tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83262544950764622522024-03-17T20:04:06.255-07:00Extra Train Stuff, Etc.The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-65176686852873881102020-08-18T13:29:00.002-07:002020-10-07T10:02:11.043-07:00Did you ever get to ride on this?<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">First, you'd have to be old enough to remember one of Canada's once famous trains. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This said, I guess I qualify because I'd just become a teenager and rode these trains over their short route several times during 1967.</span></span><br /></p><p>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbbQwMi0M8lT6k_xd6QNDSTwrvBJbo6Jf2eBRcbjcwp9z9FY1GcKp0GZLA6OBw2rMq3v-Qo2C8-_qu9es6mx1541Cnex9WtxBkSthRLUlXunnzgKOw08HbTfDGtBfeV68e8dbnVSmYmTD/s1600/image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="548" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbbQwMi0M8lT6k_xd6QNDSTwrvBJbo6Jf2eBRcbjcwp9z9FY1GcKp0GZLA6OBw2rMq3v-Qo2C8-_qu9es6mx1541Cnex9WtxBkSthRLUlXunnzgKOw08HbTfDGtBfeV68e8dbnVSmYmTD/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">The Expo Express was a rapid transit system consisting of five stations and a 3.5 mile route, running from Cité du Havre to La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.</span></span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Built for the 1967 World's Fair Expo 67 at a cost of around $18 million (CAD), these trains carried 1,000 passengers each and ran approximately every five minutes.</span></span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">In 1968 the cars were sold to the City of Montreal for $1.8 million and operated by the Montreal Transit Commission. The train remained in service for five more years for Man and His World (summer only); however, from 1969 onward, they ran on a shortened route when the terminus was cut back to Saint Helen's Island. After the 1972 season the service was withdrawn.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Interior of Expo Express train looking toward rear of car</span></span></td></tr>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">The Expo Express used standard railway technology, with two running rails and a third electrified rail identical to those of the Toronto subway. In fact, the trains used were a modified version of the Hawker Siddeley H-series used by the Toronto Transit Commission, except with one less door on each side, and streamlined ends. Consequently, unlike Montreal's Metro with rubber tires, the Expo Express used traditional steel-wheeled trains. The Expo Express also featured fully air conditioned passenger cars, whereas Montreal's Metro does not.<br /><br />The Expo Express was the first fully automated rapid transit system in North America, utilizing an Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system based on audio frequency track circuits furnished by the Union Switch & Signal division of Westinghouse Air Brake Company.<br /><br />This fact, however, was not widely publicized during the fair, as it was felt the public would not readily board a train controlled entirely by a computer. Operators from Montreal's transit union were placed in cabs at the front and given mundane tasks such as opening and closing the doors of the train to reduce boredom.</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bpUxqrcUNcV4dNdlqoWKtit452C4bhwxPnL_Jh6qEpzNgYXS8PHs-sp8GvQoGAXmIs4ud3aeC0Huwpkh-jfg55VO96aLSF0wlNTD62R-9jnr6LSgQotfzFGXBA9AotJKk0EHhy0LatfC/s600/Expo_Express_Jul_67_%25282%2529_%2528R%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bpUxqrcUNcV4dNdlqoWKtit452C4bhwxPnL_Jh6qEpzNgYXS8PHs-sp8GvQoGAXmIs4ud3aeC0Huwpkh-jfg55VO96aLSF0wlNTD62R-9jnr6LSgQotfzFGXBA9AotJKk0EHhy0LatfC/w640-h400/Expo_Express_Jul_67_%25282%2529_%2528R%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 1967<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">In 1973, the trains were stored on the Concorde Bridge between Saint Helen's and Notre Dame Islands. The north end of the line was demolished in 1974. In summer 1979 the trains were moved to the Port of Montreal via a temporary track, and stored at the nearby CN Point St-Charles Shops.<br /><br />After several unrealized schemes including a reported sale to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the cars were moved from Point St-Charles to an outdoor field storage facility in Les Cèdres in the mid/late 1980s, and were scrapped in 1995.</span></span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(Most of this material was taken from Wikipedia)</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"> The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-46003433771275188592020-08-13T16:30:00.000-07:002020-09-02T14:40:22.701-07:00Back From the Dead?<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">August 11, 2020</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 24.0pt;">CP: “We’re Back” on the Atlantic Ocean</span></b></div>
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Written by Andrew Corselli, Managing Editor, Railway Age<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincMwNrAC6bGfJ7DBH48vnuwJKZoOq8LeSlG3Awf24hTjhSoxJQVbr-i3BMk4g_95oLe4YIj4ttnMjwoK5k0EISvS7tAZ7X-9PWOXdi313FXHGoBYJ012vygfcBQHBlDhmPJlnpNjXahNq/s1600/CPR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincMwNrAC6bGfJ7DBH48vnuwJKZoOq8LeSlG3Awf24hTjhSoxJQVbr-i3BMk4g_95oLe4YIj4ttnMjwoK5k0EISvS7tAZ7X-9PWOXdi313FXHGoBYJ012vygfcBQHBlDhmPJlnpNjXahNq/s640/CPR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Canadian Pacific (CP) officially launched its international intermodal service through the Port of Saint John, N.B. the morning of Aug. 11. The inaugural train carried containers from the Hapag-Lloyd vessel Detroit Express bound for intermodal terminals on the CP network in Canada and the U.S.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">CP originated westbound train 251-11 for the Montreal region at Brownville Junction, Maine, with the first Port of Saint John containers on connection from the New Brunswick Southern (NBSR) and Eastern Maine (EMRY) railways. From Montreal, CP will move containers from the vessel Detroit Express on connecting trains to destinations that include Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Chicago and Minneapolis.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first eastbound intermodal train to the Port of Saint John departed Montreal on Friday, Aug. 7.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">CP gained access to the Port of Saint John via its purchase of the Central Maine & Quebec Railway (CMQ), completed in June. CP “has committed to investing $90 million over three years into the CMQ property to enhance safety and efficiency over the corridor. Complementing that investment is the port’s $205 million West Side Modernization project, which includes a new wharf, a terminal upgrade and a deeper shipping channel.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">CP said it anticipates that by year’s end it will be able to offer 24-hour service between Saint John and Montreal.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“The new Port of Saint John service offers shippers a compelling value: a congestion-free port with a world-class operator, matched with CP’s Precision Scheduled Railroading model,” said Keith Creel, CP President and CEO. “CP has been without access to a deep-water Atlantic Ocean port for a quarter-century, and today I’m pleased to deliver a simple message: We’re back.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“The Port of Saint John connection gives us the rare opportunity to offer shippers a truly new and extremely compelling service to reach North American markets,” said Jonathan Wahba, CP VP Sales and Marketing Intermodal and Automotive. “With a world-class terminal operator in DP World and CP’s investment in the CMQ, our customers will enjoy an unmatched value proposition that will benefit beneficial cargo owners for years to come.”</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA9aoDwdZ6nputzIlsSb5t1U6IuX3r2qkWoWvJ0pYHoG8n4vTW9zdqr7LOwusDOt8rBfPWEUr2CCKYCPS8Sni6Sbir3qy6YRtHoDkF7TxTbci9UZF32HkLl05sd8_vd_N-ay4fQKe4M1a/s1600/Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA9aoDwdZ6nputzIlsSb5t1U6IuX3r2qkWoWvJ0pYHoG8n4vTW9zdqr7LOwusDOt8rBfPWEUr2CCKYCPS8Sni6Sbir3qy6YRtHoDkF7TxTbci9UZF32HkLl05sd8_vd_N-ay4fQKe4M1a/s640/Map.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Footnote:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No caption was provided with the photograph at the top of this post, however the location is undoubtedly the renown railway bridge at Onawa, Maine.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This following image recorded some twenty-six or more years earlier should remove all doubt as to the location.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9oTeb3FxZvTbHjHD5QT-MzgvFQscIMWyitr2GFiETOwpSLoiuqQ9Ouq3cVoD64a-4adPldN9mIOPYeNstuGYtHhINIYsuOil6Rxd0g9_RNFc1e9V_XrI8MUtDl-lrBoK9Joqr_4bCBd8/s1600/69b510_33ac56d07d924b758dc4d66335b9a33d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9oTeb3FxZvTbHjHD5QT-MzgvFQscIMWyitr2GFiETOwpSLoiuqQ9Ouq3cVoD64a-4adPldN9mIOPYeNstuGYtHhINIYsuOil6Rxd0g9_RNFc1e9V_XrI8MUtDl-lrBoK9Joqr_4bCBd8/s640/69b510_33ac56d07d924b758dc4d66335b9a33d.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-45963300980769052422020-05-18T10:12:00.000-07:002020-05-18T10:12:53.315-07:00The Railway to Nowhere<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This train is on the way to Nowhere... it truly is.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy68lbW4e4ivHNHHNzB28RtJUhZA3b4w29KAwh2if0jhace9N_DClmMjQ0LO0NnZ43Ryehl2MP4zy2N0CnU4_b2btamexWHhf_XRKOsPDRINPIx0z9j8_qz8kU2Q419gLkZedFrFzZLWS2/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="427" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy68lbW4e4ivHNHHNzB28RtJUhZA3b4w29KAwh2if0jhace9N_DClmMjQ0LO0NnZ43Ryehl2MP4zy2N0CnU4_b2btamexWHhf_XRKOsPDRINPIx0z9j8_qz8kU2Q419gLkZedFrFzZLWS2/s640/unnamed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Probably the only sign of evidence confirming the existence of Nowhere.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRsFmbsDXPsCJCrIuodyULCCfj1xxaTxqNq2TNI3Ab1UI2O5aWDpeEEv5GQoO59NMM_JWO_Is3NoSJw9ymgP1eGpejR63mms9wv5alauRiv6MzJYlxKBSTeqd6wfRQ_dWCaxsdRbznNSe/s1600/2952118263_bb1504beb8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="500" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRsFmbsDXPsCJCrIuodyULCCfj1xxaTxqNq2TNI3Ab1UI2O5aWDpeEEv5GQoO59NMM_JWO_Is3NoSJw9ymgP1eGpejR63mms9wv5alauRiv6MzJYlxKBSTeqd6wfRQ_dWCaxsdRbznNSe/s640/2952118263_bb1504beb8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And one can still buy a ticket to Nowhere...</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Z0b-FNKjXwElpATSDwFXjy5xRbgfhN0H_MMrtl9JRvv0RHQvV1yYUh7yYY7baGG4y-WjCq-wNUm0WEEk7hJZIzLjPngSg8p_YfeelZTbK3g-uWNpiP_t9Vw_AFKWhPuUbi1kmrNMsJVU/s1600/SSR+ticket-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="991" data-original-width="489" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Z0b-FNKjXwElpATSDwFXjy5xRbgfhN0H_MMrtl9JRvv0RHQvV1yYUh7yYY7baGG4y-WjCq-wNUm0WEEk7hJZIzLjPngSg8p_YfeelZTbK3g-uWNpiP_t9Vw_AFKWhPuUbi1kmrNMsJVU/s640/SSR+ticket-2.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The generation gaps of train travel explained in under 25 words...</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCic4q6ThiJHpWhNgVte5LKkzce2p2XD6tS3hCosDeuJR_AdjEWWekfyaFbEW1S0x9Mnfe2TuUDwIBlkX20zgQDBb9nZUSum3RVJW-zxLZ17yuSjiC4TTE4Q20WKIyZBQtrunokoRZT_v/s1600/Grandpa%252C+Kimberly+%2526+Jonah+April+19+2019-R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="1152" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCic4q6ThiJHpWhNgVte5LKkzce2p2XD6tS3hCosDeuJR_AdjEWWekfyaFbEW1S0x9Mnfe2TuUDwIBlkX20zgQDBb9nZUSum3RVJW-zxLZ17yuSjiC4TTE4Q20WKIyZBQtrunokoRZT_v/s640/Grandpa%252C+Kimberly+%2526+Jonah+April+19+2019-R.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where it all starts these days...</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSY-9d-dFHZUusZ_wVePwOeR9KOTDgng5CCRKGBJS8HyKPSLVWuRVE6AaFYK-ce8znvSZ3MgYAmIJKRitL99MDtgEKlLSgavZQgEuABmF392_ZPqq8HcqyGv-k0h4nZQ_M00dVW95MbrO/s1600/ssr-station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="550" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSY-9d-dFHZUusZ_wVePwOeR9KOTDgng5CCRKGBJS8HyKPSLVWuRVE6AaFYK-ce8znvSZ3MgYAmIJKRitL99MDtgEKlLSgavZQgEuABmF392_ZPqq8HcqyGv-k0h4nZQ_M00dVW95MbrO/s640/ssr-station.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the "Once Upon a Time" section of this post...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Nowhere was nowhere to be found in the schedule...</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0s5kV_N3LPcNLgnvG7TvUOtY5l7E5m1vZWL9jNEyXe_-A61ZfcISvG_hPPwzohCkGSShMg0uIYmuISbxmq39tQo1btHGK8rdS3flICpG1MYcbwPugNbM6ltNO-04t-bWxLuUo2jYdU8d/s1600/Table+86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="466" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0s5kV_N3LPcNLgnvG7TvUOtY5l7E5m1vZWL9jNEyXe_-A61ZfcISvG_hPPwzohCkGSShMg0uIYmuISbxmq39tQo1btHGK8rdS3flICpG1MYcbwPugNbM6ltNO-04t-bWxLuUo2jYdU8d/s640/Table+86.jpg" width="520" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From CNR's 1959-1960 schedule</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A visual record of one of those trains really does exist online... this image was recorded in 1960.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyASm1-1_7NwJF9VKhO_8DeXZjSlBC9SCz55uces_eNS1GtxzAoFbW0CGg0uAuVM72BDGRebXqVFRbYs2UR5mPf3YcG0qnLcYK9Qa95IHaAgY90c_N1XBDkVUwk9OOUPu1_TBRTXr8J9f/s1600/D-1_colour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="760" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyASm1-1_7NwJF9VKhO_8DeXZjSlBC9SCz55uces_eNS1GtxzAoFbW0CGg0uAuVM72BDGRebXqVFRbYs2UR5mPf3YcG0qnLcYK9Qa95IHaAgY90c_N1XBDkVUwk9OOUPu1_TBRTXr8J9f/s640/D-1_colour.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pwJ1IeiBYUrFoweu31am15eqVcDkOwgugvgSR7UEl5EwfBIGdgogIGbVWBrNcj9ejDf-XAmLlzFekyv1eOEcJ8otH82EELcyPBu6F7Gs7XcGLUF145eN9blik2QcQrwa8_KcZWkHpMk4/s1600/71ThJ6xQZML.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1094" data-original-width="831" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pwJ1IeiBYUrFoweu31am15eqVcDkOwgugvgSR7UEl5EwfBIGdgogIGbVWBrNcj9ejDf-XAmLlzFekyv1eOEcJ8otH82EELcyPBu6F7Gs7XcGLUF145eN9blik2QcQrwa8_KcZWkHpMk4/s320/71ThJ6xQZML.jpg" width="243" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although one can no longer ride the rails from Abbey to Zorra via Bagdad today, this far into the 21st century one can still take a train from Tottenham to the middle of Nowhere...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkRCcLQ5tKT4QAxC7E4Ux55nsbnq7ZWsGIiDiLsyblbeV7zJXrRVwX2MhSCCx5UyPuGAvF90NtuLkBhJ4CF71pqPA5VvWhxnS-R4Z_EjzAeEkP791z58nihnJB-Je8jOLbVjoJ6K5WDuV/s1600/ssr_logo_transp1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="121" data-original-width="92" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkRCcLQ5tKT4QAxC7E4Ux55nsbnq7ZWsGIiDiLsyblbeV7zJXrRVwX2MhSCCx5UyPuGAvF90NtuLkBhJ4CF71pqPA5VvWhxnS-R4Z_EjzAeEkP791z58nihnJB-Je8jOLbVjoJ6K5WDuV/s200/ssr_logo_transp1.gif" width="150" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But getting to Tottenham?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-81224182221325991482017-03-03T06:42:00.001-08:002018-02-05T16:48:17.121-08:00Footnotes from the "Department of Useless Information"<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>CP Rail's Train 40</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my younger years my father used to call me, "The Department of
Useless Information" because I could recite details from CP Rail's
timetables that no one would ever need or want to know. Admittedly at
the time that moniker would rankle me but in hindsight his remark
probably reflected an element of fact. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This posting will do the same<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">;</span> provide useless details that no one needs or wants to know. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For summer 197<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3</span> (and subsequent summer seasons in the mid 70's) CP Rail dug Train 40 out of their archives to number The Atlantic Limited, as detailed in the following frame.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uvAVtAedeo4gSwXXFyBC7gqjYUxj9sPQ9-OLlX-Z1-k9eRyolde9R2qQSRkEpPKUyzdQfIwssJPUbfOXXRud6_mVgslUXOssYrL0C9wtdmnAK8TfAG_7pEPtZAl1Nvs8ms4V807O6pNK/s1600/Train+40+schedule+April+1974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uvAVtAedeo4gSwXXFyBC7gqjYUxj9sPQ9-OLlX-Z1-k9eRyolde9R2qQSRkEpPKUyzdQfIwssJPUbfOXXRud6_mVgslUXOssYrL0C9wtdmnAK8TfAG_7pEPtZAl1Nvs8ms4V807O6pNK/s640/Train+40+schedule+April+1974.jpg" width="408" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Train 40's schedule from CP Rail's April 1974 public timetable</span></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC8LfgWQHtWF3bNjn9MHKJd-9yPNI8RHvVlIX87R7nv_ObuXWsVbqsJAtLITwNcXmNvIGcqflfsmmFXjX6IeT2UNRVy6bkwihSXoctku03LrHNmXkNYI-_dUoz3UJcjxbCgNKUi5v3DoI/s1600/Train+40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="760" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC8LfgWQHtWF3bNjn9MHKJd-9yPNI8RHvVlIX87R7nv_ObuXWsVbqsJAtLITwNcXmNvIGcqflfsmmFXjX6IeT2UNRVy6bkwihSXoctku03LrHNmXkNYI-_dUoz3UJcjxbCgNKUi5v3DoI/s640/Train+40.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A photo fresh from the internet: this train was identified only as the Atlantic Limited. The recognizable location was Windsor Station in Montreal and given the bright time of day this was likely Train 40 rather than 42.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfO8CNYS9cyURwppcvQ804Yy270UUo1CA1LrBlGoR7Dn7LrYK-UYHRkQ5Ci088KsYJmSBvY0VQ982hL0kHjjDDYTr2XsWFdcP_1ltU7VKcwc5UomAHWqQcasLS7TDwToBWuj47FqRUO8w/s1600/CPR+schedule+Sept+1950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfO8CNYS9cyURwppcvQ804Yy270UUo1CA1LrBlGoR7Dn7LrYK-UYHRkQ5Ci088KsYJmSBvY0VQ982hL0kHjjDDYTr2XsWFdcP_1ltU7VKcwc5UomAHWqQcasLS7TDwToBWuj47FqRUO8w/s640/CPR+schedule+Sept+1950.jpg" width="499" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The original Train 40's schedule as published in CPR's September 1950 public timetable. Unlike in 1973, during the early 1950's, Trains 40 and 42 operated concurrently rather than alternatively.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not too long ago while looking through an old book, this piece torn from an envelope unexpectedly slipped out from the pages (which eventually prompted this post). The following undated scrap recorded the consist of Train 40 in summer 197<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3</span> when I made an after-work Friday evening trip from Montreal to Scotstown.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj0g-u7691FxJTbZB-AnyZqNMsuxJwTXTTqGwllDDaSi5UMba4XH8vnR0evwl22IYfRMBd5A99w_K4ueF1yncb3xjfKnQrxC-na6-Vk4MVwVoSQ5cJhYQrQgu_iSGYsjpz7gelCJghfe9/s1600/Train+40+consist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj0g-u7691FxJTbZB-AnyZqNMsuxJwTXTTqGwllDDaSi5UMba4XH8vnR0evwl22IYfRMBd5A99w_K4ueF1yncb3xjfKnQrxC-na6-Vk4MVwVoSQ5cJhYQrQgu_iSGYsjpz7gelCJghfe9/s400/Train+40+consist.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Recorded during the journey.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Missing from the list: the bagga<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ge car and</span> the locomotive unit assigned to haul the train; perhaps
one of the two usual E-8's had been given the task but today one can only speculate.
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Surprisingly and more than 40 years later, the four former CP Rail stainless steel cars listed above remain in active service on Via Rail's trains today. 2249, the exception, was an Angus-built coach.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFm_WyH3-zyFuooBR1d3No5VgJUymfWzqc6wIbxkI7nlIxL1FuuxyScMHao4NUd_iZw8aye4tKp6RuzYlfIR9HEX_JQu2Xq9e3KZW_yDO6olm0y8lc8VOyLhbiN98W0nB6scAsGmXCXyA/s1600/Glass+Attic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFm_WyH3-zyFuooBR1d3No5VgJUymfWzqc6wIbxkI7nlIxL1FuuxyScMHao4NUd_iZw8aye4tKp6RuzYlfIR9HEX_JQu2Xq9e3KZW_yDO6olm0y8lc8VOyLhbiN98W0nB6scAsGmXCXyA/s640/Glass+Attic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> view</span></span> inside the glass attic w<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">as</span> captured
by Donald Haskel on CP Rail’s Train 40 when "The Atlantic Limited" was operating on its <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">summer</span> schedule.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>The scene above was recorded</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> in Montreal on July 07, 1977, </span></span>just moments prior to the
18:05 departure from Windsor Station. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you Mr. Haskel for taking the photograph and sharing it with us.
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXqP5Z_BSujsrdFBGG_NvyTSUHLEqOLjwQrV8qMfGizZQx8pR-yW6JClMP-YT3fm3Ccaq7ZgFaw6q-_t0h9VRzi2e5EyRZOiPxK58ngfmp7Jnq_YmSJ992HQ-uJP7FVdsPqpStwRw6LS7/s1600/Train+41+summer+1971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXqP5Z_BSujsrdFBGG_NvyTSUHLEqOLjwQrV8qMfGizZQx8pR-yW6JClMP-YT3fm3Ccaq7ZgFaw6q-_t0h9VRzi2e5EyRZOiPxK58ngfmp7Jnq_YmSJ992HQ-uJP7FVdsPqpStwRw6LS7/s640/Train+41+summer+1971.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This July 1971 image records Train 41, the westbound "Atlantic Limited" crossing the St. Lawrence River and minutes away from the first of its three Montreal stops. The Train 40 consist recorded on that paper scrap would have been an almost identical match to this scene illustrated here. (Stan J Smaill photo)</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFv-fl3TZBTEZGD1S2MOxkXsc4gHBjflyCgI1q8x6IHuVeP6UM8CbB34Sp6ByprNw-4SNR3DrDkePlCdp26AU3EJlO4skPvXnJACrFkkd59fLTSn51DJOZe2SbKq7l8FXpUDoGbHnFAMUa/s1600/CPR+pass+June+76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFv-fl3TZBTEZGD1S2MOxkXsc4gHBjflyCgI1q8x6IHuVeP6UM8CbB34Sp6ByprNw-4SNR3DrDkePlCdp26AU3EJlO4skPvXnJACrFkkd59fLTSn51DJOZe2SbKq7l8FXpUDoGbHnFAMUa/s640/CPR+pass+June+76.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Occasionally CP Rail would issue me a pass using this older Canadian Pacific form.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I</span>n June '76 I made my only trip on CP
Rail's "Atlantic Limited" </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">as a CP employee<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">;</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the train</span> was operating on its Train 40 summer
schedule. By this time, CP Rail had dropped their train's name <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">from the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">public timetable</span>.</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Department of Useless Information</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">a.k.a. The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-57045340543901090182015-10-26T15:47:00.001-07:002017-09-01T18:45:09.903-07:00A few more CSRR September Musings<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A ticket to ride...</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnRVqTO-UwDlII5YZK-9pt18lXr4UWeO5tGbg6c4bZtOjCHVZpz3tmQCOvgM4atCYVfxorOKl-m7P0Jx3mAix3PEfV5HamTaexutr2plZl0EMogUioBB9t0WV1bGZZJSi_E-MdOk6CJye/s1600/CSRR+Ticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnRVqTO-UwDlII5YZK-9pt18lXr4UWeO5tGbg6c4bZtOjCHVZpz3tmQCOvgM4atCYVfxorOKl-m7P0Jx3mAix3PEfV5HamTaexutr2plZl0EMogUioBB9t0WV1bGZZJSi_E-MdOk6CJye/s400/CSRR+Ticket.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7buQlP8717C91m8ftL100WBmpElWYg5yftfMOxo-JJHwp4nKTo4f40-IOf8l9erwmMGGfC-abncZZZ3ALQpnJkldcZlBpdYySd1bEfCupbmUnNko98rnCkTRNgUdPNdzeZpdyHSQMRGg/s1600/CSRR+timetable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7buQlP8717C91m8ftL100WBmpElWYg5yftfMOxo-JJHwp4nKTo4f40-IOf8l9erwmMGGfC-abncZZZ3ALQpnJkldcZlBpdYySd1bEfCupbmUnNko98rnCkTRNgUdPNdzeZpdyHSQMRGg/s400/CSRR+timetable.jpg" width="172" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQYC8E0NoMdlI3wr08uZzBOB6aCJFyUDfFoRsTenC97TaAq3Y6gBRHcPS7KDa0SC-iAAZ-yqPefpuDNDWgOATWOczCLPcN-G0P5wXZgGnNf0EAaHoF2Uf7t8z8CdQoU_2V1kAcmnBLDEB/s1600/CSRR+TT5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQYC8E0NoMdlI3wr08uZzBOB6aCJFyUDfFoRsTenC97TaAq3Y6gBRHcPS7KDa0SC-iAAZ-yqPefpuDNDWgOATWOczCLPcN-G0P5wXZgGnNf0EAaHoF2Uf7t8z8CdQoU_2V1kAcmnBLDEB/s400/CSRR+TT5.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">41 Years! </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of the dot.com and many tech companies didn't last very long, certainly not four decades, so the Conway Scenic Railroad must be doing something right to be around after 41 years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">North Conway, New Hampshire, is well-known for tax free outlet shopping, but for me, the main attraction has always been the trains.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxVR9i2kp9DlDEmNXlmpF6vP4x9JI_HwIxgDuh5e0Gx7Tk-MMZKKXUfiilBMbpHg8odO-70gJ_ipSfgKyWRSHtIaeiHjhpXwhvEidshr_0Z0w_IAta6sZQsQ_RGsoGO-uUbAzHALzaAPA/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxVR9i2kp9DlDEmNXlmpF6vP4x9JI_HwIxgDuh5e0Gx7Tk-MMZKKXUfiilBMbpHg8odO-70gJ_ipSfgKyWRSHtIaeiHjhpXwhvEidshr_0Z0w_IAta6sZQsQ_RGsoGO-uUbAzHALzaAPA/s1600/index.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay! I'll admit to doing some shopping... after all, who doesn't like a bargain at stores you cannot and will not find north of the border. This said, I still like to ride the trains while the others go shopping at Settler's Green and other places.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Very little seems to change from year to year but on a comfortable, sunny afternoon I still like to spend a few hours wandering around the grounds... which is okay but just keep off the tracks... and record a few images.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As the following two scenes of CSRR252 resplendent in Maine Central colours show, all is very quiet at the station depot and in the yard between train times. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0QOuLTRRT_wUIEqpBIncW7h82NbHXI5P_3wOq8-KE05cta3pfwWwUxcIMyM5qQ3EaFznx-d2jFf-K2KAUOuDxYvT7GAs41Njo20Vuo2pBa-7CvbSw7iAVXvmyLZ0PSzuZl5QeKnK3Ajg/s1600/CSRR+252+at+N+Conway+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0QOuLTRRT_wUIEqpBIncW7h82NbHXI5P_3wOq8-KE05cta3pfwWwUxcIMyM5qQ3EaFznx-d2jFf-K2KAUOuDxYvT7GAs41Njo20Vuo2pBa-7CvbSw7iAVXvmyLZ0PSzuZl5QeKnK3Ajg/s640/CSRR+252+at+N+Conway+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeE1bz_4a7Aw8-xmbIO5CZ0QgcGlfk2lL9Pcr_-k1n4OfeM549MihC7jXBPbl6UFQsfmcaL4FgwIOCFKfX3qEv5C3cExMZ2IgjFd8653Q6jQHjOx3hzsBX2u7ZBgXBW8NmxDv6epAStz3S/s1600/CSRR+252+at+N+Conway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeE1bz_4a7Aw8-xmbIO5CZ0QgcGlfk2lL9Pcr_-k1n4OfeM549MihC7jXBPbl6UFQsfmcaL4FgwIOCFKfX3qEv5C3cExMZ2IgjFd8653Q6jQHjOx3hzsBX2u7ZBgXBW8NmxDv6epAStz3S/s640/CSRR+252+at+N+Conway.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PoK2HsQGa5U7l-yA5YjevwmE2JM41tA-d027XITRzbI9mzZ3bI9JQGEesssoZ0kFz4wiQxF0PkSmwRtJOc1GfhtceGZLfnhFPSBVsB_PSSzsKxbcsh8z0UwAuerVcb4alPxgBJLRpBT8/s1600/CSRR+573+and+train+at+N+Conway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PoK2HsQGa5U7l-yA5YjevwmE2JM41tA-d027XITRzbI9mzZ3bI9JQGEesssoZ0kFz4wiQxF0PkSmwRtJOc1GfhtceGZLfnhFPSBVsB_PSSzsKxbcsh8z0UwAuerVcb4alPxgBJLRpBT8/s640/CSRR+573+and+train+at+N+Conway.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 11:30 a.m. departure having returned from Bartlett; now accepting passengers and preparing to become the 1:30 p.m. departure to Conway.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJobTAK2rH6O38Ngb0lvRTxtmS78NPFjiVAq10ZSGykVHX3ryf1TyRnz2QM_PlC1nlrHGG0_sam2On4-u4UksVOmY1JbWg_64F0wz3EIkvbmvNJWdBlY39tGEHSJtU_8bKO_5z8xxwLMh3/s1600/CSRR+TT3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJobTAK2rH6O38Ngb0lvRTxtmS78NPFjiVAq10ZSGykVHX3ryf1TyRnz2QM_PlC1nlrHGG0_sam2On4-u4UksVOmY1JbWg_64F0wz3EIkvbmvNJWdBlY39tGEHSJtU_8bKO_5z8xxwLMh3/s640/CSRR+TT3.jpg" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A look at the 2015 schedule and train times.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9cVwzUPBQc302Rv2nR2feBlzZR87WMI1vQV-TdKM7-i6sCnJdHlrhCBAbaS3fGu-xNYHAd5_KJM03HcyhSEYksfKC6g1QhG0VotM4fIhjlK53dAbz18bTCSmAylHkMwcUM9j12Gwv7Qv/s1600/CSRR+573+and+train+at+N+Conway+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9cVwzUPBQc302Rv2nR2feBlzZR87WMI1vQV-TdKM7-i6sCnJdHlrhCBAbaS3fGu-xNYHAd5_KJM03HcyhSEYksfKC6g1QhG0VotM4fIhjlK53dAbz18bTCSmAylHkMwcUM9j12Gwv7Qv/s640/CSRR+573+and+train+at+N+Conway+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At 1:32 p.m. and with bell ringing, 573 and passenger cars departs southward for Conway, NH.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZiMc6BaOYZWhh9M2x_aeybX6NnFV-OqkPTOvEWBqBzXCqePIkgZMhZbO9LFPOQyJNmig2d4H_VlMPJDMnd06xSpG9XO9bJyOo7g7j-27Ox1wo-I6DXp1k3bSTgz3sL9ZgICqR8VVYsD6/s1600/CSRR+at+Bartlett+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZiMc6BaOYZWhh9M2x_aeybX6NnFV-OqkPTOvEWBqBzXCqePIkgZMhZbO9LFPOQyJNmig2d4H_VlMPJDMnd06xSpG9XO9bJyOo7g7j-27Ox1wo-I6DXp1k3bSTgz3sL9ZgICqR8VVYsD6/s640/CSRR+at+Bartlett+2.jpg" width="608" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The run-around as seen from on board - a familiar scene shortly after the train arrives in Bartlett. The markers (lantern displaying the green light) have already been hung in preparation for the return to North Conway.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5zZEIQPJZVmSgj8tJCdMQONA6D1JBfdcUaulbrzjdGK7JZYUfc-1lencZxwtnVQc5XZsCVXQlIIw_uLUgbRZPPFtNZGeeC9wH9MtwS3kswUfWntrxpSvZx3VcOEMLZ9hM4b6O1UmF4Vv/s1600/Awaiting+Departure+from+Bartlett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5zZEIQPJZVmSgj8tJCdMQONA6D1JBfdcUaulbrzjdGK7JZYUfc-1lencZxwtnVQc5XZsCVXQlIIw_uLUgbRZPPFtNZGeeC9wH9MtwS3kswUfWntrxpSvZx3VcOEMLZ9hM4b6O1UmF4Vv/s640/Awaiting+Departure+from+Bartlett.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A night train seconds away from departure at Bartlett a few Septembers earlier.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next: the Conway Scenic Railroad's Notch Trains visit here in summer and fall, but for most of the year the railway north of Bartlett, NH, remain dormant.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9SahHpABYowMmqMgMaB-fYjWoH_YDyg7wZHwB0J3div3jCH52zvkvPfSJIWlT6qnYnxbG9X5MGqzEARtFRgiVyMv_B-VIfmurajHY8Y8m6hmEdqulLQdcMSvP_cKOGlxbZ0fWk7XGFuY/s1600/At+Crawford+Notch+station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9SahHpABYowMmqMgMaB-fYjWoH_YDyg7wZHwB0J3div3jCH52zvkvPfSJIWlT6qnYnxbG9X5MGqzEARtFRgiVyMv_B-VIfmurajHY8Y8m6hmEdqulLQdcMSvP_cKOGlxbZ0fWk7XGFuY/s640/At+Crawford+Notch+station.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ben and Catherine in front of the former Maine Central Railroad station at Crawford Notch.</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdGE3k34OAhMJGroltEph3mWT6_OTd-Q74q4VQYwEA2G0B9Ds7prSL3JS2NpIRYnmgzzV8ERcO-EFkgpiIv9nYiGEyutZz7qul8o80V5xLtL2TTeNuAOau8Dwo-qnWVpzGUxLS65m2Mrr/s1600/CSRR+TT4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdGE3k34OAhMJGroltEph3mWT6_OTd-Q74q4VQYwEA2G0B9Ds7prSL3JS2NpIRYnmgzzV8ERcO-EFkgpiIv9nYiGEyutZz7qul8o80V5xLtL2TTeNuAOau8Dwo-qnWVpzGUxLS65m2Mrr/s640/CSRR+TT4.jpg" width="574" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A word to those who may take railroading a little too seriously: don't be so quick to dismiss Thomas that Tank Engine as kid's stuff. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most North Americans under 50 have never set foot on a passenger train. Most
Canadians under 40 don't know that Canada's two main railways once had
their own separate, competing passenger train services. Unless one lives in close proximity to a mainline or branch line, railways today for the most part, are largely invisible and unknown. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thomas & Friends have introduced several generations of little people to the world of railroads, a world those young people would probably never see or learn about.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-33696099716238467922015-08-03T07:41:00.001-07:002017-07-24T10:54:45.146-07:00A Few Old Train Photo Yarns<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What does one do with old railway photos and images that don't quite fit into a category or topic but may have a story behind them nonetheless?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following are a few thoughts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. An introduction</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhln2vUKc1Nu48vvgtG27dHh1BQNdXtBHyCyjvxOL9ZJ2gTZUt4dYEAwUZD_8NhO6JF9ab24iuo2XzVADWvASaBxVAFp1aY2szER-lH14OeHPL6GNHwDtif62T5CXdd13DjqJN1jovaN21o/s1600/CP8515+at+Vancouver+in+Summer+1974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhln2vUKc1Nu48vvgtG27dHh1BQNdXtBHyCyjvxOL9ZJ2gTZUt4dYEAwUZD_8NhO6JF9ab24iuo2XzVADWvASaBxVAFp1aY2szER-lH14OeHPL6GNHwDtif62T5CXdd13DjqJN1jovaN21o/s640/CP8515+at+Vancouver+in+Summer+1974.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Summer 1974</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One memorable warm summer Saturday evening I was to meet up with and join a
group at one of those popular restaurants in Gastown. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With its partly re-cobbled
streets, quasi-quaint exotic shops, and unusual eateries with fancier
names than their fare, Gastown was that area of refurbished older
buildings in what was probably the oldest part of downtown Vancouver. CP Rail was immediately behind the buildings on Water Street.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My cousin Monica had spontaneously organized this outing, inviting any friend and
acquaintance she could think of inviting on the spur of the moment, and then she scrambled to
make the arrangements. Monica was often arranging last-minute group
outings to unusual locations and establishments. Usually invited to tag
along, I was grateful to be included. At times I also wondered if she was
