Summertime at the Station, August 2019

Each summer, a free evening with concurrent comfortable conditions gives me an opportunity to grab a coffee and a baked good or two, and catch the evening's VIA action at the Kingston station. This summer was no different, so on July 31 and August 14 it was time to tiptoe trackside! Tims in hand (top photo - upon arrival before the first train), the first of four VIA's on July 31 was an eastbound non-stop No 646: 6418-3453-3343F-3341-3303R (F=Future wrap, R=Renaissance paint scheme, and soon L for Love/La Voie will join the nomenclature!). The first westbound arrived at 1903, basking in the golden-hour glow - VIA No 69: 907F-3460-3329F-3310R-3356F:

The next train was also westbound, 15 minutes later, putting VIA's new Love the Way/La Voie Qu'On Aime front and centre for this Corridor camera-bug!

1918 WB 906Love-4005-4109-4122-4120.

Loving this new way - work on the street that serves the station -  this view of new single access-point (under the bulldozer) that will form a loop from John Counter Boulevard (under the red Jeep), replacing the two current entrances: 

On August 14, the first of the evening's six VIA trains waits. And waits. VIA No 46 waits at station from 1837-1857. The consist is 918F-4009-4106-8117-4116. Soon, this red ball wrap of fortuitous fortiness will disappear in favour of the Love/La Voie lettering. But until then...

A large, system tie gang moved slowly up the CN Kingston Sub as it did last summer. Under CN Foreman Mike Miron, the gang comprised over 50 track machines and associated road vehicles, replacing ties on both tracks. At one time, single-tracked from Kings to Ernestown (over 25 miles!), the gang operated 24 hours a day with two shifts, but delayed VIA and CN trains that were waiting at interlockings at either end of the long work block. A hi-rail pickup stopped at three former CN intermodal trailers parked at the west end of the VIA station property to pick up bottled water and other supplies for the gang during my visit:

Tie gang ahead! VIA No 46 during its 20 minute wait at a red signal...

...which gave this stainless steel-seeking shutterbug more time than usual to leisurely lens some unusual images:

During VIA's nabbed nap time, CN westbound freight 377 steadily slogged by, led by CN 2943. Right on time, as part of Precision Scheduled Railroading, this mix of paper and chemical traffic included this ghostly image of somebody on a Huron Central boxcar door:

Mid-way through was Distributed Power Unit CN 3109, unusually tailed by 50 auto racks - fill tonnage:

VIA No 46 was finally able to deservingly descend the deciduous defillade out of Kingston:

The next eastbound also met a red-board. Normally non-stop, VIA No 646 was detentionally dinged for five minutes in Kingston: 1902-1907. The consist was led by another Forty/Future unit - 909F-3477-3366F-3345R-3312R:

The lighting was perfect and I don't think I'd ever get tired of this Forty/Future wrap. Although soon, I'm sure the future will be removed in favour of the Love. Love always wins. Heck, it makes the world go round! VIA 3366F:

Trying to get creative for the next one-unit, four-car consist, I zoomed 'through' the Princess Street overpass to get the next non-stop, VIA No 68 missing one ditchlight at 1920 - 914F-3471-3352F-3307F-3311R:

Forty minutes later, VIA No 69 continued westbound after stopping, at 1959 - 907F-3473-3329F-3310-3356F:

Darkness was drearily draping itself over the station swampland as VIA No 647 departed Kingston at 2009:  906L-4005-4129-4122-4121, ditchlights blazing!

I see a full moon a-risin'. I see love upon the way. (There, I paraphrased CCR beside the CNR!)

VIA No 54 slyly slid in under cover of darkness at 2040: 6454-3468-3316F-3332R-3340-3363R-911L.

With the above final lamppost-leaning lens work done, I departed with coffee cup and camera battery both drained. Summertime, and the living (and lensing) is easy!

Still basking in the afterglow of Trackside Treasure eleventh anniversary, stay tuned for anniversary contest winner results and an editorial, coming soon!

Running extra...

Standing Still - an intriguing series of articles on VIA's Canadian and its on-time performance, by the MJ students of the University of King's College School of Journalism, Halifax. You'll see references to fellow VIAphiles Chris Greenlaw and Tim Hayman (but also perpetual VIA critic Greg Gormick). Thanks to Trackside Treasure reader Bill Staiger for the link.

Also from Bill, (thanks again!) this LA Times article Return to the Older is about travelling on the Canadian in May. (At first I thought it said LATE times.) The writer is concerned about vegan vs. vegetarian and uses interesting vocabulary. Watch for CORUSCATING! But a good, representative article nonetheless.

If you like CN operations in the 1980's and later, check out Rymal Station in HO Scale. With five posts so far this year, this interesting blog makes Trackside Treasure's weekly posting schedule look absolutely frenetic! Though I don't see the blogger's name, I believe it's P. and Keith MacCauley from Hamilton.