Light Matters

Holy Ascension Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Radway, Alberta

Photographers are always talking about light... the quality of light, direction of light... we're obsessed with it. There's a reason for that. "Good" light makes a BIG difference in photos. Light matters.

Check out the photos above and below. These are churches that I photographed, seconds apart, and processed exactly the same. The left photo is without sunlight and the right photo has sunshine. Click on the photos to see a larger version.

Do you see how having "good light" makes a huge difference in the photo? The left photos are flat and lack contrast, while the subject (church) in the photos on the right stand out and draw the eye.

Limestone Lake Ukrainian Catholic Church, Alberta

Here are my recommendations:

• Look for "good" light - mornings and evenings
• On partly cloudy days, be patient and wait for the sun to peek out
• Try different angles to get the light you want

Another view of the Limestone Lake church - with canola

Railfanning the Sprague Subdivision

Continuing after visiting Piney, Manitoba... After we visited the Piney train station, a bathroom break was desperately required. Our options were definitely limited...

• There is no public washroom in Piney - I did consider checking out the community centre but I assumed it was locked. 
• We hadn't seen any kind of gas station or other possibility for a public washroom since Steinbach, almost an hour away
• The border town of Sprague was 20 minutes away

I decided our best choice was Sprague, even though that would take us farther away from home. Off we went.

As we approached South Junction, I saw a sign for a Co-Op gas station. HOORAY! I pulled up to the pumps and my family ran into the station to take care of business while I topped up the tank. The gas price was reasonable - 89.9 cents/L I believe. I went inside to pay and use the facilities, then we all got back into the van.

I knew South Junction used to be the east end of the CN Ridgeville subdivision that Piney was on, so I wanted to check out the track and see what traces of the sub were still evident. We drove over to the CN Sprague subdivision and I parked near the tracks and stepped out with my camera.

South Junction

I took a few photos of the area, and as I was looking around, I heard an unmistakable noise in the distance - big diesel engines! Soon headlights came into view to the east and CN 2855 West came thundering through the crossing.

CN 2855 and 2832 leading a grain train through South Junction, MB

I wonder if this building in the back yard of a nearby house was a railway building? It sure looks like one.

Some kind of railway building?

There is still some track in the ground from what was the Ridgeville subdivision. I think that there is some under the pavement of Main Street and I unearthed a bit of track that was covered by last year's grass.

I'd like to come back and see if I could find some dates on that track!

There is a pretty sizable church in South Junction too, the Our Lady of Assumption (Roman Catholic) (Manitoba Historical Society page).

Our Lady of Assumption church in South Junction, MB

So that was South Junction. It was time to head toward home. I had promised lunch / supper in Woodridge, so we weren't heading back the same way we came down. That's OK - it's always good to see new routes!

Vassar

I wanted to stop by Vassar to see the old train station there. I understood it was in much better shape than the Piney train station.

When we got to Vassar, CN 2855 West was rolling through.

Once the train passed, I saw that the station was well off the road and apparently on private property. You can catch a glimpse of it from the road at the east/south end of the siding.

Here's Vassar siding - 13,529 feet.

Vassar siding

Off to Woodridge. Once we left highway 12 it was gravel on route 203 to Woodridge. I probably should have ducked into Badger to view the abandoned buildings there, but we drove on by.

Carrick

It's Woodridge on the map but I'm pretty sure it's known to CN as Carrick. When we got there, "our" freight train was rolling through.

Grain cars rolling through Woodridge, MB

Grain in the plains

Once that passed, we headed across the tracks to the Trails End Tavern.

Woodridge is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but it is an important stop for snowmobilers and ATVers who frequent the area. There were several ATVs parked outside and from a few online searches it seems the town is an important stop along the way.

Trails End Tavern, Woodridge

We had a very nice "lupper" at the tavern, with great service and good food at reasonable prices. No complaints!

While we were eating, another westbound freight train rolled by. I'm proud to say that I stayed in my seat and didn't run outside at the sight of the crossing bells lighting up.

Once our meal was done, we continued on toward home.

Marchand

We met the tracks again at Marchand. There's nothing but straight track here but the sight lines would be good for a train. The Marchand Hotel was prominently in view.

Marchand, Manitoba

La Brocquerie

Church in La Brocquerie

We passed through the tidy town of La Brocquerie.

I saw a west-facing signal was green, indicating an eastbound train was coming, but I knew my family's patience was wearing thin so I didn't dare hang around.

