Kingston-Toronto Return Trip, July 2018

The consist of VIA No 651 that took me to Toronto on July 6: 905F-3325-3369-3318-3352F-3460-911F (F=Future scheme, R = Renaissance scheme). Arriving from Queens south service track at 0510 (top photo), this view shows the consist waiting to board passengers at Kingston station, from the tail-end. Now that this consist, which stays in Kingston, is double-ended there is no need to use the wye at Queens and the entire consist spends the night in track KL29.

With no more than 10 passengers in Business Class, there was lots of elbow room. And knee room. And badminton room if you'd wanted. Breakfast was substantial Business Class coffee in a decent-sized cup, croissant, orange juice, kiwi/pineapple/grapefruit/grape/orange fruit tray and omelette main dish with cheese, baby tomatoes, onion, green pepper, mushrooms and sausage:

A few brave souls at Napanee station:

There were a couple of cars on the Parrish & Heimbecker elevator spur at Trenton Jct:

Another view of an ex-Grand Trunk station - this one at Port Hope. (Eleven commuter vehicles had rolled into parking lot at Cobourg in the 7 minutes between early arrival and on-time departure. Cutting it close and they know how to do it!)

Pacing a GO consist to the north of us which came down the Don Valley, approaching Union Station:

Now that the Amtrak Maple Leaf to New York departs later, at 0855, I don't have to hoof it quite as hard to reach the Skywalk to capture its departure. In fact, with a five-minute tardy toodle-oo, getting this video capture made it a quick dash to my meeting! It was worth it: Amtrak 100-and Amfleet cars 82534-xxxxx-43374-82762-82635 comprised this colonial consist.

There are quite a few GO Transit 2xxx-series bilevel cars in the Metrolinx scheme, but here are two newer 4xxx-series cars' broadside views:

4518 (above) and 4076 (below):

Second time seeing warhorse GO 563, which had powered the six-car paced consist from the Don Valley shown above. Here it heads west from Union, meeting inbound Lakeshore West GO 620:

The celebratory banners get bigger as the network shrinks. Vancouver Island, Gaspe and Churchill down, banners up. When the placename chisellers were working at ceiling-height, could they ever had imagined how their network would shrink and how many of those cities would no longer be served someday?

Returning home on VIA No 54: 914-3475-3336-3360F-3363-3348R. I've rarely seen GOraffiti but here is some on a consist in the GO Don storage yard (former CN Don yard) coincidentally the six-car consist shown twice above with GO 563 (now from the north side!):

GO 2xx-series cab cars have largely been relegated to coach status, but two functioning in their intended role were 255 and 256. Here we pace GO 255 on a Lakeshore East train near Guildwood. Appurtenances!

For dinner, I eschewed the usual fish dish for the pot roast. Beefy! And a Rickard's Red. More festive fortieth festoonery at the Dirty Shwa:

Faithful Trackside Treasure reader Malcolm Peakman and Mary were at Napanee station at dusk. As was a plethora of pickup trucks belonging to the CN workers from in a 41-machine tie/surfacing gang working west of Napanee.

Running extra...

Speaking of that big tie/surfacing gang, here is one of four ballast regulators, this one working at Collins Bay, Mi 180 Kingston Sub this week. This is one dusty job!

An army travels on its stomach, and a track gang travels with its support truck. And SUV's containing supervisors. Lots and lots of supervisors, in air-conditioned SUV cabs (not pictured). It appears this gang stays on their track all day, with perhaps two crews operating 'round the clock. 

Trackside Treasure's tenth is just around the corner. Traditional gift for the tenth is tin or aluminum. Due to recent tariffs, aluminum gifts are not cost-effective. I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, here is a glimmery view of VIA 905 at Kingston this past Friday: