Friday, September 25, 2015

September in Shannonville

Last Saturday found us slipping out of the searing summer season of shimmering skies, into the seasonal, somnolent song of September. Specifically, Shannonville, just east of Belleville. At Shannonville Road crossing of CN's Kingston Sub (also of CP's Belleville Sub just to the north, though I've largely given up on depending on CP for many if any trains) an 0955 stop at the crossing soon brought a (non-whistling, at this crossing) CN No 106, led by 8811-8810:
The hypnotic parade of K&R, Transx and CN domestic containers soon gave way to import/export containers for the remainder of the train:
CMA/CGM, COSCO, ZIM, Evergreen, NYK Logistics, UASC  and many more did not inspire me to write an ode nor haiku this time.
Arriving in Belleville yard, the tail end of CN train No 369 was just clearing the station. In 2012 I'd seen 369 at Shannonville. The incoming crew gave a good inspection to the outgoing crew, and the slow-moving train allowed me to scoop the train along Moira Street West. Here's a subsequent post focusing on the numerous covered hoppers on this train, which also comprised HPJX aluminum ingot flat cars, TBOX and other box cars. For now, graffiti's CN 388520 will hog the spotlight:
The head-end exasperatingly eluded me - but that can be the nature of a chase! Just before the road curved away to the south, 2405 and 2678 lead:
Along Airport Parkway just east of Belleville yard, VIA J-train No 52/62 passed through the man-made rock cut: 900-3472-3367-3363-3304Ren-3322-916-4008-4102-4114-4105-4100
Triple-tracking plus a yard lead:
A headlight on the horizon! At 1140, CN 2301 and DPU 8002 are westbound.
CTCX and TGOX oil cars on the head-end behind website-scheme cylindrical covered hopper CNLX 7318:
It's a 5x4! PROX 44444:
Grain cars including ALNX 396040 painted for the community of Daysland:
DPU 8002 sandwiched among some 60-foot hi-cube lumber boxcars:

Beyond busy Airport Parkway, a bucolic barnyard scene:
Thanks to Malcolm Peakman for providing additional data for this post.

Running extra...

I've added Matthieu Lachance's excellent Canadian model railway blog Hedley Junction to Trackside Treasure's sidebar. Matthieu is doing some fine prototype modelling of the 1980s CN Murray Bay Subdivision. Paper cars, locomotives and MoW cars and some operating sessions, too! He's a good, regular blogger, too! Bienvenue, Matthieu!

October sale coming soon to Trackside Treasure. This year, the sale will be held in...October. Toronto, Montreal, CN, CP and VIA will all be for sale. In document form, that is!

The City of Kingston has completed the first two phases of the widening of major arterial road John Counter Boulevard, named for the city's first mayor. Posted to the city's website, a westbound one-unit wonder passes beneath a suddenly tree-lined JCB while a Kingston Transit bus arches overhead: