Into America, 1976

In 1976, twenty-four years before the new millennium, and now twenty-four years after it in 2024, let's take a janus-like jaundiced jaunt back at our equally reflective trip reaching across the Canada-U.S. border, while we straddle the July 1 and July 4 holidays. Let's get all binational and Burlington Northernish!

Our trip was made with four family members and seemingly all our worldly possessions in and on top of our 1970 VW Beetle. The destination was to visit our newly-married aunt (my Dad's sister) and our new uncle in Portage la Prairie, MB. (Top photo - packing up in the morning in Roscommon, MI. That is luggage under the hood - the spare engine is in the back!) It was the first Western road trip (of which there would be many) and also our first opportunity to sample Portage's plethoric photographic and trainwatching possibilities! After a very enjoyable visit, we were bound for home via the American route, visiting more relatives in Clio, MI. This post shows some of the unexpected railfanning opportunities we encountered. As usual, my Dad was photographing with two Instamatics - B&W prints that stay stuck in my photo album, and colour slides scanned by my brother. 

The route appears to have been Manitoba highway 75 to Noyes, MN, then Minnesota highways 75 and 2 to Duluth. 

Heading south toward the U.S. border on July 7, we parallelled this CN freight powered by two SW1200RS's - the second is 1353 (above). Apparently we hit pay-dirt in Warren, MN, just two counties south of the border:

So SOO me! GP-30 with trade-in trucks from Alco FA units crosses the highway. The two-chimneyed building just to the left of the grain elevator is likely the high-pitch roofed Soo Line depot:

Both lines my Dad photographed may have been in Warren, MN, the SOO east-west and the BN (formerly GN) north-south. Both are crossed by highway 75 in Warren. This was most decidedly granger country. Online auction site photos of both stations - SOO (below left) and BN (below right). Under the SOO depot eaves at left can be seen another grain elevator, perhaps the perpendicular competitor's:

Check out the moose horn on BN 1943. 

The semaphore-equipped BN depot is back there, and lots of BN predecessor cars in front:

Predecessor CB&Q caboose (below and top photo).

Fosston, MN - now J Rettenmaier (JRS) Fibres and no longer rail-served:

Likely Mentor to Fosston, MN area, parallel to highway 2:

Album view, with my Mom driving and Dad photographing.

Arriving low-sun late into DM&IR Proctor, MN after a long day on the road, my Mom was white-knuckling it and watching the multi-lane traffic straight ahead, as I exclaimed loudly about the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range yard we were paralleling! 

That night in our Duluth motel we watched President Gerald Ford waltzing with Queen Elizabeth II as old foes celebrated the American Bicentennial. 

In the 1976 world of cash and traveller's cheques (remember those?), my Dad's budget for this trip revealed grocery money budgeted for breakfasts and lunches on the road, matching my Mom's grocery list of tuna, bread and peanut butter and more. Each travel day, $12 was budgeted for supper for four and another $40 planned for each night's motel stop: Iron Bridge and Thunder Bay west; Duluth, MN and Roscommon, MI east. Duluth's new two-storey court Interstate Budget Motel was $20.95 plus taxes. Gas was budgeted for the 3000 mi. round trip at 100 gallons at 0.75 per gallon = $75.00

To Trackside Treasure's readers in the United States of America, wishing you well on your never-ending Presidential campaign.  Happy Independence Day. And God Bless America.

-Eric

Running extra...

We had to do a double-take at tiny Bath's Canada Day parade when this VW Beetle, stacked like a Samsonite submarine sandwich, made its way down the parade route. Tough to top, like the top photo!

This homuncular hobby shop at Division and Queen Streets in Kingston was originally operated by Lloyd Shales, later Peter Macdonald. This Reg Aitken photo showed the building in Peter's years, with Lloyd's name removed from the top row of lettering. After the business was relocated, the building housed a cheque-cashing service.

Look at it now! Where once you could buy track, now it's tzatziki. HO? Now humus. CN and CP, now chicken and beef. (Photo posted to social media by Marc Shaw).

Canada Day 2024

What are we up to now as a country? 157 years? What about the thousands of years before that? To be inclusive, we give lip-service to indigenous rights prior to city council meetings, hockey games and school concerts. As far as I'm concerned, each such statement should be accompanied by ceding back a chunk of territory, if we really mean it! Imagine if each city that so blithely blurbs those words actually and actively took action, say by ceding back one acre of land each time those words are read.

