The internet beckons brightly...

  

I don't usually publish a post every time someone that I know joins Twitter or Facebook. Happens all the time, right? How about a fellow railfan that accelerates through that tightly-curved on-ramp to the information super-highway for the first time? Now, that is something worthy of mention! None other than Brian Schuff of Winnipeg. You're saying Brian who? Well, feast your eyes on this photo:

Who else would position himself trackside on a freezing cold day atop a snowbank at Diamond (top) or at the Winnipeg Depot to snap VIA FPA4 6772 (above). Did FPA4's ever reach Winnipeg? Brian's camera bears testimony to this fact. I've been happy to get to know Brian, who kindly shared many of his photos with me for my books on VIA Rail. Now, I thought I was late getting aboard the internet express, joining around 2003. But this is 2015, people! It's like waiting to board the Canadian when it's 12 hours down! Late, but it'll be worth the wait. Regardless, I know Brian has much to share, continuing to add a wide variety of US and Canadian material, with a collector's eye to passenger, freight, locomotives, rolling stock, CN, CP and granger railroading. He'll be establishing a unique web presence. And he knows people. And he knows people who know people. And the Rock Island (a mighty fine line). He and I are both able to wallow in nostalgia about Portage la Prairie (which we apparently railfanned nearly simultaneously but independent of each other!) and the early VIA years. Did I mention the info super-highway? Time to move that sign out of the way.

 

Brian at Diamond, MB - unobstructed sight lines, snow-clearing by your friendly grader operator "Razor"! Thanks for sharing these photos, Brian and Deanne! Please join me in welcoming Brian into cyberspace.