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
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
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