deliberately trying to introduce me to some of her friends. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just feet away from the entrance of my intended destination, I unexpectedly noticed a bright red CP Rail diesel sitting in the yard near the foot Carrall Street. My then new Kodak pocket camera was tucked into my pocket so I detoured over to quickly grab this scene of CP 8515. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No doubt this wasn't the party Monica had schemed for me to meet, however this was the only photo and number I took home that evening.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Thanksgiving in Kicking Horse Pass</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3lRnYbkRuI-K27g-7CjMI0BVZUz_FFTIv4aPSS_7BLbYvDtVuavQ_dddl4tsw0xnS-gplGyMpyBPdAAdqWyB-RHn-y37wCE3BUH1dEFtiamlDASWBmwnQJdMdNqSmSYDQTkibXSW1fPT/s1600/Mile+Board+133+of+Laggan+Sub+October+1974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3lRnYbkRuI-K27g-7CjMI0BVZUz_FFTIv4aPSS_7BLbYvDtVuavQ_dddl4tsw0xnS-gplGyMpyBPdAAdqWyB-RHn-y37wCE3BUH1dEFtiamlDASWBmwnQJdMdNqSmSYDQTkibXSW1fPT/s640/Mile+Board+133+of+Laggan+Sub+October+1974.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mile board 133 of CP Rail's Laggan Sub <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">in October 1974.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">October 1974</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_e6PEQ5pXiykEDpVNGo91shit_GrUcBlCfQaQdcABUGJPWT24nsIzGAB6uFgufl5YjQ0Sjf6g0EPHky-yP4PEIPMhzw9ncllt8BmFsktt0cESXiiGHnf0s8yL90OApKGXjRDWDDLpV3ul/s1600/Train+2+Oct+74-A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_e6PEQ5pXiykEDpVNGo91shit_GrUcBlCfQaQdcABUGJPWT24nsIzGAB6uFgufl5YjQ0Sjf6g0EPHky-yP4PEIPMhzw9ncllt8BmFsktt0cESXiiGHnf0s8yL90OApKGXjRDWDDLpV3ul/s400/Train+2+Oct+74-A.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">October 1974, Train 2 departing from Field, BC.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moments after abandoning the onboard comforts of "The Canadian" at Field, BC, I grabbed this image of CP Rail's departing Train 2 about to commence its assault of the "Big Hill"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watching that train disappear really did feel like having waved good-bye to the last chance to change my mind about walking up that same hill.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Two
hours later at mile board 133, </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was in this craggy corner of British Columbia that I
had often dreamed about one day visiting. </span>Now truly in the middle of nowhere, I was alone and
isolated from everyone except for the people in the cars and trucks that
raced by overhead. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This day had certainly arrived but I hadn't expected a cool, damp, overcast October weekend because I had
always visualized a warm, sunny, late August summer day. My temporary
resting place was beneath the Trans-Canada Highway on the bridge's concrete support footing, a sheltered front row seat facing the famed
Canadian Pacific route through Kicking Horse Pass. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The
highway overpass was a perfect location to break my trek, rest and
celebrate Thanksgiving Weekend with the special meal I had brought along
just for this occasion. My meal consisted of English muffins, cheese
slices and a tiny bottle of red wine. To provide some atmosphere of
elegance, other than only the scenery, I brought along a few paper cups I had
picked up from train's water cooler. At least a paper cup was a step
above having to drink out of the bottle. Of course I would've preferred that traditional hot
turkey dinner with my family in Montreal''s West Island, which I was certain they would
be having this weekend, but I was a little too far away to join them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">After
opening the bottle of wine and filling a paper cup, I stretched out and
raised my arm then exclaimed aloud, "Here's to you Canada!" and then as
an afterthought added aloud, “Here's to you CPR!” </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Welcome to Field</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9oIqSaSEgSirARmkxa21m-i6EI9WDLLL-xCsLXC-PtbbJ20GiwYbvbZ521bPmXHoIfdF983Z63aqfQf__cdj9AIBShQUaedZbLYf3J01tlqhwklxIFGqB-p_9fftn3lh2U9JMYs2-BF7/s1600/Train+2+at+Field+BC..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9oIqSaSEgSirARmkxa21m-i6EI9WDLLL-xCsLXC-PtbbJ20GiwYbvbZ521bPmXHoIfdF983Z63aqfQf__cdj9AIBShQUaedZbLYf3J01tlqhwklxIFGqB-p_9fftn3lh2U9JMYs2-BF7/s640/Train+2+at+Field+BC..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">CP Rail's Train <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1</span> during the 10 minute crew-change stop at Field, BC.</span></span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Summer 1975... when we were young and foolish.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">At
dusk we were unceremoniously awakened by a park ranger who ordered us
to pack up and move to one of Yoho Park’s designated campsites; we had camped out beside the main highway. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Upon
inquiring where the nearest site was, we were informed it was several
miles back near Leanchoil. Absolutely no way were either Michael or I
going to be moved in any direction away from Field so we refused to move
our camp. In spite of the ranger's threats to fine us for illegally
camping we continued to refuse to be pushed into walking any further in
any direction. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Neither one of us
could have walked anyway; our feet were too sore. Relenting somewhat, Michael and I did offer
to break camp only if we could have a ride into Field. The park ranger
refused and gave us some official excuse about not being allowed to
carry passengers in a park vehicle regardless of the fact his girlfriend was sitting in the cab. After a few more minutes of heated argument and
our unbending refusal to move, the ranger finally gave in and accepted
our terms. He drove us into Field.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Field
did not have a hotel or motel but, with some assistance from the park
ranger, Michael and I managed to rent a room for the night in the
upstairs of the local watering hole. Beyond the door to our room was a
single uncovered light bulb in the ceiling, an unshaded window and two
beds with bare mattresses. In some way the architectural similarity of
the building reminded me of the bedrooms in my grandparents' house. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">"What a dump." Michael complained.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"Looks pretty darn good to me... and clean too." I said, very grateful not to be spending another night outdoors sleeping on top of rocks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"Eighteen dollars for this? I think you paid too much." he commented.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"This was a bargain Mike. Believe me, in the morning you'll feel differently about this place." I said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"Which bed do you want?" he asked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"The nearest one. I can't walk any further." I replied.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Our
ordeal was over and I felt like a humiliated survivor rather than a
triumphant adventurer. We fell four miles short of our goal but in those
two days we had managed to cover on foot at least 31 miles of the 35 miles from Golden, BC. We were
probably lucky to be leaving with our bodies and minds intact. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The following evening we picked up Train 2 for our return to Vancouver.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Our foot journey was a gruelling experience that neither of us would forget and
that day would prove to be my last visit on foot into the wilds of the
Rockies.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Amtrak Days</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZ6hr-DKDFpDzy-sMgyRb4L3AHawXoPuWkRAa8DDmkG7-8lvpVQ8bSPxkIvmVs-vhNsk7_kR9OoiAVKsQgN99G-EWy0QqlR6fHENTKTMoWK1548-UFFWP3FnPi9_2JyX-xZZmLuL0zqK0/s1600/Amtrak+schedule+effective+May+15+1975.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="521" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZ6hr-DKDFpDzy-sMgyRb4L3AHawXoPuWkRAa8DDmkG7-8lvpVQ8bSPxkIvmVs-vhNsk7_kR9OoiAVKsQgN99G-EWy0QqlR6fHENTKTMoWK1548-UFFWP3FnPi9_2JyX-xZZmLuL0zqK0/s640/Amtrak+schedule+effective+May+15+1975.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Abstract from Amtrak's public timetable effective May 15, 1975</span></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">November 1975</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For a brief time my Saturdays became "Amtrak" days. An Amtrak Day to Seattle was
long; four and a half hours of train travel to get there, seven hours there
and almost five hours to return. Travelling alone and spending a rainy
day in Seattle was depressing. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Daily I prayed to God and begged for a
miracle to change <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">som</span>e circumstances (read: floundering LDR) in my life, so that doing crazy
things such as going to Seattle to send and receive mail would not be
necessary, but nothing changed. I felt as if the louder I shouted toward
heaven, the more God seemed to ignore me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The downpour outside was unrelenting and walking around was not in any way appealing. More
than four hours remained until train time and I was wasting those hours
in Seattle’s King Street station. A panhandler was
shuffling around and searching through the station’s garbage bins.
Eventually he stopped in front of me but I did not look up from what I
was doing. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Do you have any money you can part with?” he asked.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That was a strange way to ask for money because all money was money that could be parted with in one way or another. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Here.” I eventually answered and handed him a few dollars, hoping he would go away.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Thank you.” he replied, sounding somewhat surprised.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Instead of wandering off, the vagrant sat on the bench and began to talk to me. “I haven’t always lived like this.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I did not say anything. I did not know what to say to him. I did not want to have to say anything to him.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Where are you from?” he questioned, even though I had remained silent.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Canada.” I finally answered but trying to avoid a conversation.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“What are you doing down here?” He continued.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Just visiting from Canada.” I revealed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I’m from Mississippi.” He announced.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“What are you doing here?” I asked, aware that Seattle was far from anywhere in Mississippi.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Couldn’t take it anymore.” He stated, now sounding somewhat agitated.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Take what?” I wondered.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“All
the nonsense, the lies, the crap. I had to get out.” He continued,
sounding as if he was repeating to me something that he thought I should
have already known.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What he said did not mean anything to me and I did not ask for more details. I really did not want to know any more.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I quit university.” He added, and then continued, “I’ve been drifting around and trying to find a purpose in life.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He
went on to inform me that his father owned a fishing resort in Kenora, Ontario,
and then began to tell me about the resort. He then abruptly stopped
and asked, “Have you ever heard of Kenora?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Yes,
it’s near the Ontario-Manitoba border. CP Rail’s trains roll through
there.” I stated authoritatively, certain of this much.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Yeah, you know it.” He confirmed. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He
then handed me a folded slip of paper with the name and address of that
resort in Kenora and while pointing at the paper said, “If you ever
visit Kenora, go there and ask for my father. Just tell him I told you
to ask for him.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He
wished me well and wandered away and I wondered why he had stopped to
talk. I looked at the name and address on the paper and thought, “Why
would I ever go to Kenora?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His
comment about quitting university and finding a purpose in life stirred
me though and compelled me to question why I was coming here to Seattle
every Saturday. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Desperation was my excuse. But what was my purpose?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtCskF7bJVsL3D_qyNtSBJLmA1LTGD4i1OMBz0Ufw4_Q56xfzt1cgvrb1WKDfdrjip72e6FT8ZaAKJiVILSyygjTYidHWVeymbDVxnXQikESDLxa4ED9Bg3FB913j_k-jRX6LGRNlWQkO/s640/pacific+int%2527l.JPG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From the internet: Amtrak's Pacific International circa 1975</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amtrak’s
Pacific International was a four-car train outfitted with worn-out,
hand-me-down equipment from Union Pacific and Great Northern. A
dome-observation car on the tail end gave the train an air of
importance; not every passenger train included a dome car. Unlike CP
Rail’s Canadian, which offered coach seating in their dome cars, Amtrak
had turned the dome into a dining area and served meals up top. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During
the return trip I sat in the rear of the dome car and from the curved
back windows watched the track racing away into darkness. Occasionally I
would puff away on my pipe when the lounge area was deserted. As I stared out, my mind
wandered aimlessly...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“A
smoldering, half-smoked cigarette has been left in the ash tray.”
