Kingston-Winnipeg aboard VIA, 1984 - Part 2

                                   

In Part 1, I travelled to Winnipeg aboard the Canadian. Returning to Kingston, I left Winnipeg on June 7, 1984 on VIA No 2, car line 221, roomette 3 of Chateau Varennes, just ahead of Kokanee Park. My brother and sister-in-law had arrived in  Portage on No 2 a day earlier, so I had a four-member family send-off group waving as I left Winnipeg on time, in the dome (top photo). My aunt and uncle drove us to the Countess of Dufferin restaurant for supper, after which my aunt wistfully contemplates my departure in the Winnipeg Depot (below). Avail yourself of the links in this post which connect you to other photos of this trip previously published in posts on Franz, the Canadian in 1984 and hotbox detectors. Check out that list of destinations ahead:

East of Winnipeg, we passed the last of the grain elevators like Hazelridge, and a CP double-track (!) hotbox detector at Mi. 83.3 CP Keewatin Sub near Molson at 2120. Our train stayed on time to the Manitoba-Ontario border, meeting CP westbounds: 5702-5941 east of Whitemouth at 2133, and another led by 6042 at Ingolf. The weaving passage through Thunder Bay awakened me at 0640 on June 8. CP 5936-5537 and leased Chessie 3708 were in the yards. Lake Superior country was very foggy this morning, so I continued dozing until Schreiber. This was compounded by not turning my watch ahead as we crossed time zones overnight!                        

Foggy views of Schreiber yard. Flatcar CP 301947 has a GMC maintenance truck aboard, bracketing Spadoni's store sign with boxcars 403613 and 143007 (grain-loading boxcar!):

We met a westbound with 6028-5539-5940 near Middleton at 1245. Heading to the diner for a less-than-five-star ham steak lunch, the fog finally started to clear around Marathon at 1330. My lunch sitting reservation and receipt:

The indigenous community of Mobert:

We scooped an eastbound hotshot near Struthers. By White River, our 30 mph running left us 50 minutes late. A pulp mill just west of White River, with 40-foot roofless boxcars filled with woodchips. Actually, there are woodchips just about everywhere!

This is the sawmill complex at White River originally built and operated by Abitibi-Price then Domtar,  now White River Forest Products. These pictures are of the sawdust and chip loading areas behind the mill along the CP mainline. Chips and sawdust were originally all shipped by rail to Red Rock. Complex was just west of the CP White River yard. Thanks to Kelly Pinkerton for this additional information. This car is lettered for CP's International of Maine division:

A DJB articulated dumptruck of LeBrun Construction in White River, posing for photographic posterity in front of a typical Insulbrick house:

Clearing skies cleared my way to the vestibule, where I’d stay for over two hours, from Mi 101 of the White River Sub at Girdwood to Mi 45 east of Carry at 1745. Meeting a westbound freight at Girdwood:

This is why they call it the Canadian Shield:

At 1622, just west of Franz, we met No 1: 6531-6633-601-126-3223-509-5738-Naiscoot RiverBlair Manor-Laird Manor-1364-Ennishore-Chateau Jolliet-Revelstoke Park. No 1 pulled slowly past us, and a milk carton of needed supplies was passed between the two diners. Stopping to detrain some American fishermen just west of Franz at Mi 88.3, it was time for some signal photography while stopped:

Approaching a hotbox detector and approach signal, west of Franz.

At 1815, west of Chapleau, dinner in the diner was the barbecued half-chicken for $10.28 including tip. At my table was a gentleman travelling from Saskatoon to Stratford. At Chapleau 6527, vans 434497, 434346, and 434583.We met three westbound freights, each of which included a third leased Chessie unit, including 3711 and 3730. After dinner, it was back to the vestibule from Kinogama at Mi. 109 to Metagama at Mi. 37 Nemegos Sub. CP boarding outfit trains were tucked away in sidings at Missanabie, Kinogama, Sultan, Roberts, Drefal and Metagama during what must have been a busy trackwork season. Sticking waaaay out of the vestibule to catch our sunlit train on a curve west of Sultan at 1957. The selfie stick had not been invented yet. Note the reflection of our power in the lower duplex roomette window:

Log tracks and loaded bulkhead flats in the siding at Ramsey at 2037:

We made up time in the evening, 45 minutes late at Cartier at 2233, departing Sudbury ten minutes late at 2340. Across the tracks from the station was the Friendly Restaurant. An ACFX tank car was spotted on the heating plant spur just east of the station. Van 434509 was at Cartier. Before turning in, I walked back to the Park car at 0030 to forage (successfully) for discarded train orders. The tail-end crew had picked up new orders, possibly at Boyne. Early the next day, CN plows 55235 and 55368 were at Barrie. Sailboats and marina near Barrie at 0525 on Saturday, June 9:

Into Toronto, some random observations. a guy with a tree growing out of his chimney; my pillowcase was stamped "Vancouver General Hospital, 7/77"; and that immortal silver-and-black label at the foot of my roomette mattress: "Accrocher la bride de surete au declancheur/Hook Safety Link over Bed Release Handle" or else you might go up like the Friendly Giant's castle drawbridge in the night!  

Passing Newmarket at 0559, crossing a diamond at 0627, Fairbank 0637, St Clair Avenue at 0642, Parkdale at 0648, and right on time at 0700 at Toronto Union Station. I finally noted the consist in the trainshed: 6542-6616-Edgeley-604-108-3215-506-5752-Warpath River-Osler Manor-Draper Manor1374-Dufferin Manor-Chateau Varennes-Kootenay Park. At left is an eastbound LRC consist: 6918-3318-3319-3321. I wandered over to CP’s John Street facilities during the two-hour layover.

In Part 3, come along for a visit to CP John Street then head east from Toronto over CN's Kingston Sub for a spritely slide home into Kingston!

Running extra...

My sister-in-law went birdwatching, but instead of bluejays she found Bluebirds, leased GMTX units on CN local No 518 heading west through autumn hues to Belleville at Mi. 183 Kingston Sub. Colourful!

Railfan extraordinaire, prolific photographer and rail rider J. David Ingles has died. TRAINS, now Classic Trains, hosted many of JDI's railfan rambles. For those of us wallowing in nostalgia, his travelogues give us a window into a bygone period of railroading. 

Reminiscent replicas - childhood hobbies like military modelling are taken to a new level by this modeller in Brazil. Realistic, historically relevant 'combat photography' south of the Equator!