On Day One of these Four Days in September, I was close to home at Kingston's VIA Station. Day Two found me heading west to a familiar crossing - Townline Road at Mi. 193.28 CN Kingston Sub. It was a consistently cloudy day. I was again hoping to catch VIA No 60/50 with its two Venture sets. Turns out I should have left a little sooner. Heading north on Townline Road, guess what cut across the bow?
0856 EB upon arrival VIA No 60/50 (top photo) Sets 18L/Lumi & 2. I consoled my tardy timing with a timeless Timmies cup and its commiserating, caffeining contents:
EB 0925 CN No 368: First freight of the day led by ex-Citirail 2777.
Mid-train DPU 3177:
Four minutes before No 62/52 passed on the north track, this thing lumbered onto the crossing. Lettered for Platinum Track Services, York ON, the two crew made short work of raising the hi-rail wheels and driving off at the Townline Road crossing.
Three-point turning and parking beside me, the tandem hi-rail truck was soon joined by a brand-new CN Ford F550 welding truck. Two VIA trains and two freights passed before the crew could head back onto the south track.
1058 WB VIA No 643 on south track. 903-3452-3 LRC cars (like I can possibly get car numbers at that speed!)-3305R(en).
1247 EB VIA No 40: Set 5.
1310 WB VIA No 45: Set 14.
1354 WB VIA No 65: 904-3335-6 LRC cars-3467-912.
1357 WB CN No 271: 8836-2684. All empty auto racks, all the time!
1456 WB CN No 305: 2899.
1542 EB VIA No 644: Set 10.
1612 EB CN No 730: 2945-2821 with thousands of tons of pink productive potash on the pin.
Day Two Total: 6 CN, 12 VIA.
1124 EB CN No 372: 3031-3366. I noticed the engineer dimming the headlights, and I wondered why since the train was approaching two other level crossings west of me. After a few moments I looked to the east and found a westbound freight doing the same thing. MEET!
Meeting westbound No Unknown led by 2869-xx44 at 1124 right in front of me.
The welding truck pulled up to the signal bungalow as the tandem truck headed back onto the south to distribute rail for welders along the south track west of the Townline Road crossing. Both trucks returned, cleared the crossing and headed off by noon.
1158 WB VIA No 63. Set 27 in the all-day overcast that permitted north/dark-side photography! And every train looks like two...a-comin' and a-goin'.
Big Creek Road, just to the west at Mi. 193.68, was another location I'd visited 15 years ago as a Then and Now post.
1425 WB VIA No 65: Set 13. One has to walk the road this far north of the north track to see the limestone abutments, clear of the usual usurping CN stockpiled shrubbery.
1432 WB VIA No 64: 918-8 LRC cars-913.
Mid-train DPU 3259 lumbering westward:
1503 WB VIA No 47: 6413-5 HEP cars including 4114-4009. The HEP cars' demise was greatly exaggerated. Looks like they'll be supplanting the implementing of the Venture fleet for a while yet.
Mid-train DPU ex-Citirail 3944:
Tail-end DPU 3852:
On Day Three, we edge ever so slightly eastward to elicit and engage every train that can be evinced!
First past the post...
It's challenging being a volunteer. Thanks to John Spring (TH&BHS), Jim Little (CPHA), Glenn Courtney (CNRHA) and Chris Greenhaw (VHA) and the rest of the organizing team for being behind the Real Rails 2025 convention this coming week in Burlington, ON. I'm pleased to be a presenter under the aegis of the VHA, along with 35 others. Of course you'll read more here on Trackside Treasure in the coming days!
No comments:
Post a Comment