CP's Carberry Subdivision east of Portage

CP's Carberry Subdivision between east of Portage la Prairie was a double-tracked line, funnelling the northerly Minnedosa Sub and the southerly Carberry Sub from Brandon into Winnipeg.  Today, only portions of the east end of the subdivision are double-tracked: from Tucker to 6 miles east of High Bluff, and Makwa at Mileage 11 into Winnipeg.  In 1984, I drove along the subdivision to photograph the online grain elevators. Several established grain shipping points were located on this portion of the Carberry Sub, starting with Portage la Prairie's Manitoba Pool and United Grain Growers elevators, then east to High Bluff, Poplar Point, Marquette, Meadows and Bergen (red line, centre of map):

Meadows at Mileage 22 was the site of an N.M. Paterson & Sons elevator.  The 100,000-bushel metal-clad annex was built in 1979, adding to the volume of the main wooden elevator that was built in 1948.  During my visit, a few cars were being loaded, including cylindrical hoppers from the federal and Saskatchewan governments.

A single CP grain boxcar, unusual in that it was lettered for CP's International of Maine Division, was kicked by after the agent noticed there was nothing to nail the grain doors to:

Today, Meadows' elevator is losing its metal covering, as shown in Steve Boyko's recent photos.  July 2017 update: Meadows elevator was demolished on July 18, 2017. The CP main line has also been reduced to single track.  During my visit, the elevator was open for business, fronted by double track, and a small station (top photo).

Marquette at Mi 29 also has a Paterson elevator still standing.  When I photographed the elevator, it was one of approximately 15 buildings in Marquette. Mark Perry documented the beginning of the demolition of the Marquette elevator in September 2013.

Both the Meadows and Marquette elevators have been recently photographed using some unusual effects.  The east end of the elevator property included a fertilizer distribution set-up.

Poplar Point at Mi 40 was also the site of a Manitoba Pool Elevators and annex, still in use until at least 1990.

No cars were spotted at Poplar Point, and a drizzle was starting to soak me as I drove around the elevator to photograph it from various angles.  CP had a white ATCO-type building trackside and a more traditional station just down the track.  Over the years, the annex had settled relative to the elevator:

High Bluff's MPE elevator at Mi 49 closed on July 31, 1986 just after MPE opened its new Tucker elevator, a scant four miles to the west.  High Bluff used to boast four grain elevators, with the remaining elevator built in 1934 by the Reliance Grain Co.  It had a long, low annex added in 1940 to hold the wartime harvest, and was purchased by MPE in 1947.

A view that is today called panoramic, but in the eighties was called 'Scotch-taped-together' shows four cars spotted at the elevator.

Tucker's continuous-pour, high-throughput concrete elevator was being built in 1985, then opened in 1986.  At this stage, the pour was complete and the machinery to go atop the elevator was being assembled on the ground below.

I built a model of the elevator, complete with the rooftop piping and extended drive shed. The article appeared in the August-September 1995 issue of Canadian Railway Modeller magazine. Bergen's elevator lasted until Thanksgiving 1987.  Afterwards, MPE built another concrete elevator at Rosser.  

Not having seen these elevators switched, I'm left to wonder what assignment out of Winnipeg did the honours.  I don't imagine it was a road freight, although these did stop in Portage during my visits there to swap blocks.  And I doubt Portage-based S-3 6569 ventured out of the yard that far.  I'm thinking a couple of Geeps, perhaps nocturnally, maybe even continuing on west of Portage on the Carberry Sub.  This territory will also be featured in an upcoming post.

Running extra...

Recently, I announced that my second book on VIA Rail is in the works, with a few copies of the first still available.  I'm having as much fun working on this book as I did the first.  Although it will be a companion volume, I decided against using the title Trackside with VIA - Cross-Canada Companion, since that sounds like a guide for foreign tourists.  Though the book will be all-encompassing, I also discarded the title Trackside with VIA - Viapalooza.  

I notice vehicle licence plates at stoplights.   As Ontario's four-letter, three-number plates advance through the letter B, I thought, wouldn't it be cool to buy new plates for my Chevy Cavalier when BNML 002 is reached?  Nearly impossible to predict when and where, and I couldn't see myself driving to Timmins to buy the plates if they were distributed there.  Gave up on the idea.  Imagine my surprise when BNPL 002 drove up beside me on Bath Road the other day. So close and yet so far.

Lots o' links!  This link-rich post contains about ten links to other posts or sites.  Until Blogger drives users to their soon-to-be-released format, there's no comprehensive list of posts in my sidebar, and this is one way for readers to encounter other pre-existing posts in an Easter-egg or "Aha!" fashion.  It's like going word to word in the dictionary, discovering other words as you go.  That reminds me - what's another word for thesaurus?

CN's Montreal-Toronto RoadRailers

CN launched a Montreal-Toronto truck/train freight service in September 1999 to in the wake of the Ecorail experiment.  Departing weeknights at 2100, each train arrived at its destination city by 0500.  Utilizing Wabash-National Mark V RoadRailers, each 53-foot trailer had 110-inch interior height, 4000 cu ft capacity and a payload of 70,000 pounds. CN paid $12 million for 200 trailers plus 130 bogies.  When the service was extended to Chicago in 2000, up to 600 RoadRailers were in use.  The RoadRailer trailers did not need overhead cranes, and could be positioned by tractors on a paved siding.

Toronto's Malport terminal was located at 7675 Torbram Road in Mississauga, with Montreal's Taschereau terminal in the east yard at 8050 Cavendish Boulevard.  Trailers were even switched en route, for instance at Supply Chain Management in Cornwall, Ontario.  CN envisioned trains of up to 60 trailers.  Meanwhile, CP was preparing to launch its Montreal-Toronto Expressway service, utilizing 240 platforms built by National Steel Car. An ill-fated Ecorail cab ECO8005 and power units, photographed by Rich Stewart at Brockville, behind CN Eng 3501 on March 24, 1996:

I often heard trains 282 to Montreal and 283 to Toronto as they stopped opposite each other on CN's Kingston Sub.  The trains' crews would call each other via radio to give their locations and arrange a meet.  A series of TIBS squawks would signal the trains' stopping. Each crew would board the other's train, exchanging information on the night's operating conditions and parting words.  One crew would perform a pull-by inspection as the crews returned to their respective originating terminals, as stipulated in their collective agreement .  John Reay photographed No 183 running 12 hours late at Newcastle, Ontario behind CN Eng 2573 in January 2004 (top).

I can't comment on the trains' appearance or share photographs of them in operation - their nightly nocturnal migrations were past my bedtime.  Motive power was GP40-2(L)W's, SD40u's and finally SD70/75's.  It's possible that the diesel-powered RoadRailers followed the same route as the Ecorail train.  Note that in some of the following transmissions, Union Station and Don are mentioned:

Oct 27/99 No 283 Eng 9669 OS 2355.

Oct 28/99 No 283 Eng 9677 RoadRailer OS 0045 meet No 282 at Queens.

Oct 29/99 Crew change Mi 181 Kingston Sub.

Dec 12/99 Crew change at 0020 "Any trains ahead", did pullby.

Feb 2/00 No 282 Eng 9469 18 loads 3 empties, crew change at 0030.

June 29/00 No 282 Eng 9423 crew change Mi 182 at 0030.

June 30/00 No 282 OS 0030, No 283 OS 0100.

Sept 7/00 Crew change Ernestown at 2345.

Nov 21/00 "Ecorail died at Morrisburg (No 283) Good thing it's not an airplane.  One day they'll send that train out with one engine and those guys will feeze to death.  They don't give a s***"  No 283 to borrow an engine from No 368, not necessary as 283's engine restarted.

Nov 27/00 No 283 Eng 9670, No 282 had not left Don yet, so crew called Mac Yard for a new unit, won't make Belleville until 0400 or later.  No 283 carrying on west of Belleville.

