Can’t Blame the Cat This Time

I awoke with a start. What time was it? The blurry digits of my clock radio seemed to say 4:00, but that couldn’t be right – could it?

Donning my glasses, I confirmed that A) it was indeed 4 AM and B) I was wide awake. A glance outside showed a lovely morning shaping up, so it was time to head trackside.

This time, I couldn’t blame the cat for waking me up.

After a brief breakfast and about 25 minutes of driving, I arrived trackside near the start of the CP Carberry subdivision, 8 miles west of Winnipeg. Oddly enough, there was a west facing intermodal train, not moving, with no other trains in sight.

Not looking a gift train in the grille, I started snapping photos. Keeping in mind the designation of 2023 as the Year of Different (thanks Michael) I elected to shoot the train against the rising sun. I love how it turned out.

Soon the mystery of why this train was stopped was revealed. The east-facing signals at Makwa changed from red / red to green / red on the siding track, meaning that another westbound train was coming out of Winnipeg. Soon I saw a headlight in the distance, so I relocated to capture the train.

Keeping the Year of Different in mind, I consciously chose not to take the two common shots in this situation:

1. Photograph one train overtaking the other
2. Photograph the approaching train at the west end of the Makwa siding

I’ve taken both of those shots several times before. It was time for a change.

The First Westbound Train

I was glad the wind was blowing strongly enough to show the flag.

This westbound train was led by CP 8164, 8719 with ex-Olympic CP 8876 mid train. Here’s a more conventional photo of the train approaching.

CP had a number of units painted like CP 8876 for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. The inukshuk Olympic logo was just to the left of the “Canadien Pacifique” lettering.

I have no idea what gave one intermodal train priority over another intermodal train. I guess one was “hotter” than the other.

I decided to relocate for the second train. Again, I wanted to try something different, so I went to the town of Rosser and set up at the crossing just west of the town.

The Second Westbound Train

As the train approached, I launched my drone and started shooting with my long lens. The sun was lighting up the side of the train nicely.

Those two CP covered hoppers have been there on the back track for a while!

For those keeping score, the train had CP 8877 and 9710 leading, with CP 9736 mid-train.

My drone barely had enough power to record the entire train. I had to override the automatic “return to home” feature when it hit 20% power remaining in order to complete the recording. It wasn’t quite a “dead stick” landing but there wasn’t a lot of juice left in that beast when it touched down!

I was pretty pleased with my CP catches – it’s a good day when you catch two CP trains around Winnipeg – so I headed toward home on the Perimeter Highway.

Crossing the CN Rivers subdivision, I spotted headlights to the west, so I took the exit to await the train at Hall Road.

Hey, CN

I walked into the ditch to get a lower view of the train. I wanted to include the sky as it had a little drama to it.

This train had CN 3836 on the point, with CN 3250 pushing on the rear. Two locomotives and a LOT of containers! It’s amazing what locomotives can do.

Just One More Thing

I’ve been on a bit of an Anthony Bourdain reading kick. I read Medium Raw on a plane to Germany recently, and I’m currently reading World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Bourdain and Laurie Woolever.

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Anthony Bourdain was a very interesting person. Acerbic, witty, angry, joyous, sad, brilliant… a lot of adjectives could be used to describe him but I don’t think they would fully describe him.

I didn’t watch his many shows on a regular basis but I have seen a few episodes, and I’d like to watch more.

You may know that he took his own life, at the age of 61. It’s never possible to know what’s going on in someone else’s head, what personal demons they are fighting, how they really feel. Bourdain seemed like a workaholic, someone who is constantly “on the go” and never happy to sit in one place for long.

Medium Raw is a collection of essays, many in praise of particular restaurants and chefs, and many skewering well-known “celebrity chefs” and the Food Network in particular. The front half of the book is better than the latter half, in my opinion.

World Travel is not what I expected. Completed after his death by his “lieutenant”, Laurie Woolever, it’s a travel book sprinkled with Tony’s comments on places and restaurants and people. Don’t think of it as a Bourdain book, but rather as a travel book for foodies with Anthony’s perspectives.

I’m going to have to read some more Bourdain. The man could write.