In June, 1980 it cost me a seemingly-paltry $274 to head west to visit my aunt and uncle in Portage la Prairie, MB, departing Kingston on June 11 on the morning Railiner VIA No 651, arriving on time at Toronto Union at 0955. After spending a few hours at Spadina Yard, I left T.O. at 1300 in Roomette 3 of ex-CN Green-series (car line 350) sleeper Green Lane on VIA No 3, the Super Continental. At Sudbury, I had time to walk up to the head-end. No 3's 6529-6621-6541 and No 1's VIA-painted 1410-8566-1400, the latter two in CP colours. Each train retained its predecessor-railway cars and locomotives, except for I-series crew car and Dayniters on No 1:
This was a narrow window of time in which Nos 1/2 ran Montreal-Vancouver on CP, Nos 3/4 Toronto-Vancouver on CN, operating 30 minutes apart from Sudbury to Winnipeg. (By October of that year, when I rode the route again, the Montreal and Toronto trains were joined from Sudbury to Winnipeg as VIA shifted from a three-night to a four-night schedule, just one of several iterations in which VIA's transcontinental trains operated.) I arrived late the next day in Winnipeg, not making it to Portage until 0150 on June 13! No wonder I slept in till mid-morning the next day!
This post includes photos and numbers from my time spent trackside in Portage that June. Trains are shown by time, direction, railway, locomotive numbers, consist, caboose/van number and remarks.
June 13, 1980
1423 E CP 5514-5522-5668 with grain (top two photos), at the Co-Op on the Trans-Canada Highway at the west end of Portage with Evergreen Hatchery USLX 5900 and Pillsbury PTLX 14322, plus TLDX 9066 at far left. The lease of American lease-fleet covered hoppers by the province of Manitoba was very short-lived. I didn't know what it was at the time, but those welded-on shields sure caught my eye! CN Pleasant Point Subdivision trackage in foreground:
June 14, 1980
The three of us headed to Winnipeg for lunch at The Bay's Georgian Room on Saturday the 14th. We also visited CP Weston and the Prairie Dog equipment near the depot. In the evening at Portage station (all unphotographed)...
2034 E CN 9534-9660 79611
2107 E CN 5264-5057-5152-5197 CN bathtub gondolas 79222
2117 W CP 3020-4511 potash empties 434443-434614
W CP 5532 434433
June 15, 1980
1156 E CP 3001-5901 434579
On Sunday the 15th we visited Riding Mountain Park. On our way, we saw the train (above) at Portage. On Monday it was time for my hosts to go back to work, so I'd be able to partake in my favourite activity while in Portage - sitting by the tracks!
June 16, 1980
I spent the whole day at the tracks except for lunch with my aunt and uncle at Dairy Queen. A full listing of all the trains I observed on June 16, including photos of the first and last CP trains* of the day can be found in this postscript post published in 2009! As well, fourteen photos of these trains** already portrayed in a previously-published post on trains at West Tower on June 16-17.
CN 9402-9482, 9623-9637-1076, 4407-4413 at station (above, 1076 being dropped in the yard for a westbound grain train). CN 9482-9402 ballast 79834 headed west at 1155.
0811 E CP 5900-4511 manifest 434585*
0831 W CP 5930-5773 hotshot to Carberry Sub 434509-434382**
0916 W CN 9155-4132-4321-4305-9197-4235 to Rivers Sub 76571-79492**
1049 W CP 5921-5596-3008 434633 (below, with Massey-Ferguson 750 combines and Portage van 437000 in the background):
1137 W CN 9637-9503 grain empties 79365, including CNWX 108139:
1322 W CN 9498-5217-5240 manifest to Rivers Sub 79664-79533**
1348 W CN 1367-1352-1076 45 grain empties to Rivers Sub 79300**
1413 E CN 5215-9506-9549-9470-5199 from Rivers Sub hotshot 79629**
1424 W CN 9479-9407-9505 potash empties 79714 to Gladstone Sub (unphotographed)
1431 W CP 5714-5505 grain empties to Minnedosa Sub 434460-434455**
1453 E CP 5923-8770 from Carberry Sub grain loads 434433**
1558 W CN 9557-9519-9473-103 cars-79585 shown from the Skyline bridge. That loaded COFC would be lifted two days later:
1610 E CP 5525-4502 from Carberry Sub 81 grain loads 434537*
1636 W CN 9615-9644 99 lumber empties
June 17, 1980
Another full day at the tracks!
