Stories about railfanning – trip reports and so forth. Any time I’m trackside and writing about it, it’ll be here.
On May 24, I did a lot of driving around Winnipeg, looking for trains… I started off on the east side of Winnipeg. I headed up to the CP main line – nothing happening – then back south to the CN main line – still nothing – then back toward the city. In Transcona there … Read more
Back in May 2020, I was midway up Pembina Avenue in Winnipeg and I had an hour to kill. Why not go to the Bus Rapid Transit station stop by Jubilee Avenue? Doesn’t everyone? Seriously, though, I did want to see it as I hadn’t been in the area since the shelter was completed. That … Read more
The day after “thinking different” on Boxing Day 2020, I went out again on December 27th for more railfanning. It turned out to be a busy morning on the rails. First I headed to the CP just west of Winnipeg, and caught this approaching eastbound freight train around sunrise. I really liked the look of … Read more
I heard through the railfan grapevine that one of the CN heritage locomotives, the blue and red Grand Trunk unit, was in Winnipeg and about to head out on train CN 347 early in the afternoon. The crew was ordered for 12:30, which is when they show up for duty. They have to get their … Read more
Often it pays to look at something from more than one angle. I almost missed a good photo opportunity because I didn’t consider every angle. In Search of Sunset Late one afternoon, I was in my house, wrapping up work and thinking about supper when I looked outside and saw a beautiful sunset developing. I … Read more
Two red trains meetingWintry freezing afternoonNumb fingers, warm heart Southward train, mixed freightFour engines, lifeless and coldTrail behind crazy eights. Switch is against themConductor braves the fierce coldSets the record straight Northbound train, mostly oilStuck on the sidelines for nowNow time to escape Smoking and rumblingLong gloss black snake tail trailingSteel monster heads north A … Read more
Canadian Pacific revealed five refurbished locomotives on November 11, 2019, painted in military inspired colours to honour the women and men of the Canadian and American armed forces. As I mentioned in my recent Cross Air Force off the List post, I’d seen four of those five locomotives. Now it’s five out of five. I’d … Read more
Conductor: “Clear signal.”Engineer: “Clear.”C: “It should be clear all the way past Meadows. RTC says we have a meet at Marquette. 298.”E: “Gotcha.” If it wasn’t so overcast, the crew of train 411 would have seen the sun rising as they left Winnipeg. As it was, the temperature was a cool -7 Celsius, not bad … Read more
I mentioned in a recent post that CN had five locomotives specially painted to honour the railways they acquired since their 1995 privatization. Naturally, railfans chimed in with their opinions, the railways don’t care, and the trains keep rolling. Ahem. The word circulated that CN 3115, the BC Rail “heritage” unit, would be leading train … Read more