This is one of the few posts in Trackside Treasure's annual planning calendar (well, if there were such a thing) that includes anything but trains. Because one of the freedoms I enjoy in this country is to blog endlessly about nitpicky details, train numbers and to wallow in nostalgia. This freedom was hard-fought and did not come easily. I don't take it for granted, so I dust off my camera roll once a year to politely posit some points patriotically, people. Every year since 2009 right up to this, Trackside Treasure's 15th year!

Arriving with grand trunks full of hopes and dreams (now to be bought at MaxSold auction by my son, complete with vintage stickers!), immigrants filled the land that the indigenous peoples could never populate to the same degree. Not content to roam and forage, the Europeans stayed and built this country, or in Canadian-speak, built this railway that built this country. In this case, while living in the Grand Trunk Terrace on Montreal Street here in Kingston:

OK, enough sermonizing and postulating. Before I go on, I suggest we all just go for a walk in the woods instead of rehashing history and injecting new theories into the past. Imagine how the indigenous peoples had low stress levels, (well, except stressing about how to survive each and every day and the long winters), just walking through the woods.

Picture yourself here as you tip-toe through the trilliums...

Wasn't that relaxing? Get out and enjoy the Canadian wilderness!* Now that we've done a little 'wilderness-bathing' as suggested by the Japanese, let's look at some other non-train photos to celebrate this special day. Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney died this past Leap Day. My Dad thought enough of to request a Progressive Conservative poster, which turned out to be more-than-life-size!

Tim Hortons, a self-proclaimed Canadian institution, celebrated the opening of their first outlet in Hamilton six decades ago in May, 1964. Ownership of the business has had a turnover or two, but donut rule out its continued fixtureness over reaching a cruller fate.

The Royal Canadian Air Force marks its founding in April, 1924. Canada Post made a major mistake by not releasing an RCAF stamp to mark the Centennial. Not so CFB Trenton - their airshow as a two-day spectacle, and a magnificent air parade of the pantheon of aircraft types over Ottawa take flight this week.

Other 2024 significant Canadian military anniversaries: the 75th of the founding of NATO and the 80th of D-Day. Kingston's City Park displays the proud accomplishments of the Canadian Expeditionary Force's 21st Battalion.

An ethereal afternoon of guitar strumming and singing at The Spire. You know, the international language:

Clouds gathering and winds swirling near Newburgh:

I goggled the greatest gaggle of geese I've gazed upon in awhile.

Artwork by our grandson - how many of us feel about where we find ourselves:

We did some 'camping' on the front lawn:

Kingston's 1917-built LaSalle Causeway bridge was condemned during routine maintenance. It's now gone.

This main diagonal member at right was damaged and sealed the bridge's death warrant. 

Picton beach:

Back to the Canadian wilderness**

*well, not that wild a wilderness. It's part of an urban park less than half a mile from our house. But it looks wild.

**well, also not that wild a wilderness. It's part of another urban park about two miles from our house. Isn't it colourful?

We don't need to wear the face-paint and drink beer through straws encircling our crazy cowboy hats all year. One day out of 365 just about does it. 

We need to keep honouring our nation and defending her with fierce pride. 

Happy Canada Day to all Trackside Treasure readers

-Eric

Procor Covered Hopper Cars

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These big eye-catching cement-coloured covered hopper cars, with a 5820 cu.ft. capacity, were built from the late 70s all the way up through the early 90s. About 1,700 were designed and built by Procor in Oakville for Procor and Dow Chemical, the primary owners. Procor manufactured cars in its Oakville shops until 2002, now built at parent Union Tank Car's plants in Alexandria, LA and Sheldon, TX. Car lengths varied between 62-10, 63-6 and 67-7 (feet-inches) in length. In 1976 the PROCOR wordmark began to be used.

Built in batches of 1 to 200+ among 5810 and 5840 cu.ft. cars, the numbers of the 5820 cu.ft. cars were:

• UNPX 122012-122280 built 1976-79
• UNPX 122647-123402 built 1984-88
• UNPX 123500-123599 built 1988
• UNPX 123630-123651 built 1990

The cars featured pneumatic unloading for dry bulk commodities such as plastic pellets. Though I've long been interested in these cars and noted their numbers, this post emerged from draft form after I purchased a Rapido Trains Inc. model of one. Dave Cook of Kingston Locomotive Works had several at great prices.