Apr 8/01 No 183 OS 0030.

Oct 9/01 No 182 OS 0045 trouble with Eng ?6043.

Feb 20/03 Eng 183 Eng 5699.  No 182 just leaving Union Station.

In 2004, the trains ceased operation after a strike by railway clerks.

Running extra...

CN's train 499 rolled west the other night around 2200 hours.  This is likely the Herzog PLUS ballast train kicking off the spring trackwork season in southern Ontario.

I just finished listening to The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande.  The surgeon author explores the usefulness of checklists in aviation, engineering, and of course...surgery. Are we removing the left kidney?  That's right.  No, I said left.  Well, you get the idea.  A thought-provoking read about getting it right, with applications in many fields of endeavour.

JLo, Steven and Randy employ the save for Jessica Sanchez on American Idol.  Is this yet another example of American voter apathy I keep hearing about?  In a related story, since when did Lionel Richie go country?? His new CD entitled Tuskegee is gettting lots of play on air, man.

CN's Ecorail

Ecorail was a RoadRailer-like technology developed in Quebec for use on light-density branchlines.  An early version of 'distributed power', the Ecorail control cab and power cubes were designed to be distributed throughout the 'convoy' of trailers and bogies, although this rarely happened and the power cubes were usually marshalled with the locomotive.  The system did not use locomotives nor traditional freight cars. The control cab housed a crew area, generator and equipment controlling the bogies by radio. Initially tested in Quebec in 1993 as Maritime-Ontario-Quebec (MOQ) at a cost of $1.5 million, with eight trailers on bogies, a certificate of fitness application was submitted in October 1989. Here's ECO8003 at Brockville, Ontario in 1996, Rich Stewart photos (above and below):

An application for running rights on CN from Boucherville to Brampton and Detroit, and Chicoutimi to Dorval and Moncton was made in May 1990.  CN opposed MOQ for not divulging financial statements and lack of suitable equipment, in the face of some 'political' pressure.  Public hearings before the National Transportation Agency were scheduled for September 1991.  MOQ became Ecorail and later became a CN subsidiary.  Meanwhile, in May 1991 CP initiated Toronto-Detroit RoadRailer service, the first non-Norfolk Southern RoadRailer.

The Ecorail power units are being inspected at CN's MacMillan Yard in Toronto in September, 1997 (Jim Parker photos)

Another Jim Parker photo. Undated, but perhaps that's a GO Transit coach at right.

CN did not grant Ecorail open access, instead CN initiated its own five-times weekly Drummondville-Toronto service in 1995, operating between CN's Malport Yard in Mississauga and the Transport et Entreposage Bourret terminal in Drummondville. The Ecorail locomotive was apparently scary to ride in, prone to lots of bouncing around.  An agreement with the Canacian Council of Railway Operating Unions representing engineers and conductors was signed. Unsafe, unreliable and generally unsatisfactory, the odd-looking (LRC-like?) Ecorail locomotive was often pulled by a lone GP9.  The associated CN jobs were salaried until a locomotive began pulling the consist, then CN was forced to pay crews based on mileage. CN 4128 drags ECO8003 through the snow at Newtonville, Ontario in March 1996, Gary Zuters photo (above).  John Reay photographed CN 4018 hauling Ecorail at Newtonville in 1995 (below).  Daytime appearances of the usually nocturnal train indicate mechanical reliability problems.

CN 7021, on an Ecorail train with 9429 and 12 trailers, was notably destroyed in a May 6, 1997 derailment at Mi 34.5 of CN's Kingston Sub, near Coteau.  Designed to be environmentally friendly (hence the Eco- prefix), the Ecorail cab unit and power cubes were intended to replace CN's locomotives, with just enough horsepower to pull the trailers.  