Holmes pointed out after making a cursory inspection of the immediate
area.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Is this a clue?” Watson asked.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“No.” Holmes responded immediately, having already dismissed the cigarette as irrelevant.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“What makes you so certain?” Watson challenged.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Left by a woman, you will observe smudges of lipstick on the end.” Holmes pointed out.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Ah... yes... but what if our quarry's not alone?” Watson suggested.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“The young lady who left this here was quite alone.” Holmes replied.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“How do you know?” Watson questioned.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“We
passed her only moments earlier but you most likely looked at her rather
than observe her. She was wearing the same shade of lipstick, slightly
smudged as if by…” Holmes started to explain.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“A cigarette against the lips.” Watson interjected.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Exactly!” Holmes stated, almost sounding like a teacher who had been explaining the solution of a problem to a student.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A yell came from the galley, abruptly awakening me from my daydream. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“What? Another murder?” I asked aloud mindlessly.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“No. Cook fried some fingers on the griddle.” The Amtrak steward replied, having heard my silly question. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A
half-smoked cigarette in the ash tray on the empty adjacent table was
still smoldering away, and sure enough traces of lipstick were visible; but I
couldn’t recall who may have been sitting there moments earlier.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After
41 days without mail the strike ended and Canada’s postal services
resumed. Two weeks later I made my final trip to Seattle to close the
mailbox and hopefully, to find a letter or two.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-88170264640039823022015-05-19T14:24:00.000-07:002015-05-20T08:00:02.668-07:00More Railway Ramblings...About Trains of Course!<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just call me the imposter</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When Kie took this photo, a few people who saw thought I was the engineer. Although I insisted I was only another passenger like everyone else, I was asked to be in a couple photos posing as the engineer.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once in a while it is nice to dream and wonder what life would have been like had I been able to make a career of moving trains over roads of wood and steel. The passing of time ensures that some desires of youth never come to pass. Today I am too old to become a railroader - but at any age, I can occasionally wonder what life on railway may have been like.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Need anything be added about the scene below? Perhaps a few words.
The location of course is Agawa Canyon. This scene was recorded before
CN bought the ailing Algoma Central Railway.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FJd3GUIl90XyQ_kptnQGqjElcGmPnqdRKsezvCgXuzpGPkNC91xNTpjHXoGLAmh3KjV_ufyZqDEd_1_0MME1N5zZd_DBN26E3zDOwbKdwBl7y8ZYha5zjEVidm6SZAZ-re8EIqGCII1f/s1600/ACR1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FJd3GUIl90XyQ_kptnQGqjElcGmPnqdRKsezvCgXuzpGPkNC91xNTpjHXoGLAmh3KjV_ufyZqDEd_1_0MME1N5zZd_DBN26E3zDOwbKdwBl7y8ZYha5zjEVidm6SZAZ-re8EIqGCII1f/s1600/ACR1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Agawa Canyon, August 17, 1997</span></span>.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The locomotives had already completed their runaround and the idle southbound train was holding on main line while passengers tour the canyon.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oh no! Not another F unit!</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVfnWRszWbzbAI_t_IPXLq13PjsQ8PG7pD9hx0mSaXvCzeP-R_vyjc36LoBuAbQt4oYtG04gsvDYst7cyvn14kC_48QlRNILKm8DCyAHXNLi0ypmn_hAl-gZ4nJh3BKbuDd4CJEL2XQo9/s1600/W&StJ3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVfnWRszWbzbAI_t_IPXLq13PjsQ8PG7pD9hx0mSaXvCzeP-R_vyjc36LoBuAbQt4oYtG04gsvDYst7cyvn14kC_48QlRNILKm8DCyAHXNLi0ypmn_hAl-gZ4nJh3BKbuDd4CJEL2XQo9/s1600/W&StJ3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This
scene was recorded in summer 1998. 6520 was leading the Waterloo-St. Jacobs
Railway's 1950's streamliner which just squealing to a stop at Farmer's Market station to take on two passengers - the writer and the writer's poor wife who took this photograph.</span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Only an hour's drive from home and operating from April through December, this train was easy to get to and very easy to ride. A $10.00 ticket was good for unlimited all day travel at the breathtaking maximum speed of 15 miles per hour; this was no ordinary streamliner. The train was truly a joy to ride - comfortable reclining seats, large picture windows, air conditioning, snack service and nice scenery. What else could a train rider ask for? </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I spent many hours on this train enjoying the slow lane of life.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWCv4XVwuaQu6f3WI-pPSiNo1Vf7NAJv-FXdZy1K4xFJ2cxp-Z-HOgdBIadE7EkZI2bJlVqLO873Z06QehrY4ZXDxDfGew7pGTEzU4pcO1vaDs25ZogoqZRQL30hsPRuyutkq93_uf-oc/s1600/W&StJ1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWCv4XVwuaQu6f3WI-pPSiNo1Vf7NAJv-FXdZy1K4xFJ2cxp-Z-HOgdBIadE7EkZI2bJlVqLO873Z06QehrY4ZXDxDfGew7pGTEzU4pcO1vaDs25ZogoqZRQL30hsPRuyutkq93_uf-oc/s1600/W&StJ1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6508 is on the other end of the train</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With an F-unit on each end</span></span>, the Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway's passenger train was similar to a push-pull operation. This negated the need to turn the engine or run the engine around the train upon the completion of each run.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWX8j5SGBz7KaxpyUSpXFDeUihxcz819wwGGh2XMIGKc0rXym12ls-JBhtyCoyoRY6OFa46MbL0nioEyUYi3avgZvN5H0Gg2pocAtDaOlY7CndVIIKGgix1Wd8E8bEtGXTjSwHSI4s9mLU/s1600/50's+streamliner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWX8j5SGBz7KaxpyUSpXFDeUihxcz819wwGGh2XMIGKc0rXym12ls-JBhtyCoyoRY6OFa46MbL0nioEyUYi3avgZvN5H0Gg2pocAtDaOlY7CndVIIKGgix1Wd8E8bEtGXTjSwHSI4s9mLU/s1600/50's+streamliner.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Using former passenger equipment that CNR newly placed into service when it introduced the "Super Continental" in the 1950's, the Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway utilized an accurate and almost identical paint scheme.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrWs84uV0__FL4F2gjtxsfQf_EzRwjnV7J27fS1wJIipuoIoRYYPsz1tIBN6ygbag1d02KvHuH-FkUqv8HBE54u9UY1_Gl363C3z-0YqDwx3PMgRxvyxLNgojJItmzxQkpE_QiYGGELwl/s1600/WStJ+1998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrWs84uV0__FL4F2gjtxsfQf_EzRwjnV7J27fS1wJIipuoIoRYYPsz1tIBN6ygbag1d02KvHuH-FkUqv8HBE54u9UY1_Gl363C3z-0YqDwx3PMgRxvyxLNgojJItmzxQkpE_QiYGGELwl/s1600/WStJ+1998.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A look at the advertised train service</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The South Simcoe Railway actually has a station named NOWHERE which is an intermediate station marked by a sign, but the Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway's train literally terminated in the middle of nowhere after crossing the Conestogo River; somewhere, or nowhere, in the midst of farm fields between two country roads. I'm assuming their northern terminal was too small and too remote to have a station name board.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhz0bw3LpXIlun8qqg-iSwrEqDQdXezDKGTDulMOMuAYI2CA5a0brlfglFD3HPMLXSGZ3_NmiTUOjL7uuSdY8REH5fSd0Qws0S1SOh6LFFW3k_a7xc7Tsicz4JOKnQ-LO8P-LVGdx4fkj/s1600/W&StJ2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhz0bw3LpXIlun8qqg-iSwrEqDQdXezDKGTDulMOMuAYI2CA5a0brlfglFD3HPMLXSGZ3_NmiTUOjL7uuSdY8REH5fSd0Qws0S1SOh6LFFW3k_a7xc7Tsicz4JOKnQ-LO8P-LVGdx4fkj/s1600/W&StJ2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Looking northward. The resting train is in front of the Waterloo station during the 40 minute break before the day's last run to St. Jacobs is made. 6508 will be on the rear when the train departs northward.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A day trip to the Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway was definitely worth the drive. While Kie shopped at the farmer's market, I rode the train. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although the train operated during 1999, because I rode the trains that year too, so far as I am aware, the railway and its train never made it into the 21st century. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Following the demise of the Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway, the idle equipment spent years sitting in Mimico Yard and was visible to riders on the Lakeshore West GO Trains.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A Little closer to home...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Actually a lot closer to home. This next group of images was taken two decades ago at Ellengale Park; a five-minute walk from home.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If one is patient enough to wait long enough, something eventually shows up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Winter is probably the best time to take train photos. A heavy snow fall usually flattens most of the dead vegetation growth, and the absence of foliage provides clearer views. The downside of course is the cold, the wind and fewer hours of daylight. Then again, some days are just right and become worth the waiting. </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXpBH-gQ9Xs2mkoLtk1b5pIyB33h-kREsI6v1MjeJ_cUN5iGD11Tg-hEAvN0qRx77SRzmHuTFRGw68Nva3DTHUW8lnmfi2JaEbq427HWZDD85mD9jpQSjcB1W0JLqx2HiqSaYdi76v8TG/s1600/CP+5660+westbound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXpBH-gQ9Xs2mkoLtk1b5pIyB33h-kREsI6v1MjeJ_cUN5iGD11Tg-hEAvN0qRx77SRzmHuTFRGw68Nva3DTHUW8lnmfi2JaEbq427HWZDD85mD9jpQSjcB1W0JLqx2HiqSaYdi76v8TG/s640/CP+5660+westbound.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CP 5660 and unidentified SOO Line mate were heading west near mile 17 of CP Rail's Galt Sub. Although winter, not much snow was on the ground this Sunday afternoon.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A few hints of green herald an early spring.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BttOaVfZOblBqBPdFcbr1FeUsTUP4BnmBpw8fimyYURa9ClUGDqvpArywOhAN5C87NMAUbHsZlN0PMb7SkTqQRtECl46dN5vhLVdlBNrlw7tpTIYoFjrGvkN6wr1VT3YwMDDXaxUM6Df/s1600/Milton+GO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BttOaVfZOblBqBPdFcbr1FeUsTUP4BnmBpw8fimyYURa9ClUGDqvpArywOhAN5C87NMAUbHsZlN0PMb7SkTqQRtECl46dN5vhLVdlBNrlw7tpTIYoFjrGvkN6wr1VT3YwMDDXaxUM6Df/s640/Milton+GO.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">April 12, 1993. A late afternoon westbound GO Train slowing for its stop at Erindale station.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Roadrailer was an interesting train with the most unusual equipment to ride on rails. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How often does one see a train without railcars; instead only highway trailers with their tires skimming just a few inches above the rails? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unlike Red Rose Tea's Canadian claim to fame, Roadrailer trailers are no longer seen moving over Canadian railways north of the border like this. Pity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Note: </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have since been corrected. The Roadrailer train is alive and well, moving on CN Rail into Toronto. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The following post on You Tube published June 24, 2014, by TheEtobocokeRailfan, features the Roadrailer trains passing through Bramalea.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsQdpLO0l0o">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsQdpLO0l0o</a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQBr45b-xrBeADfmyNnaJABOJmut_HIKSFZbgU8iyN1zoPPmnN2fJjG0EB4trVZXBcnUG14r23UuBvFjnsBvZFZeJdtQ2lv9g7fHFNKDf0rMgITSwSeMnJq_tIcA0lgoE7m4Hvr1fgRUk/s1600/Roadrailer+on+CPR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQBr45b-xrBeADfmyNnaJABOJmut_HIKSFZbgU8iyN1zoPPmnN2fJjG0EB4trVZXBcnUG14r23UuBvFjnsBvZFZeJdtQ2lv9g7fHFNKDf0rMgITSwSeMnJq_tIcA0lgoE7m4Hvr1fgRUk/s640/Roadrailer+on+CPR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Later summer 1993 in Mississauga saw the westbound Roadrailer quickly passing through ON CP Rail and heading to Detroit, Michigan for hand-off to Nortfolk Southern.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Freight trains are frequent on the Galt Sub but photographing the trains requires a fair amount of just plain waiting... and waiting... and so on. Actually more time is spent track watching.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">GO Trains are easy to photograph because they operate on fixed schedules. The disincentive is that the GO Trains all look alike except for the numbering.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwFsZia7cczp_AC3OlByRseQbYFWAVHqiX52bN8nnrpk0_67PR3txXW6i1KvnojHjWQIYf6vN-PPuPBDmIUIrB9FeVtU9fcvAkkrlx6Xto5y7N3qQPJxPD0QtIcimnGnNqQGJsdVj0zzZ/s1600/GO+Train+May+21+1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwFsZia7cczp_AC3OlByRseQbYFWAVHqiX52bN8nnrpk0_67PR3txXW6i1KvnojHjWQIYf6vN-PPuPBDmIUIrB9FeVtU9fcvAkkrlx6Xto5y7N3qQPJxPD0QtIcimnGnNqQGJsdVj0zzZ/s640/GO+Train+May+21+1993.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">May 21, 1993 evening sees GO F59PH numbered 527 operating on the rear and about to arrive in Erindale.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Carload traffic</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This scene should serve as a reminder why railways exist and why railways continue to exist; hauling freight and getting paid to accomplish the feat profitably. But scenes of single carloads of freight waiting to move have all but disappeared, because handling shipments like this gets in the way of running trains.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Railways are in business to haul freight and moving trains is simply the result of having freight to haul. All revenue rail cars eventually have to originate a load somewhere, whether it's a busy intermodal terminal or rusting team track with a single flat car.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-imH2X0hMBDMwFFknhevsJSjka_GSYpIgtrh2eSlWNeZ8v3nIpwyfmoPgoGEe9ft4G8p8_gLWHPs0triUBKVABmI5ukuwt2-r5N_vcHgRYvC9DwrciOZVEsI_qxRQ3BekEtCV4nRjzuRy/s1600/Flatcar+with+load.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-imH2X0hMBDMwFFknhevsJSjka_GSYpIgtrh2eSlWNeZ8v3nIpwyfmoPgoGEe9ft4G8p8_gLWHPs0triUBKVABmI5ukuwt2-r5N_vcHgRYvC9DwrciOZVEsI_qxRQ3BekEtCV4nRjzuRy/s640/Flatcar+with+load.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Scene recorded at Dorval, Quebec, in the mid 1980's. An observant eye may have noted that the large crates on each and of the flat car as well as the upper crate in the center, are all over-width.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This loaded flatcar no doubt will require special attention to ensure that the route the car is to travel is wide enough to clear the crates. If not, then damage may result.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before this car is permitted to move, CP Rail will send someone out to check the manner in which the load was placed on the flat car, tied down and blocked to prevent shifting. If the preparation work has not been carried out to the inspector's satisfaction, then more materials may have to be added.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This said, does it make sense to send this shipment
