On August 1, I visited the site of the CN derailment from two days previous. I knew the line was open, having been reopened approximately 24 hours after the derailment. Crews were working to process the remaining rail cars. I’m not sure if the plan is to scrap them on site or take them away. … Read more
Why does one critical comment have more impact than a dozen complimentary ones? I’m going to share three stories of recent negative comments. Some details have been omitted because I want to share examples, not publicly shame people. Ouch I share my photos on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram. I use Later.com to schedule posts … Read more
When you’re trackside, watching a train roll by, sometimes a car will catch your eye. Sometimes it’s a fallen flag like the Rock Island. Here in Canada – or the US – sometimes you will see a “census car”. The 2001 Census of Agriculture A census is an official count of population or other measures. … Read more
(clipart from http://clipart-library.com/free/female-symbol-transparent.html over my image) I’m on a few social networks. On Facebook I’m there for friends and family and trains, and on Instagram I’m mostly there just for trains. Over the past few months, I’ve heard of a lot of “men” being pigs toward female railfans. We need to be better than that. … Read more
I hope all Canadians enjoyed their Canada Day in this unprecedented year. Between the coronavirus, the Black Lives Matter protests, the Wet’suwet’en pipeline protests and allied rail blockades… it’s been turbulent. I don’t think the latter half of the year will be all sunshine and rainbows, either. But we’ll get through it. We are Canadians, … Read more
I’ve written a new book! Three Days in February is a compilation of three days of railfanning in February 2020. It features photos and details from railfanning CN and CP and CEMR over the long weekend. Buy it on Amazon Canada | Amazon US You might think of this book as one really long blog … Read more
I’m thinking about getting a new video camera. Why? I’ve been recording a lot of video over the past few years and posting it on my YouTube channel. For aerial video I’ve been using my DJI Mavic Air drone, and recently I acquired an inexpensive Akaso EK7000 for close-to-the-ground / novelty shots. However, my main … Read more
Canadian Pacific Railway used to have a fleet of EMD GP7 and GP9 road switcher locomotives. These engines were built in the 1950s and operated all over CP’s system for many years. Despite being remanufactured, they reached the end of their useful life and most were scrapped. Some provided parts for today’s GP20C-ECO locomotives.
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