A single M420, GP38-2 or GP40-2 could also be found hauling the Ecorail consist.  Rich Stewart photos show CN 3501 eastbound at Brockville in March 24, 1996 (above), and CN 9449 westbound on March 26, 1996 (below):

In 1998, the eastern terminus moved from Drummondville to Val Royal.  Train length rarelly exceeded 25 Bourret Transport trailers bearing ECOZ reporting marks.  To avoid having to turn the power units in Toronto, a circuitous route was followed.  Westbound via the Kingston, York and Halton Subs to Malport via the south service track at Goreway.  Eastbound, trains headed west from Malport on the Halton Sub, south and east on the Halton-Weston connecting track at Halwest, then Weston Sub, Toronto Terminals Railway trackage at Union Station, then east on the Kingston Sub.

CN saw the Ecorail concept as too fragile, not capable of generating enough profit, not operateing as intended, increasingly out-of-place in the rapidly-growing double-stacked container craze.  Jim Mumford photo of Ecorail bogies:

The service ceased around 1997.  Control cabs ECO8003 and ECO8004 and power cubes ECO9004-9008 were quietly scrapped and have since faded into obscurity.  CN RoadRailers took over in 1999.

Many thanks to Jim Parker, Rich Stewart and John Reay for providing their photos, and sharing those of Jim Mumford and Gary Zuters expressly for use in this post.  Their photos serve to document this elusive, ghostly, nocturnal service in photographic form that I was personally unable to.

Running extra...

Just finished listening to Focus on the Good Stuff - The Power of Appreciation by Mike Robbins. A very sensible, un-Oprah-like take on adopting an attitude of gratitude.  I really appreciated what Mike had to say.

As I write this, CN No 305 is dropping a bad order tri-deck into the Cataraqui Spur.  CN No 368 had slowed to assist a little earlier, its consist including 7 former CP bulkhead flat cars in the 317xxx-series now with ATW reporting marks, carrying sheet steel.

Watch for diva songstress Jessica Sanchez to win this season of American Idol.  She may have a run for her money from filet-o-soul Joshua Ledet and the oddly-named Phillip Phillips. Reminds of the even more oddly-named candidate Tarquin Fim Bim Lim Bim Wim Bim Bus-Stop F'Tang F'Tang Ole Biscuit Barrel made famous in Monty Python's Election Night Special sketch, originally from the Live at Drury Lane LP.

Spring Cleaning Sale

Spring cleaning means a clean sweep of my collection for the following twenty-four items.  Perhaps you'll find some springtime reading in the following books, plus some original art and other unique items to cover your train room walls. Posters are shown with ruler to give you an idea of size, condition of each item excellent except as otherwise noted.

The first email received indicating interest in each item at mile179kingstonATyahooDOTca makes the item yours.  Please refer to each item by name and item number.  Each item will be shipped well-protected via Canada Post upon receipt of payment.  Shipping cost will be actual postage; payment of total by cheque or money order at your convenience.

ITEMS SOLD SO FAR: 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24.
ITEMS STILL AVAILABLE: 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 22.

ITEM 1: Trains 100 Greatest Railroad Photos, glossy full colour, 2008, 114 pages, $4.

ITEM 2: Model Railroader Diesel Detailing Projects, 22 projects including CP GP38, illustrated, 1995, $6.

ITEM 3: Canadian Transportation Commission official report into May 1987 CSX runaway derailment on CP trackage in Chatham, Ontario, 38 pages in each language (bilingual), $12.

ITEM 4: Farewell 6218 published by CRHA 30 B&W photos, excursion list and dates, 6218 mechanical profile and history, 1971, 35 pages, $6.

ITEM 5: The Incredible Rogers Pass guide, Rogers pass station, slides and rotary plow photos, 1962, 56 pages, $5.

ITEM 6: Tracks of the Black Bear, Dale Wilson, Algoma Central history, photos, timetable, equipment, illustrated, 1974 Rare, $9.

ITEM 7: Stand Fast Craigellachie! building of the CPR, illustrated, 1970, $5.

ITEM 8: CN Capreol Northern Ontario District Qik-Ref, two-sided laminated quick reference jampacked with tracks, procedures, operational information $2.

ITEM 9: CNR Data Pack by George Dutka, original document reproductions, London Division, Royal visit, Goderich maps, more, 38 pages, 1996, $6.

