Pop-up Post: Four Days in September 2024, Day One

 

Because this is a pop-up post, the first of four, it receives little effort from your humble blogger once the photos are selected, edited, and put in the post. So I'll re-use the text from last year: I encouraged my good wife to enjoy a four-day Crop & Create online crafting event that included live sessions over four days beginning last Thursday, September 26 with Day Four being last Sunday, September 29. The fact that this intense kraftravaganza would keep her fully-occupied, thereby allowing me some extended time trackside, in some awesome late-September weather had absolutely nothing to do with my enthusiasm. Nothing. Okay, nearly everything! I took the opportunity to visit some previously paid-a-visit-to haunts in the Kingston area and watch whatever CN and VIA trains came by. Over the next six pop-up posts, you'll see what I observed and photographed. (Unlike last year, all four days of the event fell squarely in September, with no October overlap.)

Arriving after a quick whip up Highway 401 on Thursday, and a stop at the Trenton Starbucks that looked a lot like McDonald's, I was on-station trackside at Morningstar Road, Mi 234.80 CN Kingston Sub, at 1000 hours. the first train through was VIA No 62/52 (top and above).  

I'll list each train by time, direction, train number, locomotives, car type and remarks.

1015 EB VIA No 52/62: VIA 911-7 LRC cars-912-5 HEP cars.

1035 WB VIA No 61: with 907-6 LRC cars.

A CP rail gang headed west from 1056-1106. Watch for an upcoming post. 

1138 WB VIA No 643: Venture Set 16 2315-2215.

1153 WB CN No 149: 3125-3211.

By this time, I'd been joined by Morningstar denizen Andrew Ferguson (trentonrailfan_6431 on Instagram) and fellow railfan and nearby resident Ryan Savage who has archeologically ascertained the location of a former wooden overpass! 

The never-ending battle - how to make an intermodal land-barge look interesting...

We were all surprised when VIA No 40 slammed past midway through 149's passage two minutes later:

1155 EB VIA No 40: Set 11 2210-2310.

These guys had the technology and the contacts. I mentioned the CP foreman's mention of an eastbound out of Port Hope, and it soon came to pass. We were able to get on the sunny side and form a photo line well in advance. 

1211 EB CP No 230: 8794-9826 and DPU CP 9764. Where my KCS at??

This was the CP freight reported by the foreman protecting the crossing for a CP rail gang. It would not be the last! This was general freight at the head-end, with 15 auto racks 30 cars behind the DPU, and 30 single-stack containers on the tail-end.

A. Nother. CP freight! Thirty-nine minutes later is all.

1250 EB CP No 112: CP 8908-KCS 4654 and DPU KCS 4172, all intermodal.

Since the Canadian Pacific - Kansas City Southern merger, I was hoping to see a KCS unit. Or two!

KCS 4172 DP unit fortuitously facing forward! Ole'!

Eleven minutes later, CN intermodal No 106 made its appearance. Ex-Citirail 3961 led, and I fully expected a tail-end DPU. I did not expect one of several meets over these four days that transpired directly in front of me:

1301 EB CN No 106: 3961-tail-end DPU 2804, all intermodal.

1302 WB VIA No 63: 908-unknown number of LRC cars, running 30 minutes late.

love the...meet!

As predicted. CN 2804 with its red anticlimber-level red light shining brightly, though hard to see here:

I headed east to the 257-foot Salmon River bridge in Milltown on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, around Mi 212.1 CN Kingston Sub.

1345 EB VIA No 64: 6452-7 LRC cars. 

It's worth mentioning that with the advent of 12 Venture sets now in use, and a minority of LRC sets in use (11) that enough LRC consists have been replaced to have lengthened trains of up to seven cars!

I'd hoped to stick around for a Venture or two crossing the bridge at this pastoral place, but I was sensitive to being on the Tyendinaga indigenous fishing grounds. I was satisfied with VIA (above) and a reprise of CN No 106 (below) at 1355:

The train was long enough, and I'd already seen it, that I could walk along the road to the original limestone arch on Milltown Road. I'd been here before. 

...and make it to the bridge itself for a photo from ONE more location:

There's 2804 again!

Heading back to Kingston, I missed a CP eastbound and CN No 271 at Shannonville Road. Boo. I stopped at Oliver Side Road, Mi 202.77 CN Kingston Sub, with Hartacregrains' impressive cash crop grain market farm plant in the background.

1420 WB VIA No 65: 6441 leading seven LRC cars, operating 20 minutes late.

The afternoon light for eastbound was quite brutal. Black & white lessens the blow.

1432 EB VIA No 42: Venture Set 13 2212-2312.

But westbounds? Perfect with the signal gantry over all three tracks. Triple-tracking means that three trains within fifteen minutes in entirely do-able, never mind three trains in six minutes, in a few minutes!

1434 WB VIA No 53: with 6421-LRC coach (?) and four HEP cars.

1515 WB VIA No 47: Venture Set 20 2319-2220 on most southerly main track.

A just-rebuilt, ex-BNSF rebuilt unit led CN No 305 on the northernmost track, reported at Aston-Jct, QC that morning at 0510!

1516 WB CN No 305: led by CN 3407-midtrain DPU 3292.

A near-meet. Within five minutes, a VIA eastbound on the next-southerly track.

1521 EB VIA No 644: Venture Set 9 2209-2309.

Driving back to Kingston, I missed CN No 306, though I could see it at Napanee, County Road 7 and approaching Collins Bay. I stopped in the parking lot of Riley's Garden Centre along Bath Road.

1616 WB VIA No 67: with 919-6 LRC cars (no photo).

1624 EB VIA No 44: Venture Set 8 2208-2307, starting up from the intermediate signal at Mi 179.6.

And a surprise. Like the above Venture, it also pulled up and passed the intermediate signal slowly. Unit ethanol train U714. Not a super-long train, but likely super-heavy with buffer cars on both ends.

1644 EB CN U714: led by CN 3340-8868-3206.

Head-end buffer car (above) and tail-end buffer car (below):

Last train of the day:

1649 WB VIA No 645: 900-4000-4105-4113-4110 all "(D)& H scheme".

The day's tally: 12 VIA;4 CN missed 2; 2 CP missed 1. Ventures on VIA Nos 643, 40, 42, 47, 644, 44.

Here's what Day Two held in store.

Running extra...

A good article on the Sudbury-White River Budd car, sent along by Bill Staiger. The author, Backwoods Bill for Elliott Lake Today sought out multiple sources, including inVIAterate author and VHA member Chris Greenlaw. Rail buffs are referred to as 'buffers' throughout the article, so I suppose they ride in the 'buffer car' on the run?