Friday, September 30, 2011

Trackside Log for Friday, September 30, 2011

Today was a dismal rainy autumn day. Why not create some dreary photographs of trains? After missing a train 255 I heard on the scanner that a pair of southbounds were on the way. I got Missy and my camera and headed out into the rain for photos. First was train 254 working Welland Yard. I waited for it to depart at Philips Road.

  • 1054 Welland - CP 254 south - CP 9544-CP 9653

While 254 was switching the yard train 246 waited at mile 30. After photographing the former I drove to River Road to see the latter.

  • 1104 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 9511-CP 9566

Having achieved the effect I was seeking I drove back home to get out of the rain. The way I see it, the dreary looking AC4400CWs matched the weather conditions perfectly.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Trackside Log for Wednesday, September 28, 2011

I was on my way to an appointment in Peacock Point today when I discovered the Southern Ontario Railway beginning to switch the Esso Refinery in Nanticoke. I first found two trains at the 3rd Concession.

  • 1500 Nanticoke - SOR northbound switcher (Lake Erie Steel loads) - CEFX 2014
  • 1500 Nanticoke - SOR southbound switcher (Esso empties) - CEFX 2006-CEFX 2019

I wasn't able to get any photographs there so I drover over to the 2nd Concession and waited for the Esso train to drag the empty tank cars to the south end of the yard.

  • 1531 Nanticoke - SOR southbound switcher - CEFX 2006-CEFX 2019

The Southern Ontario Railway recently received the CEFX 2006 and today it showed up on the Hagersville Subdivision. Right now all three of the GP20Ds on the SOR are working together.

Just for fun I also decided to play around with High Dynamic Range processing on this photograph. Here's what that turned out like:

Monday, September 26, 2011

Trackside Log for Monday, September 26, 2011

Tonight I was just returning from Missy's walk and thought I heard distant horns to the south. I went inside to get my camera and my neighbour Steve, his dog Riley, Missy and I walked back to the tracks to check it out. Sure enough what looked like train 255 was approaching in the waning light.

  • 1856 Fenwick - CP 2nd 247 north - CP 9738-CP 8638

A pair of Mexican migrant workers watched the train pass but there were no shiny new ES44ACs in tow. Evidently this was a 2nd train 247 that lifted overflow traffic out of Welland.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Trackside Log for Sunday, September 25, 2011

After a very quiet day before, with nary a train over the Canadian Pacific's Hamilton Subdivision in daylight, I turned the scanner on when I got up. I wasn't expecting much but It wasn't very long before a southbound announced the Boyle mile board. I drove over to Chantler Road for a nice morning photograph.

  • 0910 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CP 9702-CITX 3060

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Trackside Log for Saturday, September 17, 2011

This was the weekend of Binbrook Fair and I was on my way to Aldershot to pick Sam up from the train station. Her train wasn't due until 1357 so I had plenty of time to photograph some trains beforehand. First I decided to meet up with The Maple Leaf at Grimsby station.

  • 0932 Grimsby - VIA 97 east - AMTK 124

Next I headed on over to Lemonville Road in Aldershot to see what Canadian National was running for the morning. As it turned out, nothing. I wound up reading much of the book Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman. The Canadian National Oakville Subdivision was asleep. It wasn't until the mid-day VIA trains when I saw something rolling down the rails.

  • 1241 Aldershot - VIA 72 east - VIA 916
  • 1302 Aldershot - VIA 73 west - VIA 6427
  • 1304 Aldershot - CN 148 east - CN 8956-IC 2712-CN 5738

Unfortunately train 422 sneaked by me after 148. However, it was then time for Sam's train. I picked her up and we drove to Binbrook and the annual fall fair. It was a perfect weekend for it.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Trackside Log for Tuesday, September 13, 2011

I was just about to take Missy for her evening walk but stopped short when I heard air horns in the distance. I went back for my camera and then walked to the tracks to photograph the approaching northbound.

  • 1739 Fenwick - CP 255 north - CP 8749-DME 6087-HLCX 8139-DME 6368

Both the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern locomotives were formerly owned, and subsequently re-owned, by Canadian Pacific. DME 6087 is ex-CP 5411, née QNSL 215. DME 6368 is ex-HLCX 6368, ex-SOO 6368, née MILW 207:2.

Not long after Missy and I got home from our walk I could once again hear air horns from afar. This time it was a southbound which I decided to intercept at River Road.

  • 1839 Fenwick - CP 254 south - CEFX 1050-CP 9658

Those two locomotives looked quite familiar. They were both on the previous day's train 247.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Trackside Log for Monday, September 12, 2011

Just before Missy's walk this evening I heard on the scanner that Canadian Pacific train 247 was departing Buffalo, New York. I had plenty of time to get the walk in before it got to town. Later I discovered that the train would be lifting train 255's freight along with three engines from Welland Yard. That would take some time and I was worried it was going to get very dark before it finished. You see, two of those engines were brand new ES44ACs CP 8904 and CP 8903. Eventually they departed and I had just enough light for some photographs.

  • 1915 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CEFX 1050-SOO 6032-CP 9658-CP 8904-CP 8903

Since there is still a slow order between mile 23, where I took the above photographs, and mile 26 in Fenwick, one can easily drive ahead for a second photograph. I drove to Farr Street for another shot at the train.

  • 1927 Fenwick - CP 247 north - CEFX 1050-SOO 6032-CP 9658-CP 8904-CP 8903

It was getting dark very quickly but I managed to squeeze in the photograph. Once all 9000 feet of train had left town I drove back home where Missy was happy to see me. She even got to play with Riley, my neighbour's dog.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Trackside Log for Sunday, September 11, 2011

I was sitting at the computer this morning working on a couple projects and decided to turn the scanner on in the background. Moments later I heard a northbound announcing the Welland mile board with a clearance through to Vinemount. I got Missy and my camera and headed to Chantler Road for a photograph.

  • 0950 Fenwick - CP 627 north - CEFX 1045-CP 5935

Friday, September 02, 2011

Trackside Log for Friday, September 2, 2011

Today was the second of my five day long weekend. Unlike the previous day I had nothing planned other than some relaxation and photographic work on the computer. I had the scanner on and discovered that an empty ethanol train was departing Buffalo for the Canadian Pacific Hamilton Subdivision. I waited until it got to Welland Yard before Missy and I went to Farr Street for a photograph.

  • 1543 Fenwick - CP 627 north - CP 9721-CP 9577

The power for the train was rather mundane but I still like seeing a solid row of tank cars.