0837 W CN 4308-4326-4227 manifest to Rivers Sub 79265**
0847 E CN 4303-4327 from Gladstone Sub 19 grain loads 79505**
0903 E CN 9652-5027 from Gladstone Sub grain loads 79579**
0923 E VIA No 4 Engs 6507-6606-CN 4102 16 cars**, over two hours late
0945 W CN 9402-9482 40 cars ballast to Gladstone Sub 79834 (unphotographed)
1002 W CP 5630-5637-4710 manifest 434433**
1036 E CN 1076-1352-1367 18 cars from Rivers Sub 79300 (unphotographed, returning east with grain loads less than 24 hours after heading west)
1137 W CP 5603-4037 setting out 9 grain empties (below)
June 18, 1980
Yet another full day at the tracks, with lunch at the Co-Op restaurant and an evening visit to my uncle's parents in Gladstone. Arriving at the station, a CN ballast train was at the station.
0849 W CN 4310-4307 30 cars ballast 79460:
CN 9402-9482-spreader CN 50980 and caboose 79834 can be seen at the extreme right, waiting for the Geep-hauled ballast train to clear. I took to the overpass to catch the action as VIA 6509-6610-CN 4106 brought the 15-car Super eastward into the station.
0925 E VIA No 4 Engs 6509-6610-CN 4106 15 cars:
Due to the arcane and inconvenient scheduling of VIA's Canadian (No 1 at 0002/No 2 at 0605) and Super Continental (No 3 at 2250/No 4 at 0655) at Portage, my only hope of seeing any of the four trains was a late-running No 4. In both cases, the consists of No 4 included two Chateau sleepers and a CP coach, the rest being ex-CN cars and power. Departing east - markers, escaping steam and all:
0946 E CN 9510-9509-4117 106 grain loads 79761:
I was walking toward West Tower as this westbound 107-car CN freight pulled up behind me. Hesitant to take a photo until it stopped, I'm glad I did. Because it didn't!
1025 W CN 4305-9197 107 cars 79231
1042 E VIA No 90 also on my way to West Tower, to which I ended up not going. VIA 6501-15489-5623-5625 at Eighth Street (below) due in Winnipeg at 1100. Interestingly, ex-CN coaches 5619 and 5625 used on these Thompson trains were 'buffeteria-coaches'.
1105 W CN 9402-9482 92 cars ballast 79834
1117 W CP 5545-4435 grain loads 434370 stopping just east of Third Street N.E.:
Let's pick up 1980's plethoric Portage photography after lunch on June 18, and subsequent days before I headed back east in Part 2 - coming soon!
Running extra...
Some recent YouTube channel discoveries:
- ONR's first Siemens set arrives at CN's Aldershot Yard.
- The New ONR Northlander with kinda creepy AI passengers.
- Paul Stamp's Finger Lakes Railway This thought-provoking video on generational views of model railroading brought me here.
- Jeff Otto's Missabe Northern More jennies than trees!
- Kuga travels Toronto-Winnipeg in VIA's Prestige Class. Spoiler alert - Rockies in darkness!
- Kuga then travels Winnipeg-Vancouver spending the rest of his $10,000 US!
Rapido Trains Inc. has decided to GO green (and white), making a GO of it, GOing full-tilt and getting their get up and GO, GOing ahead launching some Toronto-area commuter projects, GOing forward. And I say 'GO for it!', although it made me GO nuts that their Christmas Day announcements try to GO there, GOading American modellers into buying a quintessentially Canadian GOtotype. GO figure.
First past the post...
Consider
Christmas a whirlwind
with interleaved peaceful stretches
pastoral silent night and sofa-sitters
filling our world
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