Monday, October 31, 2005

Trackside Log for Monday, October 31, 2005

Now that we've switched to standard time it's too dark after work for photography. I figured I'd head trackside before work instead. Merritton is on my way so I stopped there for a while.
  • 0741 Merritton - CN 422 west - CN 5536-CN 5519-CN 5522
  • 0758 Merritton - CN 332 west - CN 2598

There was no word of anything else coming, so I continued on to work for the day.

Later on, after work, I was out running errands and happened to be in the vicinity of St. Catharines station just before Via 95 was due so I stopped to check it out.

  • 1917 arr/1919 dep St. Catharines - Via 95 east - VIA 6406 (Spiderman 2)

It was quite dark, but I got to see it. After that, since the Grimsby subdivision is brutally dead at night, I headed back home.

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Trackside Log for Sunday, October 30, 2005

Oh my! Today was actually nice! It's been at least two weeks since we've seen the sun. The leaves on the trees have turned color so I wanted to get out and photograph some of them. For the morning I hung around St. Catharines on the CN Grimsby subdivision particularly for Via #97 which has had Amtrak 700 series engines lately. These engines have third rail pickups.
  • 0946 Merritton - CN 331 west - CN 5446-CN 5437
  • 1108 Garner Road, Niagara Falls - Via 97 east - AMTK 701
I then followed 97 to Niagara Falls station to photograph it while it waited for customs clearance.
  • 1123 Niagara Falls - Via 97 east - AMTK 701

I was going to a Hamilton Bulldogs game later so I headed closer to Hamilton. I arrived at Copetown on the CN Dundas subdivision at about noon and knew I'd at least be able to catch the Via trains.

  • 1244 Copetown - NS 328 east - BNSF xxx-BNSF 6301 (light power)
  • 1254 Copetown - Via 72 east - VIA 6406 (Spiderman 2)
  • 1302 Copetown - Via 73 west - VIA 6417/VIA 6432
  • 1310 Copetown - CN 330 east - CN 2587-CN 2567
  • 1344 Copetown - CN 393 west - CN 2661-CN 5724

It didn't sound like anything else was imminent on CN so I headed into Hamilton. First I stopped at CP's Aberdeen yard expecting to see 230/231's power.

  • 1455 Aberdeen yard, Hamilton - CP power - CP 5957-CP 5758-CP 6022

I also dropped by RaiLink's Hamilton yard.

  • 1505 Hamilton - CN power - CN 4706
  • 1505 Hamilton - RLK switcher - SOR 1201-RLK 1757
Before long Via #92 arrived.
  • 1518 Hamilton - Via 92 west - VIA 911

There wasn't much more around so I headed to the city hall parking lot to meet my dad for the Bulldogs game.

Friday, October 28, 2005

Trackside Log for Friday, October 28, 2005

I was done work early so I headed out to the CP yard to see if anything was there. Train 256 was in the yard with an AC4400 but was buried behind the row of autoracks that have been parked on the CaSo track for months. So I meandered my way back to St. Catharines via CN and Port Robinson again. Typical for an afternoon on CN, not much was going on, but one of the locals was working in Port Robinson.

  • 1450 Port Robinson - CN 564 switching - CN 4712-CN 4138

Nothing else was very close and it was getting pretty cloudy, so I headed back home. At least I saw something.

Monday, October 24, 2005

Trackside Log for Monday, October 24, 2005

After work I headed over to the CP yard in Welland to see if anything was going on. Nothing. So I decided to take the scenic route back home to St. Catharines via Port Robinson and the CN yard there even if it was dark and rainy.
  • 1750 Port Robinson - CN 330 east - CN 5792-CN 2561

That was about it so I headed home. Not very exciting, but oh well.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Trackside Log for Sunday, October 23, 2005

Today was a miserable rainy day, but I heard that a CRIX lease unit was on NS train 328 so I headed to Merritton on the CN Grimsby Subdivision to see it. I waited for about an hour when I finally heard word from the NI dispatcher that it was in Stoney Creek and would follow the Maple Leaf.

  • 1014 Merritton, Ontario - Via 97 east - AMTK 714
  • 1029 Merritton, Ontario - NS 328 east - NS 8684-CRIX 5960 (light power)

After the two trains passed the NI dispatcher was talking to CN trains 331 and 422 to let them know that Bridge 6 would be up for a half hour. I didn't feel like waiting around in the rain so I headed home.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Trackside Log for Tuesday, October 4, 2005

This was the last day of my trip to western Canada. I headed back from Revelstoke to Calgary. Along the way I found a few trains. The morning was pretty quiet on the Mountain Subdivision but things picked up a bit around noon.

