Pop-up Post: One Day in July 2025, Freight Cars

After a day trackside in the Greater Napanee area, I realized I had a greater number of photos than would fit in one post. A redundancy of rolling stock. A plethora of pictures. A surfeit of scenes. Therefore, I hereby present freight cars photographed on July 26, 2025 at Townline Road, east of Napanee and Vista Drive, west of Kingstonin this pop-up format. Each train's cars of note are listed by reporting marks and notes.

No 271 

CSX/TTGX 983533 with colourful graffiti (top photo) and 'patchwork' WRWK 300151:

TTGX 704022 Ferromex monster graffiti:

TTGX 694409 BOOG graffiti with a bonus Conrail:

No 368 

AIMX 20076 scrap metal bathtub gondola:

Ety bulkhead flats CEFX 816620-816617:

SPL flat SOXX 20501:

As mentioned in the pop-up post of train photos from this day, I caught four pairs of consecutives! Consecutive AITX 100008-100009:

Wheel flats CN 618076 and AOKX 44125:

CGAX 9361:

ubiquitous Irving lumber:

TTGX 953376 CANAS BOKS graffiti:

No 372

the first of morons GACX 2720:

GATX 12369-12368 consecutive (take my word for the left-hand one but it was consecutive!):

CRDX 20498 another MORON:

CMBX 101160 rusty scrap metal bathtub gondola:

RTAX 23048 and 23061 with aluminum ingot loads:

ONT boxcar 7762:

No 369 

Wheel flats CN 48961 and AOKX 44079:

Ex-Rock IC ?789001 covered hopper:

LATX covered hopper 7004:

IMR/RMI is a joint venture of ArcelorMittal and Triple M Metal. Scrap gondola IMRX 2377:

No 306 WFRX 320056 and 320062 formerly Gondola Connection:

Running extra...

Soldier first. Strathcona second. Female CAF member third. Viral internet sensation regardless. This Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) private is one of a large contingent that provided the King's Guard mounted at Horseguards Parade in London during an apparently scorchingly hot July. Uniforms were provided by the regimental association, horses by the Household Cavalry. But the sentries themselves were all-Canadian. Only the second Canadian unit after the RCMP, and the third to include female sentries. 

Watching now-hundreds of these videos on YouTube and elsewhere has become another hobby and a study in sociology! While the British sentries yell "Make way for the King's Guard!!" the Canadians rarely raised their voices. On occasion, one nudged his mount right or left to get closer to tourists staying outside the painted 'white box' that separates 'look at me!' instagrammers from soldiers on duty. At least three times, I saw a sentry pay respect to a veteran with a sword salute. One explained his medals. Most said quietly, "Move out of the white box". One said, "Outside of the box! Thank you."

This private was the only one who added "Please" each time - as in "Stay out of the white box, please." Hey, it's the internet so commenters gotta comment. But really - never appropriate to comment that she's not a real soldier/playing army/looks unhappy/suggesting physical reasons for that - resulted in a large number of return comments, thank goodness. 

There are other troopers in work uniforms nearby, as well as uniformed well-armed London Police to really deal with obnoxious tourists, and they often do. This is a ceremonial guard, and a Policeman with a full clip is much more of a guard to the Realm than a Canadian with a sword most unlikely to slash or run anyone through! But in all cases, no matter their gender(!), they have done themselves and their country proud over the past 125 years! Serving in all our country's wars from the Boer War to Afghanistan, the regiment's motto 'Perseverance' is second only to Lord Strathcona's original suggestion, 'Craigellachie'. Hmmm, heard that one somewhere before...

First past the post...

My good wife convinced our granddaughter to pose with me in front of CPR 1095 'The Spirit of Sir John A' across from City Hall today. She also took the photo. We took in a stories-and-songs kids' session in the City Hall amphitheatre then visited with the ducks and geese at Confederation Basin. I wonder what a two year-old thinks of this big, black 112 year-old (whose renovation and relocation was paid for by us Kingston taxpayers and with significant volunteer involvement)?!

Venture Trainset Implementation Dates

This was an enjoyable project to work on today. Who doesn't like a spreadsheet full of dates and numbers? 

With an infusion of VIA Rail Venture Acceptance Dates, I added these to these additional columns:

the Trainset number somewhat arbitrarily added to each, though always in the order delivered,

Locomotive and cab car numbers,

Delivery Date - that I continue to publish in this post with only one delivery left,

First Test Date - if available, as reported online,

VIA's Real Acceptance Date,

another set of dates from an untitled column in the same document that I'm calling 'Alt.' Acceptance Date, always in advance of the 'Real' Acceptance Date,

First Revenue Run date - if available, or if not available I've added a '<' to denote that it is likely earlier than the date listed, and last but not least,

a list of the number of Venture sets introduced into the 28-set Corridor rotation, slowly increasing over the nearly-three years of Venture implementation.

This will be something of a pop-up post until a better place to put it emerges. Perhaps as an epilogue once the final, 32nd Set is delivered sometime this month!

Pop-up Post: One Day in July 2025

Another online craft event for my wife on a Saturday - July 26, 2025 - meant that I would be heading trackside. Given the gift of several hours to spend train-watching, I always try to find a location that I haven't visited in awhile. Instead of the boring ol' Kingston VIA station platform! By 0800, I was already atop the Belleville Road overpass at Queens West, Mi 199.7 Kingston Sub! I wanted to catch at least two morning Venture trains at Napanee and overhead: 60/50 and 62/52, both of which are 'doublavay' consists and both eastbound into the morning sun. Meanwhile, my wife was at home getting her supplies and snacks in order. We were both ready to let our day begin, albeit separated by about 20 miles! 

The trains I observed will be listed in this post with a photo or video link, if available, then by time, direction, train number, locomotive numbers or VIA Venture Set #'s, On-Time Performance (OTP) for VIA trains, YouTube video links and notes. Here are some links to previous kraftstravaganza days when both my good wife and I enjoyed our respective hobbies:

• Four Days in September, 2023
• One Day in July, 2024
  
• Four Days in September, 2024
• Two Days in March, 2025 

The fog on this morning was unbelievable! I estimated about 10 car lengths' visibility while driving to Napanee, and at one point on Highway 2 west of Odessa, only about five! I parked and ascended to the overpass, noticing that the nearby church had installed a moveable gate blocking its parking lot being used by the nearby scrapyard and its denizens. Thou shalt not park here!

0817 WB VIA No 41: Venture Set 22/2221, 27' late. YouTube video link here.

Looking east (above and top photo) and west to the scrapyard. No 41 then changed tracks to the north, since its station stop was done off the south track at Napanee. No 60/50, though no freights, would be coming the other way.

0841 EB VIA No 60/50: Sets 16 and 3, 12' late. Video screenshot below, Youtube video link here. The sun had burnt off almost all the fog. An unhoused man in a tent under the tree at the right would loudly yell expletives every 30 minutes or so, though apparently directed at the world, not at me. 

1002 WB VIA No 61:  917 and 6 LRC cars, on-time. I am always amazed that a large farm with outstretched grain and soybean fields continues to prosper on Highway 41 as part of the commercial/fast-food 'cholesterol strip' in the background:

Looking east (above) and west (below) from under the overpass. The sun was already up and the day would bring heat warnings and temperatures around 30 degrees C. Shade was my best friend.

After these early VIA trains, it was time to head to Napanee station.

1043 EB VIA No 62/52: Set 30 and 13 pass the station on the north track nearly on time, making way for the inbound VIA No 643. Video screenshot below, Youtube video link here. This was not Set 30's first rodeo, but very close. Perhaps it's fourth revenue run since completing its break-in period.

1119 WB VIA No 643: Set 26, 20' late. Passenger stop made, Youtube video link here.

Stopped 643 and I emerged from the shade of a big tree off to the right for some photos:

The station lawn is crispy. For some reason there is a hospital bed, no mattress but with a headboard, just in front of the operator window. I did my best to make the 'safety railing' on the platform invisible.

1230 Lunch break for my wife and I. Yum, sandwiches! Meanwhile while munching, I mused about MR's 1,000 issues and this 2017 issue that mentioned my operations hero Frank Ellison, though it over-mentioned John Allen and his ground-breaking Gorre & Daphetid.

1237 WB VIA No 63: 903-3305-3313-3301-3475-3476*consecutive-*-6411, 35' late. One of four consecutive numbers on this day!

Someone has done a nice job planting pleasantly pastoral plants on the platform pleasingly.

That grass is crispy, east of the station. A stand of sumac is off to the right, making it difficult to photograph westbound trains from this side of the station, except at the last minute as they round the bend.

1238 EB VIA No 40: 915 and 5 LRC cars, on-time. No station stop, as is the case with most trains at Napanee.

With VIA trains in both directions, I made a quick trip to my next destination, Townline Road. Great sightline, good light, few obstructions and not too many cars driving by. I missed empty potash unit train CN No 731 on the way, otherwise soon I'd catch the first freight in nearly five hours.

1254 WB CN No 271: CN 2903-2970 with about 90 empty auto racks:

1340 EB CN No 368: CN 2827, although expected green KKIX 3003 brought three fellow fired-up ferroequinologists to the crossing, not just to hang out with me (although we did). The main draw for Malcolm, Mary and John was that green SD. Just to prove it wasn't all a conjuring, here it is arriving Belleville at 1145 (photo posted to social media by Barry Silverthorn):

It turns out that 3003 had been wrongly sent east of Toronto - instead of Illinois - its intended destination. Once this error (I'll call it a misdirectomy!) was discovered by the CN brain trust, the errant unit was set out in Belleville yard. It returned west on July 29 to reach its eventual destination. This YouTube video link shows the unit heading through Michigan, just after a guy runs the crossing gates!

DPU CN 2534:

1402 WB VIA No 45: Set 21, 47' late. This crossing is subject to CN-imposed and VIA-perpetuated crossing speed reductions, so this speedster is making all of 45 mph at this point. Approaching the crossing from the east...

...and heading west, inevitably to repeat the speed-up, slow-down procedure all the way to Toronto.

1422 WB VIA No 53:  Set 5, only 12' late. Youtube video link here. A rare trip to the 'dark side' north of the north track, but with so many Ventures, there was nothing to lose but a little light.

1455 WB CN No 305: led by CN 3040 with 40 tank cars on the head-end:

This is a regular move, all placarded UN 1863 aviation fuel for Hamilton airport:

DPU ex-Citirail CN 3976:

1505 WB VIA No 47: 6406 and 5 LRC cars. Departed Montreal 2 hours late (unknown reason), here 75' late:

1517 WB VIA No 65: Sets 10 and 24, only 15' late! Youtube video link here. A rare westbound 'doublavay' therefore not subject to crossing speed reductions due to its 48-axle count.

1603 EB VIA No 644: Set 22, 40' late. Sunless on the south track...

...approaching from the west(above) then over the crossing (below) and on to Kingston:

1608 EB VIA No 64. Five minutes later on the north track, 904-8 LRC cars. The advent of Ventures means more LRC cars are available to form longer Montreal-Toronto consists. 98' late, left Toronto 2 hours late (again, for an unknown reason)! 

1640 EB CN No 372: leader CN 3272

DPU CN 2816. (No, not that 2816!):

Time to head home. Intrepid Napanee railfan Malcolm Peakman let me know that a Norfolk Southern unit was second on CN No 369. I headed for home, hoping to catch it near there. I did, at Vista Drive!

1730 WB CN No 369: ex-Citirail CN 3984-NS 1060 (below). The big, black beast would return the next day on CN No 372.

1735 EB CN No 306: its usual jumbled consist of auto racks, tank cars, boxcars and empty centre-beams (repeat!) with another consecutive (one number higher than 369's leader) that it had just met. This is ex-Citirail CN 3985:

DPU CN 8836:

Here's a subsequent pop-up post showing the freight cars on the six CN freights that passed me on this sunny, sweltering Saturday. Including two more consecutives!

Running extra...

A VIAritable riot of VIAdeo VIAriety this past VIAdnesday!

After the 'day-out-with-Thomas' that VIA RDC-4 6251 (above) recently enjoyed, profiled in last week's post, all was well mechanically and though it had been sitting at VIA's MMC for some eight years, the plucky Railiner is now on its way to Sudbury. Here's my video YouTube link showing it on the tail-end of VIA No 63. That same evening, VIA Panorama car 1721 completed its journey east from Vancouver on VIA No 2 (also profiled in the previous post) and No 68, joining VIA 1720 and 1722 as they ponder an uncertain future together at the MMC. Another screenshot from my video (below) or check out this YouTube link.

Speaking of the MMC, apparently a new urban park nearby has been completed. Not only does the overhead REM R-O-W allow viewing of VIA equipment from one side, this new urban park view now features ground-level (or slightly higher) viewing of another side of the MMC. Enjoy it VIAcariously in this YouTube link.

First past the post...

It was great to hear from Olive at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival this past week. The group is holding interviews to create a history of the building they inhabit - the Bailey Broom Factory on Kingston's Rideau Street. I had a vanishingly small role in the building's non-bulldozing, so I'm happy to help peel back the layers of this building's century-and-a-quarter story!