Some retail therapy took us to Belleville on Saturday, June 4. A long intermodal train was in the yard, with an SBU on the west end but no power. At the yard office was local power CN North America map-schemed 9639, 7038 and GT 6224. By the time I reached the east end of the yard, an eastbound was lit up and sure enough, a headlight was visible to the west. The Elmwood Street crossing has become a regular crew change point. A pull-off and walkway are used by Belleville cabbies to drop off and pick up CN crews. Slowly, at 1015, an unusual nose became visible. This pop-up post portrays the proceeding portentious period:
The outbound crew waits trackside (above) and meets the inbound crew:
Ready for departure, notice the GE smoke:
At the crossing:
Some shop labourer washed the unit. Well, at least the logo part!
VIA eastbound at 1025 approaching from the west on the near track: VIA No 62/52 led by 6411-five cars-911 (Love the way)-three HEP2 and one LRC car.
CRDX (ex-KCS) 312383:
Former Chicago Central scrap tie car in the CN website scheme:
AIMX 19221-19163 scrap gons:
DPU 8912 meets Conrail Quality:
Another VIA! Westbound VIA No 61 approached from behind me with 919L-five LRC cars-6410 trailing on the middle track at 1030, several minutes late:
CTTX 695101 with some unique graffiti as it's about to enter the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory!
With the tail-end past, it was time to head over to the Quinte Mall Chapters ($). Unlike our Kingston Indigo ($$$), it still retains a clearance section!
While I usually aim for a three-out-of-three day (a nap, a walk, a beer) and normally only hit a 1 or a 2, this day we hit a trifecta on the drive-thru three-out-of-three day. It's great to stop at a drive-thru for each and every meal once in a while!
Retail pro-tip: if shopping at Belleville's Taste of Country, walk back to the rambling farmhouse's westernmost end first. Browse bric-a-brac, 'No Cussin No Fussin' signage and faux Coke thermometers before grabbing a cart and hitting the grocery and frozen food specials. There's no sense pushing your groaning grocery cart of fresh-baked muffins, $3 apple fritters and cherry bread, frozen pizzas and pepperettes and giant 5-lb. bags of frozen french fries through increasingly narrow and maze-like aisles!
Belleville;s Quinte Mall Chapters was a cornucopia of dollar-or-two (grand)children's books and an inexpensive eldorado of $10 and under historical non-fiction I can read about Panzerfaustian fall of the Reichstag and meet my Waterloo, all while leafing through Kalmbach's Modelrailoading Ultimate Guide 2022 and its portrayal of the sheer operational terror of a nolix!
Love the fact that BC Rail toyed with its paint schemes late in its run, with the red white and blue giving way to variations on the blue yellow and white scheme. There's so little variety today, so it's cool to see throwbacks while you can.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a serendipitous sighting of this member of CN's 'Heritage Fleet', Michael.
ReplyDeleteArguably, these are the most sought-after units traversing the CN Kingston Sub and rest of the system these days! Well, next to that GTW caboose you have up there!
We must find what we can find and enjoy what there is to enjoy while they still roll!
Thanks for your comment,
Eric