I often go railfanning on weekend mornings. I’m an early riser, while the rest of my family likes to sleep in, so it’s either putter around by myself or go look at trains. The trains often win. On the last weekend of February 2021, my wife and I made a deal. I would go railfanning … Read more
When I was a teenager, I read a lot of science fiction. One of the classic SF short stories is “The Roads Must Roll” by Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1940. The gist of the story is that rolling roads (similar to airport luggage belts) have replaced conventional roads to move people and material around … Read more
I hadn’t really intended on going train watching. Honestly. It was Saturday, February 20. My wife had left for work and I was sitting in the kitchen, finishing my breakfast, browsing my phone, and thinking about what I should do for the rest of the day. I got up and looked outside, and saw a … Read more
I’m written before about how I was an “army brat” – my father was in the Canadian military – and we lived overseas twice when I was a child. On our second tour overseas, to Moscow, USSR (see Soviet Military Toys), I was apparently enrolled in the British Airways “Junior Jet Club”. This was a … Read more
I often go railfanning on Sunday morning. The rest of the family usually sleeps in, and I wake up early pretty much every day, so it’s either putter around quietly at home or go look for trains. The trains usually win… On January 17 I left the house around 8 AM and headed up to … Read more
I post a lot of videos on my YouTube channel (feel free to subscribe!) If you are on my mailing list, you’ve been getting a weekly summary of the video(s) I have posted that week. I thought I’d go back and look at the most popular train videos that I uploaded in 2020. I say … Read more
I enjoy railfanning in all seasons. Fall brings gorgeous foliage. Winter brings clear skies and blowing snow. Spring brings bright green and pools of water for reflecting trains. Summer brings pleasant temperatures… and long days. In mid August 16, 2020 I took advantage of those long days to get some “last light” railfanning in. August … Read more
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
I saw a post by George Dutka on the excellent White River Division blog about ex Pillsbury covered hoppers. I’ll chime in with my own observations. These blue, often rusty, cylindrical grain hoppers can be seen with SOO reporting marks on Canadian Pacific’s lines. These are 263,000 lb cars built in 1979 for Pillsbury and … Read more