Mike In B&M Territory

My good friend, Trevor Marshall, sent me this picture taken many years ago when we would travel down to Springfield, Mass. for the huge train show.  Of course, that's me in front of a Boston and Maine buggy!  Thanks for sending the photograph along, Trevor.   Have a great train day everyone!

Ottawa Station

Ottawa's train station is located in the suburb of Alta Vista where I reside.

It's just a matter of a five minute drive in the car or a fifteen minute bike ride and I'm there!

This VIA train has arrived Ottawa from Montreal.

Of course, no bike riding for me in the wintertime, but I still like to get out to the station every now and then. This train is being readied for its trip eastbound to Montreal.

This train is readied for its trip westbound to Toronto.

Thanks for checking in!  Have a great day.  Mike Hamer

The Yard at Coteau

We are in the yard at Coteau, a junction just to the west of Montreal.  Coteau Junction is the location where the line to Ottawa veers off the mainline between Montreal and Toronto.  Another line arrives Coteau from the south which crosses the St. Lawrence River into the United States.

Suffice it to say that Coteau can be a very busy place.

The local crew is using this trio of locomotives to switch the yard.

Looking south and east we see the big curve in the tracks.

Lots of blocking of traffic was done in the short time we remained on site.

The crew entertained us very well.

Have a great day!  Mike Hamer

Railfanning Coteau Junction

One of our group's favourite railfanning hotspots is Coteau Jct. This is the location where the line from Ottawa meets CN's mainline between Montreal and Toronto. There always seems to be action of some sort when we visit Coteau and we are never disappointed!  This day was a Sunday, but the trains seem to run "24/7". We arrive the junction in the hopes of seeing the Ottawa Central come down to pick up its traffic for Hawksbury and L'Orignal.  While we wait, a number of trains begin their parade past the platform. The first was this CN drag from Toronto inbound to Montreal. That red nose certainly can be seen from quite a distance away!

A short while later, I managed to snag this westbound VIA train out of Montreal bound for Toronto. I really like the appearance of the clouds in the sky and the switch post certainly adds interest to the scene!  This little puppy was travelling at speed so, upon Chris's recomendation I set my shutter speed at 1/800.

Of course, we are looking east towards Montreal in this image. The blue, grey and gold colours of VIA look pretty good on these newer locomotives.  

  

The parade begins!  It wasn't ten minutes later when I heard someone in the group holler "headlight"! Turning around, I was able to set up for this shot of the eastbound counterpart, VIA heading into Montreal!  The corridor between Montreal and Toronto is a busy one.  

A short while later, we spot the Ottawa Central coming down off the line branching to the right. With a break in the mainline action, the Ottawa Central is able to take the crossovers and come into the yard for its interchange freight.

The train is pulled by three Alcos...all RS18's I believe. Two are painted in the "all black" scheme of the OC while the third is still in CP colours, with the "C" changed to an "O".  The crew are taking the crossovers to reach the traffic residing in the yard.

Love the look of these black beauties!

A going away shot.  Thanks so much for checking in on some of the mainline action at Coteau Junction between Toronto and Montreal.  Have a great day!  Mike Hamer.

An Engineer With a Smile

Our engineer who will be taking us on our first leg westward from Jasper was a very friendly fellow.

He happily posed for a picture or two and he explained the train operations for The Canadian.

Here we see our power, three FP40H's with some twenty or so cars. A fourth dome car was placed on the train here to allow more travellers to enjoy the mountain vistas.

Jasper, Alberta

We've arrived Jasper in the late afternoon. Lisa and the girls head into the station while I snap a few pics of the locomotives.

We have another diesel added to our consist for the run through the mountains.

These FP40H's are something else. They look attractive in the VIA paint scheme.

Now we have three units on our headend. Should be enough power to take us through the Rockies.

Three trains in one picture...The Canadian, the Rocky Mountaineer and a CN freight. Ah, railfanning is great in the Rocky Mountains!

Edmonton and On Westward!

Well, after a short stop in Alberta's capital, it's onward to the mountains. Let's see what we discover on our way to the foothills!

The Alberta Terminals Ltd. certainly is a big facility judging by its size and the number of freight cars around the grounds.

These Inland cars looked pretty fascinating so had to snap a shot of them against the bright blue sky!

I love when the train passes the big freightyards. This open hopper is very similar to the ones my good buddy, Chris Lyon, has on his model railroad. Hey Chris...these ones are weathered! (Just teasin')

This CN freight is "in the hole" awaiting our train and a crewman has jumped down from the diesel locomotive to perform a visual runby and get the switch.

I snapped this interesting angle from the below deck side window of the rear dome car known as the "Park Car"!

In my next posting we arrive Lake Wabumen...the site of a major derailment the summer before. I'll have to post some of last year's pics there as well!

More From Edmonton

We were lucky to have such beautiful weather when our train stopped at Edmonton. The layover was short...maybe 30 minutes. This gave us time to stretch our legs a bit.

It's nice to see that the railroad wants its passengers to enjoy the view...and good clean windows go a long way for our "creature comforts!"

Another shot of our Park Car on the rear of the train. The stainless steel sure looks beautiful against the deep blue morning sky!

How's this for your "artsy shot" of the day. Yes, that's the moon as it descends towards the horizon while the sun has established itself on such a fine day!

After the "all aboard" call we find our seats inside the train and I am eager to see what else is in the railyard here in Edmonton. It isn't long before this spreader comes into view. What a nice surprise that was!

Yet, another surprise awaits me as we pull out of the station. Yes, this BCRail Diesel sitting in the yard sure looks lonely in the mix of red, white an black CN motive power!

And...another picture of the same diesel all dressed in blue!

Indeed, Edmonton is a very busy yard!

Edmonton's Rail Yards

The next selection of images were taken when we approached the station in Edmonton.

This CN train, an eastbound was throttling up as it began to let the slack out to begin its journey across the Canadian prairies. The lead unit CN 4766 is a GP38-2.

Here's a "going away" shot of the same train. Those sergeant stripes on the second unit certainly stand out against any background! The trailing unit, #5503, is an SD50AF.

It was a thrill to capture this locomotive, GMD1 #1063, as they are rare beauties spotted mainly on prairie rails!

Here's another GMD1u #1409 sitting next to the shop building in a sergeant stripe scheme.

More equipment...an SW1200RS. The 1385 is enjoying a rest before it is called out for duty once again in an around the yard.

Another view of the switcher as it sits below the clear blue Edmonton skies.

This fellow, a GP38-2, appears to have suffered some sort of mishap!

On my model railroad we call similar incidents "service interruptions"!

Out On the Prairies

We've departed Winnipeg and soon the evening light diminishes. The following morning I awake and head up to the dome car to check out the sights before we arrive Edmonton.

It is a real treat to spot a couple of grain elevators...especially the older wooden ones. Of course, we probably passed quite a few throughout the overnight but at least I caught a shot of this one!

Again, my apologies for the bug splattered windows. This shot was taken in the early morning light somewhere in Alberta east of Edmonton.

This industry seems to be hopping judging by the amount of rail traffic on the property! My next posting will be of the action in and around the Edmonton diesel facilities.