Miscellany 101

On a recent afternoon, while driving to McDonald's for some "health food", I was greeted by the above sign. Naturally, I did a double take. I was puzzled by a) how hot tubs could be shipped by train, and b) why a retailer would use a railway theme to advertise them. The two 'R's were flashing on each yellow sign, although only one is showing on each in this picture. The trainload hot tub advertisement in the newspaper featured bikini-clad models and a Southern Pacific 40-foot boxcar photo that was obviously an HO model. Not a bad combination.

Smacked in the RS...I thought my 101st post would be a good opportunity to post some mismatched, miscellaneous photos I'd taken. In June 1979, (above) two motorists near Hawkesbury, Ontario were so startled to see this 15-car CN train behind 3739-3736 suddenly start up at the crossing, that they collided with each other.

Commuter Computer...CP moves day-trippers on the West Island of Montreal in July, 1979. Switcher 8131 is hauling Vickers bilevel commuter cars on a weekend run. CP is famous for maximizing their assets and keeping an eye on the ledger/spreadsheet.

Gopher it...at Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1984, I was photographing some tie cars in the drizzle. A little Richardson's ground squirrel popped up, then quickly disappeared below ground when he heard the camera shutter:

Bullet-nose Barrier...Taken from the rear door of UCRS private car Cape Race during a 1979 fantrip behind CN steam locomotive 6060, we visited the car while the consist was behind hauled backwards on a sidetrip. The sign is self-explanatory:

The One-o-Wonder...CF-101 Voodoo 101014 of the 425 Squadron 'Alouettes' from CFB Bagotville taxis with a wingmate at the 1983 CFB Trenton airshow:

Running extra...

Maclean's magazine profiled bird researcher Arlo Raim, who was struck and killed by a CN train August 20. Ironically, he was performing a study on cardinals and how the birds might be affected by CN's purchase of the EJ&E. The 'J's trackage runs through a forest preserve west of Chicago. Watching the cardinals...but he should have been watching for the 'J'.

The Cardinal is an Amtrak train that operates between Chicago and New York City, including CN's Elsdon Subdivision in Chicago. Renowned St. Louis Cardinals' players over the years included Dizzy Dean, Dazzy Vance and Whitey Herzog. Read about the Herzog train here.

Picked up some goodies at the well-attended Picton train show this past Saturday, including Quinte Boiler Service calendars full of classic B&W CN and CP steam photos. Email me if you'd like one.