ADAM RIDES VIA TO BELLEVILLE

 

On October 13, I headed for Belleville to meet fellow railfan Adam Platt of Minnesota. (Top photo - Adam watching his train No 62/52 as it departs.) I'd previously collaborated with Adam, attempting to decode his 1981 trip across North America, and to suggest some of his trains' consists. In Canada for business, Adam voyaged aboard VIA eastward on No 52 - we met up in Belleville - then headed west again on No 65.

It was a nice surprise to have Adam suggest this meet-up after our collaboration through many emails over the summer. I didn't want to deprive Adam of his chance to have a good out-and-back ride aboard VIA, but thought I could save him some travel time by driving to Belleville. VIA did their bit, Adam's trains were not delayed, and I was not disappointed to find that in the course of our hours of discussion, Adam the journalist definitely used the phrase 'burying the lead' once! We had a few hours to talk trains, railfanning notes and publications, the genesis of our railfanning, its consists, rides and rewards, wider societal shifts, various levels of politics, and Canadian-American links. 

It was the rainiest day we'd had in a month or more! The lawn had been languishing dryly, the leaves were turning after three mornings' frost. Here is a compilation of trains of the day at Belleville: YouTube link.

Adam's arrival on VIA No 62/52 (Sets 28/10) on time at 1026 - YouTube link.

VIA No 61 pulled in behind 62/52 at 1030 - VIA 918 leading five HEP2 cars, but unfortunately no deadheading equipment for the Canadian which can often be found on VIA Nos 61/68.

On the rainy platform, checking out the J-train joint and No 61 after 62/52 departed.

Behind Adam and 918 is The Monster That Ate Belleville. Hard to believe it's been in place since 2015!

We noticed CN No 518 waiting for track time to head west to switch at Trenton Jct with several covered hopper cars. I pointed out the classic chopnosed GP-9 in the lead - CN 4130 ahead of refurbished ex-BN CN 4958:

Just three days earlier, 4130-4958 were kicking cars into track BY23 in Belleville yard when loaded covered hopper car ACFX 57973 derailed, upright. Classic 567 acceleration, heading westward following No 61 (below). We repaired to a rain-soaked but caffeine-convelying Panera Bread on Bell Boulevard. 

Always a successful meet-up venue, our local Panera here in Kingston had previously been the site of meaningful meet-ups with enthusiasts like Mark Charlebois and Chris Mears! Highly recommended - the music doesn't blare, the menu is diverse, and the coffee urns urge repeated refills.

Upon returning to the station, VIA No 64 was arriving for a 1408-1417 station stop with nine cars including the usual HEP2 Business Class car. Trenton railfan and prolific social media photographer and poster Andrew Ferguson was also there, documenting as usual.

Checking the Departure board, we noticed Adam's train would be on Track 2. We headed up The Monster from which we could see that a surprise awaited - CN No 271 with its daily dose of empty auto racks was pulling in for its crew change, behind No 64, with a locomotive consist that was a mix of CN Heritage Train and hostler's choice!

Stopped for crew change 1415-1436, enough time for Andrew Ferguson and waiting railfans to take plethoric photos. That locomotive consist! GTW 8952-BC 4652-CN 8350-RS61. The tail-end of No 64 comes into view as it departs Belleville for points east, ultimately Montreal.

The sun actually emerged once during our visit. This is that moment!

VIA No 65 arriving at 1424 YouTube link behind VIA 909. Adam boarded to head back to The Big Smoke, leaving the 1000 Islands (actually 1,800) for the Land of 10,000 Lakes (actually 15,000). After Adam headed west, I documented this krazy konsist of locomotives from two platforms.

'GTW' Heritage unit 8952

Still-blue BC Rail 4652

Rebuilt EMD SD75IACC CN 8350 (ex-5768)

Roberval & Saguenay 61

I look forward to hearing more of Adam's 1981 and subsequent well-photographed rail journeys. They're definitely worthy of publication, reminding me of TRAINS magazine's readable rambles by George H. Drury and J. David Ingles! The fact that we're discovering and disseminating Adam's travels so many years later has been not only enlightening and educational, but also edifyingly enjoyable!

Running extra...

If A.I. can't get the engine on the right end of the consist, I don't want any part of it. Off my wall you go! Highball, R.I. (not Rock Island, I mean Real Intelligence)!

You can't spell VIA RAIL without AI. Someone sitting in their basement decided to cobble together a YouTube video by collating some comments from various sources, pairing them with some AI photos and adding an AI 'grandpa' narrator to give us one of the worst videos made with AI - ever. Some screenshots for the discriminating railfan traveller who will never be able to reconcile any of these as actual VIA equipment:

Just painful to look at.

