Kingston-Portage Road Trip, 1979 - Part 2

In this second post in a two-post series, my brother and I head east from Portage la Prairie, MB back to Kingston. We left Portage at 0915 on August 30. Supper that night was at McDonald’s in Schreiber, then we were down at the station to see CP No 406’s crew change: 5797-5794-5900-5540 and van 434361 (top photo - Dave at left). On August 31 we were motel-bound except for lunch and supper at the Esso station’s “witch’s hat” Voyageur restaurant. It was too rainy for trainwatching except in the evening, when we caught CP No 404 with 5533 and 37 cars, and 5504-4213-8748 with van 434579.

Departing Schreiber on September 1, we passed Birchville school being moved (above - though I'm not sure whether this was August 30 or Sept. 1) and caught an eastbound CP freight at White River at 0830: 5704-4726-4730 with van 434508. 

Dave is on the platform (above) during the crew change. We reached Sudbury at 1700. We checked out the nickel mine attraction, riding a miniature train around the George VI Big Nickel. A nearby photo-friendly ex-CN caboose and ex-CP service car 411520 had been hauled to the rocky site. 

After a long day's drive, David is transcribing data from the cassette tape recorder, at the motel in the evening:

I also photographed the CP wooden water tower during a stop in Spanish:

We arrived home on September 2, having left Sudbury at 0600, and were home by 1300 after lunch at Pembroke McDonald’s. I had nearly five 110-format film cartridges to get developed. It was back to high school’s Grade 11 two days later!

WESTERN TRIP 1979 – NOTES

August 20 - Thunder Bay to Winnipeg 

-CN 1907-1911, 1378, 1916, 1900, 1912, caboose 79236.

-CP 7051-7083, 6567, 7049, 8476, 7082, 6606, 8775, 6595, 6581, 6563, 7048, 8762, 5016, 5024, 5709, 4037, 4221, 4703, 5725, 4061, 4736-5500-4511-4563, 5792-5535, 5008; CP vans 434451, 434444, 434356 and plow 400795.

August 30 - Winnipeg to Schreiber

-CP 6555, 8128, 8817; end-cupola van 434416 and end-cupola vans 437041, 437310, 437147.

September 1 - Sudbury

-CP 6549, 8168, 8159, 8125, 8104

Running extra...

Friday the 13th is not all unlucky. In three separate orders from across Canada, three customers ordered one of each of my eight books. All within an hour! As always, I trust they will enjoy reading the books as much as I enjoyed creating them!

This past Monday, a heads-up from my mother-in-law tipped off a trespasser fatality (aka suicide, aka jumper) at the Bayridge Drive overpass west of Mi 179 Kingston Sub. Five police vehicles and forensic van were parked on shoulder of Bath Road. Fire and ambulance cleared. VIA No 60/50 was held three hours. VIA No 51 and CN No 123 were held east of the location. I did not feel the need to attend or document this sad event that disrupted the lives of so many VIA passengers, train crews, and others on that sunny Monday morning. 

Speaking of rare events, I tuned in to Rapido Trains Inc.'s most recent live session on May 12. I didn't find it very entertaining, and only selected questions were answered. One Rapido employee repeatedly asked "Who's running this Live, anyway?", and the best way for a Rapido employee to be mentioned was not to be present! My main interest was in their new Canadian prototype piggyback trailers (26-footer or 45-footer $39 ea.) and their Chevy Caprice ($29 ea.) Heaven help you if your layout has a trailer lot or parking lot to fill! But they are beautiful models.