Every good story starts...in the middle. This is the first of three posts on the very successful Real Rails 2025 conference held in Burlington, ON from October 17-19, 2025. Organized by the CNRHA, CPHA, TH&BRHS and VHA, the meet was held at the Holiday Inn Conference Centre in beautiful non-downtown Burlington, hard by the Queensway.
[We'll get back to the Four Days in September series soon!] This three-instalment Real Rails 2025 story begins right where my presentation starts! Just look at the attentive (top photo - immediately before I started talking) and jovial (having asked if anyone was in Witness Protection before snapping the photo) attendees yearning to learn more about VIA's Early Years. I shared 65+ slides in one hour - mundane and krazy konsists as seen through my twelve- to seventeen-year-old eyes, all preserved with pencil and paper over 45 years ago.
I punctuated the presentation with door prizes at the post- (and pre-!) prandial 40-minute mark to stave off suspected somnolence. Four packages were passed around the room, and since I had no soundtrack, I read a list of E-series sleeper names and when I stopped reading, whoever held the envelope won! Four prizes: the last all-colour copy of my second book on VIA, two of Bill Coo's Scenic Rail Guides, and an actually blue-painted VIA car door handle. Congratulations to the winners!
This post published in April discusses the genesis of my involvement as a presenter under the aegis of the VHA, nearly two years ago thanks to fellow VIA book author Chris Greenlaw. While sharing my presentation was the main reason for attending the conference, I enjoyed every other aspect of the meet as well. Real Rails 2025 was not just talks.
Real Rails 2025 was two days of vendors, manufacturer sponsors and historical societies (many of whom scheduled annual meetings) concentrated in a large 'hospitality suite' expanding into a Sunday train show in the meeting rooms across the hall; it was scheduled tours of nearby railway facilities; and many attendees took the opportunity to socialize, visit, shop and railfan around the fringes of the programmed events. The Saturday evening gala featured guest speaker Adam Meeks and his involvement with CP's steam and heritage programming. The tours and gala tickets were extra, as were accommodation and meals. Train show on Sunday YouTube layout video.
Other than my presentation, looking back I was unsure of what my expectations were for the conference. The buzz was minimal until a week beforehand. I had heard of maybe a dozen attendees. I had decided to stay one night, at the time planning on giving my presentation once each day, as suggested by the organizers. Booking in April, I was able to get a favourable fare up and back on VIA (watch for an upcoming post on the trips). Presenter registration was discounted down to $10 and the Holiday Inn had a special room rate as well. With 300 registered attendees, plus an unknown number of walk-ups each day, Real Rails 2025 was well-attended.
While the schedule of 65+ presentations by 35+ speakers in four meeting rooms, there was an embarrassment of riches when it came to which presentations to take in. Some presentations were scheduled twice to make such decisions easier, and some speakers presented two different programs. Originally scheduled twice, my departure time clashed with the schedule thus Tim Hayman stepped in to speak in that original second time slot. I had to radically reorganize my schedule for the next day - more about that in an upcoming post.
The TMC tour was #1 on my list of things-to-do. I had to sacrifice several potential presentations on Saturday morning as the tour was scheduled from 0800-1200. Steve Boyko has posted his presentation on the NBEC, thankfully! But when else would I ever have such an amazing opportunity to see behind the curtain at one of VIA's maintenance centres? Below are candid shots of the presentations I did take in, although there were many others I wish I could have attended:
The moment I realized Deanne and Brian were...sitting in front of me!
 |
| Chris Greenlaw - VIA's I-Series Sleepers |
 |
| Marc Simpson prepares - The Pas, MB in the 1970's-80's |
 |
| Michael Berry snapped this photo of my Railiner consists slide. Thanks, Michael! |
 |
| Brian Schuff - The George Harris Story |
 |
| Mark Perry - 45 Years a Canadian Railroader |
Chris' presentation had an excellent selection of photos portraying not only the history of these unique CN cars, but also to seek out extant I-series cars in the US. He used AI-coloured images to enliven black & white archival images and a complete script!
Marc's The Pas was a detailed look at trackage in the northern Manitoba rail hub, throughout CN and subsequent operators' eras.
Brian presented an amazing series of photos by the prolific veteran photographer George Harris at a variety of Western locations sometimes taken alongside Lawrence Stuckey.
Mark wanted to avoid his talk being a "long-winded egotistical bragfest". Bytown liked it so much they've booked him for their December meeting!