Yet another Railfan Rumour. Not a video, just a screenshot. Nose repairs, replacement with unpainted corner panels.

First past the post:

Despite all the near-constant coverage of the bruising US midterms and despite the US administration's wrong-headed trade war with its closest neighbour, Americans and Canadians are still good neighbours. Adam's visit proves it. To his benefit, he's from a border state and sure, he's travelled widely in Canada often by rail and is well-read - therefore insulated from today's online rhetoric. It's railways over rhetoric. Trains over intransigence. Coffee over conflict. After all, sharing the world's longest undefended border should mean we can let our guard down now and then.

THREE DAYS AT PORTAGE, 1982

Although it's now 44 years ago, from June 8 to June 26, 1982 I travelled from Kingston to Portage la Prairie, MB aboard VIA for what was becoming my annual summer visit to see my aunt and uncle. It seems I've only published one day of trains from my summer 1982 visit there. That's about to change! After two days touring the area, I spent three full sunny days at the tracks. In this post, I'm covering June 14, 15 and 16. Trains are shown by time, direction, railway, locomotive numbers, consist, caboose/van number and remarks. Trains that went unphotographed are shown with an asterisk (*).

DAY ONE - JUNE 14, 1982

I was at the tracks all day (except for lunch with my aunt and uncle) catching 22 trains. The first train of the day was a CP westbound (top photo) setting out a switcher to replace the assigned CP 6569, taken to Winnipeg for repairs the previous day. Backing into the yard across Third Street NW just east of the CP station.

0820 W CP 5792-5533-6599(set out at Portage) 102 bathtub gondolas i.e. 799729, van 434729. 

*0924 W CN 1055-1050 90 empty grain boxcars, 79537.

 

GMD-1s 1055-1050 are on the CN Gladstone Sub yard lead with a westbound train of grain empties. The head-end trainman climbing down from 1055 told me they were going on a three-day run to Gladstone, Neepawa and Russell to set out empties at elevators.

0953 E CN 5231-5170 96 grain loads from Dauphin, 79857 (below).

*1002 W CN 9470-9475-5119 97 cars, 79530.

Two units of a westbound CN freight (see 1120 listing, below) were in the CN yard lifting some work train cars when this F-led train rolled west. 

1105 W CN 9172-4124 98 cars, 79329.

1120 CN 5089-5240 (interestingly with CN 9580 mid-train) with Continuous Welded Rail cars from the yard being added to their train with cabooses 79860-79423:

While that was happening, two CN westbound rolled through within minutes. The coal empties led the way, with the grain empties pulling west slowly to follow behind that train.

1123 W CN 5268-5264 95 bathtub coal gondola empties (below - middle).

1130 W CN 5223-5233 97 grain empties, 79484 (below - left).

Twenty minutes later, the usual pre-lunchtime CP westbound pulled in, doing some switching before continuing west after lunch.

1155 W CP 5764-5545:

A previously-published post on these 'pike-sized passenger trains' is here. Downgraded service - apat chwork run as a result of the cancellation of VIA's Super Continental during the massive cuts in November, 1981.

1201 W VIA No 109 engines 6520-6521, 2 cars. 

I was at West Tower after lunch.

1337 E CN 9544 55 cars mostly CWR, 79529. CP-CN connecting track in foreground:

Thirty minutes later at 18th St NW crossing, this Rivers Sub hotshot flew through with intermodal, auto racks and some covered hoppers.

1408 E CN 5357-9588-5107 85 cars, 79538.

The same view in 2026...obscured (below). Tree growth around the stations and adjacent to the yards, plus the absence of all grain elevators in favour of larger plants established outside Portage radically changed the skyline and photo angles.

CN 5276 (see 1638 listing, below) was the first locomotive I encountered during my first visit to Portage. Here it is, six years later plying those same rails:

1451 W VIA No 1, engines 6501-6610-6603 with Portage Pool B as a backdrop. After the cancellation of the Super Continental in VIA's 1981 cuts, only the daily Canadian was still bound for Vancouver. Ex-CN power, mostly on CP Rail tracks:

None of the day's remaining trains were photographed. Perhaps I hadn't brought another film?

*1500 E CP 5985-5529-5547 from Minnedosa Sub grain loads 434389.

*1515 W CP 5918-5528-5559-5637 434692-434727.

*1542 E CP 5518-5932 131 grain loads, 434634.

*1608 E CP 5995 41 cars, 434430.

*1636 E VIA No 2, engines 6506-6604-6606.

