In mid March, I felt the urge to do a little railfanning before getting some groceries. After a bit of searching, I found an eastbound train on the Sprague subdivision.
The skies were gray and the light was dull, so I decided to have a little fun with my photographs and try some unconventional shots. Unconventional for me, at least.
One
The first set was taken near Deacon’s Corner, not far from where the Trans-Canada Highway and the Perimeter Highway intersect. Faced with a standard “3/4 wedge” shot, I chose to pan the train as it went by. The conductor gave me the “peace” sign as they rolled past, so that was my shot for the encounter.
115 seconds later, I panned IARX 58643 as it “brought up the markers” / carried the end-of-train device past me. This DOT 112 tank car was carrying liquified petroleum gas – propane, perhaps – and bore a lot of unwanted “decoration”.
Two
The second encounter was a quick “grab” shot by the side of the highway. In this one I elected to keep the camera still and let the train “blur” through. I’m not entirely happy with it – I would have liked the train to blur more – but it was worth a shot.
The mileboard shows “134”, just east of the Lorette siding.
Three
For the third and final location, I recorded the train rolling through the crossing at Dufresne, Manitoba. I returned to panning the train – maybe I wasn’t being so unconventional after all. I like the result, so I guess that’s all that matters.
Once the head end passed, I walked a little closer to the crossing, intending to get a shot from a lower perspective. I ended up slipping on the slope and sliding down into the ditch on my butt. That hurt!
I laid there in the ditch, laughing at myself, as the train rolled on past. It was just so ridiculous. Smiling, I carefully climbed back out and took my final shots of the train.
Great shots!