They say "It's all about the people". Within the first few minutes after registering, I was bumping into people I had either heard of, heard from, met before or never met. Provided name tags helped confirm guesses while putting faces to names. It was great to run into attendees who said, "I enjoy your blog" and referring to specific posts. One attendee even dialled up Trackside Treasure on his phone and said, "Is this you?" Many attendees came from far afield - BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia and the US. Here are some fellow travellers - Marc Simpson, Mark Perry, Roman Hawryluk and Steve Lucas:
There are even more luminaries I was proud to meet at Real Rails 2025. I've grouped them below to avoid a long, unreadable list (though some definitely belong to more than one of these arbitrary-assigned assignations).
The Classics - Barry Brake, Al Lill, Bill Linley, Ira Silverman, Douglas NW Smith, Ken Wadden.
The Kingstonians - Andrew Chisholm, Michael Pasch, Andrew Taylor.
The Modellers - Emmerson Case, Greg Wiggins.
The Photographers - Michael Berry, Gerald Gaugl, Stephen Host, David McCormack, Bill Miller, Mark Perry.
The Organizers - Steve Boyko, Glenn Courtney, Christopher Greenlaw, Jim Little, Ed Molenkamp, John Spring.
The Presenters - Steve Lucas, Angus Palmer, Brian Schuff & Deanne Carriere, Marc Simpson.
The Sellers - Paul Bown, Den Jakupi, Dave Stremes (BRS); Grant Morgan (CNRHA - this guy could sell Lawn-Boys in the Sahara!); Dave Pottinger (CPHA); Jordan Smith (Rapido Trains Inc.).
The VIAphiles - Tim Hayman, Martin Keenan, Richard Longpre, Mark Sampson, Matt Soknacki, Tim Vitelli, Stephen from VIA.
The Cast - Chris Bramble, Pat Brennan, Roman Hawryluk, Steve Hoshel, Cal Sexsmith.
Seen but not Heard - Steve Bradley, Dan Darnell, Douglas Fear, Ross Harrison, Sean Robitaille.
Brian Schuff, Mark Sampson and your humble blogger. I am proudly wearing my Associated Railroaders of Kingston multi-factor-authentication credentials (photo by Deanne):
There was a lot of kibitzing before (during?) and after the presentations. Here, Bill Miller and Mark Perry snack while Marc Simpson prepares. Bill Linley was making the rounds taking photos, perhaps more will surface...
Rooms for improvement?
- The hotel at times seemed overwhelmed when it came to catering.
- Blurbs and bios accompanying each presentation could have been expanded to give a truer description of each one.
- Signs and intros for each presentation would have helped.
- A large, posted master schedule in the main hall, too.
My haul was small - I was only carrying one bag after all. Brian brought me this interesting artifact all the way from Winnipeg. Taken along Ontario Street adjacent to Kingston's Canadian Locomotive Company factory in 1943, it shows the plant switcher with a knocked-down Indian State Railways Mikado ready to be shipped by CN for export. Thanks, Brian!
I took the opportunity immediately post-registration to catch up on my BRS and CNRHA library acquisitions. Then, finally finding a copy of Manny Jacob's seminal volume on CP vans at a great price - thanks to the helpful BRS boothers and the Fred Beeton estate!
In the next post, I'll profile my trips up and back, and then an account of the only tour of the five scheduled tours that I went on - to VIA's Toronto Maintenance Centre!
Running extra...
White House down. Well, at least the East Wing - so that a 90,000 sq.ft. McDonald's can be built as part of the White House complex. Will it have a drive-thru for motorcades? Meanwhile, in Canada, we make our Prime Minister live in Rideau Cottage, because 24 Sussex is uninhabitable due to its age and condition, not to mention the crumbling collection of mould, rodents, lead and asbestos. Fun! During a government shutdown in 2019, tables groaning with fast food were set up for the Clemson Tigers football team while White House employees were furloughed. I can't even stand fast food getting cold during the short drive home, never mind them being pyramidically placed and gently growing bacteria before being consumed cold.
I spontaneously broke into song as I re-entered the layout room this week after a summer-long furlough in the fresh air and warm weather. I checked my train register from the last two years, and it's around mid-October, though a little later this year.
First past the post...
It was great to meet the Winnipeg contingent at Real Rails 2025. Back in 2019, we met only Steve during our late trip on the Canadian. After realizing that slow service in the "relaxed setting" of the Cycene Social Club hotel restaurant would not get to us in time, Deanne, Brian and I shared a bag of chips for fotographic fortitude before we took in Brian and Mark's presentations Friday evening. Did I mention the chips cost $10 at the hotel desk pantry?
No comments:
Post a Comment