Vestibule View of Thunder Bay, 1986

The vestibule of Sherwood Manor aboard VIA No 1 offered a great view of CN and CP operations in Thunder Bay. I was heading to SteamExpo, a featured event at transportation-themed Expo86 in Vancouver. The consist of No 1: 6513-6628-616-609-118-3200-504-Egerton-Thompson Manor-Sherwood Manor-Emerald-Abbott Manor-Hearne Manor-Naiscoot River-Strathcona Park. CP's tie program had left behind piles of tie segments along the Nipigon Sub (above).

An interesting mix of grain cars on CN's Kinghorn Sub, which we were now paralleling: brown and yellow, silver and yellow, red Canada, even a boxcar and slab-side hopper:
Other signs of Thunder Bay's grain trans-shipment role were the drydock and Canada Steamship Lines self-unloader at Port Arthur:

CN GMD-1's 1910-1913 straddle a stream as they drill grain cars for the nearby Sask Pool and Pioneer Grain terminal elevators:

There's lots of spilled grain around the tracks as we pass CP Angus Shops van 434345 and two chop-nose GP-9's. My camera's f-stop is open, as most of these south-facing shots are taken into the morning sun. Grain boxcars galore on the next track over:

More grain terminals, the CN ore dock and Mount McKay loom in the distance. Log cars are relieved of their wooden cargoes in the foreground:

We pass low-profile yard switchstands and crossovers in Port Arthur. The VIA/CP station is ahead in Fort William. Leanin' way out, to include part of the VIA logo on this Manor car, where once was bolted a Canadian Pacific beaver emblem.

SOO 76481 is a harbinger of CPs much closer connection with the Soo Line which occurred in 1990. It stood out amongst all those Canada-built cylindrical covered hoppers:

CP 1532-1576 pause beside our train between switching moves. The trainman appears to be walking back to line a switch. Thunder Bay seemed to be crawling with switching assignments.

A freshly-painted SW1200RS 8114 sits in the sun. Maple leaf moment...Canadian Tire plastic bag is in use in the cab. Behind 8114 are 8128-1560.

Yet another switcher, 1242 chants in the clear as we meet an eastbound freight behind 6001-5009. Time to temporarily head-in.

The coaches are being watered and our train steams while awaiting its departure time from Thunder Bay Station. Unfortunately, lead unit 6513 would later die near Dryden. Fortunately, our train was helped into Winnipeg by CP SD40-2 5982.

Running extra...

Finished listening to Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough, a wide-ranging tale of the US crime wave of 1933-34, when Tommy guns were the weapon of choice. Bonnie didn't shoot much, leaving most of it to Clyde.

Clyde Yard in Cicero is a former CB&Q yard in Cook County, Illinois. In their movie, the Blues Brothers rush to the Cook County Assessor's office to pay the property taxes for the penguin's orphanage.

I took in Kingston's train show yesterday. Bought over 60 Railroad Model Craftsman magazines, then took in the annual Concert in Scarlets by Royal Military College's bands. Both events involved RMC and involved lots of training.