Kingston-Toronto Return Trip, July 2017 Pt 1

Wending my wearily waking way* to Toronto on July 21 aboard VIA No 651, I was ensconced in a CANADA 150 P42-led HEP2 consist. Breakfast was a VIA Smart Menu Sense bagel with two Kraft cream cheese, and coffee. A knife would have been handy, but a plastic stir stick smeared the spread somewhat smoothly, surprisingly. Several stations sported CANADA 150 signage such as Cobourg with its classic roofline factory across CP's mainline. Commuters had already clambered capriciously aboard. (* When booking such sunrise Kingston departures, when my reply as to departure time is 0532, the booking agent, whether male or female, young or old, unerringly utters, 'Oh.')

An early arrival at 0807 gave me just enough time to hot-foot it up to the main Union Station concourse, past the VIA Business Class lounge, past the Ontario Travel booth, past the UP Express concourse, along and up the several flights of stairs to the CN Tower Skywalk, through the Skywalk and out to my precipitous photographic perch to catch the departure of VIA No 97/Amtrak No 64 for New York City:

Amtrak P42DC 112 led Amtfleet cars 25044-25115-25105-82813-48767. Video capture of 112:

Following faithfully if forlotnly behind Amtrak was VIA No 651's passengerless consist (916-4009-4103-4101-4118) to Toronto's TMC as GO Transit trains trundled about in their usual weekday workmanlike way:

Up On The Housetop, Up On The Roof, Under The Boardwalk, Paved Paradise Put Up a Parking Lot were all songs running through my head under the trainshed. This portion is still reminiscent of smoke and steam skyward steam days, though other parts of the renovated trainshed are appearlingly airy and ably accessible for passenger train photography.

Believe your own publicity:

Nice to see original cab car GO 256 leading a consist westward through the trainshed. Most are now in trailing mode, positioned posteriorly in a ploddingly pedestrian placement:

Metrolinx cars in the same consist, following flashily towards the flared flat-top facade of the CN Tower. Loitering not appreciated here but photography possible!

Next track over was VIA consist behind CANADA 150 VIA 904 leading 34xxR-3350 Canada 150-33xx-3301R:

A Canadian classic caravansary encompassed by commercial colossi considers its kaleidoscopic colourfully-clad monocoque Corridor comeuppance below:

Fun with selective-colour in-camera photo-editing!

Now...as to why I was up under the trainshed before evening departure time, please stay tuned for Part 2! Meanwhile, some short videos taken this day:

• Napanee by morning
• Belleville bridged
• St Mary's Cement at Bowmanville
• Amtrak departing
• GO 256 departing
• GO 641 departing

Running extra...

CP's CANADA 150 train has begun its west-to-east, east-to-west and not-quite-transcontinental touring, travelling from Toronto to Montreal somewhere around August 12. Not wanting to garishly equip the whole business car fleet consist in patriotic paint, CP has pragmatically painted only the performance car and Spirit of Tomorrow post-it-note car in festive festoons.

Yearning for years of pre-LRC yore, wallowing hot-like in nostalgia, this photo appeared on my Facebook feed. An eastbound sunnily silver, blue & yellow Corridor Canadian soaring skyward on Port Hope's CN trestle in the early 1980's. Grand Trunk stonecarving at its finest meets Schenectady stylings. Bridge & Building meets burbly.

Well, son of a bee! Who knew there was a bee garden prodigiously planted behind Ripley's Aquarium just east of the Base of the CN Tower. Local trainwatching wasps, Hogtown hornets or even black & yellow bee-units can top up their tanks at this nectarish nosh, this flowery filling station, this rainbow-hued restaurant, this drone diner, this kaleidoscopic kafeteria. Believe it or not!