I did take a moment to photograph an impressive church in the town. This is the St. Joachim Roman Catholic Church, which was built in 1898 and dedicated in 1901. The Manitoba Historical Society has a page on it and the Parish has its own web page (in French).

We carried on up highway 210.

Giroux

The CN Sprague subdivision parallels the highway, and as we drove up the highway, I saw headlights in the distance. TRAIN!

The train and I approached each other, so I picked a spot and pulled over to catch the train. CN 2666 was leading a freight train. 2666 is an old friend - I've seen it a few times.

CN 2666 and a grain train

I really liked the trailing unit - "cowl unit" CN 2419.

CN 2419 at Giroux, MB

We reached Ste. Anne and got back onto the Trans-Canada Highway. We rolled up toward Winnipeg, and as I approached Lorette I saw a train also heading toward Winnipeg.

Lorette

CN 8100 came to a stop on the main line at Lorette. I guessed they were waiting for a meet but I didn't dare hang around. I stopped for a few shots of the head end and then we carried on home.

CN 8100 at Lorette siding outside Winnipeg

Conclusion

That was the end of our little excursion to Piney, Manitoba and our trip back along the Sprague subdivision. A lovely train station and three trains!

We'll have to go all the way to Sprague next time... and maybe visit Badger.

From here, you might want to:

• Visit the abandoned Piney train station
• A Morning With Tom (along the Sprague)
• ES44ACs on the Sprague

Take Me To Church

At the end of my Northwest Manitoba Elevator Trip series, I mentioned I would post photos of some of the churches I encountered along the way.

I'm not religious, but I appreciate the architecture and history of churches in Manitoba and elsewhere. The Prairies are well known for their Ukrainian influence, which is part of my own heritage, and the Ukrainian churches are well represented here.

The very first church I photographed was in Glenella. This is the St. Andrews United Church, established in 1906.

St. Andrews United Church, Glenella, MB

It's a very simple country church, a good start to this ecumenical tour.

The next church I saw was in Makinak. I posted that one already.

The next two I photographed were in Dauphin. The first was this impressive church, the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection.

Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection, Dauphin

This church was designed by the famed church architect Father Philip Ruh and built in the mid 1930s. I didn't go in it but the link above shows some lovely Ukrainian iconography inside.

The second Dauphin church I saw was the St. George Orthodox Church, another Ukrainian beauty.

St. George Orthodox Church, Dauphin

The next one I photographed was the much more modest All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church near Dutton, Manitoba.

All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Dutton, MB

While in Inglis I grabbed a quick photo of one church in the town, the Bethany Lutheran Church.

Bethany Luthern Church, Inglis

Not all of the area churches are Ukrainian!

Heading north, the next church I photographed was in Bowsman.

Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, Bowsman

I found was this abandoned Catholic church in the ghost town of Renwer, Manitoba, my second favourite church.

St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Renwer

I'm not sure what the smaller building on the left is/was, but it appears to be related to the church. The church building seems to be in decent shape but some of the windows are broken. I didn't approach it so I don't know what it is like inside.

I did a bit of HDR to shoot the church against the sun.

Passing through Cowan, I shot this Ukrainian church quickly, as I was running a bit short of time.

Church of the Holy Ghost, Cowan

The real gem of the trip was the next church, spotted on highway 10 just outside Cowan, at Sclater.

Sclater Ukrainian church

This abandoned Ukrainian "Our Lady" church was built in 1921. Again, I didn't approach it but it definitely has seen better days. I wish I had more time to look at it.

Continuing on, I photographed two churches in Ethelbert. The first was the very well maintained St. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church.

St. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Church, Ethelbert

At the other end of Ethelbert is this Greek Orthodox church.

Ruthenian Greek Catholic Parish of Sviatoho Ducha, Ethelbert

Two more!

Here is an impressive church in Winnipegosis with an impressive name, the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, built in 1929.

This is another Father Philip Ruh design, like the one in Dauphin. Don't confuse this church with another of the same name in Cooks Creek, Manitoba.

The last church I photographed was a more modest church, the Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist, in Fork River Manitoba.

Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist, Fork River

There you have it - 14 churches photographed in a day to go along with the 20 grain elevators I photographed. There were many churches I missed or chose not to photograph. I hope you liked the ones I did photograph.

See more blog posts containing churches

Northwest Manitoba Elevator Trip - Winnipeg to Dauphin

After my planning, it was time to go. My alarm went off at 2:15 AM, and after a shower and a couple pieces of toast, I was ready to roll. The weather forecast was still calling for a chance of thunder showers. I fired up my podcasts and hit the road in the pitch dark, 17 minutes ahead of schedule.

