steve
I like to write long “story” posts, taking the reader through a railfan trip or a “productive” time trackside. Sometimes, though, all I have is short stories – I saw a train, then on another day, I saw a different train. They aren’t enough for a post on their own, so I am combining them … Read more
Sometimes I know that it’s never enoughSurvival is fine but satisfaction is rough– “Ain’t It Heavy”, Melissa Etheridge As I sit, looking at the pile of employee timetables that I recently acquired, I wondered when I will stop collecting timetables. When will I have “enough” timetables? Railfans are notorious collectors. We collect so many things, … Read more
Readers of this blog will know that I like rail cars that still feature traces of “fallen flag” railways. These railways that have gone bankrupt or merged into other railways still live on, in the memories of those who worked on them and the memories of railfans, as well as ghostly logos on old freight … Read more
A hot tip led to my first photograph of a Canadian Pacific “military” locomotive! Local photographer Jack Hykaway alerted a few of us that CP 7022 was in the Canadian Pacific yard in Winnipeg, along with a few other SD70ACU locomotives. I convinced my wife that it was a good evening for a drive, so … Read more
This past weekend, I decided to make a point of recording the Winnipeg-Churchill train, both coming into Winnipeg and leaving from Winnipeg the next day. VIA 692 is the incoming (to Winnipeg) train and VIA 693 is the outgoing (to Churchill) train. Odd numbered trains go west, even go east. VIA 692 A few of … Read more
Back in March I decided that I hadn’t seen the Central Manitoba Railway (CEMR) in a while, so I drove up to their yard off Day Street in northeast Winnipeg, aka North Transcona. They have a shop here that does a lot of repair work for the Cando fleet, so sometimes there are some interesting … Read more
Would you want a VIA Rail Canadian in LEGO®? How about a VIA Corridor train? If Nick Lafreniere is successful with his bid, this could happen. Nick has designed two potential LEGO kits featuring some of VIA’s trains operating today. Nick needs your help to get these to kit form. Click one or both buttons … Read more
Since the global shutdown due to Covid-19, a lot of transit services have reduced service or stopped running entirely. VIA Rail is no exception to this, and has shut down all long distance travel with the exception of the Winnipeg-Churchill train (see The Longest Train Still Running) and a few shorter haul trains in Quebec. … Read more
Blog reader Paul La Rocque sent me these photos of a mysterious passenger train on the CP Emerson subdivision south of Winnipeg. He was wondering what type of train this was. This is one of Canadian Pacific’s “TEC” trains, featuring a Track Evaluation Car (TEC) behind a generator car and a passenger car. These trains … Read more
Today’s railways use continuous welded rail (CWR) a lot instead of the traditional jointed rail. CWR or “ribbon rail” is a very, very long rail, often a quarter mile in length. CWR is preferred because it is strong and has no joints to sag or fail. Most wheel and track wear occurs at the rail … Read more