It has been a long time since I was in the Regina, Saskatchewan area… August 2015, I guess! A member of my wife’s family passed away and we had to travel to Saskatchewan for the funeral. We spent a few days in Regina to attend the funeral in Moose Jaw, and to catch up with … Read more
I’ve always thought that photos are for sharing. I’ve never seen the point of taking a photo, then keeping the negative (or digital file) to yourself and never showing it to others. If that’s your thing, great. It’s everyone’s choice, but my choice is to share. Sometimes, though, sharing can backfire. Here are a few … Read more
I think one of the best tools for a railfan photographer is a zoom lens. With a zoom lens (aka a telephoto lens), you can get a vastly different perspective than you can with a wide angle lens. The “reach” of a zoom means you can isolate the subject from a cluttered background, or photograph … Read more
The Rocky Mountaineer is getting some “new” cars. On January 21, 2019 I spotted this pair of cars in Symington Yard in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I recognized these cars as belonging to the Charlevoix tourist train operation in Quebec. The “RMRX” reporting marks on these two cars (RMRX 201 and 202) told me that these now … Read more
On August 30, 2018 I went out in the evening to catch the eastbound VIA Rail “Canadian” coming into Winnipeg. It was a beautiful evening, and I was hoping to get a nice sunset. The Rivers Subdivision Parking Lot I hit the road a little early and caught my first train, CN 2962 East, stopped … Read more
Over the past few years, CN’s traffic has grown significantly, which has led to a need for more trains to move this traffic. This means more locomotives and more crews. CN has been hiring and training new conductors all across Canada and the US, and they’ve been buying new locomotives and leasing locomotives as well. … Read more
Saturday, September 5th, 2018 was a big railfan day for me – and not just for flying my drone. OIL and Foreign Power My youngest son was busy downtown for a while mid-day, so I had an hour and a half on my hands. As I usually do, I drove up to the CP yard … Read more
I’ve wanted a drone for a long time. I’ve seen drone photos and video from talented railfan photographers like Jeff Wizniak, and I appreciate the change in perspective that a drone can bring. I had some “found money” late in 2018. I looked at a few different DJI drones – I considered a discounted Phantom … Read more
I received “Railways: Their Life and Times” as a Christmas gift in 2018. To be fair, I did ask for it on my Amazon wish list… and I’m glad I did. I’m not sure why I initially put it on my list. The cover certainly doesn’t appeal to a non-steam fan like myself. I guess … Read more
You may recall that I went out on a mission to find the new rail inspection portal at Nattress, west of Winnipeg. You might also recall that I didn’t find it. Well, I did some research, and consulted a few people, and determined exactly where it was. Consulting Google satellite views, I wasn’t sure that … Read more