Pop-up Post: Four Days in September 2024, Rail Gang on CP

Hi-Rail Leasing hi-rail truck first - objects in mirror may be on rails!

A sixth and final pop-up post. After four days of railfanning and a final freight car post, this serendipitous sixth post came along. While railfanning at Morningstar Road west of Trenton, a pickup truck pulled up south of the CP Belleville Sub mainline. Wondering if it was a fellow railfan, I noticed the occupant exit the vehicle after about 20 minutes and walk toward the CP mainline. The hi-rail pickup (top photo) appeared and a short discussion followed. Then a weird airhorn pierced the air. This was a westbound CP rail gang, and the foreman in the pickup was 'flagging' the gang across the Morningstar road crossing. I could see another foreman at the next crossing to the west, so they must have been leap-frogging westward protecting crossings as they went. 

The foreman mentioned that the gang was headed to Port Hope, and checked his phone to confirm that a freight had just left there. The gang was dodging on and off the mainline around trains. I noted that each machine was travelling at about 25 mph. There were 45-60 seconds between machines. The foreman dryly told me that was 'so they don't run into each other'! Indeed, just last week I read an incident report of two track machines from the same gang that ran into each other, resulting in a reportable incident!

I won't try to identify the function of each machine, though the usual pattern is remove old rail, insert new rail, spike, tamp and clean up the ballast. The photos are from the north shady side, but I was not about to spring across the mainline between machines!

Pettibone SpeedSwing

I joked with the foreman that these guys were enjoying the attention!

The most important machine - all the comforts of home?

Ballast regulator - full dual sealed-beam headlight on that thing!

This crossing over which the gang passed could use some attention due to 'pumping'.

This wraps up my six pop-up posts on my four days in September. The weather and the trains co-operated!

Running extra...

The weather also co-operated on Remembrance Day. The RCHA service in Kingston's City Park was well-attended, followed by the parade along King Street from the City service at the Cross of Sacrifice across from KGH. While working there, I was able to take a late break/early lunch to attend part of one of the two services each Remembrance Day.