St. Boniface Action
Recently my wife texted me that on the way to work, she saw a train carrying windmill blades. That was unusual enough for me to get off the couch to go look for it.
CP Employee Pass from 1942
I purchased this Canadian Pacific Railway Lines employee pass recently from an online auction site. It was issued to an F.A. Nason, Signal Helper, and expired on December 31, 1942. It was signed by W.E. Merchant.
A Computer Geek: University
I studied at the University of New Brunswick. I have to be honest and say that I never really considered any other university. The “other” university in Fredericton was/is St. Thomas University (STU) and they didn’t offer computer science degrees. I didn’t want to live away from home – too expensive and too scary – so I applied to UNB and was accepted.
Made My Day
“Wanna race?”
That was the last thing I expected a railway conductor to say, but there it was.
Can’t Blame the Cat This Time
I awoke with a start. What time was it? The blurry digits of my clock radio seemed to say 4:00, but that couldn’t be right – could it? Donning my glasses, I confirmed that A) it was indeed 4 AM and B) I was wide awake. A glance outside showed a lovely morning shaping up, … Read more
Dale Wilson RIP
I was saddened to hear that Dale Wilson died on May 5. Dale was a well-known railway historian and photographer who wrote several books, many focused on the Algoma Central. I have one of his books, Algoma Eastern Railway, and I’ve read a couple of others via our local library. He was a great writer. … Read more
VIA, CN and CP, Oh My!
For all the times that we sit trackside and watch empty tracks, we have to remember that occasionally Lady Luck smiles upon us and sends us something unexpected.
Hands
As he stood there in the darkness, watching the train, he felt her standing beside him, all too close. Then he felt her right hand slip into his left.
FOMO
You may have heard the acronym FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out. Many railfans have this affliction, and I have suffered from it myself. You hear about some special train or locomotive coming through your area and you feel like you have to go see it because other people are.
The Rail Relocation Zombie
A recent CP derailment has put life back into the rail relocation zombie, the shambling agglomeration of ideas to move the rail yards and lines out of downtown Winnipeg that just won’t die.