on a flatcar that may require several days or weeks to travel to
destination when the cargo could move on a truck or two and get to that
destination in a day or two?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wonder what was in those crates and where this car was destined to.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxdHlk30TmeE_SPLDkc_ul3uOpuetOw2ZF2_WyG5y4vwIDGFPu3wY7TeMUx6pwNDpXQ9rafvlDzgwPPZJD4VQ4M04198CmCkeI5sYsNc1eCNvJst0eDomU8quVpj3uyK-P1ic7e6IfpYW/s1600/Tha%2527s+all.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxdHlk30TmeE_SPLDkc_ul3uOpuetOw2ZF2_WyG5y4vwIDGFPu3wY7TeMUx6pwNDpXQ9rafvlDzgwPPZJD4VQ4M04198CmCkeI5sYsNc1eCNvJst0eDomU8quVpj3uyK-P1ic7e6IfpYW/s320/Tha%2527s+all.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-10143772404389142592015-04-24T14:47:00.000-07:002016-04-27T06:02:58.588-07:00Scenes of CN's Yale Sub as seen from Train 1<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All scenes were recorded on April 15, 2015</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0QQS7HLFEUKzrAw77aczCnYYeoQaBDcweCZFqfqXZLUAHIvY54T6EHOVc5TbAeRNTaA3_t3pOpbEI5ktaLCalq0-o5WE9duFXCtZsbPcGGn0BwbTm-JRRFVnVG00_sndH7URqOtBUx6m/s1600/Slide+detectors+outside+tunnel+in+Canyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0QQS7HLFEUKzrAw77aczCnYYeoQaBDcweCZFqfqXZLUAHIvY54T6EHOVc5TbAeRNTaA3_t3pOpbEI5ktaLCalq0-o5WE9duFXCtZsbPcGGn0BwbTm-JRRFVnVG00_sndH7URqOtBUx6m/s1600/Slide+detectors+outside+tunnel+in+Canyon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the CN route a few miles south of Boston Bar, BC. Train 1 is entering one of several tunnels between Boston Bar and Vancouver.</span></span> Running several hours late provided daylight views of locations that would normally have been passed in darkness. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the left side those wooden poles strung with wires are slide detectors. If rocks and/or other objects fall through the wires, signals will change to red to alert train crews to stop.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wPIg5KUU7HShyyerbBW18TT_yKjwQwqnRDnphFfmUTKQEGbefUofcVsd6JBk3SZBPvpi4gze-8ey77Wt1TgoWVC_HEWSn4Xsg-mxYJ8HMwRAsDgb_dwf9eZalut49WpU5PaZ0ylizxiv/s1600/One+more+tunnel+in+the+Fraser+Canyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wPIg5KUU7HShyyerbBW18TT_yKjwQwqnRDnphFfmUTKQEGbefUofcVsd6JBk3SZBPvpi4gze-8ey77Wt1TgoWVC_HEWSn4Xsg-mxYJ8HMwRAsDgb_dwf9eZalut49WpU5PaZ0ylizxiv/s1600/One+more+tunnel+in+the+Fraser+Canyon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another tunnel and more slide detectors. </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2juG3NvSfusMfR1ps2HQKgkAPuCPxuiWVZoUSinBm1XPYiuEPMKJiehwpSzBYXw3C4D-6HRtHmixvcvZNog6kAqihvb0VEYRW3NroSj5t-aQRlBj0zNvIoS4VivSEbwzRNYUOyzkSdPo3/s1600/Tunnel+info.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2juG3NvSfusMfR1ps2HQKgkAPuCPxuiWVZoUSinBm1XPYiuEPMKJiehwpSzBYXw3C4D-6HRtHmixvcvZNog6kAqihvb0VEYRW3NroSj5t-aQRlBj0zNvIoS4VivSEbwzRNYUOyzkSdPo3/s1600/Tunnel+info.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Slide detector and tunnel information from an older CN employee timetable reveals 15 tunnels on the Yale Sub, providing about 1.8 miles of travel through rock</span></span>; <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">though not much to see inside. </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBw88O-AFKJDrRR-Ys2g2GJJuMbQ3FO8k8TT7E0X5AI6PtD6Re3bQqFrnwfucqioryXmsTvCMOB2iP1gzFemEtH5ohuS4x0FSbLcU8qYAAlg49dfKanWyeDJ-cfeBZP3alZ8Yg4G8coCQ/s1600/Light+at+the+end+of+the+tunnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBw88O-AFKJDrRR-Ys2g2GJJuMbQ3FO8k8TT7E0X5AI6PtD6Re3bQqFrnwfucqioryXmsTvCMOB2iP1gzFemEtH5ohuS4x0FSbLcU8qYAAlg49dfKanWyeDJ-cfeBZP3alZ8Yg4G8coCQ/s1600/Light+at+the+end+of+the+tunnel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For those of you who have always wondered - the answer is yes! There really is light at the end of the tunnel... and Kie was there to record it.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_6M6Ov-Arfl8DM8iWK009UWvFf4671JPuHCfbmliTQZ_TUnHjPctbNURb6g0ZjHIH3-RO_eCpIbOV0E0SmbnCscY9GxaCk_OomkycE2z1WDWfBq8ICRkaVei_uIcpe9-G0l7euHNLS64/s1600/Exiting+tunnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_6M6Ov-Arfl8DM8iWK009UWvFf4671JPuHCfbmliTQZ_TUnHjPctbNURb6g0ZjHIH3-RO_eCpIbOV0E0SmbnCscY9GxaCk_OomkycE2z1WDWfBq8ICRkaVei_uIcpe9-G0l7euHNLS64/s1600/Exiting+tunnel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The end of another tunnel but more of the same on the other side... rock, mountains and grey skies.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Sq2Owwo_sFoyE6e4VFybKYwBRihIHzEqrfmhvP1hPOxOS-SCi_A4lG4mz9sKUWTabNSpxGWuYrY6Re5V7Vp7GH-b7qOKiqE8ijfTr8TsuKC-vgPDO5MViOCBhR_6dos9uLtTjvPGjhFL/s1600/Some+tunnels+are+short.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Sq2Owwo_sFoyE6e4VFybKYwBRihIHzEqrfmhvP1hPOxOS-SCi_A4lG4mz9sKUWTabNSpxGWuYrY6Re5V7Vp7GH-b7qOKiqE8ijfTr8TsuKC-vgPDO5MViOCBhR_6dos9uLtTjvPGjhFL/s1600/Some+tunnels+are+short.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Too many tunnel views? Tunnel vision? Perhaps... but we do not see these too often in Ontario. Some tunnels are short enough to see through. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note that wire screen on the left.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Also visible are the cuts in the portal and roof lining made to increase the clearance needed for safely moving double stacked containers on rail cars.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8j1cvW_2ze7uNwp8-2AABs7UZOpEVpFbMDoLNxq9L30jU898b9O5T0Q7-Ml4mOnSSYThakAJigh1h-KSo0IiwMbncQb96vA4FzjtSThWxTputfeGhoJ8FWYYf4iv4e93gx2-wT3tjOAt/s1600/Fraser+Canyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8j1cvW_2ze7uNwp8-2AABs7UZOpEVpFbMDoLNxq9L30jU898b9O5T0Q7-Ml4mOnSSYThakAJigh1h-KSo0IiwMbncQb96vA4FzjtSThWxTputfeGhoJ8FWYYf4iv4e93gx2-wT3tjOAt/s1600/Fraser+Canyon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Fraser River. Hidden behind trees, Canadian Pacific Railway is over there on the other side of the river. Falling rocks are not the only problem the two canyon railways have to contend with. In this location cascading water is diverted over the train rather than beneath the track.</span></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey! </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">No rain and clearing skies! What could be better than a dry arrival in Vancouver?</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVZ_8oqzB0h3JNSfYwGhDBxs5L_2jTok6ihC2YlsNFmRoP05NXu5IwlYAhRACUgJRBfNPg2j2ztW-_0rEeTYsZflA2mL0wLe0Tc_ORPSCtbBQyBU5rRRMYl7ACNce0-OPnOa4wtAaVk_u/s1600/Near+Abbotsford+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVZ_8oqzB0h3JNSfYwGhDBxs5L_2jTok6ihC2YlsNFmRoP05NXu5IwlYAhRACUgJRBfNPg2j2ztW-_0rEeTYsZflA2mL0wLe0Tc_ORPSCtbBQyBU5rRRMYl7ACNce0-OPnOa4wtAaVk_u/s1600/Near+Abbotsford+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The mountains eventually give way and farmlands abound in the lower Fraser valley.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitv43DVD1KISABdX6IalqZHf9a-uiJLzykQ7gX7rDuyAEOk8ExWb2I5dsxNzgW9i02gH_S4_C9q4aBGH5JjKLLPG8sQlSAlOajM4CUDc-CXuJJo3c_11_Yiqeo8zm_VgThZnGI0gQKlZk7/s1600/Seaspan+barges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitv43DVD1KISABdX6IalqZHf9a-uiJLzykQ7gX7rDuyAEOk8ExWb2I5dsxNzgW9i02gH_S4_C9q4aBGH5JjKLLPG8sQlSAlOajM4CUDc-CXuJJo3c_11_Yiqeo8zm_VgThZnGI0gQKlZk7/s1600/Seaspan+barges.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A pair of Seaspan barges being towed upstream by a tug on a placid looking Fraser River.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9i7baV13bFH_U18uqu9sKoTVZwWx5hLGbDTHXV5sLAP3uRaPbDux3kgCYyaiKDfwaquwHVMBNroGDxxgBZ-SotE8mWnlxaoW6SSpxiu6sXbAea5cDaLUZE8VXrMOBiq5_9BzO4-DnsRy/s1600/Bridges+-+old+and+new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9i7baV13bFH_U18uqu9sKoTVZwWx5hLGbDTHXV5sLAP3uRaPbDux3kgCYyaiKDfwaquwHVMBNroGDxxgBZ-SotE8mWnlxaoW6SSpxiu6sXbAea5cDaLUZE8VXrMOBiq5_9BzO4-DnsRy/s1600/Bridges+-+old+and+new.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">New replaces old... bridges that is... in this scene anyway. Not much remains of the old Highway 1 bridge (yellow) in Surrey. The new bridge is behind.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EwapWf8NLzVFZZ_eKc1At5mt9CPSiCV27FvS7KKQkDVCdeiqGW8efyfIqLplLcWitoIezLBlBZM4pZkUUWhGMUD0MgshIMV7ukvDkyMFEMO73QSaRdg4OClRfR2OS0u8mrbfXvUEpgOS/s1600/Leaving+Thorton+Yard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EwapWf8NLzVFZZ_eKc1At5mt9CPSiCV27FvS7KKQkDVCdeiqGW8efyfIqLplLcWitoIezLBlBZM4pZkUUWhGMUD0MgshIMV7ukvDkyMFEMO73QSaRdg4OClRfR2OS0u8mrbfXvUEpgOS/s1600/Leaving+Thorton+Yard.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Given the okay to proceed, Train 1 begins an up-close tour through Thornton Yard.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBJQpmsO1BzT1WyNBaBY1ZWyPo660WISKbFvXngYQw7BdBad3fwo9uJskI2WCIW20o5Od2t4OlxiJ9fDt-2u9vDMIB8W_BFpuYRqm5G1pP1o4La12eMFB_sW9SqH9uezoe8tLhi12YvXy/s1600/Ladder+track+at+Thornton+Yard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBJQpmsO1BzT1WyNBaBY1ZWyPo660WISKbFvXngYQw7BdBad3fwo9uJskI2WCIW20o5Od2t4OlxiJ9fDt-2u9vDMIB8W_BFpuYRqm5G1pP1o4La12eMFB_sW9SqH9uezoe8tLhi12YvXy/s1600/Ladder+track+at+Thornton+Yard.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A "train's-eye" view of a "ladder track" in Thornton Yard.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGWU2-HhWfja722v-Wi19PHxAztp9_klfGHWeGqi5TIBPUT_sf2YrgLnOGcKyKgnX2heeUSBLQ7bVw8cpO5gwKd9Cl-61BwVsEU3yxCWVnr7vvVt2yuoUhqOO2oz2IFJgQc35KjRxHKtM/s1600/Crossing+the+Fraser+River+at+New+Westminster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGWU2-HhWfja722v-Wi19PHxAztp9_klfGHWeGqi5TIBPUT_sf2YrgLnOGcKyKgnX2heeUSBLQ7bVw8cpO5gwKd9Cl-61BwVsEU3yxCWVnr7vvVt2yuoUhqOO2oz2IFJgQc35KjRxHKtM/s1600/Crossing+the+Fraser+River+at+New+Westminster.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Train 1 crossing the Fraser River at New Westminster. On the other side of the bridge are BNSF tracks which the train will traverse into Vancouver and to the Via Rail station.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6Iu1sr7eYsLaU02BHo2aAwp70zLJtZaEbr_SGv28JDmHERtcsIBZR-qPjQTUO1McXT2d0UwDlPzx6igGfDX_1VMJg6hUFsEJR9yQrz5naszFEuETxboebMcYNv5fu2lm_T28Mv9ye_fX/s1600/On+the+right+road+for+a+change+-+the+railroad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6Iu1sr7eYsLaU02BHo2aAwp70zLJtZaEbr_SGv28JDmHERtcsIBZR-qPjQTUO1McXT2d0UwDlPzx6igGfDX_1VMJg6hUFsEJR9yQrz5naszFEuETxboebMcYNv5fu2lm_T28Mv9ye_fX/s1600/On+the+right+road+for+a+change+-+the+railroad.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Streets choked with stopped traffic. The only thing moving here was Train 1 albeit slowly. To the right of the train is the SkyTrain's Millennium Line.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9cjUlCeSxE2M2hbUNzsdj4lsOldQ1Xw6rLZxvtFCtonmNwl6JHmeQ7Nc6FhQvYOFedFWPmSMPP8BiCRPUa3FydTe77oSTxMAA2HBedQ1WsDoetBQA-Cs1hAFTMM0Il-SIj2ET4L_G-pV/s1600/Vancouver+skyline+as+seen+from+BNSF+track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9cjUlCeSxE2M2hbUNzsdj4lsOldQ1Xw6rLZxvtFCtonmNwl6JHmeQ7Nc6FhQvYOFedFWPmSMPP8BiCRPUa3FydTe77oSTxMAA2HBedQ1WsDoetBQA-Cs1hAFTMM0Il-SIj2ET4L_G-pV/s1600/Vancouver+skyline+as+seen+from+BNSF+track.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Burnaby city skyline as seen from BNSF. Warren Buffett may own the BNSF but I doubt he has seen this view from his railway.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDL6Hp9r__2bWihE_768Z8jaDJfAI22a5I7guZ-6yufSQgjwbsmOBVfgXPFhc9zVujrhjzth20xlk3NPu0EQ7FkXGzA7TUr3wukdS-mMOZ76J-KVDoU7oCYljY2FH9l_YVEiD3vSGDtBE/s1600/Vancouver+-+end+of+track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDL6Hp9r__2bWihE_768Z8jaDJfAI22a5I7guZ-6yufSQgjwbsmOBVfgXPFhc9zVujrhjzth20xlk3NPu0EQ7FkXGzA7TUr3wukdS-mMOZ76J-KVDoU7oCYljY2FH9l_YVEiD3vSGDtBE/s1600/Vancouver+-+end+of+track.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following train arrival in Vancouver at the end of track. Train 1 was backed into the station. By the way... what time is the next train leaving?</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-9868178354139647752015-04-24T14:11:00.002-07:002015-04-24T14:11:17.669-07:00Scenes of CN's Edson & Albreda Subs as seen from Train 1<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All scenes were recorded on April 14, 2015 </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQyZrZr7HCg7e5m47EhwjJGVNrMp1Zd30wWWqFzEjPh7CA0PlrKhkX6Ne05o_UGQzPH6EjT9RaO5Z2zLsEft-pSHiVJHySiXVTwqX74rS3cJ7PFxQ5uwClSvH3zcFYk9r2MZRVYaDacE0/s1600/Oil+pumps+in+Alberta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQyZrZr7HCg7e5m47EhwjJGVNrMp1Zd30wWWqFzEjPh7CA0PlrKhkX6Ne05o_UGQzPH6EjT9RaO5Z2zLsEft-pSHiVJHySiXVTwqX74rS3cJ7PFxQ5uwClSvH3zcFYk9r2MZRVYaDacE0/s1600/Oil+pumps+in+Alberta.