Kingston-Montreal Return Trip, January 1992

In the bleak mid-winter months of early 1992, our little family took a trip to Montreal. My sister Allison lived there at the time. We rode VIA No 64 east, departing Kingston on January 29, 1992. VIA 6445 led four LRC cars and an ex-CP baggage car, departing on time at 1436. We met VIA No 65 Eng 6416 and three cars upon departure. We met a westbound CN Laser train at 1445. 

The CP freight shed and CP tracks at Brockville were gone. There were about 50 cars in the yard at Maitland, with Nitrochem's plant visible to the north. Prescott had empty container flats in the siding. A welded-rail train, an eastbound freight with CN 2417-2104 and a third unit, plus three locomotives and a caboose were all at Crysler at 1600. Cornwall hosted CN boxcar 480841, still proudly emblazoned with CN's maple-leaf herald. CN 4323 and 3563 were among several engines and cabooses at Coteau, at 1630.

We met a westbound LRC train at 1643, then a westbound freight before reaching Dorval. There, Montreal Urban Community Transit Commission (MUCTC) ex-CN GP9u 1312 led 10 single-level coaches westbound. We blew through Turcot at 1708, reaching Central Station at 1724, where GE centre-cab CN 6726 and switcher 1298 idled.

Our tickets to ride:

Two days after arriving,, and attending a Canadiens game at the Forum, we bought tickets inside Windsor Station (above) to ride a mid-day MUCTC commuter train to Valois, the site of many family visits to my Grandma's house. We boarded train No 13 at 1000 on the 31st at Windsor Station (top photo). The consist was ex-CP FP7A 1303 and coaches 809-926-921-925-901, the last four being Vickers gallery cars:

Vendome, at 1005, held the following MUCTC equipment: steam generator 601; ex-CP CC&F coaches 839, 804, 830, 832, 815, 826, 829, 833 and 801; Bombardier coaches 703, 729, 702, 706, 705, 708 and ex-CP FP7A 1300. CP archives display cars 80-81 hinted at this being the former CP Glen Yard:

Montreal West station:

During our hour-long layover, we walked through fresh snow to 11 King's Road, also noting a westbound CP freight at 1038: CP 5809-ACR 185-8242-45xx-1847; VIA No 33 to Ottawa at 1106 with  6412-3470-3346-3355-3320; VIA No 63 to Toronto 6438-612-3452-3331-3372-3370 and three more LRC cars. Waiting to board at Valois, we had a stroller but we could have used a sled!

Dashing through the snow:

Boarding MUCTC No 22 to head back downtown at 1130 with the same consist, we passed CP 1602-1689 switching east of Dorval, and we arrived back at Windsor at 1205. Inside the gallery car (A. Gagnon photo), your humble blogger is timetable-in-hand:

Returning to Kingston the next day, our seven-car No 63 waited to depart Central Station, as did an Amtrak Turboliner. This was Amtrak No 26/68 the Adirondack to New York City. An adjacent track held VIA No 33 to Ottawa behind 6418, and ex-VIA, now commuter coaches like 5490. The windows in these cars had been modified, now with small, half-height sliding windows.

Amtrak's Montrealer No 60/623 arrived from New York City at 1015: ATK 357-356-baggage 1159-2892-3109-4740-4606-4001, at the same time we departed. At Cape, one-of-a-kind articulated grain car CN 398000 was on an adjacent spur (below). Several Environmental Mode CN covered hoppers were at Turcot.

We met an eastbound grain train on CP near Valois, then passed several stored MUCTC commuter trains at Dorion. Soulanges Industries at Cedars held ex-VIA cars. We met VIA No 60 just east of Cornwall at 1143. An eastbound freight with CN 9541-exGO 9677-2029-3558-4279 was switching at Brockville, at 1218. We arrived back in Kingston on time at 1300.

Running extra...

Walk from the comfort of your own home! A nice Youtube video using a GoPro TimeWarp feature walking the Rural K&P Trail from south of Highway 401 to north of Jackson's Mills. Then through the high fill and rock cut from Orser Road to Harrowsmith that would fill in with snow, caterpillars and leaves, depending on the season!

It's been great working with local writer Lawrence Scanlan for an upcoming article on Kingston's Hanley Spur in Kingston's own Skeleton Press. We hear a lot about 'local' these days, but here we are putting that in place - local printer, local writer, local books and blogs, modelling local and making local connections!

His name was Luke, not Larry. What I did while waiting for the Cable Guy!