UNPX 123316 on CN No 376 at Belleville on November 25, 2016 with black PROCOR:

They do not go back in time as far as I thought they did on CN's Kingston Sub! My observations of these cars (only beginning in 2013) including date, car and CN train on, with any remarks:

• Aug 24/13 UNPX 122741
• Nov 13/16 UNPX 123149 on 376 (top photo)
• Nov 25/16 UNPX 123316 on 376
• Feb 17/17 UNPX 122823, 123026, 123197 on 376
• Oct 14/17 UNPX 123034, 123362 + two others
• Mar 11/18 UNPX 123229, 123100 on 376
• Mar 28/18 UNPX 122911 on 377
• May 15/18 UNPX 122645*, 123104, 123017 on 377
• Jul 13/18 UNPX 122758 on 377
• Apr 16/19 UNPX 122832, 122942
• May 17/19 UNPX 122922 on 376
• Aug 27/19 UNPX 123055, 123235, 123888** on tail end of 376
• Aug 27/19 UNPX 122890 on 377
• Sep 15/19 UNPX 123067 on 376
• Nov 2/19 UNPX 123373 + one other on 376
• Jan 2/20 UNPX 123120 on 376
• Feb 4/20 UNPX 122838 on 369
• Jun 18/20 UNPX 122980, 123166 + three others on 376
• Feb 22/22 UNPX 123048, 123073, 123325 on 369
• Apr 3/22 UNPX 123647 on 369
• Aug 24/22 UNPX 123095 + two others on 377
• Sep 28/23  UNPX 123139 on 377 (below)

*5840 cu.ft. car

**5810 cu.ft. car

This photo of UNPX 123139 (above) shows the round roof hatches.

I unboxed my Rapido car today (above). Buying a Rapido product is always a Big Event for me, largely because of the cost vs. what I'm willing to spend on a model combined what I have already, and what I don't really need. But Dave Cook's bargain pricing turned the tide.

Shown with my previous Bev-Bel Athearn three-bay foobie on which I painted out the Union Carbide logo. So over-represented, as will be the Rapido 'Blue' 5820. The length of the Rapido car is evident. Rooftop view showing hatches:

My six year-old grandson, for whom I painted the CN vehicle, gave the new arrival the thumbs-up!

This car is BIG. I have a sharp curve between the interchange and the Outer Station. Though the car is several years past my modelled era, it will be seen in my CN yard as a car that keeps hanging around, waiting to be switched out to one of two plants in Kingston Township that received covered hoppers - DuPont and more likely, Northern Telecom.

Lots o' links:

• Rapido's unboxing video. Watch if you dare. Of course every modeller will want the Union Carbide or goofy blue one. Just like every modeller needs a SCLAIR!
• Pullman-Standard also produced 5820 cu.ft. cars.

Running extra...

The struggle is real. What we had to resort to before Rapido came on the scene 20 years ago. An online auction site photo of the first of the fleet, home-bashed '5820' from two Pullman-Standard covered hopper models. I don't think this would be rail-worthy, but at least it has four compartments! I like the custom built rough caption!

The arrival of VIA's Siemens Venture Set 18 came with a few anomalies this past Wednesday. Locomotive 2218 on one end and cab car 2317 on the other put those book-ended numbers out of sync again. Also, car 2817 is lettered 'Business Class'. And then there's that banana paint scheme. Thanks to Stephen Gardiner for sharing his photo of CN 5764-UP 6446 leading at CN Humber (above). The misaligned VIA logo is fortuitously foregone by foliage.

Railfans are concerned, suggesting a do-over and unleashing some VIAtriol, as shown in this curated cynical compendium of comments:

• That entire livery is a mistake. 
• It makes me irrationally irritated every picture I see of it.
• It looks like Brio wooden block toy train. 
• Same people who designed those seats came up with that ?
• The split VIA logo needs relocation on Charger.
• It looks 80% complicated. 
• If VIA's idea was to consume the leftover yellow paint from Brightline sets then I’d say well done.
• Would’ve looked better with the windows surrounded by blue instead of black.
• This looks absolutely terrible…. Who approved this? 
• At first I wondered if this was a deep fake.
• I love the idea but the execution is terrible. So pretty on-brand for VIA?
• Horrible looking! It looks as if someone just went over it with a yellow hi-liter!
• Need to rethink scheme on the Charger end.
• It's messed up.
• Get rid of the Maple Leaf. [This close to Canada Day?]