ITEM 10: VIA System Timetable May 29, 1983, $3.

ITEM 11: LRC access door, $15.  Patina of road grime.

ITEM 12: VIA System Timetable, October 31, 1982, $3 or both timetables for $5.

ITEM 13: Scenic Rail Guide to Western Canada by Bill Coo, Revised 1985 Edition, routes and maps, 192 pages, $8.

ITEM 14: Kalmbach Historical Guide to North American Railroads, history and statistics, illustrated, 376 pages, 1985, good condition $7.

ITEM 15: Rails and Rooms by Dave Preston, cross-Canada illustrated journey, 2001, 242 pages, $8.

ITEM 16: Full-colour 8x10 showing CP 4507 in script scheme, frame not included, $6.

ITEM 17: Original artwork by yours truly, B&W mosaic, paper on 9-section heavy pressed cardboard three-dimensional approx. 12x12, $15.

(ITEMS 18, 19, 20 covers shown in top photo, open below)

ITEM 18: Special Agent full-colour railway comic book, 1959 rare, $12.

ITEM 19: The Wheel of Progress full-colour railway comic book, 15 pages, 1957 rare, $10. 

ITEM 20: EMD Product Line spiral-bound catalogue, specifications and photos of each model including SW1001-MP15-Geeps-SDs, 3 colour printing, 1976, $25. 

ITEM 21: SD40-2 control stand poster (above), $10.

ITEM 22: Trains magazine GM cab unit poster, $10:

ITEM 23: NW brochures, steam locomotives, diesel roster, corporate profile, passenger timetable, TOFC timetable and map, 1970's, $7 for the lot.

ITEM 24: New York Central lot: Waybills, newsletter, station car checker reports, LCL documents, 1950's-1960's, $8 for the lot.

Running extra...

For a view of the VALE Brazil-bound locomotives ready for ship-loading in Halifax harbour, check out fellow blogger Mac Mackay's site, Shipfax.  Mac features a nice mix of shipping, from Coast Guard and naval vessels to commercial vessels, container ships and tall ships.  Nice work, Mac!

They're comin' home...formerly leased by CN, LMS C40-8W's 728-739, now IC 2455-2466 have just been purchased by CN, and will likely be prowling CN rails soon, as they arrive to shed their blue scheme and receive CN paint.

Corridor Canrailpass 1984, Part 2

A short night, but there were miles to go after I sleep, to begin part 2 of this week spent travelling aboard VIA.

DAY 3 Wednesday, March 7

VIA No 59 0400 dp Kingston

VIA No 48 2355 dp Toronto

No 59/49 partial consist: 6772-6867-Buckley Bay-5558-5616-3030 (my car) plus 3 cars.

Kingston - Westbound freight 9516-2567-2565-3737-79613.

Oshawa - CN 7028, 7227, 1228, 1242, 2582, 79560, 79798.

Toronto - GO 503, 705, 900, 725, 801, 707. CN 1316.  VIA 6105-6109, 6772-6529-6603-15486 (the Canadian), ONR eastbound 1517-1508-ONR baggage 413, VIA 755-ONR coach 841-VIA 5500-VIA Edson.

A full day in Toronto, having arrived at 0735, the wafting aroma of waffles at Golden Griddle bringing me in for breakfast.  Day 3 included visits to Spadina roundhouse and coach yard, George's Trains, the Eaton Centre, Uncommon Valor movie, then a Leafs-Devils game at Maple Leaf Gardens - the Leafs actually won, 8-4.

Returning on the Cavalier, 6777-CN 4105-6626-6861-Buckley Bay- 5558 (my car, should have looked for traces of that aluminum/yellow VIA experimental scheme!)-5616-3030-5713-Euclid-Chaleur Bay-Edmonton.

DAY 4 Thursday, March 8

VIA No 60 0952 dp Kingston

VIA No 33 1233 dp Dorval

VIA No 45 1825 dp Ottawa

VIA No 60 was an LRC consist led by 6916.

Brockville - CN 1310, 79462.

Cornwall - CN Centuries 2000-2041.

Coteau - CN 4353.

Returning from a quick, between-trains lunch at the Dorval McDonald's, a CP freight was westbound with CP 5532-QNS&L 210 and van 434411:

Dorval: 1230 WB freight CN 4240-3726-3122-3 tank cars-79556:

1230 WB: CN 5186-5156-5095-International Service caboose 78108.  Also an MUCTC commuter train 1303-921-926-925-900.  At this point, I ended a 6-year relationship.  With my camera.  My trusty Kodak Hawkeye decided to act up, resulting in some weird exposures on the platform at Dorval for its last photos ever.

Montreal-Ottawa train No 33 was also an LRC consist.  6921-3312-3340 (my car)-3 LRC cars.  In Ottawa, I took OC Transpo to the Hobby House, where I bought a CP boxcar and magazines.  Time ran short, and I had to hail a cab to make it back to Ottawa station in time for departure.  

Ottawa station - Vice-|Regal cars 1 & 2, CN business car 5, VIA 5449, 5621, Fortune Bay.

Ottawa - CN 9509 (with green flags)-9554.

Smiths Falls - CP plows 400666, 400783, 401005, CP 1809-8795-7875, end cupola van 437128, westbound CP freight 5518-ANS&L 217-B&O GP38 4800.

Brockville - CP van 434631.

I celebrated catching the train by enjoying a cool Carlsberg and sub sandwich on the trip home.  Upon arrival at Kingston, westbound VIA at 1931: 6779-6864-604-5497-5452-5650-116-3218-511-Carleton Manor-Grant Manor-Revelstoke Park.

Ticket from DAY 2:

DAY 6 Saturday, March 10

VIA No 651 0700 dp Kingston

VIA No 46 1730 dp Toronto

Train No 651 was an LRC consist.  

Belleville - CN 1385, 79594, 79900, 79323.

I rode a TTC streetcar to the CNE for the Toronto model railway show, picking up ballast cars, posters and buttons.  Then an hour of subway-riding to no particular destination before dinner at Harvey's and the 1730 departure of VIA train No 46.

Without overnighting, I was able to cover several hundred Corridor miles in less than a week at very little cost.  A new camera was on the horizon as I finally bought a 35 mm SLR.

Running extra...

A new book on VIA Rail is on the horizon -  Check here for details, and check back for updates.

Next weekend, watch for Trackside Treasure's spring cleaning sale - own a piece of an LRC.

This Running extra has more one-liners than Don Rickles, the hilarious 'Mr Warmth'.

Corridor Canrailpass 1984, Part 1

VIA Rail's 8-day Corridor Canrailpass was available for a mere $85 in 1984, providing eight days of travel in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor.  This month 28 years ago, I travelled through the March snows to five cities in five days aboard LRC, RDC and conventional consists.  Little did I know that I would lose a valued travelling companion while travelling. In a two-part series, I'll share the trains I travelled on, with photos and observations from along the route.  Most of these consists did not make it into my VIA Rail book, but I've cross-referenced my original notes with my original tickets to clarify my itinerary.

DAY 1 Monday, March 5

VIA No 655 0700 dp Kingston

VIA No 663 1100 dp Toronto

VIA No 76 1650 dp London

VIA No 656 2010 dp Toronto

VIA No 651 was conventional equipment this day: 6787-5652 (my car)-3220-4894.  

Belleville - CN 3671

Cobourg - QC boxcars 74098, 74019, 74718, MP/C&EI boxcar 256590

Oshawa - BN, L&N, Rock(GTW), DRGW, SP, CNW, IC, UP, Seaboard, MILW, DTI, MP auto racks.  Conrail, Chessie, GT, SR, ATSF, ICG, WP 86028 hi-cube boxcars.  GTW, TH&B, CP, CR gons.

Guildwood - CN 8521-76560.

