The Last Warm Day of 2018?

Autoracks at sunset
Autoracks at sunset

Octobers in Winnipeg can be pretty cold. Season temperatures are a high of 10C (50F) and low of -2C (30F). So when it’s warm, everyone gets out and enjoys it while it lasts, before the cold winter sets in.

On October 18, it reached a high of 23.6C (74.5F). Time to get out of the house!

As the sun was setting, I drove up to Wilkes Avenue. The sunset was gorgeous and I was concerned that I had missed the light. As I approached the track, I saw an eastbound train rolling along. I got ahead of it and photographed it approaching Carman Junction.

Oil train at sunset
Oil train at sunset

I always find it interesting how the light changes so much between facing the sunset and facing away from the sunset. Check out this “going away” photo, taken from the exact same spot but pointing the other way.

GREEN OVER RED - CN 2258 and 2956 heading east.
GREEN OVER RED – CN 2258 and 2956 heading east.

It’s like the two photos were taken on different days, instead of just 33 seconds apart.

Here’s the video I took.


I was pretty pleased with the photos – and the video.

For those who are interested, my camera settings were: shutter speed 1/500s, aperture f/4.0, ISO 800. I was using my 70-200mm (f/4.0) lens. I wanted to use a relatively high shutter speed to freeze the action, so I had to bump the ISO up to get the right exposure.

After the train went by, there was no evidence that another train was coming, so I headed home. On the way home, I decided to stop into La Salle to take a few photos of the grain elevator there.

La Salle, MB grain elevator
La Salle grain elevator

It had been a while since I was in La Salle, so it was time to take an up to date photo… or two.

La Salle, MB grain elevator
La Salle, MB grain elevator

I’m crossing my fingers for a continued warm fall. Let’s hope!

1 thought on “The Last Warm Day of 2018?”

Comments are closed.