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">You know you're in Alberta when... waking up the next morning, looking out the window and seeing working oil pumps in the middle of fields. These particular pumps are west of and just outside Edmonton.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPurTEJXYur20f4amnXY-njuyAhQQtbnnOsMDSyj7EJ4aX-Jtq31x0cENCfHTJNUaBX3Fr75aVGat18kP0D0MsaHNMq4o1ZmadH0SlibWLcZleRVukk09Fkg1SaiP1pJPKhk2HEATC_y-L/s1600/Breakfast+in+the+dining+car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPurTEJXYur20f4amnXY-njuyAhQQtbnnOsMDSyj7EJ4aX-Jtq31x0cENCfHTJNUaBX3Fr75aVGat18kP0D0MsaHNMq4o1ZmadH0SlibWLcZleRVukk09Fkg1SaiP1pJPKhk2HEATC_y-L/s1600/Breakfast+in+the+dining+car.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eating is not the only thing that goes on in the dining car. Parked in the Edmonton station for the next hour and looking out on to busy 101st Street NW and mounds of rubble from the torn up runways of the closed airport, now is a good time to check for message from home or simply to find out what has been going on in the world. Connections are good here, which is not always the case when the train is on the move through remote places.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> If you're not going to eat that toast getting cold there...</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMH8xe3Fld5JDOEQzyMsYmR8F9p-kbuDB5fvbRt3FmUBUETKRwgupG20J6LcI7EtMPgj66R3bt-G_eAUxH_gCdV1f8pr6swyuvs6P6d8LDnNmYkWS0_RSdGjLL2RoJH1MT6_Na_Pzzmr5u/s1600/Signal+339N+Edson+Sub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMH8xe3Fld5JDOEQzyMsYmR8F9p-kbuDB5fvbRt3FmUBUETKRwgupG20J6LcI7EtMPgj66R3bt-G_eAUxH_gCdV1f8pr6swyuvs6P6d8LDnNmYkWS0_RSdGjLL2RoJH1MT6_Na_Pzzmr5u/s1600/Signal+339N+Edson+Sub.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Double track between Carvel and Wabamun allows for both trains to safely meet and pass at track speed at mile 33.9.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6U214L_EGC_c8GY2KUMQbSrv3khZL2_tzSZdkRJcX4pb2Gs9zvXtvZo9xj2nSkQkP4aB5HeAmC7__Nug4WCHQ9YlXnjuby76o1wCtrq-vuxjchaR7vvp9QWbwXwBGk9K6E8-QjV0OzFh/s1600/Skirting+along+frozen+Lake+Wabamun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6U214L_EGC_c8GY2KUMQbSrv3khZL2_tzSZdkRJcX4pb2Gs9zvXtvZo9xj2nSkQkP4aB5HeAmC7__Nug4WCHQ9YlXnjuby76o1wCtrq-vuxjchaR7vvp9QWbwXwBGk9K6E8-QjV0OzFh/s1600/Skirting+along+frozen+Lake+Wabamun.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Train 1 skirts along the edge of ice-covered Lake Wabamun. Ten years ago on August 03, 2005, a CN freight train derailed 43 cars; mostly bunker oil that spilled into the lake. Four days after the mishap CN revealed that a hazardous chemical had also leaked into the lake.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JirCawVcayPs0OZIW_hhIcLGhmlYqvveAV2mLuFdQu6EgXID7h4EFnNOh_te3zKh0TTxMj_7BwobXo_jHljhlVvAv7lZ9eJwqVw-xaq8f79aCGR60CuwOTr2AtnUuiB7cgpBD3DN_HQQ/s1600/R+signal+633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JirCawVcayPs0OZIW_hhIcLGhmlYqvveAV2mLuFdQu6EgXID7h4EFnNOh_te3zKh0TTxMj_7BwobXo_jHljhlVvAv7lZ9eJwqVw-xaq8f79aCGR60CuwOTr2AtnUuiB7cgpBD3DN_HQQ/s1600/R+signal+633.jpg" height="640" width="552" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Approach signal 633 displayed green before the front of Train 1 passed. CTC (Centralized Traffic Control) signals authorize and govern all train and other rail vehicle movements over the hundreds of miles of busy track. Nonetheless, compliance and safety ultimately rests with the head end crews in charge of their trains.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqAxznIIkYOWxRCL051mLkjnhNX3fGKK5kfpZzUcKILMa98GFl2A4X2qZzvhnfNeG6Oh62CgKM7oR0Hvg2-sJwoEGgnyqjdBKFEcMeM0rK0v9Z9klwJHMCJRpE3bWxVX_NPSZ_UgkoKyg/s1600/in+the+foothills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqAxznIIkYOWxRCL051mLkjnhNX3fGKK5kfpZzUcKILMa98GFl2A4X2qZzvhnfNeG6Oh62CgKM7oR0Hvg2-sJwoEGgnyqjdBKFEcMeM0rK0v9Z9klwJHMCJRpE3bWxVX_NPSZ_UgkoKyg/s1600/in+the+foothills.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although the 236 mile route westbound from Edmonton to Jasper realizes a vertical gain of about 1280 feet, Train 1 rolls through a downhill sag near CN Gainford.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX93iRwRYa-nOfhpUf8uUt7vUoDOJCfXmZFJtikc6l6Zf1XazICpmNutz_DZqFaUggkbQQm2V9e5wMEv5sdBmIXqXoxd0JTfSUZdVuRa9IgmrpsExyxHFlx2FcdUpH0xnxJfJ6eqrBb3V5/s1600/Highway+bridge+at+Evansburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX93iRwRYa-nOfhpUf8uUt7vUoDOJCfXmZFJtikc6l6Zf1XazICpmNutz_DZqFaUggkbQQm2V9e5wMEv5sdBmIXqXoxd0JTfSUZdVuRa9IgmrpsExyxHFlx2FcdUpH0xnxJfJ6eqrBb3V5/s1600/Highway+bridge+at+Evansburg.jpg" height="640" width="628" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The view from CN's crossing of the Pembina River at Evansburg, Alberta. The height above the river dwarfs that large rig over there on Highway 16.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uDPYCqTAXoUoXNT19nqtHxR1MkKxmrf-_YaKmufdijVRqURXZEdj3nIoLSKKqqRxRbc4BFjQ-S3y6Gh5LHlaFSUuwBe3R7w6SVds6ruuxud1SwvgZkGltued1xUbzfvr7i4GU20dpiHO/s1600/meeting+an+eastbound+intermodal+train+at+Evansburg+AB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uDPYCqTAXoUoXNT19nqtHxR1MkKxmrf-_YaKmufdijVRqURXZEdj3nIoLSKKqqRxRbc4BFjQ-S3y6Gh5LHlaFSUuwBe3R7w6SVds6ruuxud1SwvgZkGltued1xUbzfvr7i4GU20dpiHO/s1600/meeting+an+eastbound+intermodal+train+at+Evansburg+AB.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Train 1 was placed into and held at the east end of the siding at Evansburg to wait for an eastbound intermodal train to pass. A stacked pair of OOCL containers and others on the hurried train race by our waiting train. Rather than proceed to the west end of the siding, Train 1 was backed out of the east end and then cleared to overtake the intermodal train also waiting in the same siding. The two trains just fit with no room to spare.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCO5yzOStNH56NUQ7EEqN7_gFXnfrCTFhJQFPror76e23M2jttsBhHJH1cyo3pxIt9nti4NSKx82s85W126yfmDrJCPDrfXfAM5EufZ2w3vtRceoS7cNr7j3WEJkNvPOLJE4LEefo6eDHD/s1600/CN+Near+Dalehurst+-+first+glmpses+of+the+mountains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCO5yzOStNH56NUQ7EEqN7_gFXnfrCTFhJQFPror76e23M2jttsBhHJH1cyo3pxIt9nti4NSKx82s85W126yfmDrJCPDrfXfAM5EufZ2w3vtRceoS7cNr7j3WEJkNvPOLJE4LEefo6eDHD/s1600/CN+Near+Dalehurst+-+first+glmpses+of+the+mountains.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First glimpses of the mountains near CN Dalehurst</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhht3MzwibpxYlBNXrN5_zgMneGIf83hTpDxr8F7D7u6qmpVq2qWul_0wF5aBguZUPP1YV51QjkL_53YNUdrvaMKJuUo7MonTdp-8HzIkjLHAXc2InirmKgiRdQ50yq_yVrJWH54sfQ8poA/s1600/Lumber+mill+in+Hinton,+AB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhht3MzwibpxYlBNXrN5_zgMneGIf83hTpDxr8F7D7u6qmpVq2qWul_0wF5aBguZUPP1YV51QjkL_53YNUdrvaMKJuUo7MonTdp-8HzIkjLHAXc2InirmKgiRdQ50yq_yVrJWH54sfQ8poA/s1600/Lumber+mill+in+Hinton,+AB.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A large lumber mill at Hinton, Alberta. I wonder why this location was not named Spruce Grove instead of that Edmonton suburb 165 miles back.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpVAOR_9kJ2e8EnVD2HlbRF13y9kBFA_i1hseOjecVOk1EsPflx5SD3zo_pN1CANQH7s2j55K9cr9Xb6Eo5v2OnB1yv_Q0GbfWTSRFSIL7PgoE7oJ_dtLccQXdyOhGwAMt4W-0UHCGIfN/s1600/CN+Hinton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpVAOR_9kJ2e8EnVD2HlbRF13y9kBFA_i1hseOjecVOk1EsPflx5SD3zo_pN1CANQH7s2j55K9cr9Xb6Eo5v2OnB1yv_Q0GbfWTSRFSIL7PgoE7oJ_dtLccQXdyOhGwAMt4W-0UHCGIfN/s1600/CN+Hinton.jpg" height="414" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hinton, Alberta, is no different from any other large town/small city in Canada, however the name remains well known to those interested in Canadian railway history. The collision and wreck of Via Rail's Train 4, the Supercontinental, which occurred on February 08 1986, and always referred to as the "Hinton Train Disaster" actually happened about ten miles east at CN Dalehurst.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVu0AaU8PLwjK5n3Joa9xVQJfZJ4XiSb7ICDAvoATVacuRwxu9tDxbf06eywRZfxlvZZJvPr9r0JjTecmRV9FLtDwUuw1njtMkhweDfHmLxZox2LtgcvH4A7Jg13DqWtstTgv4cy5bDXl/s1600/approaching+mountains+west+of+Hinton+AB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVu0AaU8PLwjK5n3Joa9xVQJfZJ4XiSb7ICDAvoATVacuRwxu9tDxbf06eywRZfxlvZZJvPr9r0JjTecmRV9FLtDwUuw1njtMkhweDfHmLxZox2LtgcvH4A7Jg13DqWtstTgv4cy5bDXl/s1600/approaching+mountains+west+of+Hinton+AB.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Getting closer to the bigger hills.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXjofThTEMjje_xYDp12dlHD1V5hFk2N2iowaIw88XXFPwAs1Ros8U5zHqhO2oeky4MMZTj6bTq2Q6MYiTlvVZyTl1SXYnGcfH-_dS2aIGwnF-Qdw62ygasoMDl68HPrPCGL_eYCSAts6/s1600/More+interest+in+the+scenery+and+an+almost+full+glass+attic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXjofThTEMjje_xYDp12dlHD1V5hFk2N2iowaIw88XXFPwAs1Ros8U5zHqhO2oeky4MMZTj6bTq2Q6MYiTlvVZyTl1SXYnGcfH-_dS2aIGwnF-Qdw62ygasoMDl68HPrPCGL_eYCSAts6/s1600/More+interest+in+the+scenery+and+an+almost+full+glass+attic.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Rockies are the main attraction and few empty seats are now available in the glass attic.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelwmYAffxU4QB66ruhGxKUJrhPkiF7r6Jg_fZfvDrMUlR-6mIzarvXx-JNKSxHUdLuZMNiyi5Oq8qqIGo4ZkhsE7OoYlJwUs6_FY-AMWmIAZ4uIsU0ddndi-2OV59xSlQxvtl9e4Ht6ic/s1600/overtaking+freight+in+siding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelwmYAffxU4QB66ruhGxKUJrhPkiF7r6Jg_fZfvDrMUlR-6mIzarvXx-JNKSxHUdLuZMNiyi5Oq8qqIGo4ZkhsE7OoYlJwUs6_FY-AMWmIAZ4uIsU0ddndi-2OV59xSlQxvtl9e4Ht6ic/s1600/overtaking+freight+in+siding.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Train 1 passed through Swan Landing siding to overtake the stopped westbound intermodal train holding the main line. The switch points have yet to be restored and a proceed signal given for the main track; events that shall not occur until Train 1 has passed and cleared the next signal west of the siding.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvh4eu_UX1DSpCLz7bmKsUG3jjOzDDf5PFiQTdXkJeAYTqU43ejUyowDCRRZv5ySHhoO0LBw4nkrl45KUSMGfxP2pL5FaMY-SHQnkNqms9WEoN73s8ULOz_WAj6CMwXX08Dy7gRMSvWKmZ/s1600/Heading+into+the+mountains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvh4eu_UX1DSpCLz7bmKsUG3jjOzDDf5PFiQTdXkJeAYTqU43ejUyowDCRRZv5ySHhoO0LBw4nkrl45KUSMGfxP2pL5FaMY-SHQnkNqms9WEoN73s8ULOz_WAj6CMwXX08Dy7gRMSvWKmZ/s1600/Heading+into+the+mountains.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Telephone poles and cross-arms adorned with glass insulators strung together with wires still follow parts of the rail route. This reminder from the telegraph age serves no useful purpose today and that once vital infrastructure has been slowly crumbling; in many places the poles and wires have vanished.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZq-Uft9PL0JPOb5MHv1ET4j_wqpnAyNXPpXL8kc3yW9L_DJsevhp_cklkqSK6AhBquCGmZpiRd8IVKgcAimxbjQJdowAh-12MlfoOns3uyPRaAUX68SKaf1OTBo4Ztz6DVOc6K5IX26DT/s1600/Rocks+and+concrete+ties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZq-Uft9PL0JPOb5MHv1ET4j_wqpnAyNXPpXL8kc3yW9L_DJsevhp_cklkqSK6AhBquCGmZpiRd8IVKgcAimxbjQJdowAh-12MlfoOns3uyPRaAUX68SKaf1OTBo4Ztz6DVOc6K5IX26DT/s1600/Rocks+and+concrete+ties.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Between the Edson Sub's one tunnel at mileage 204.8 and the CN location known as Park Gate at mile 206, concrete ties, clean vegetation-free ballast and perfectly aligned welded rails attest to well-maintained track over much of the subdivision.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The clueless, ignorant and uninformed railway-bashers in the media and Ottawa would do well to take note and go and see for themselves before stating something stupid and misreporting about Canada's railways being unsafe and poorly maintained.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsvY9vEm2GHSp3cO_nsrCyPfY26JrsurEwBu04sZXWqnrmFzJ-piaoh_X25sGYAB31dVF5u7w0S1TEoydZ635d0PGVhCB7TcjkSt6eiVAFBgwN463_s2Hb7vPjk-2QG8RTm2TIlvgEzoP/s1600/Inspecting+passing+train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsvY9vEm2GHSp3cO_nsrCyPfY26JrsurEwBu04sZXWqnrmFzJ-piaoh_X25sGYAB31dVF5u7w0S1TEoydZ635d0PGVhCB7TcjkSt6eiVAFBgwN463_s2Hb7vPjk-2QG8RTm2TIlvgEzoP/s1600/Inspecting+passing+train.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CN's "Safety is of the first importance in the discharge of duty" has long been ingrained into everyday railway work habits. That freight train crew on the ground is not out for fresh air and exercise while waiting for Train 1 to pass. At every meet where at least one train was stopped, crew members were always out and on the ground to visually inspect and report the status of the passing train. When stopped, Train 1 crew members were out doing the same.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFT30lkfoq0QHWLU9GV4_3I0Ya6Yf4d5tzgcD4B36udIGc7pKdeCM1SkoLx6p7_fcP9vvqy8Ke6EttGz6nWeVCIl1cvJypabvmxBiOnl8q55Nmh46z-odpWqBWMxdCeGxWtE1o8UpySjlY/s1600/Container+traffic+is+very+heavy+through+to+Redpass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFT30lkfoq0QHWLU9GV4_3I0Ya6Yf4d5tzgcD4B36udIGc7pKdeCM1SkoLx6p7_fcP9vvqy8Ke6EttGz6nWeVCIl1cvJypabvmxBiOnl8q55Nmh46z-odpWqBWMxdCeGxWtE1o8UpySjlY/s1600/Container+traffic+is+very+heavy+through+to+Redpass.jpg" height="454" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Container volumes moving on CN's Edson Sub are staggering. Almost every siding between Edson and Jasper had an intermodal train waiting to meet Train 1. No doubt some of these container trains were travelling to or from Prince Rupert because intermodal traffic lessened west of Redpass Jct.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The passenger station at Jasper, Alberta.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jhL2cM1xHt09EdRhG-x7RVLyEZlILPtIqfXWVXXdojz1jEPt_D1PfGB7U90SxEb0KibwQxN5Bj7qYxjCAsnSFJ6bebTE92Bgiyz-AtYRH6yX-5gp8za_16v0zPe2Qe3aeIuRFRhEWqH6/s1600/Jasper+AB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jhL2cM1xHt09EdRhG-x7RVLyEZlILPtIqfXWVXXdojz1jEPt_D1PfGB7U90SxEb0KibwQxN5Bj7qYxjCAsnSFJ6bebTE92Bgiyz-AtYRH6yX-5gp8za_16v0zPe2Qe3aeIuRFRhEWqH6/s1600/Jasper+AB.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CN6015 - tribute to and a reminder of an interesting past, but I highly doubt that steam powered Class 1 railways in North America would be capable of coping with the freight volumes and lengthy trains moving today.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmgRqTKpxxQdkYU-LW_x8vp5WIsz2I-_cn5B8XzyKkJs2GT__Gbudh65VJkhWxp7DnzsuW-ucp_bYgQ1NNSeZS0N3AF0aR1Vf0G94IjffnR9f1fpjnpZjcOqCCDWjqcv97yYXAcjCY6r4/s1600/Heading+into+BC+west+of+Jasper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmgRqTKpxxQdkYU-LW_x8vp5WIsz2I-_cn5B8XzyKkJs2GT__Gbudh65VJkhWxp7DnzsuW-ucp_bYgQ1NNSeZS0N3AF0aR1Vf0G94IjffnR9f1fpjnpZjcOqCCDWjqcv97yYXAcjCY6r4/s1600/Heading+into+BC+west+of+Jasper.