When I heard that CP 119 was coming into Winnipeg with the CP military “navy” locomotive CP 7022, and a Union Pacific locomotive as well, I decided to try to catch them coming into the city.
Although it had been blustery and rainy all day, there were some glimmers of sun. As I drove east around the city, I had some dreams of storm light and flying my drone. Ever the optimist, I am!
Those dreams were dashed as I got closer to my chosen location at the Deacon Road crossing just east of the city. The wind was blowing, the rain was coming down and it was solidly overcast.
As I drove north on Deacon Road, I saw a westbound train finishing its crossing of the road. Fortunately it was an empty grain train and not CP 119.
I parked and waited for the next train. I read the latest issue of Railroad Heritage magazine while I waited, and eventually the east facing signals lit up red, indicating a train was in the block. I gave a heads up to fellow railfans Mark and Jack further west, then braced myself for the foul weather.
I stepped out into the wind and rain and set up my tripod in the lee of the car, with the passenger door open to block a bit more wind. I started the video camera “rolling” and started taking stills.
Red CP 8850 was leading, with the Navy unit CP 7022 in second position.
It seemed appropriate to have this kind of weather with the Navy unit rolling past… it reminded me of the years I lived facing Halifax Harbour and the periodic storms that would blow through. All that was missing was the salt.
I was happy to see an ex Saskatchewan Wheat Pool grain car in the mix – I saw the same car in Calgary two years ago – and the Union Pacific locomotive was bringing up the rear of this mixed general freight / intermodal train.
I wish the weather was better, but you get what you get and don’t throw a fit, as the old saying goes.
I was glad that I set up on the windward side of the track, so my video camera was pointing leeward and didn’t get any water on the lens. The back of the camera got pretty wet, but that old Canon T1i is fairly weather resistant.
Military Unit Status Report
CP had five military themed locomotives painted. Here’s the ones I’ve seen:
- CP 7020 “NATO green” – NO
- CP 7021 “sand” – YES
- CP 7022 “navy” – YES and this post
- CP 7023 “air force” – NO
- CP 6644 “D-day camo” – YES
There’s more work to be done! 😉
Just One More Thing
My wife borrowed Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher from the Winnipeg library. As a fair weather Star Wars fan, and a fan of Carrie’s work in When Harry Met Sally and The Blues Brothers, I was interested, so I read it after she finished it.
It’s a quick read. I finished it in a couple of hours. It was quite entertaining, with a few laugh-out-loud moments and several wince-worthy moments. Ms. Fisher had quite a life thrust upon her by her parents, and she mined it for a lot of very funny stories to pack into this book.
Sadly, Carrie Fisher died far too young and the world is a little poorer for it.
If you liked her work, you’ll probably like this book. Available on Amazon, AbeBooks, Chapters/Indigo, or maybe your own local library.
Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you purchase using the link, at no additional cost to you.
I love that “ Leaves hanging on for dear life” photo. The way piece of those trees and every bit of groundcover is wrestling with the storm and there’s that train – completely unaffected. Superb contrast.
Thanks, Chris! That wind and rain was something else. The leaves were doing their best!