Picton Train Show, September 2018

On Saturday, September 15 I was County-bound! A whirlwind trip to Picton for their 30th annual train show. First stop - Bombardier's relatively new switch on CN's Millhaven Spur that it uses to load light rail vehicles for various Ontario transit agencies. Now switched by Cando Contracting, diverging track to left (top photo) serves Coco Paving, spur lead to now-demolished Celanese plant in centre, and new Bombardier spur to right.

Laid with US-rolled 115-lb. rail, matching the 1971 115-lb. rail laid on the Millhaven Spur, the well-ballasted spur leads through some limestone on its way to the plant (above) and is protected by a CNR switch-lock:

Nova Algoma Cement Carriers NACC Alicudi, a former ocean-going freighter now in cement service along with NACC Argonaut, loads at Bath Lafarge cement plant. A low cloud base cloaked the Amherst Island wind turbines top blade tips.

At the well-attended show, held in Picton's renewed curling rink, Bob Ascah operated his switching layout including some crowd-pleasing British-American tank cars! And yes, that's a Walthers Red Wing milling-based structure flat. A kit I've admired from afar but not on my own layout!

Next to Bob was fellow Associated Railroaders of Kingston member and modeller Paul Hunter. Paul's VIA modelling is second to none, and his freight fleet, CN motive power and tribute cars were on display...and this was only half his portable layout!

On the nearby Soper Valley layout, complete with new modules, I was able to photograph no fewer than four POLA freight station kits in various iterations. This one is Lynde Lubrication Products - note the tower is on the back of this version:

Scenicked with parking lot (above) and olive-drab (below - don't touch the layout, but I had to settle this one on its wooden base to make sure I continued to be a well-grounded photographer):

I appreciated the creative rearrangement of the above model named DeSalvo's Mill and re-sided, with the elevating tower centred. The front of the fourth one was not well-lit, so here's the back:

A bemused, unnamed vendor at the show couldn't help himself, noting my kid-in-a-candy-store look, "You're looking at my table and smiling." I responded that yes, I was, and I do the same thing at Tim Hortons. I like everything they have for sale but that doesn't mean I can buy all of it! As in the past couple of years, a charity table of books and magazines, with donations going to Picton's hospital resulted in shopping bags well-used to transport reading material home to Kingston! Art deco-like architecture adorns the back avenues of Picton:

Picton KFC supplied the $5 box meal. (Have you tried these? Chicken entree, fries, bread or gravy, drink and cookie and if you go away hungry, try more, smaller meals because this is a good deal!) and I was off to Oliver Side Road, between Belleville and Napanee. There, VIA obliged but CN did not. Eastbound:

And westbound. Video capture:

After waiting for what seemed weeks, I was finally lucky to catch one-of-a-kind Business Class VIA 3476 with 40 years wrap, tucked in behind VIA 6451 as it slams its three-car train through a signal bridge spanning all three tracks of CN's Kingston Sub.

Returning via Napanee, CN 2426 was leading a train of 89-foot rail flats plus a Herzog CWR cut, with Herzog's mobile unit doing the honours as the train dropped new rail just west of Napanee's VIA station:

Running extra...

Malcolm Peakman caught the whole CWR process from the Napanee station parking lot. Here's Malcolm's photo of CN 2426. Thanks, Malcolm!

The Red Baron touched down at Kingston airport the same weekend. Snoopy and an unnamed companion biplane landed, too:

VIA's latest ad campaign. I love the way they include drone footage of VIA 914 on their TV commercial: