Last Post and Last Canadian for 2009

I went out to do my railfan duty today and record the last Canadian (through Winnipeg) for 2009. I went west down Wilkes Avenue and stopped at a convenient crossing to wait. It was -22 Celsius (or -32 with wind chill) so I decided to set up the tripod and then get back in the car to wait.

TIP: don't leave your tripod in the trunk in this weather. The fluid head on the tripod was practically frozen and it took a lot of effort to move it into the right position!

The Canadian came along about 10 minutes late.

The train had engines 6442, 6407; baggage 8609; coaches 8118, 8119; Skyline 8512; diner Fairholme; sleepers Fraser Manor, Bliss Manor, Cameron Manor, Chateau Lemoyne; then Tremblant Park.

On my way back to Kenaston I saw another westbound train in the distance. I couldn't decide where to park, and in the end I had to shoot against the sun. CN 5620 and 5613 led a train that was all tank cars.


That's it for this year. Thank you for reading, and I hope you come back for more train news, photos and video in 2010 and beyond. My family wishes you the best in the years to come.

PS - my son Jamie wants to say hi. ;)

CN 1774

CN 3875 was an RS-18 built in 1960 by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). CN classified it as class MR-18g.

I don't have a photo of CN 3875 but it was on a couple of train orders. It was on two detoured CN freights through Mattawamkeag, Maine (CPR line). The first recording I have was on May 1, 1973 with a westbound extra - CN 3875, CN 3843, CN 3687. Those engines returned at 23:05 on May 4, 1973 with CN 3875 leading and 3687 and 3843 trailing.

CN 3875 was rebuilt in 1975 in the RS-18 to RSC-14 conversion by replacing the B-B trucks with A1A trucks* and reducing the horsepower from 1800 to 1400. It was renumbered to CN 1774 and became part of class MR-14c. Here it is shortly after the rebuild in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on May 31, 1976 (photo by Walter Matuch. Walter is the owner of Ready Made Trains).


Sometime between 1976 and 1984, CN 1774 was repainted and received the CN sergeant stripes. This slide by Glenn Courtney was shot in Halifax on October 13, 1984. Note sister CN 1782 behind her.


CN 1774 was retired before 1996 and presumably scrapped.

* B-B trucks are four wheel trucks, all powered. A1A trucks are six wheel trucks with the middle pair of wheels unpowered. The idea was to spread the weight of the locomotive over more wheels to allow them to operate on lighter branchline tracks.

A Quickie

I was on my way to the Assiniboine Park Zoo on Sunday (Dec 27) when I saw a westbound freight on Wilkes Avenue. I pulled through the crossing, then walked back to take a quick video of the head end. CN 8851 was the lead engine on a midsized intermodal train. CN 8006 was the engine on the tail.

Hudson Bay in the Snow

On Tuesday, Dec 22, I shot the Hudson Bay as it left Winnipeg for the northern reaches of Manitoba. VIA 6438 and 6440 led a five car train.


Shortly after that, CN 111 rolled by with a long container train. CN 8006 and 8855 were the motive power. I like those SD70M-2s - they have a very brutish look to them.


I hope everyone had a great Christmas, for those who celebrate it. My wife gave me a digital picture frame, so I will have some photos of my family and trains to watch. :)

Merry Christmas

Best of the season to everyone!

Why, Hello There!

One of the great things about running a web site and blog like this is the contacts that come out of the blue.

Sometimes people write, looking for some historical information. I try to answer the question, or ask those who know. For example, back in February 2008 I received a phone call asking what rail line ran through a particular property in Ontario. I didn't know but I found someone who did. More often, people are looking for historical information on New Brunswick railways and I am happy to help.

Yesterday, I was contacted for permission to use a few of my photos for an internal Norfolk Southern web site. I was glad to give permission, and thankful that this person asked. There's another project in the works that is using a few of my VIA Rail photos that hopefully will come to fruition soon.

Occasionally I get a genealogical question, along the lines of "my great-grandfather worked for the railway in 1900. Where would he have worked?" Those are hard to answer but occasionally I can help, given enough information.

Sometimes I receive a message just thanking me for my web site. Those are the best. :)

Anyway, the point of all of this is to say, hi! Drop me a line! Thanks for reading! (steve@theboykos.com)

RDCs at IRSI

IRSI in Moncton, spring 2009

Industrial Rail Services Inc. (IRSI) in Moncton, NB has had a fleet of ex-VIA RDC units for quite some time, hoping to refurbish them and sell them to passenger railways. They refurbished one, 6202, to a very high standard and it has been leased to VIA on occasion. It looks like their wait is over, for six RDCs at least. This article talks about a deal to rebuild six RDCs, as well as IRSI's contracts to refurbish 98 LRC cars and 21 Renaissance cars.

IRSI is doing the body and electrical work. The LRC passenger car trucks, RDC trucks and transmission rebuilds are contracted elsewhere.

IRSI has been doing work for VIA for some time, mostly on Renaissance cars. They also do locomotive work, such as the Arcelor Mittal SW1500s they have been rebuilding.

This article talks about the possibility of using RDCs between London and Sarnia, Ontario.

Thanks to Tom Box and Wendell Lemon for the information.

Recent Videos

Here are some videos I took recently.

First, CN 2541 West from Thursday December 17. This was a long intermodal train with CN 2541, sergeant stripe CN 2401 and shiny CN 2291.


The second video is also from December 17. CN 2306 and CN 8846 pulled a train that was mostly empty centerbeam flat cars, with some pipe loads on the head end and a few tank cars here and there.


The third video shows the distributed power (DPU) train from Friday December 18. CN 8865 was on the head end, and CN 8862 was pushing on the rear.

Monday's Canadian

Another quickie... today's Canadian at noon in Winnipeg.

The Canadian was right on time on a beautiful, sunny day. I see VIA has added a few cars for the Christmas rush.

6421
6407
8609
8118
8119
8512
8409 Fairholme
8327 Fraser Manor
8308 Bliss Manor
8314 Cameron Manor
8309 Brant Manor
8215 Chateau Lemoyne
8715 Tremblant Park

VIA Responds to Chaleur Protest

Cyberpresse article

VIA Rail responded to the recent Chaleur protest at Barachois, Quebec. VIA Rail said the dining car was withdrawn due to lack of use. I should mention that the diner is back for the holidays, but it will likely be removed again in the new year.

VIA said the Chaleur name was withdrawn because it was not recognized out of the area. They say calling it the "Montreal-Gaspé train" clearly identifies where the train is going to.

The protestors said they would like to see the train frequency go from 3/week to daily. That would require another trainset, and it would be 6/week since the Ocean doesn't run 7 days a week.

The article also provided some ridership figures: 2007: 24,000. 2008: 29,500. 2009 to date: 27,000.

Chaleur Protest

On December 14, protestors blocked the railway track at Barachois, Quebec and delayed VIA 16, the Chaleur. They were protesting several things: the removal of the on-board cook, VIA's refusal to add extra cars for the holidays, and the removal of the Chaleur name from the train. They put tables and chairs on the track, then had lunch. The track was blocked from 11:40 to 13:15.

Canoe article, Le Soleil article.

The protest was organized by Rural Dignity of Canada, a grassroots organization that fights for smaller communities' rights. The federal MP, provincial MNA, and the mayors of Gaspé and Percé were present, as well as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Gaspé and the Anglican Bishop of Quebec City.

Thanks to Tom Box for most of the information.

Train Travel Article

There's a great article on the Wall Street Journal web site entitled "Riding The Rails", by Daniel Machalaba, about short train trips for beginning rail riders. It's a good article, but I really mention it because in the accompanying slideshow, two of my Ocean photos were used. The first shows the westbound Ocean in Campbellton (above) and the second is another westbound leaving Bathurst (below). I encourage you to give the article a read!

DPU Friday

I did a quick trip to the CN mainline next to Wilkes Avenue at noon today, just in the off chance a train was coming. Sure enough, I saw headlights down by CN Waverley. Within a couple of minutes, a fast intermodal blew by.

CN 8865 was the sole unit on the head end. To me, this meant there had to be a DPU unit stuck somewhere in the train. I watched the containers roll by, but no unit, no unit... there's the end of the train... aha! Sister SD70M-2 CN 8862 was pushing on the rear.

CN normally puts the DPU unit(s) somewhere in the train, not at the rear, so this was new to me. CP often has a pusher on the end of its intermodal trains.

Right after they went by at 12:06, I saw BNSF 2001 pushing its train to Fort Rouge, and then a CP southbound freight rolled over the diamond at St. James Junction. Noon is a busy time around here.

Fredericton Station Update

Work on the Fredericton train station is progressing well. The work is being done by the Urban Farmer. Their intent is to preserve as much of the original station as possible during the construction.

The front canopy has been removed.


The distinctive red cross is preserved, thankfully. This used to be on the front of the canopy.