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heading west into British Columbia and Mt. Robson Provincial Park.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuj4d_no3SL1Jx5oLAJKe1FCwxiL-l3SPWiOT1nSpxo-JshhIm1-AC_izU8yO0lP_RDY8hfj4BCIlRryIkw5riVWWwmIIoo7EOi3hFHPJWuvyAhbxR0OQ6PIBoJOrRlmC74iJb1v_Mi7f/s1600/Signal+1169+at+west+end+of+Pyramid+on+Albreda+Sub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuj4d_no3SL1Jx5oLAJKe1FCwxiL-l3SPWiOT1nSpxo-JshhIm1-AC_izU8yO0lP_RDY8hfj4BCIlRryIkw5riVWWwmIIoo7EOi3hFHPJWuvyAhbxR0OQ6PIBoJOrRlmC74iJb1v_Mi7f/s1600/Signal+1169+at+west+end+of+Pyramid+on+Albreda+Sub.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mile 116.2 - Train 1 overtakes a grain train waiting in the siding at CN Pyramid.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvR8H48fuJ8RsiAH3MlXB0NEp9NmIZ4V3j6LveEWS9HAkyCluvT8N3qZkU1iUwH21dc_el0QYDi91UIBam5-rqr53akOzni_RfdIhlQ3gb5RX_XB5z5j8A_ywY3dhiTQcEPgeg8kPlMHnm/s1600/Mountains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvR8H48fuJ8RsiAH3MlXB0NEp9NmIZ4V3j6LveEWS9HAkyCluvT8N3qZkU1iUwH21dc_el0QYDi91UIBam5-rqr53akOzni_RfdIhlQ3gb5RX_XB5z5j8A_ywY3dhiTQcEPgeg8kPlMHnm/s1600/Mountains.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The sunshine was finally off the tops of the mountains and daylight was fading quickly.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGu8FE_Fac81VojWyUDbGZQwh0G3-R1MCHz_8e3hWBy2V4pppDSE2WoTy9dNnAm0MyMmUvVBou8yzlriKI4VWd4MOc5pONQafCvOZS5jIGkpnzfjcROwhnbhTL2PLh2OS3-T-Du9n6VEe/s1600/East+end+of+siding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGu8FE_Fac81VojWyUDbGZQwh0G3-R1MCHz_8e3hWBy2V4pppDSE2WoTy9dNnAm0MyMmUvVBou8yzlriKI4VWd4MOc5pONQafCvOZS5jIGkpnzfjcROwhnbhTL2PLh2OS3-T-Du9n6VEe/s1600/East+end+of+siding.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last scene of the day recorded at CN Thunder River and no train was waiting in this siding.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Acknowledgement: All images here but one were recorded by my wife; I was busy watching the world go by.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-60842915435237109832015-04-24T05:49:00.000-07:002015-04-25T06:33:26.652-07:00Scenes of CN's Rivers Sub as seen from Train 1<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All scenes were recorded on April 13, 2015</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNzB0vPBPOE9FYjlQUJJvX_XRTkk9JSmJSSQJjJt2r9at7QcRMM7Q63b478JJPfNrYubFwkhyoVs_vjC1k4kkC-zDidzsxczu6YdSCF4jqzthy87oPBfB2a_RNOQPqJlfqJSt89NZOw90/s1600/Fort+Garry+Hotel,+Winnipeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNzB0vPBPOE9FYjlQUJJvX_XRTkk9JSmJSSQJjJt2r9at7QcRMM7Q63b478JJPfNrYubFwkhyoVs_vjC1k4kkC-zDidzsxczu6YdSCF4jqzthy87oPBfB2a_RNOQPqJlfqJSt89NZOw90/s1600/Fort+Garry+Hotel,+Winnipeg.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Fort Garry Hotel (building with the green pointed roof) as seen from outside the front entrance of Winnipeg's Union Station. Winnipeg is not a city that one could easily fall in love with or want to call home, however, the Fort Garry Hotel is an amazing place to stay and visit. Their food offerings are delicious and their hotel services are impeccable; second to none!</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First time visit and I was impressed.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaSRPyxtNWWFDy9oH4-SKPLBT667_dIpSBdrSBzBNEmVGUyvj3z6AjVnzIo4mp_5ilheNDB4VNQmU1Ky1VGLOTgHBm0g06YOEpgR3kCntmZ8d48UfxlEjLl3InBzWxzCov0sp21Df-uXy/s1600/Union+Station+Winnipeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaSRPyxtNWWFDy9oH4-SKPLBT667_dIpSBdrSBzBNEmVGUyvj3z6AjVnzIo4mp_5ilheNDB4VNQmU1Ky1VGLOTgHBm0g06YOEpgR3kCntmZ8d48UfxlEjLl3InBzWxzCov0sp21Df-uXy/s1600/Union+Station+Winnipeg.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Inside Winnipeg's Union Station; an attractive but large empty building that caters to a total of ten passenger trains a week during the peak travel season. </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr align="justify"><td><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZFR4_we6cruXYsT5OydLiyyPv0PgXpEpJ06TWDa_OIdv9NwQMwQR7xfW_or7GEk4xQkzdKrAJYogSWGCABZ51S0va5opUwlqhOGwLdt-t420TDNWOygaT1LGkT5UZb31PSx2xE_Ib_gh/s1600/April+13+2015+Train+1+ready+for+passengers+at+Winnipeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZFR4_we6cruXYsT5OydLiyyPv0PgXpEpJ06TWDa_OIdv9NwQMwQR7xfW_or7GEk4xQkzdKrAJYogSWGCABZ51S0va5opUwlqhOGwLdt-t420TDNWOygaT1LGkT5UZb31PSx2xE_Ib_gh/s1600/April+13+2015+Train+1+ready+for+passengers+at+Winnipeg.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Waiting attendant for cars 122 and 123. Passenger count was light and all were boarded and settled into their accommodations except for one or two who momentarily stepped back off the train to record a few more images prior to departure.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0r_SekvLN6XasbjNyCCnlsLoyKKS2y5JmyEO-iHJoLnEin02IpfdFQ_IspAIIRVNL0r-gGFuEIyKDGNKs1e84i6mm5c74tEs98jaNT02yMZbLxS1HZXd5O-5sZMG45UgXVS-t7h97Blaa/s1600/Departure+from+Winnipeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0r_SekvLN6XasbjNyCCnlsLoyKKS2y5JmyEO-iHJoLnEin02IpfdFQ_IspAIIRVNL0r-gGFuEIyKDGNKs1e84i6mm5c74tEs98jaNT02yMZbLxS1HZXd5O-5sZMG45UgXVS-t7h97Blaa/s1600/Departure+from+Winnipeg.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Departing 25 minutes late from the Winnipeg station Train 1 has just crossed the Assiniboine River near its confluence with the Red River.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> No signs of flooding this spring</span></span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpQMToRstXYJOHlk4wU83NoTtxL3mi0BtfVya6aacEHOEhzL9RZ0pLt0YjGTtmHhO6UWrIClIz39CXQ6d-cSncEX-c7f1hRhc5ZzaohL_RDQ25BhrPoyhGi-q12akZNfDoskK1c_puKmk/s1600/View+from+the+Glass+Attic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpQMToRstXYJOHlk4wU83NoTtxL3mi0BtfVya6aacEHOEhzL9RZ0pLt0YjGTtmHhO6UWrIClIz39CXQ6d-cSncEX-c7f1hRhc5ZzaohL_RDQ25BhrPoyhGi-q12akZNfDoskK1c_puKmk/s1600/View+from+the+Glass+Attic.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Few passengers are upstairs in the train's rear glass attic. For some inexplicable reason people have this imbedded impression that there is nothing to be seen from the train while crossing the Canadian Prairies. Wrong! </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And yes we did see a herd of real live buffalo about an hour or so out of Winnipeg</span></span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiGhd4uYHHRAVO-iy1DwCQCifDRjGmb0w58_Tvo5vRsGO2YI2tvxdKq1IBDtNKu_us7UHIpjhBtmftJot101Li9R1R1sAsxd7UtpL7_-2pFoX6iaWnyDwxzVo413QTZ6tg-o_uBAk21Yl/s1600/Ballooon+track+under+construction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiGhd4uYHHRAVO-iy1DwCQCifDRjGmb0w58_Tvo5vRsGO2YI2tvxdKq1IBDtNKu_us7UHIpjhBtmftJot101Li9R1R1sAsxd7UtpL7_-2pFoX6iaWnyDwxzVo413QTZ6tg-o_uBAk21Yl/s1600/Ballooon+track+under+construction.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A new balloon track under construction to serve a new grain loading facility. The large loop (balloon) will easily accommodate an entire train to permit continuous loading without the need to separate and rehandle the grain cars</span></span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCgCEiLK0Wklwi1AAuYaxuuIOcq94tAar4Sp_30wkmyTjij1UMy5tIcruHLjkCQRc4m_V_GytXil4JbieMqzehP4NU03Abb-13h4_tEIuxFjnQHoXRAsO1QTpKhrguhxaPB1cA_yQdQTV/s1600/CN+right+of+way+west+of+Winnipeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCgCEiLK0Wklwi1AAuYaxuuIOcq94tAar4Sp_30wkmyTjij1UMy5tIcruHLjkCQRc4m_V_GytXil4JbieMqzehP4NU03Abb-13h4_tEIuxFjnQHoXRAsO1QTpKhrguhxaPB1cA_yQdQTV/s1600/CN+right+of+way+west+of+Winnipeg.jpg" height="466" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Miles of straight track easily lends itself to Train 1 rolling along at the 80 mph track speed over many of the 280 miles between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Melville, Saskatchewan. The busy single-track route necessitates occasional slowing and/or stopping to meet opposing trains thus reducing the average speed to barely 42 mph. </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Below: CTC signalling working exactly as it should.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekoZjX1huGF7Wcg-Qa7FDRCZ9NSPGdCjFIUZaLOp369p22gDobQQKi2sq4wA-IFq9Xfjt6uLpnIlUE7yzNgDsiqeO9G6fnbj0noeD-G7EJCqJ0Osiylu3GLx6SGwJ2AyxIo4qbY7GsH2Z/s1600/CTC+signals+working+as+they+should.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekoZjX1huGF7Wcg-Qa7FDRCZ9NSPGdCjFIUZaLOp369p22gDobQQKi2sq4wA-IFq9Xfjt6uLpnIlUE7yzNgDsiqeO9G6fnbj0noeD-G7EJCqJ0Osiylu3GLx6SGwJ2AyxIo4qbY7GsH2Z/s1600/CTC+signals+working+as+they+should.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The top signal aspect changed from green to red when front of the train passed.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxK8Cu8SBo4YetsL41-9SXHTpWy_GsM9bI9beeq8k_yyxVZFylD0Nu0LucmYTykmC3DyU-QGJjF5kEJQiXrHbGfNxsSZ84JAno3lW1xb4CbGxmcqY9MdgfzVmIWvYiEuMqn1jfChgAXCC/s1600/fixed_281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxK8Cu8SBo4YetsL41-9SXHTpWy_GsM9bI9beeq8k_yyxVZFylD0Nu0LucmYTykmC3DyU-QGJjF5kEJQiXrHbGfNxsSZ84JAno3lW1xb4CbGxmcqY9MdgfzVmIWvYiEuMqn1jfChgAXCC/s1600/fixed_281.jpg" height="200" width="91" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Clear signal</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_ZNlOm2SgmZCbViZI-0bajPnTTyZwwWSO3M9zRylqAp5HUpYo85nsgzY0xUniVDg9r2pEfO8bvfWkxtUKdfUMJHHVwzg9ppQZFQkO4MTrKy3zQ48sG4RRXy8ZKLM9KT6lzZBCwboNGFe/s1600/Scene+from+the+caboose+-+meeting+CN+freight+at+80+mph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_ZNlOm2SgmZCbViZI-0bajPnTTyZwwWSO3M9zRylqAp5HUpYo85nsgzY0xUniVDg9r2pEfO8bvfWkxtUKdfUMJHHVwzg9ppQZFQkO4MTrKy3zQ48sG4RRXy8ZKLM9KT6lzZBCwboNGFe/s1600/Scene+from+the+caboose+-+meeting+CN+freight+at+80+mph.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Seconds later at 80 mph Train 1 passes the eastbound intermodal train in the siding and safely out of the way.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY31jwH4Vo6yliJahbz9W5kCrlBxxW-uq0OgqraUvSJ2W6m7kGcxCG8psN93HuhImR3erKlW7Zgh2cKrtKBy8tVZUdeQoiteoLYecesFmT5sG-92sKCi3V0EWK25s7Y4WgYUAU7r07hfxU/s1600/Via+Rail's+Train+1+overtaking+CN+intermodal+train+west+of+Winnipeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY31jwH4Vo6yliJahbz9W5kCrlBxxW-uq0OgqraUvSJ2W6m7kGcxCG8psN93HuhImR3erKlW7Zgh2cKrtKBy8tVZUdeQoiteoLYecesFmT5sG-92sKCi3V0EWK25s7Y4WgYUAU7r07hfxU/s1600/Via+Rail's%2BTrain%2B1%2Bovertaking%2BCN%2Bintermodal%2Btrain%2Bwest%2Bof%2BWinnipeg.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two sidings later and Train 1 quickly overtaking a waiting westbound intermodal train. That unmanned but working CN locomotive placed in the middle of the freight train is a working example of what the railways call "Distributed Power." Distributed power reduces draft gear forces and at the same time </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">provides the tractive effort and faster braking applications required for the safe and efficient operating of longer trains.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzL0bCR3QHlHGf_-LqodAtN7YutOuDuNSMvrfwV8c1CDQhiL0Wy70WxJ0pY-tWx4i4jcs1rhAsyKLfDVVH9MKEz84FrgxQflTMQH1J_NKfObkpykxfaRxQ-9HJYFms51Y1naY1DtBJAAyz/s1600/Via+Rail's+TRain+1+west+of+Winnipeg+-+grain+elevator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzL0bCR3QHlHGf_-LqodAtN7YutOuDuNSMvrfwV8c1CDQhiL0Wy70WxJ0pY-tWx4i4jcs1rhAsyKLfDVVH9MKEz84FrgxQflTMQH1J_NKfObkpykxfaRxQ-9HJYFms51Y1naY1DtBJAAyz/s1600/Via+Rail's%2BTRain%2B1%2Bwest%2Bof%2BWinnipeg%2B-%2Bgrain%2Belevator.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The grain elevator at Harte, Manitoba, is the tallest structure for miles around. Train 1 is busy speeding past a general merchandise train sitting in the siding. Note that long cut of tank cars; oil most likely.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJ35ZqpBPdAL_XPiTpqcYeGUNefeVTf0sQdxgWtzoZEiKpt81eOqUDJRG1HQ53qVtv5ZyWePVsz-SJMxNNSNEYxU4Ws1-X8-QbOonAFfytRCnp-F0yu6r3hlm2ZjdHBYbTFOc3LwJz_W_/s1600/Via+Rail's+Train+1+west+of+Winnipeg+overtaking+CN+freight+-+grain+elevator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJ35ZqpBPdAL_XPiTpqcYeGUNefeVTf0sQdxgWtzoZEiKpt81eOqUDJRG1HQ53qVtv5ZyWePVsz-SJMxNNSNEYxU4Ws1-X8-QbOonAFfytRCnp-F0yu6r3hlm2ZjdHBYbTFOc3LwJz_W_/s1600/Via+Rail's%2BTrain%2B1%2Bwest%2Bof%2BWinnipeg%2Bovertaking%2BCN%2Bfreight%2B-%2Bgrain%2Belevator.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now clear of the west end of the siding, a farewell look back at the waiting freight train and a final glimpse of the grain elevator. Just like that Bette Midler song, "From a Distance"</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSMPIfbTBB_8LSnm1nEMIvj5i63s0cWn8YEQ65egk-mJedgYbMM1CpM9Videwwh8zAG4QJ-2F4L9H73HMORSOwqKsiSFDU_XL62hOPFqpj67Wv4ZDIIq5229bVdeuHaYT7eu7V0WaVk_p/s1600/CN+right+of+way+further+west+of+Winnipeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSMPIfbTBB_8LSnm1nEMIvj5i63s0cWn8YEQ65egk-mJedgYbMM1CpM9Videwwh8zAG4QJ-2F4L9H73HMORSOwqKsiSFDU_XL62hOPFqpj67Wv4ZDIIq5229bVdeuHaYT7eu7V0WaVk_p/s1600/CN+right+of+way+further+west+of+Winnipeg.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The prairies are not all flat and all bare. Train 1 leans into the second in a set of reverse curves near CN Ingelow.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaYle58dD1hfMVWc1tbKRqov7oRPBDVSrhIG_yBlnJiGFOTvaHlEEKIzN7RZihPeTrMLqaYEDFPIEbLA-_1r16kqplafgDZ8QZ7xct29IErDvAwPof-BWA0yIPCrbCBM67Bueap8CgbjB/s1600/Train+1+and+slow-orders+in+the+Qu'appelle+Valley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaYle58dD1hfMVWc1tbKRqov7oRPBDVSrhIG_yBlnJiGFOTvaHlEEKIzN7RZihPeTrMLqaYEDFPIEbLA-_1r16kqplafgDZ8QZ7xct29IErDvAwPof-BWA0yIPCrbCBM67Bueap8CgbjB/s1600/Train+1+and+slow-orders+in+the+Qu'appelle%2BValley.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">West of Miniota, Manitoba, the CN route again encounters the meandering Assiniboine River and for the next 30 miles hugs the eastern/northern side of the Qu'appelle Valley into Saskatchewan</span></span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9l9U3ZXP013JeROF2OIVmRM8jTQjJ8LeDVMrucjpRJZgvP3Y7TGeVitHO5rHF703pVj-KhqSbN9QO_xxeTzWQTj9SgsKZr-jI3w3CQMgCaK9JIWXQeprRmDzRm4mIw8VV9bjIbCuy-Gse/s1600/Train+1+and+slow-orders+in+the+Qu'appelle+Valley+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9l9U3ZXP013JeROF2OIVmRM8jTQjJ8LeDVMrucjpRJZgvP3Y7TGeVitHO5rHF703pVj-KhqSbN9QO_xxeTzWQTj9SgsKZr-jI3w3CQMgCaK9JIWXQeprRmDzRm4mIw8VV9bjIbCuy-Gse/s1600/Train+1+and+slow-orders+in+the+Qu'appelle%2BValley%2B2.