Toronto - CN 1384, 2566, 9523, 9654, 8520, 8518, 8517; GO 1104, 704, 703-2137-2105-2024-2125-2049-908; VIA 6775, 6919, Grand Codroy River, Glace Bay; ONR Northlander; Amtrak 28305.

VIA No 663 was RDC's 6113 (my car)-6005-6123.

Spadina - VIA 6133,  CP 437069 end-cupola van and 4734:

Bramalea - met VIA RDC's 6213-6003-6120-6110.

Guelph - CN 7164-76559 (below).

Stratford - CN plow 55370, small Jordan spreader 50988.

London - CN 8165, 8235, 8210, 8223, 8232, 4511, 4507, 4156, 4130, cabooses 79537, 79735.

After kicking around London, with a visit to a local hobby shop and lunch at Harvey's, it was time to return to Toronto.  VIA No 76 was conventional 6781-5495 (my car) - 3241-Empire Club. 

Burlington - CN 79265

Toronto - GO 905-2144-2119-2101-708; ONR Northlander 1987; CN caboose 79608.

VIA No 656 was RDC's 6211-6004 (my car) - 6132.  Under-floor equipment on one of the RDC's caught fire, and the Belleville fire department responded, before the rest of the trip to Kingston.

Oshawa - CN 7028

Cobourg - CP 5554

Belleville - CN 4529 (orange cab, no stripes), 1215.

DAY 2 Tuesday, March 6

VIA No 60 0952 dp Kingston

VIA No 69 1750 dp Montreal

VIA No 60 was LRC equipment 6902-3300-3348 (my car)-33xx-69xx.

Coteau - CN 3696, 5196-5192 on westbound freight.

Baie D'Urfe - CP 4219-CP van 434688

Turcot - CN 9506-9452, 3739, 1390, 8045, 3687, 1292, 79395

CP's Dorval station, complete with train order signal:

I travelled around Montreal by Metro and bus, at one point becoming completely and utterly lost. A stop at CP's Glen Yard found four tracks of VIA stainless steel cars, CP gallery commuter cars, express boxcar in Tuscan red CP 29106 (below), historic collection Baldwin locomotive 8000, and Amtrak 340.  A stop at Hobby World netted an HO-scale PC auto rack and REA reefer.  Prior to departure from Central Station, a club sandwich and fries hit the spot.

VIA No 69 was conventionally-equipped 6764-2508-5493-4887 (my car)-Club Richelieu.

Montreal - Amtrak 207-baggage 1184-sleepers 2858-2052, Amdinette, coaches 4725-4605, Amfleet 25801; CN 7170, 8186, 7151, 8037, 7235.  Eastbound at 1755: VIA 6531-5 cars with an RDC on the tail end;  CP 8519.

In Corridor Canrailpass Part 2, I'll travel the Corridor some more, including the details of the untimely passing of my friend of 6 years.

Running extra...

Last weekend's Kingston Rail-O-Rama train show was a very successful experience as a first-time vendor. Besides selling some items and buying a few, plus copies of my VIA Rail book, it was great to work alongside Amazon-bound bookseller Paul, the very organized Bytown Railway Society booth, HO modeller Bob and his precise vehicle modelling, and dealer John from Napanee.  The Belleville model railway club's trains kept me entertained during lulls.  Thanks also to show convenors Peter and Graham for their assistance.

I usually 'do' the Kingston show in 60-90 minutes.  Furtively glancing about, looking for deals, gliding from booth to booth, I now know what I look like from the other side of the show table!  Never thought I'd spend 15+ hours at the show talking trains, the astounding breadth of knowledge and experiences in the rail enthusiast community and the individual niche interests we are passionate (overused word, like epic and iconic) about.

It's barbecue season again.  After scraping some grease, and while the burgers were flipping yesterday, a woodcock flew into our backyard, undoubtedly seeking his own supper (of worms) from under our cedar hedge.   A unique bird, long-billed, squat of body, perfectly camouflaged for the leafy forest floor or woodland meadow, this fellow was likely migrating and was a nice change from the chirrupy robins.