In fact, a lot of the roof has been removed.



There is an article in the Daily Gleaner about the refurbishment. Also, Charles Leblanc has pictures.

EDIT: I forgot to credit Fredericton Friends of the Railway president, and good friend, Tim Scammell for the photos. Mea culpa.

Whither the Canadian?

I went out at noon today to shoot the westbound Canadian. It was a beautiful sunny day in Winnipeg, with a temperature of -8 Celsius. Very nice for December.

I saw two westbound CN freights while waiting for the Canadian. I set up on the stub of Wilkes Avenue west of Kenaston, just for someplace different to shoot. The first train rolled by at 12:09 with CN 2541, 2401 and shiny 2291 pulling a long intermodal train.


The second train (at 12:26) was headed up by CN 2306 and 8846, with a number of pipe loads on the head end, and a lot of empty centerbeam flats and a few tank cars trailing.


Right after that freight passed, I heard CP going north across the diamond at St. James Junction. I couldn't hang around any longer, so I don't know when and if the Canadian rolled through.

EDIT: Apparently the Canadian was 10 hours late leaving Toronto, so that was why it was late coming to Winnipeg. It was due into Winnipeg at 13:40, 5 hours 40 minutes late, so they made up some time along the way. I'm glad I didn't wait around for it!

Not A Train-Hopper, Just An Idiot

There was a story early this week about a fellow in Wetaskiwin (near Edmonton, Alberta) who caught a ride on a freight train last Friday morning. He was drunk and had intended to only ride a few blocks and then get off, but the train sped up and he couldn't get off safely. He called the police with his cellphone and eventually CN and CP both stopped southbound trains in different towns for the police to search. He was tracked by the sound of the train horn through his cellphone. He ended up travelling 100 km from Wetaskiwin. He was treated for hypothermia, and has been charged by Canadian Pacific Railway for trespassing.

I didn't intend to comment on this, not wanting to encourage this kind of activity, but now there's another story about this. Some guy named Shawn Kazda talked to the CBC about the hobby of "train hopping", aka the modern hobo. Mr. Kazda said that the fellow was obviously not a train hopper, because a real train hopper would do the research and know where the train was going before climbing on. The article says "Kazda said he knows the rail companies are keeping an eye on him. But he doesn't intend to stop."

One of the CBC commenters on the latter story said it best. "Near-frozen man 'not a train-hopper'. Right, he's not, he's an idiot."

Maybe I'm being too strong here, but I think you would have to be an idiot to consider using a freight train for transit. Never mind that December in Canada is pretty darn cold, it is extremely risky and highly illegal behaviour and I wouldn't consider it for a moment. I also think Mr. Kazda is a fool for talking about it with the media. But that's just my opinion.

PS: you can read about Mr. Kazda here, here (talking to the media again), here, and his Facebook profile here.

Monday's Canadian

On a bitterly cold day, VIA's Canadian rolled out of Winnipeg about 10 minutes late.

The consist was 6434, 6404, 8616, 8107, 8506, Alexandra, Abbot Manor, Sherwood Manor, Dawson Manor, Chateau Iberville, Waterton Park.

It was -21C, or -30C with the wind chill. Brrrrrr!

Spy Hill Derailment

CN's train #114 derailed near Spy Hill, Saskatchewan at about 07:00 on December 5. The train had a number of propane cars and cars carrying plastic pellets. One or more of the propane cars caught fire and burned for several days. They have since built temporary track around the derailment and are routing trains through there as of December 10. However, some mainline trains continue to use the north line to clear the backlog.

Spy Hill is on the CN mainline, the Rivers subdivision.

After the derailment, CN detoured quite a few trains over CN's "Prairie North Line", meaning the Gladstone, Togo, Margo, Warman, and Yorkton Subdivisions.

VIA's Canadian was turned at Winnipeg and at Edmonton. Passengers were bussed or flown between these two points. The Canadian resumed its normal route on December 10.

Phoenix Videos

Sorry I haven't been posting much. I'm in Phoenix, Arizona again and I'm busy with other things. In the meantime, here are a few Phoenix-related train videos I found on YouTube.

First, a fast BNSF Z-train en route to Phoenix. It is really quiet until just before it passes the videographer.


Next, a very nice pacing shot of BNSF 6930 as it rolls through Phoenix. Great horn sounds!