  • 1153 MDT Glenogle, British Columbia - CP 101 west - CP 9543-CP 8501
  • 1221 MDT Glenogle, British Columbia - Rocky Mountaineer westbound - RMR 8011-RMR 8014
  • 1253 MDT Field, British Columbia - CP parked power - CEFX 1052-CP 9120-CP 9718
  • 1253 MDT Field, British Columbia - CP parked power - CP 9639-CP 9534

I didn't have a whole lot of time left to make it to Calgary for my flight so I didn't have a chance to stop for the other three trains I knew were near me on my drive back. So, back to Calgary airport I went to drop off the rental car and head home. I would have lilked to have stayed longer.

Monday, October 03, 2005

Trackside Log for Monday, October 3, 2005

This day I headed from Calgary to Revelstoke, British Columbia along the CP Laggan and Mountain Subdivisions. I headed out in dark, miserable weather hoping it would clear up at least partially.

  • 0839 MDT Exshaw, Alberta - CP local - CP 3035-CP 1125-CP 3101
  • 0848 MDT Exshaw, Alberta - CP 607 west - CP 9811-CP 9553/CP 8617 (DPU)

While photographing these two trains I learned from the dispatcher that the Royal Canadian Pacific train was headed west along with several other trains. I was going to have to photograph it somewhere. First up though was a grain train. And wonder of wonders the weather was brightening up.

  • 1057 MDT Field, British Columbia - CP westbound - CP 8531-CP 9627-CEFX 1056/CEFX 1031 (DPU)
  • 1137 MDT Field, British Columbia - CP westbound - CP 8531-CP 9627-CEFX 1056/CEFX 1031 (DPU)
  • 1300 MDT Field, British Columbia - CP westbound RCP - CP 3084-CP 1401
  • 1330 MDT Ottertail, British Columbia - CP westbound RCP - CP 3084-CP 1401
  • 1424 MDT Glenogle, British Columbia - CP westbound RCP - CP 3084-CP 1401
  • 1526 MDT Glenogle, British Columbia - CP westbound - CP 8531-CP 9627-CEFX 1056/CEFX 1031 (DPU)
  • 1556 MDT Glengole, British Columbia - Rocky Mountaineer Railtours eastbound - RMR 8011-RMR 8014
  • 1633 MDT Glenogle, British Columbia - CP 607 west - CP 9811-CP 9553/CP 8617 (DPU) (photo)
  • 1735 PDT Flat Creek, British Columbia - CP eastbound - CP 9147-CP 9129
  • 1757 PDT Flat Creek, British Colubmia - CP westbound coal - CP 9652-CP 8522/CP 9716 (DPU)

It was getting very dark so I headed into Revelstoke where I would spend the night. I got some food and headed over to the yard to see what showed up.

The following were parked in the yard when I arrived.

  • 1845 PDT Revelstoke, British Columbia - CP RCP - CP 3084-CP 1401
  • 1845 PDT Revelstoke, British Columbia - CP power - CP 6034

Then the trains started showing up.

  • 1932 PDT Revelstoke, British Columbia - CP westbound coal load - CP 9652-CP 8522/CP 9716 (DPU)
  • 1958 PDT Revelstoke, British Columbia - CP 362 eastbound grain empty - CP 8639-CP 9812

Train 362 only had one working unit and picked one up east of Revelstoke.

  • 2011 PDT Revelstoke, British Columbia - CP 821 westbound coal load - CP 9836-CP 8576/CP 9722 (DPU)
  • 2030 PDT Revelstoke, British Columbia - CP 208 eastbound intermodal - CP 9808-CP 8549/CP 9581 (DPU)
  • 2044 PDT Revelstoke, British Columbia - CP westbound grain load - CP 8531-CEFX 1056/CEFX 1031 (DPU)

The grain train dropped its second unit in Moberly. At this point I was done my food and headed to the hotel for the night.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Trackside Log for Saturday, October 1, 2005

This was the last day of the elevator portion of my trip. I was headed back to Calgary although my trip was not over since I'd be taking a two day trip to Revelstoke and back. However, for this day I managed to find one train. I followed the CN Rosetown and Oyen Subdivisions back to Calgary. I spent the better part of a day following this line and only heard from one train all day. I managed to photograph it in Kindersley.

  • 1055 CST Kindersley, Saskatchewan - CN 114 east - CN 5556-BCOL 754
And that was it. Not a very exciting day.