Because this is a pop-up post, the first of five, it receives little effort from your humble blogger once the photos are selected, edited, and put in the post. So little that I'll even re-use some previously-published text...
Like last year, I encouraged my good wife to enjoy a four-day Crop & Create online crafting event that included live sessions over four days beginning last Friday, September 26 with Day Four being last Monday, September 29. The fact that this intense kraftravaganza would keep her fully-occupied during daylight hours - and thereby allowing me some extended time trackside in some awesome late-September weather - had absolutely nothing to do with my enthusiasm. Nothing. Okay, nearly everything. I took the opportunity to visit some previously paid-a-visit-to haunts in the Kingston area and watch whichever CN and VIA trains came by. Over the next five pop-up posts, you'll see what I observed and photographed, listed by time, direction, train number, Heritage Fleet consists and notes.
0820 EB CN No 372: Driving to the VIA station via the Centennial Drive overpass, I could see a freight train stationary underneath. Arriving at the station, ex-Citirail 3979 soon led the eastbound into the station, with 60 cars of grain on the head-end:
Mid-train DPU 3409:
Walking up to the head-end...
0948 WB CN No 149: 3040-3179. Not much warning and few opportunities to get better light on the south side while waiting in the van!
...refrigerated white boxes with CN container generator...
1033 WB VIA No 643: 6411-3307R-3359F-3364(F 40(years)-3470-3477-6410. All but a handful of LRC consists have locomotives on both ends.
To the distracted trackside photographer (and perhaps the unwitting Trackside Treasure reader!) this bidirectionality gives the impression of twice as many trains! Same with Venture-equipped trains - locomotive on one end and cab car on the other - both ends can appear to be leading. Visible tail-end clues include red marker lights and pulled sunshades.
Pulling into station.
An eastbound freight stopped up the hill at Centennial Drive overpass got a signal to proceed on 62/52's block after its departure.
Mid-train DPU 2870:
1143 WB VIA No 63: Set 5. One of the four to six trains (Nos 40 and 63 each day, plus some days' 46, 53, 64, 66, 67, 69) this weekend that were supposed to be LRC consists but were instead equipped with Ventures. Perhaps due to cracks and resulting inspections being conducted on the LRC fleet. There were 17 coaches and 10 Business Class cars that I did not observe on any of the four days I was trackside.
1236 WB VIA No 45: Set 19 seen from the south side with John Counter Boulevard overpass in the background.
That sign makes for challenging photo composition...
The view that the yellow line has (above and below).
1335 WB VIA No 65: 913-3352F-3323R-3371-3366F40-3334-3333-3456-3464-918. One of four daily seven- or eight-car LRC consists.
1400 WB VIA No 53: Set 14.
1419 EB VIA No 64: XL Set 24, with two cars added from Set 25 - one of two XL sets and a further DXS 'leftovers' set concocted to try to counteract CN-imposed crossing speed reductions.
1445 WB VIA No 47: 6413-4115D(&H scheme)-4114D-4118-4009D-4004D-919 - prior to September 22's Corridor rotation change, it was suggested that there would no longer be HEP consists east of Toronto. However, most days there are one, and occasionally two! On October 3, Nos 48 and 54 were combined from Toronto to Ottawa: P42-5 HEP and P42-5 HEP-P42!
1810 EB VIA No 46: Set 20 working off the north track.
1927 EB VIA No 68: 909-3478-3354R-3302R-3308-3325 deadhead - 6415, under a crescent moon.
1938 WB VIA No 69: Set 18/Lumi.
Day One Total: 5 CN, 19 VIA.
Forget the end views of Ventures - I needed at least one photo showing the true raison d'être for these trains - embarking and disembarking passengers after all. Or as VIA clumsily calls it, boarding and de-boarding!
1848 WB VIA No 647: Set 29, behind which non-stop No 646 passed at speed during 647's station stop at 1855 (with the same consist as the morning's No 61).
You'll soon be able to read about Day Two in a subsequent post.
First past the post...
Day Four was to be the debut of the recently-ballyhooed direct express pilot project by VIA. Fellow blogger Michael Hammond has covered this really well on his blog, The Beachburg Sub and I'm thankful for that because his excellent report saved me publishing one. I was hesitant to do so because it appeared about to be a, well, train-wreck. And it was, cancelled on the eve of its debut. I was on hand to see the on-then-off 'express' trains, coming in Day Four's post!
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