VIA Rescues CN

On Thursday, March 7, CN had a small derailment in their Transcona yard in Winnipeg. The lead engine and first car of westbound CN 115 derailed while coming into the yard, blocking the CN Redditt subdivision at around 7 AM. The rest of the train blocked a busy street (Ravenhurst) and the east Perimeter Highway. This also trapped VIA 1 and a couple of freights (CN 101 and CN 111) east of Winnipeg.

Radio station CJOB 68 had their chopper in the air and took some nice aerial photos of the scene. From the photos it appears that there was a sideswipe but I am told it was a simple derailment.

Perhaps the two CN engines (led by IC 2701) were there trying to hook on to the train to pull it into the yard. I believe the derailed engine was CN 8848.

I drove up to see what I could see. I decided not to go anywhere near the derailment site, as the traffic would be crazy and based on the location I would probably not be able to see anything. I drove up Deacon Road to avoid the Perimeter and then headed out Dugald Road (route 15) toward Dugald. Very quickly I found VIA 1 stopped on the main line at Pineridge Road. The strange thing was that they only had one engine.


When I was taking pictures, a taxi came up with a new crew and they boarded the train. There were six deadhead cars on the train.

I guessed that the lead engine had been sent to help clear up the derailment scene, being the closest engine to the incident on the east side. I drove over to the Deacon Road intersection and sure enough, there was VIA 6446 on the end of a container train.


I went to the crossing and watched them slowly pull the train eastward. Quite a pull for a single engine!

Once they had pulled it far enough, one of the engineers dismounted to uncouple from the train.


Once that was done, they headed east toward the Canadian. Note the EOT / FRED / ETD back on the coupler.


They crossed Deacon Road and kept on going.


I hopped back in my van and returned to the Canadian to catch them coupling up.


Reunited and it feels so good...


Note the VIA Rail truck by the crossing.

That was fun!

Other news articles: Winnipeg Free Press , Global Winnipeg

See Also

• CN Derailment on the Letellier subdivision
• CN Derailment Downtown Winnipeg

Just in Time

I went out to shoot the Canadian on May 10. VIA has been leaving before noon these days and I knew I was cutting it close. I decided to head west of Kenaston Boulevard and as I turned off Kenaston, I saw VIA 1 rolling along beside me. I got to Shaftesbury Boulevard before them but the light was red. I shot VIA 6410 passing me as I waited at the light.

They met CN 106 coming the other way with CN 8902 and CN 8920! I hit the accelerator and tried to catch up to VIA. Fortunately the Canadian was not going at full track speed and I got ahead of them by Carman Junction, where I hopped out to grab a quick shot of them.

The customary going-away shot, of course...


I got back in my car and pursued, hoping that they would get a stop signal at Diamond. As it turns out, they did not, but they met another train coming east. This was CN 112. I grabbed a few shots of the train as it approached.


I then turned around and headed back east to get far enough ahead that I could shoot video. I slapped the Canon S3 on the ground with my GorillaPod as the tripod, then put the circular polarizer on my Canon T1i and shot CN 8869.


That circular polarizer really makes the colours pop, doesn't it? Compare that to the previous shot of 8869 above and you'll see what a different a polarizer makes on a bright sunny day.

CN 8023 was the trailing unit.


Here's the video. I like the GorillaPod as it is easy to set up and being low to the ground, it gives a different perspective. Its size makes it easy to bring along. If you ever decide to get one, make sure you get the correct type for your camera. The smaller / cheaper GorillaPods will not support the weight of an SLR without tipping over, and are made for compact "point and shoot" cameras.

Recent VIA Trains

I wanted to post the last four Canadians I've seen, since I haven't mentioned them before the last VIA 1 I posted from June 16. Some were hum-drum, some were a bit more interesting.

For the first three I shot the Monday, Thursday and Saturday trains in sequence. I started with VIA 1 at mile 10 of the CN Rivers subdivision on July 4. It had VIA 6458 and VIA 6429 on the head end, with a normal summer consist.


