steve
In 1958 CN placed an order for 11 diesel-electric switchers, 1000 horsepower with Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). At the time, MLW’s 1000 HP offering was the S-12, superseding the S-7. The S-12 had the same 539 “prime mover” diesel engine under the hood, but with a new car body.
Many railway customers only have one connection to “the outside world”. This is called a “captive shipper” and it basically means the customer has to deal with one particular railway to ship via rail, like it or not. Obviously the shipper would prefer to have options, and in some cases they have connections to more than one railway.
Every now and then, I like to stop by the Weston shops at the Canadian Pacific Kansas City shops in central Winnipeg and “take inventory”.
Back in late 2018, I published my first print book, “Passing a Half Century“. This told the story of my railfanning trip through Alberta and British Columbia to celebrate my 50th birthday (in 2017). I published it in electronic form and also in paperback form. I learned some lessons from my first print book, and … Read more
On April 19, 2024 two friends and I drove from Winnipeg to Calgary, all in one day, to attend the SuperTrain train show. Crazy? Maybe. Fun? Yes!
I’m still a railfan. I’ve had my doubts. From not feeling like going out to see trains, to withdrawing from the online communities and in-person gatherings, I hadn’t felt like a “real” railfan. I haven’t felt the need to be trackside very often. And yet. On an errand for my wife, I still drove out … Read more
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.
I often struggle with a title for “railfan” posts like this. What new clever title can you place on a “I saw these trains” type of post?
The John Hamilton Gray was launched in May 1965 in Sorel, Quebec and delivered to CN in October 1968. She was built to haul rail cars, road vehicles and passengers and usually ran across the Northumberland Strait between Cape Tormentine, NB and Borden, PEI.
When I was in Calgary for the SuperTrain 2024 train show, I used Calgary Transit twice. I would like to share my experience with you.