*1638 W CN 5276-5288 potash empties, 79593-79405-79726.

*1650 E CN 5183-5273 103 cars, 79562.

*1655 E CP 5779-5579-5504-5901 CP bathtub gondolas, 434368.

*1657 W CP 5740-5520-4510-5734 93 cars, 434314.

DAY TWO - JUNE 15, 1982

I was trackside from 0830-1200 and 1330-1715 but there were only 9 trains! Starting the day at West Tower, I walked the full length of Portage's yards - West Tower east to station during a two-hour morning lull, then East Tower west to station in the afternoon!

*0856 W CN 5191-5107 78 potash empties, 79428.

0933 E CN 9502-5197 101 cars 70% lumber, 79582.

Lull! Back to the station.

1127 W CP 5942 113 grain empties, 434457.

1159 W VIA 6519, 2 cars:

After lunch, with a rare MLW in the middle.

1344 W CP 3008-4228-5014 115 grain empties, 434546 and CP business car Strathcona.

1415 E CP 5914-5944 73 cars grain, 434650 (below).

None of these photographed:

*1455 W VIA No 1, engines 6507-6607-6611.

*1531 W CN 5186-5172 93 grain empties to Gladstone Sub, 79438.

*1531 E CP 5931-5757.

*1631 E VIA No 2, engines 6504-6602-6605.

*2107 W CP 5914-5944 120 grain empties, 434389 (same engines EB at 1415, clearly CP knows how to sweat the assets!)

DAY THREE - JUNE 16, 1982

Trackside all day, though again not as many trains. At West Tower first thing in the morning, all the trains were coming out of the sun, so the first four not photographed.

*0904 W CP 5726-5517-8697-8805-8835 to Minnedosa Sub, 434716.

*0928 W CN 5164-5188-5078 101 cars, 79635.

*1008 W CN 4322-4122-4228 93 cars, 79510.

*1036 W CN 9458-9627 41 ballast cars, 79332.

1052 E CP 6006-5537 from Minnedosa Sub 91 grain loads, 434592.

A few minutes later, this eastbound on the Rivers Sub stopped for a signal at West Tower.

1108 E CN 5226-5059 105 grain loads, 79620.

A scant nine minutes later, from the Gladstone Sub, approaching red-over-yellow signal.

1117 E CN 5212-4349-4327 103 cars, 79844.

*1159 W VIA 6514, 2 cars

CP 5958 had been dropped in the yard (see 1516 report, below).

1305 W CP 5597 116 grain empties, 434570 (below).

*1450 W VIA No 1 engines 6505-6606-6604.

A CP westbound arrived with  two locomotives, then lifted CP 5958 from the yard, departing at 1516. The operator is in the shade near the train order signal with train orders for the tail-end crew.

1516 W CP 5990-8801-5958 107 grain empties to Minnedosa Sub, 434430 (below).

none of these photographed:

*1625 W CN 4309-4277-4152 91 grain empties, 79301.

*1636 E VIA No 2 engines 6501-6610-6603.

*1658 E CN 9627-9458, 79332.

I stayed at the tracks until 1800 because the engineer on VIA No 109 said he would drop off some train orders for me. As the sun started to drop...

1742 W CP 5985-8496 105 grain empties to Minnedosa Sub, palindromic 434434 (below).

*1810 E VIA 6512, 2 cars.

*1859 W CP 6020-4723-3009 intermodal.

Running extra...

The End Times. Well, for VIA Rail Canada, anyway. I like the part where this YouTuber says "...the coaches we've been seeing on VIA Rail since...the dawn of man...are going to straight up disappear", well, according to GamingRailfanner on YouTube. (That means I pre-dated the dawn of man?) Here are two screenshots from his scary-graphicked VIA Rail's LRCs are Numbered video that attempts to answer the question 'what happens on January 31, 2027?'. Nobody knows. Not even VIA knows. But I know that picture shows Kingston station platform!

Originally posted on Trackside Treasure:

Someone posted the fate of the LRC fleet on social media (below), and it's what led to GamingRailfanner's post. Dude seems to know what he's talking about...

Congratulations to GamingRailfanner for getting 3,800 views and 44 comments and counting in a day - you obviously have a loyal audience and your videos are very watchable! The kids used to call that 'clout'.

First past the post...

Once again, Canada rallies around its own. In the wake of the terrible training accident at CFB Wainwright, mutual aid from nearby communities raced to the scene. Code Orange was declared and other Alberta hospitals made ready. Flags at half-mast, prayers, expressions of support, condolences, and a million tiny actions showed that Canada not only supports its armed forces, we support each other.