Next, I saw VIA 1 at Kenaston Boulevard (maybe mile 6?) on July 7. This one had VIA 6410 and non-refurbished VIA 6424.


This one was interesting because it had VIA 4121 deadheading behind the engines. VIA 4121 is a coach destined for the Skeena.


For the Saturday train, I got them back at mile 10. This had the Loto Quebec unit, VIA 6414, leading two other engines, 6453 and 6452, on July 9.


I took a break after that and did not shoot the Monday Canadian, but I did get out on July 14 for the Thursday train. I drove up to St. James Junction, stepped out of my car, and there it was, ready to be shot. Perfect timing.


I got a wave from a diner in the Acadian.


Is that enough stainless steel for one post? ;)

The Canadian and More

I was looking after my son today, and after most of the morning was gone it was time to get out of the house. What to do on a beautiful, sunny day in Winnipeg? Go watch trains, of course!

I decided to go see the Canadian near CN Diamond just west of Winnipeg. We arrived just after noon, and I was surprised to see a westbound freight train (#347) stopped just west of the Perimeter highway. I guess they must have tripped the hotbox around mile 10. There was someone working on the rear of the train and they were chatting with the engine. I went up to the head end and took this shot at 12:20 just before they started to pull out.

CN 5722 and 2590 provided the power. Here's the video of them pulling out. I think I captured some pretty good engine sounds as they throttled up.


I heard on the scanner that VIA 1 had to back out of the station so they could take the south track. This made them a little late, and they finally showed up at 12:42. VIA 6451 and 6410 were providing a fair bit of smoke as they blew by us at a good clip.


The train had 6451 and 6410; baggage 8609; coaches 8100 and 8109; Skyline 8506; diner 8408 Empress; Skyline 8511; sleepers 8338 Rogers Manor, 8328 Grant Manor, 8342 Wolfe Manor, 8327 Fraser Manor, 8202 Chateau Bienville, 8217 Chateau Maisonneuve; Skyline 8505; diner 8409 Fairholme; sleepers 8326 Franklin Manor, 8329 Hearne Manor, and 8339 Sherwood Manor; and 8718 Yoho Park.

After that, we pulled up stakes and headed into town. I intended to go by BNSF to see if their rumoured new engine was there, but instead I saw a train heading west that made me turn around and chase it. I'll write about that next time!

Today's Late Canadian

VIA 1, the Canadian, was a bit late leaving Winnipeg today. They apparently had to make a stop at the VIA Maintenance Center to fix one car. I heard them switching on the scanner, and I was very curious what was going on. Another railfan stopped by and mentioned the reason for the delay.

In due time VIA 6410 and 6451 brought the 19 cars past.

The light was really nice today.

Here's YOHO PARK rolling over the diamond at St. James Junction.


The complete consist:
VIA 6410
VIA 6451
VIA 8609
VIA 8100
VIA 8109
VIA 8506 Skyline
VIA 8408 Empress
VIA 8511 Skyline
VIA 8338 Rogers Manor
VIA 8328 Grant Manor
VIA 8342 Wolfe Manor
VIA 8223 Chateau Rigaud
VIA 8325 Elgin Manor
VIA 8208 Chateau Dollier
VIA 8202 Chateau Bienville
VIA 8505 Skyline
VIA 8409 Fairholme
VIA 8326 Franklin Manor
VIA 8329 Hearne Manor
VIA 8339 Sherwood Manor
VIA 8718 Yoho Park

This is the seventh Canadian I have seen in Winnipeg since I moved here. Not bad! (Complete list)

Today's Canadian and BNSF Local

Two trains for the price of one!

The Canadian was right on time today. This time they apparently came from downtown on the south track, then switched to the north track near St. James Junction (CN-CP-BNSF interchange). When I saw them they were just threading their way over to the north track. Once on the north track, the engineer opened it right up and 6410 and 6451 were smoking like Alcos!

The complete consist was:
engines VIA 6410, 6451;
baggage 8609;
coaches 8117, 8100, 8109, 8506; diner 8408 EMPRESS;
Skyline 8511;
sleepers 8338 ROGERS MANOR, 8328 GRANT MANOR, 8342 WOLFE MANOR, 8325 ELGIN MANOR, 8205 CHATEAU CLOSSE, 8217 CHATEAU MAISONNEUVE;
Skyline 8505;
diner 8409 FAIRHOLME;
sleepers 8326 FRANKLIN MANOR, 8329 HEARNE MANOR, 8339 SHERWOOD MANOR;
8718 YOHO PARK.

Immediately afterward, the headlight of BNSF 2743 was visible to the east as they pulled a long string of grain cars from Fort Rouge into the BNSF yard.

I took video and managed to get a decent side shot of 2743 this time. The track in the foreground is CN's north track. They are coming off the north track onto the BNSF transfer track at the junction.

Today's Canadian, and Bonuses

My lunchtime trip to see the Canadian yielded a bonus, even with the rain. VIA 1 was on time again today, with a 22 car train.

VIA 6410 and 6451; baggage 8609; diner YORK; coaches 8112, 8117, 8100, 8109; Skyline 8506; diner EMPRESS; Skyline 8511; Carleton Manor; Stuart Manor; Rogers Manor; Elgin Manor; Chateau Closse; Grant Manor; Wolfe Manor; Skyline 8505; diner Fairholme; Franklin Manor; Hearne Manor; Sherwood Manor; Waterton Park.


As the Canadian rolled by, I saw two sets of headlights off to the east. It turned out that the first was the BNSF engine 2743, caboose, and a train of about a dozen cars. They took the switch east of the junction to pull into their yard. I was too far away to get any decent pictures. It was odd that 2743 did not have ditch lights on; perhaps it doesn't have any.

The second set of lights turned out to be a long CN container train. After a few minutes, it started pursuing the Canadian on the north track. The train had CN 2552, 5693 and 5703 for power.


Not bad!

CN Detour, Day 1, Evening

My evening started off with a great find. As I left Belledune I heard the EOT device chirp on the scanner at 17:52, so I beat it for the west end of the Belledune siding. As I approached the crossing the lights came on, and I just had time to jump out and take one snapshot before CN 121 was blasting by.


Then I took video with the Canon S3.


Michel Boudreau shot it just before me, in Bathurst threading its way through the yard. 121 had CN 2560 and 2645 for power. It was reported into Campbellton just after 20:00.


As I approached Bathurst, I heard NBEC 402 (with 6904 for power) getting an OCS clearance (22 loads, 5 empties, 2797 tons, 1927 feet). I thought that very odd because I saw 6904 in Miramichi in the morning! I'm guessing that NBEC turned 402 in Bathurst rather than have it proceed all the way to Miramichi, and had 6904 bring the northbound traffic up and take the southbound traffic down. That would also explain the empty Ultramar tank train in Bathurst yard tonight, which would normally never dwell in Bathurst.

ANYway, I drove over 402 on highway 11 at 18:21, then took the next exit and beat it for Nepisiguit Junction. I was there a minute before 402 showed up. They were talking about going into the siding at Bartibog.

I went back to the yard and saw NBEC 586 making up its train. At 19:14 they left for the Nepisiguit Subdivision. They had 9 loads, 50 empties, 3320 tons, and were 2830 feet long.


I taped it with my weenie tripod right on the bridge members. It was a little precarious.


At 19:32 NBEC 586 reported it was on the Nepisiguit Sub, and at 19:40 NBEC 402 reported that it left Bartibog.

VIA 15, the Ocean, arrived in Bathurst in fairly heavy rain at 20:09 with VIA 6410 leading.


