. This second day would be devoted to staying close to home, not racking up the mileage of the day before, and concentrating on recording some VIA consists not whizzing past me at 85 mph! Happy little clouds suspended above the morning's first train.
0927 WB VIA No 61: 6424-3472-3334-3302R[en]-3301R (top photo and below)
0927 EB VIA No 60/50: 6414-3476-3359F[uture]-3318-3329F-3337-912-4002D[&H scheme]-4007D-4112D-4107-4115D. I had received some communications from Rapido Trains for their production of these HEP2 coaches, wanting to ensure they were making the correctly-numbered Corridor HEP2 coaches that had received the attractive teal window-band/yellow letter-board 'D&H scheme'.
0953 WB CN No 149: behind 3051-2954, intermodal.
1034 WB VIA No 643: Venture Set 9 2308-2209.
I then had some brief grandfather duty for an hour or so. I missed an eastbound freight, eastbound VIA No 62/52 and VIA No 63. I returned just in time for VIA No 45 in the station.
1238 WB VIA No 45: 6431-34xx-33xx-3324R-3309R (no photo).
1247 EB VIA No 40: Venture Set 20 2220-2319. The newest Siemens Venture set in revenue service, having arrived in Montreal from California on August 2 and still v-e-r-y shiny:
Despite some shady shadow-side skunkedness, whenever I could I was making use of the open gate at the east end of the lengthened station parking lot, then using the [popular and well-used!] walking trail that still crosses the signalled former Counter Street level crossing in the shadow of the newer John Counter Boulevard overpass.
1250 WB CN No 305: IC 2709-5632 and DPU 2660. Watch for an upcoming pop-up post on freight cars seen during these four busy days!
1310 WB CN No 271: 8905-2291 all empty auto racks.
It was a long afternoon. As long as my shadow! Nothing doing for over an hour. The last train of the day:
Happy hordes of post-secondary students ready to board VIA No 53 and 65, heading home for the weekend. Station staff made announcements to reinforce the importance of boarding the correct (and out-of-order) westbound train! It's a bit strange that the VIA scheduling brain-trust sends two trains block-on-block, albeit from two different cities (Ottawa and Montreal, respectively) though
each train makes the same stops from Kingston-Toronto; they sometimes operate in reverse order and confusing crews and crowds alike!
Two trains' worth on the platform. It eventually all got sorted out, and VIA No 65 was visible holding east of the signals at Queens West in the distance.
1359 WB VIA No 53: 905-3469-4108-4114D-4111D
Departing a few minutes later (below) after passengers disembarked and 50 got on, VIA hogger Terry wanted trailing 65 to get to Toronto on time - it was his ride home!
Three VIA's in ten minutes! In the intervening few minutes, an expectant exudate of pulsing passengers expectorated effusively onto the south platform, belying the arrival of VIA No 64 at 1403, just five minutes before 65 pulled in, operating 25 minutes late.
1403 EB VIA No 64: 6441-3463-3452-3311R-3313-3354R-3343F-3357F.
1408 WB VIA No 65: 914-3461-3466-3341-3351F-3362R-3350F-3368 (the hand-painted/rollered blue-stripe car!)
Getting a bit of elevation on one of the outsized concrete hockey-stick platform-light bases for a different angle. Easier than carrying my short step-ladder around! VIA No 65 departing westward for Toronto:
I was hoping for a double-Venture cross-platform VIA No 47/42 meet, but an announcement was made to remind passengers that No 42, a daily Venture assignment, was running 2 hours, 15 minutes late, followed by VIA No 644 1 hour, 5 minutes late. I would have to make do with lonely 47.
1442 WB VIA No 47: Venture Set 2 2301-2202 - the most well-travelled and longest-serving set.
1605 WB VIA No 67: 6413-3462-3460-3310R-3306R-3336-3305R:
The day's tally: 10 VIA missed 2; 3 CN missed 1. Ventures on VIA Nos 643, 40, 47. Only a one-pager of trains in my scribbler.
What would be on the horizon for DAY THREE ?
Running extra...
Stuff you didn't know you could watch but once you know you can watch you wouldn't watch. Canadian comic Andrew Phung answers the question in what is called a paid-content series by CBC: "Why would anyone want to go to London?", although he doesn't mention how he actually rode a VIA Venture set there back on August 20 when there was no VIA Venture service to London at that time. Once you get in this Ottawa-London video loop, you won't be able to get out!
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