CN Zero is Possible Safety Train - June, 2025

Last Friday I was at Collins Bay awaiting a special CN train that had been crisscrossing the CN network. The railway's ten-car 'Zero is Possible' safety train, symbolled P623 while on the CN Kingston Subdivision today. Departing Toronto at 0800 (merci a Luc) the special train paused briefly in Belleville before departing there at 1055 and heading east at track speed and passing through Kingston at 1140.

But first, some drama! Arriving around 1100, I staked out a location on my go-to, Kingston's Railfan Walking Trail. Some kind airplane-, bird-, train- or fish-watcher has cobbled together a lakeshore bench at Collins Bay from which I could watch 10 ducks in a row (actually a mama and her nine ducklings). If I'd been there at dusk, they would have been dix dusk ducks!

No, that's not the drama. The first train from the west was a minutes-late 'doublavay' comprising Venture Sets 2 and 11: VIA No 62/52 mere minutes beforehand, on the north track at 1118. Five minutes later, the westward approach signals were lit and this diesel made its debut in the dramatis personae - it was class-unit CN 5700 (and 2664) leading a long empty auto rack train No 271. YIKES! What if after tracking P623 I was a witness to it sliding east below the racks going west right in front of me? I had never hoped for a shorter train. Fortunately, P623 was still several minutes to the west! Drama averted.

Seen here at Collins Bay on June 13 (below and top photo) is P623's consist: CN 3309 (tilted wafer logo removed with white frame-stripe remaining) - CN 3394 - CN 1710 Fraser Spirit - IC 101315 Illinois Central - IC 800413 Whiteshell - CN 101 Montreal - IC 800210 Baton Rouge - CN 99 [dome] American Spirit - IC 101314 Champlain - CN 1059 Tawaw - 800644 White Bear Lake [stainless steel] - IC 800653 Sandford Fleming. The heritage and provenance of these cars is beyond the scope of this post, and in some cases unknown. However, this is the longest of three such safety trains I've been fortunate to catch through Kingston (see links below) and it was definitely worth making a special effort to see it. Here's a video: Youtube link from which these screenshots are taken.

Didn't see any brass hats in the best seats in the house:

This consist differed from the safety train's consist just previously operating in the US as train P008: CN 3309 - 3394 - CNA 415867 boxcar - CN 1710 Fraser Spirit - CN 101 Montreal - IC 800210 Baton Rouge - CN 99 American Spirit [dome] - IC 101314 Champlain - CN 1059 Tawaw - 800644 White Bear Lake [stainless steel] - IC 101315 Illinois Central - IC 800653 Sandford Fleming.

I'd wondered while waiting what the best way to photograph this special train was. The whole thing? Car-by-car? The cars almost all have the same paint scheme, though their histories are diverse. I opted for an up-close video recording of the passing train. I just felt fortunate to catch this longest-ever Zero is Possible train so close to home!

After reaching Montreal on June 13, on June 17 the train made four trips between Central Station and Taschereau Yard as CN train P006 - rare mileage trips on what is usually VIA/EXO trackage. Photographer Victor Planche' was able to plethorically photograph the special trains. Link to Victor Planche' photos on railpictures. As usual, Canadian Railway Observations 'borrowed' photos for its social media, so I in turn borrowed CRO's header photo taken by Victor showing P006 passing Montreal's condos and skyscrapers (below). Notice diner White Bear Lake behind the power car:

The remarshalled train was split in two and sat at Montreal's Taschereau yard, then headed west on the tail-end of CN No 149 through Kingston at 1000 Wednesday, June 18. The now-remarshalled consist: CN 3309 (working) - CN 1710 Fraser Spirit - 800644 White Bear Lake - CN 99 American Spirit - IC 101314 Champlain - IC 101315 Illinois Central - IC 800413 Whiteshell - CN 101 Montreal - IC 800210 Baton Rouge - CN 1059 Tawaw - IC 800653 Sandford Fleming. Logan Cadue photographed CN No 149 at the east end of Kingston's VIA station (the same side I photographed it from - must have been wyed or backed into Central Station?) and kindly shared these photos (below). Thanks, Logan!

Lots o' links:

• through Wisconsin on June 10, 2025 and one more video and still photos
• Kingston - six-car Zero is Possible train June, 2023
• Kingston - five-car (one of three trains) across the CN network in June, 2024
• Brockville Railfan Youtube video of CN No 149 at Brockville.

Running extra...

Departing for Northern Ontario unusually with no baggage car was VIA No 1 ex Toronto Sunday, June 15. Baggage was handled in two coaches instead. VIA No 1 departed Toronto with no baggage car, coaches 8110 and 8119 instead, total 21 cars behind VIA 6401-6433.

Speaking of Northern Ontario, the National Dream, yes, but the urban exploration nightmare, also yes! Noted Canadian author and historian Pierre Berton's house has fallen into disrepair. A switch on the electrical panel said 'Caboose' and here's where that led - photo by Freaktography (above). Between 1950 and 1954, the Bertons had this home built just for them and their growing family. Between 1954 and November 2004, Berton lived here with Janet where they raised their family of eight children and where he wrote most of his books. Pierre passed away from heart failure in November, 2004 at 84 years old. In 2015, the new owners applied for a demolition permit. Early in 2024, a Notice of Intent to Designate the home under Ontario Heritage Act was issued. On March 28, 2024, the owners of the property served a Notice of Objection to the Notice of Intent to Designate. It does not appear that the home has yet been officially granted heritage designation.

Never tire of seeing this! The 100th anniversary of the Goodyear blimp program was celebrated by Wingfoot One flying Napanee plant employees over the city this week. Many flights visible from here (above) heading downtown and even one trip to Amherst Island per FlightAware:

First past the post...

Fellow model railroader and blogger, and religion writer and Order of Canada recipient John Longhurst has been sharing some of the late Morgan Turney's earliest Canadian Railway Modeller writings, preserving for posterity Morgan's pioneering efforts to successfully share the Canadian model railway scene. My Uncle Wilf in Portage la Prairie also shared one of John's writings that recently appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press. Having been a reader since the very first issues of CRM, I'm enjoying wallowing in the CRM nostalgia online and on paper!