I had a tip later on that CN 123 was coming, so I went down to the station and saw them come through at 22:32. CN 123 had CN 5704, IC 2462, CN 4775, and another GP38 for power.

On to day 2

Chasing VIA

A motley group of railfans set out to chase VIA 14 and VIA 15 this sunny Friday. David Morris, Peter Gough, my son Nick and I left Fredericton to get VIA 14 at Rogersville and pursue it deep into Nova Scotia.

We thought we had plenty of time to get to Rogersville... we were wrong. A little pressure on the gas pedal brought us to the station, where we found the sign out indicating a stop was requested. We went just up the line from the station, and there was the train approaching.

VIA 14

We just had time to bail out of the car and turn the cameras on. (10:37)

The train was VIA 6428 and CBC unit 6403 leading 19 Renaissance cars and Evangeline Park.

We set up on the south side of the station to wait for 14's departure at 10:43.

VIA 6403 in second position on VIA's "Ocean"

From there we chased it down the highway but never caught up to it. A few fleeting glimpses of the Park car in the distance were all we got. After refueling at McD's we proceeded to Memramcook to David's favourite barn location. 14 trundled into view at 12:36.

VIA Rail's "Ocean" near Memramcook, NB

I did some very bad panning with my video camera here. One example of why trying to take a couple of stills while videotaping is not a great idea.

We caught up to it as it entered Sackville, so we went to the other end of the station to catch it crossing the bridge to the Tantramar marshes at 13:05.



I like how the sun caught the Park car here.

VIA's "Ocean" passing the radio towers on the Tantramar Marshes

The RTC told 14 he would meet the CN local at Amherst. We figured we might catch 14 leaving Amherst, and so we did at 13:25 as it crossed under the Trans-Canada Highway.


The group consensus on the next shot was to get it at Folly Lake. David wanted to shoot it at the lake itself, and Peter and I wanted to get it on the East Mines trestle. We dropped David and my son at the siding and went the 11 km or so farther to the trestle. We set up and waited. We weren't sure what kind of warning we would get, and sure enough we had absolutely no warning before 14 rushed across the trestle. I quickly hit "record" on the video camera and caught the engines halfway across.

VIA Rail on the trestle at Londonderry, NS

That was the end of 14 for us.

VIA 15

We went back to Folly Lake to rejoin David and Nick to wait for 15 to come back. We had heard on the scanner that they were meeting at Belmont as usual, so we knew it would be a little wait. We had some lunch. The cars in the siding have been there a while!

VIA 15 appeared at 15:04. VIA 6410 and 6406 led 19 Ren cars and the Revelstoke Park.


We beat it back to the Trans-Canada and headed toward Moncton. As we approached the Springhill exit we heard the Salt Springs hotbox chatter away, so we knew we were just behind the train. We decided we would get it at Aulac next. I parked across the tracks and we climbed the berm to wait. 15 arced gracefully through the curve at 16:15.



Once again we got on the highway. As we approached Moncton we thought we might be ahead of 15, so we pulled off the TCH where the tracks go under the highway and waited. She showed up at 16:58.


I included the latter one to show how the Park car towers over the Renaissance cars.

Our last chance was on the other side of the Moncton station. We voted and decided to go to Gort. As we crossed over the tracks on Delong Drive we saw CFMG 6902 leading NBEC train 402 into the yard. It had 4 boxcars in tow.

CFMG 6902 in Moncton, NB

A group of three CN engines rolled out toward the main line, then reversed and disappeared out of view. I believe one of them was CN 5737 but I can't be sure.

VIA 15 appeared at 17:40 and rolled underneath us and away. I got my best still shot of the day here.

VIA 15 at CN Gort in Moncton

And so ended a great railfanning day. Thanks to David, Peter and Nick for being such great company.

Video

Here's the video!

PS - here's a photo of the same VIA 14 at Windsor Junction, by Bruce Hollett.

See Also

• A VIA Chase (by David Morris)
• All VIA Rail posts