Super early!

As I drove around on the Perimeter Highway, I spotted an eastbound CN freight train on the Rivers subdivision passing under the highway. Something made me decide to go photograph it, despite the darkness. I exited and chased it up Wilkes Avenue. As I approached the head end, I saw a bright light coming from the rear of the head end, which was odd. Overtaking it, I saw they had three TEST cars behind the two locomotives. I got ahead of the train and stopped before Shaftesbury Boulevard. I quickly put my "nifty fifty" 50mm f/1.8 lens on the camera (it's the most light-sensitive lens I have, and quite inexpensive) and photographed the train.

Lots 'o' lens flare!

TEST cars behind the power

The trailing car (which was occupied) is CN 15008 and I believe the middle car was CN 15007. The lead boxcar is an "ATGMS TEST CAR".

ATGMS stands for Autonomous Track Geometry Measurement System (not Anti-Tank Guided Missiles like Google suggested) and is a system designed to be added to regular freight trains so railways don't have to run a special train for track testing.

That was exciting. I got back onto the highway and headed up to Headingley and west on the Trans-Canada Highway. The sky started lightening around 4 AM but it was overcast so there was no real sunrise. I bypassed Portage la Prairie and took highway 16 to Gladstone. There was no action on the CP Minnedosa subdivision.

As I approached Gladstone, I spotted a flashing red light just to the right of the highway, meaning the end of a CN train. I exited and went to the grain elevator in Gladstone to find CN train 853 by the elevator. CN 8902 was on the head end.

Blue hour in Gladstone

I'm not sure what they were doing in Gladstone - I heard them rev the engine for a few minutes - but I couldn't sit around, so I carried on to my first target, Glenella.

On the way there, I had to stop to capture the former Waldersee school... I think it was a school, anyway.

Waldersee School?

Glenella

Who knew?

Beyond being the broomball capital of Manitoba, Glenella has a single grain elevator, a former Manitoba Pool elevator.

Manitoba Pool #166

It's a handsome elevator.

The Glenella grain elevator

Note the MPE painted on the side of the ramp.

Manitoba Pool Elevators

Like many Prairie towns, Glenella has a small hotel. I don't know how many people actually stay in these hotels...

Corona hotel and elevator in Glenella

On to McCreary... but first, I spotted this former gas station and had to photograph it. As you can see I was making a point of photographing decaying old buildings en route.

Parkview Petroleum Products - for sale!

McCreary

The town of McCreary has an ex-UGG grain elevator and a preserved train station.

McCreary elevator and train station

The sun was coming in and out so I was trying to time my shots to get some light. It came out to light this side up.

UGG 4ever!

I do like that UGG logo. It's rare to see it in Manitoba.

I took a few photos of the McCreary train station. It was built in 1912 and closed in 1982. I believe the town bought it in 1997. I saw the museum sign but nothing was open and the windows seem to be mostly boarded up.

McCreary's train station

The lighting wasn't good because the elevator was shading the station.

I was just packing up when I spotted a headlight to the southeast. It was CN 853, the same train I saw in Gladstone. I quickly decided on an angle to feature the elevator and station, fired off the necessary test photos to get the exposure right, and took the shot.

After the head end passed, I packed up and waited for them to clear the crossing before heading off to the next destination. I hoped to get them at the highway crossing just north of town, but the crossing lights came on before I got there, so I watched them roll by before carrying on to...

Makinak

I took a few back roads to get to Makinak, the first time I had left pavement on this trip. On previous trips I swear I was mostly on gravel but not this time!

I had just pulled up near the elevator when I heard a train blowing for the town crossing. CN 853 was right behind me, so I sprinted over to get a shot with the elevator.

CN 8902 in Makinak

The approach shot was fine but my shots of the head end passing the elevator were out of focus. :(

At least this turned out.

CN 853 and grain cars in Makinak

There was a large foundation beside the elevator. At the time I thought it might have been a second elevator, but a little research shows it was a building, probably for fertilizer and other products. You often saw auxiliary buildings beside elevators containing all of the flammable stuff.

Foundation

I shot the other side of the elevator and captured a few sun rays.

Like many Prairie towns, Makinak has a lovely church.

After that, it was time to head to Dauphin. I was still on schedule so I had time to divert for this farm elevator I spotted just south of Dauphin. The sun gods smiled on me and lit it up nicely.

Shortly thereafter, I arrived in Dauphin. That's up next!