Finally, a high overhead shot of a pair of light rail vehicles rolling through Phoenix. This was shot on January 2, 2009 - note the lack of snow and the palm trees! I guess this is why so many Western Canadians visit Phoenix in the winter. ;)

NBSR 3703

NBSR 3703 is now in Woodland, Maine working the reactivated Domtar mill. I believe it arrived there on November 30. 3703 lay dormant in Saint John for two and a half years before being reactivated. It received a lot of work to its cab and had a complete paint job.

Gary Lee saw it in McAdam in transit and sent me a few photos. Thanks, Gary!






David Morris saw it at Harbour Station in Saint John on November 5 and took a few shots. Thanks to David for passing them along.

The consist was 3703, 3702, 9801.

Another SOO 4203 Update

I mentioned back in early October that SOO 4203 was saved from the scrapper, to be renumbered to SVGX 8625 and sold to the Savage Rail Services Group. Well, it was renumbered but it is still in Winnipeg, two months later.

Note the painted-over 4203.

A few weeks after I talked about 4203's new life, I saw SW1200RS CP 8131 in CN's Symington Yard in Winnipeg. In late October it was moved over to Chevrier Boulevard and coupled up to SVGX 8625.

Since then, they have been moved a few times along the former Manitoba Sugar spur but they are still there today. I wonder why they haven't been shipped out?

On a related note, I found a few photos of the same units I was watching the scrappers dismantle all summer, here.

CN Strike Over?

Apparently the strike is over, according to the Teamsters Rail site.

Stop and Go

I went up to Wilkes Avenue Tuesday (Dec 1) at noon to catch the Hudson Bay. I realized after I arrived that the schedule was changing effective that day; I wasn't sure if the Hudson Bay was even departing on Tuesday through the winter.

I took position just east of Kenaston. Soon I saw a freight approaching on the south track from the west. It turned out to be a long intermodal train led by CN 2262 and 2296.

They rolled past, with a toot of the horn and a friendly wave from the (management) engineer, then came to a stop with the head end by the golf dome. Huh? Why did they stop? They had a green signal, so no reason to stop at all...

An unmarked van drove up on the north side. I think they were doing a crew change out here on the main line to avoid any strikers that might be present nearer to the CN yard.

I relocated to the CN-CP diamond at St. James Junction to catch them starting up again. I barely got there in time before the train rumbled by. I really like the sound in this video.


After they passed, I went back to my Kenaston location. I saw another eastbound freight on the south track, following the previous intermodal. It had a red signal, due to the intermodal occupying the block in front of them, so it was approaching quite slowly. At the same time, I saw the Hudson Bay coming west on the north track. Which one would get to me first? I was hoping it would be the Hudson Bay, or else I would be blocked like this time.

Fortunately the CN freight stopped (to be met by a vehicle), and so the Hudson Bay came first.

The video was terrible so I didn't post it. Here VIA is passing the CN freight.

Right after that, CN moved up and passed me. The power was CN 2305, 5607, 2615, and ex-BC Rail 4654.

As you may recall, the CN engineers are on strike. I had been wondering why I kept seeing CN trains stopped over Kenaston Boulevard here in Winnipeg. Now I think I know why.

Dog Day Afternoon

I was driving up the Perimeter late Monday morning (Nov 30) when I spied the regular CEMR freight just off the CN Rivers subdivision. I pulled off the highway up a rural road and parked. I shot them approaching the Perimeter.

The train had CCGX 4010 (GP9) and ANY 5232 (SD40) with about 20 cars.

They stopped just short of the crossing I had passed through. A taxi arrived, bearing the conductor. He had stayed behind to reline the switch on the CN Rivers south track. This appears to be typical practice for CEMR.

I walked a bit closer to get a better shot when they started moving again. Suddenly I was accosted by two barking dogs running from the nearby house.

I stood my ground, sensing from their wagging tails and the tone of their barks that they were not hostile. They came up to me, sniffing and wagging tails, and one of them kept jumping up on me to get me to pet him. They were certainly friendly dogs!

After a few minutes of affectionate mauling, and incidentally waiting for the train, I decided to pack up. I walked back to my car, accompanied by the larger of the two dogs, and put my stuff in the trunk. After a final pat on the dog's head, I drove up to the crossing and took another shot of CCGX 4010.


I went across the crossing, took one more shot, then the train started moving. Too bad I was on the wrong side of the sun! Here's the video I took:

I waited around a bit too long, as I saw the westbound Canadian roll by as I approached Wilkes Avenue. I believe it had the Operation Lifesaver unit leading and the Telus unit trailing. That would have made a nice picture. Oh well. :)