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Highways are not the only roads affected by spring thaw. Slow-ordered by a stretch of rough track, Train 1 crawls over abnormal heaves and sinks which give the train a wavy appearance.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRm3dCAmeD3x8MAE0WzuDluYFsb5xj7A-hfGXxRHA-yube754QyJbCLHZc9tYkoOt48wjchcCxKYeqqBXA2adZCsiV5bR3Kh5i_KcDgPvcETyaOE6cbiQdT7iKBnD7kjiWfJ8liceB7VL/s1600/Train+1+crossing+bridge+in+the+Qu'appelle+Valley..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRm3dCAmeD3x8MAE0WzuDluYFsb5xj7A-hfGXxRHA-yube754QyJbCLHZc9tYkoOt48wjchcCxKYeqqBXA2adZCsiV5bR3Kh5i_KcDgPvcETyaOE6cbiQdT7iKBnD7kjiWfJ8liceB7VL/s1600/Train+1+crossing+bridge+in+the+Qu'appelle%2BValley..jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">St. Lazare, Manitoba, is the confluence of the Assiniboine and Qu'appelle Rivers. Train 1 is crossing the Assiniboine River with Saskatchewan visible about two miles ahead.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Zu14F4KF76X63BWcsK6o8af_LGlNcUeXJgApgZEphSR1CrzvzsZw44-vgGWmOJruh-GUaUN51fBAfmVH_0wjk5T4wgc81qxiuDzsuMr74mOH_S0iIxbmkJeXIvqfZIqB-ZLoeSvrMlha/s1600/April+13,+2015+-+Train+1+at+Melville+SK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Zu14F4KF76X63BWcsK6o8af_LGlNcUeXJgApgZEphSR1CrzvzsZw44-vgGWmOJruh-GUaUN51fBAfmVH_0wjk5T4wgc81qxiuDzsuMr74mOH_S0iIxbmkJeXIvqfZIqB-ZLoeSvrMlha/s1600/April+13,+2015+-+Train+1+at+Melville+SK.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yoho Park on the rear displays the markers (red lights) of Train 1. Melville, Saskatchewan is a head-end crew change point, the longer stop allows for a few minutes to step off the train and capture a few images.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6m6w2rAvP_hvHpuHmlqW9VqxKEqPDFx7ZcotFai6UYufQICd0vxPrVdQDVdsto1oCkuscbqs4KLtgnww92384wo1zdJTC5EnOJLyC6p19203yYQNFqz-l9FLHHqIG1by5XM-IsxvBkej/s1600/Don+&+Kie+beside+Brant+Manor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6m6w2rAvP_hvHpuHmlqW9VqxKEqPDFx7ZcotFai6UYufQICd0vxPrVdQDVdsto1oCkuscbqs4KLtgnww92384wo1zdJTC5EnOJLyC6p19203yYQNFqz-l9FLHHqIG1by5XM-IsxvBkej/s1600/Don+&+Kie+beside+Brant+Manor.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the station platform at Melville, Saskatchewan, and outside our home for the next two days.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Refurbished, rebuilt, and anything but worn out, these Budd built stainless steel passenger cars are 60-61 years old. On April 24, 1955, the new equipment was officially placed into service with the inaugural Montreal-Toronto & Vancouver departures of Canadian Pacific Railway's new train,</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">"The Canadian"</span></b></span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLadb3jw9TtISYWLpStKCRStLObXN0LPn2t3Mw-1sZtFmC0MQsY0SHe0O5IFNeAOp1qKpZcWtsnb-af-u9_PDoD7sIaYWVBh_4abzJWyJKtTswIREJHKC8zwbAGNx4SBix9hAKBpcYp3f/s1600/Bunks+ready+in+car+122+compartment+F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLadb3jw9TtISYWLpStKCRStLObXN0LPn2t3Mw-1sZtFmC0MQsY0SHe0O5IFNeAOp1qKpZcWtsnb-af-u9_PDoD7sIaYWVBh_4abzJWyJKtTswIREJHKC8zwbAGNx4SBix9hAKBpcYp3f/s1600/Bunks+ready+in+car+122+compartment+F.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">West of Melville, Saskatchewan, is CN's Watrous Sub and somewhere along these next 247 miles the end of the day shall end here. In spite of what others may say, restful sleep does come easily.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-86574800206559371072015-02-02T13:42:00.000-08:002015-02-07T07:21:38.087-08:00A Chance Meeting<br />
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<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Outfitted with a new, official, <span style="font-size: small;">C</span>P Rail issued cap,<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>I took great delight in posing ahead of the waiting "other guys" train before pacing it southward on Highway 114 as far as the junction with Highway 111</span></span>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Norton, Vermont, on October 7, 1989. This chance encounter with a stopped southbound CN freight train was made at the Canada-United States border. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While <span style="font-size: small;">s</span></span>traddling the border, <span style="font-size: small;">t</span></span></span>he motive power was already in the United States but the caboose was still trailing behind in Canada</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> waiting for clearance to proceed southward to Island Pond, Vermont.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Only weeks after the start-up of the St<span style="font-size: small;">.<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad, this CN freight w<span style="font-size: small;">ould b<span style="font-size: small;">e handed off to the new S<span style="font-size: small;">L&A at Island Pond.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent </span></span></div>
<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-37996231731048947042015-01-28T06:04:00.000-08:002023-12-05T06:39:55.259-08:00Load Shift<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For as near or as far as freight may move, things can go wrong and often do. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The following few scenes depict what frequently results when cargo is not correctly prepared for safe transportation; not only by rail but moving with any mode of transportation.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Not out of the Woods Yet</span></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJNRK_hRBffk2h_ApSpmPUpxTAGMmKMxUABok1dmMQ1e4wpgPXhRzwAmEeCL9jMaXgec_ar5SGVOD2Pfoql39wOJ52qb2P_-bAFKV14CuhY3L-i781c_gnluwKnTcFra0OmRPJjy8c8L7/s1600/25.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJNRK_hRBffk2h_ApSpmPUpxTAGMmKMxUABok1dmMQ1e4wpgPXhRzwAmEeCL9jMaXgec_ar5SGVOD2Pfoql39wOJ52qb2P_-bAFKV14CuhY3L-i781c_gnluwKnTcFra0OmRPJjy8c8L7/s1600/25.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This old photo shows that shifting loads are not a new transportation problem. Did this unbalanced load of logs make it out of the woods without slipping off or tipping the truck?</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A shipment may consist of a single commodity as the scene above illustrated, or may consist of a myriad of any number different commodities in many varying shapes and sizes, as the following scene shows.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;">Free Recipe!</span></span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And here's the complimentary free recipe:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1 - Start with any empty container or trailer. (Substitute with a box car if necessary)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">2 - Begin loading with several or many leaning
loose boxes up in front, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">3 - Compound it with two larger boxes on top of a small box father back, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">4 - Add an
unbalanced pallet leaning off a smaller base against two untied tall
cylindrical-shaped packages </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">5 - Garnish with long single metal tube tossed on top. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">6 - Close the doors; job's done. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This really does sound just like a recipe. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Of course it does!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Shown below is the visual version of this typical,
easy-to-make recipe for cargo woes just waiting to occur.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTh57FD3g-YDLxqFp9_c1LE274RGANbFIMGmgPfZzvG0z40reje7K1zDs7yAj787AQQTZKgUORS7tCmpOu7dAwXtuGVdiLLfdkazYYhFW1VvyTaxJdwORaf1QXOBiAkL1t7JKRNP3wIop/s1600/44-bad-pack.jpg" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Trouble in the making</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Unless
this consolidated shipment of mixed freight is correctly stowed, void spaces filled with dunnage and the load closed off with a
bulkhead to restrain against unwanted movement, then very likely this scene will not be identical when the
doors of this trailer are opened for unloading at the destination.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Unsafe at Any Speed </span></b></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This next picture tells the story: a massive stone slab slides through the doors of a container.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The following container probably did not travel very far before trouble struck; maybe only as far as the first traffic signal.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Evident
first is the unusual and questionable manner in which this container
was placed on the chassis; doors facing the direction of road travel.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In North America the standard operating practice is to place containers
on chassis with doors at the rear and for obvious reason; to permit the
loading and unloading of cargo.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The image also reveals no materials were present to restrain and prevent the slab from moving around within the container.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Maybe this topic should have been the subject of Ralph Nader's famous book, "Unsafe At Any Speed" </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0syApHUb40_F1jZeXO14w4gfVsdsC7X1sy4DpyrSL5zmT3USXhNiqeCsjfhkUs867LuK9PybFo0wpQo8aOyfhm3vRblTfi_g_SWeVGksc5FKusPXsgqNB-W0l5J_g7RIqCZuIkJo7QNd7/s1600/doors+forward.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What was the driver was looking at?</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Why Stop with Only One at a Time?</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Most of the images used in this posting have been borrowed from the internet, but the following three scenes were not. This particular headache actually came across my desk at work one Monday morning and I saved these images for something to write about after I retire; that day finally came. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The next three scenes were recorded at CP Rail's Coquitlam yard nearly a decade ago. These were export containers of steel pipes that had originated in Edmonton, Alberta, and were destined for export to China.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> No surprise these containers did not load to the ship they had been booked for.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWja40aWxlIhhuvtgLnCsI-0wNtZMxD2ODIXT5SSHAl9lmg4LjyCl4eeqvXcRFgyF3wudHRwromGjz5zR3WOwEI4ft0N7YJ3oOhJ4UTjLW4igfCS3Qr7FHSYRyq7Ss_lb3m5PH9cfj7nA5/s1600/OOCL1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWja40aWxlIhhuvtgLnCsI-0wNtZMxD2ODIXT5SSHAl9lmg4LjyCl4eeqvXcRFgyF3wudHRwromGjz5zR3WOwEI4ft0N7YJ3oOhJ4UTjLW4igfCS3Qr7FHSYRyq7Ss_lb3m5PH9cfj7nA5/s1600/OOCL1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Here, double-stacked means doubled-trouble. Damage doors both upstairs and downstairs; working just like battering rams while travelling these steel pipes have smashed through both containers.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After making that unwanted but necessary telephone call to the customer, the standard lame excuse that almost always follows from the errant shipper is this, "The railway rough-handled the cars."</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yeah! Right! Stopping and starting a train is expected.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">How does the shipper explain away the other 100 plus containers not carrying steel pipes that travelled on the same train arriving intact and damage free?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The usual reply is something like this, "We're not responsible!"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Close, but of course the correct wording should have been, "We're irresponsible!"</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYzJWOW-lc0hyphenhyphennwDeUFJmJkQxpGx0mdogR7IaYyvK_n3HHRajeTik5Pqji1eAsC7T90UvVBIBe-HV-37oTOjXX8evN8jPQxxJZc7dLihcReXb1o2woUCrfvrYoBjmESZ3ZONiHOrp9LIn/s1600/OOCL2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYzJWOW-lc0hyphenhyphennwDeUFJmJkQxpGx0mdogR7IaYyvK_n3HHRajeTik5Pqji1eAsC7T90UvVBIBe-HV-37oTOjXX8evN8jPQxxJZc7dLihcReXb1o2woUCrfvrYoBjmESZ3ZONiHOrp9LIn/s1600/OOCL2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This is not another image of the same two containers but of another pair with the same problem. One can only wonder where during the rail journey this problem occurred and how far the train travelled with this unsafe situation.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Seemingly giving credence to that old superstition, "Bad things come in threes." or in this case in multiples of three. Six containers arrived together in this state.</span></span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qjIHX6VrdlkWqtabzGc8gLv8K7Fb2IHTv_0whE5MJA6kJtnNZMiPkG4HnBeHtBKeNF2HAC5K0ZBiINGSAy8qqUGbMoBJABHJR94A-uffRAmB3OYiFwK2JCUfsF08xoeRGK6e4zNZRdhG/s1600/OOCL3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qjIHX6VrdlkWqtabzGc8gLv8K7Fb2IHTv_0whE5MJA6kJtnNZMiPkG4HnBeHtBKeNF2HAC5K0ZBiINGSAy8qqUGbMoBJABHJR94A-uffRAmB3OYiFwK2JCUfsF08xoeRGK6e4zNZRdhG/s1600/OOCL3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The photos clearly show that nothing at all was used to restrain the pipes from moving within the container other than the doors of the containers.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This said and all
the more troubling, the party responsible for packing the cargo into
the container adamantly refused to accept that the shipment had not been
prepared for safe transportation.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Nonetheless I rest my case because these three photos speak for themselves. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">You be the judge</span></span>!</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Truck Stopped but the Cargo did Not</span></span></b></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPVp0hUqvWGN0otzuz9qNjX0vmqzjpjuJ4AaF1Dyh4nL5puLaN6R0kcHwb8wwmpvJh8bqUoIRJCdxxc8RKJkrkAEF7-E89mYFSPNIfivDIPdjQAXfO4FOG5uh_qx2RMn0Hr0o3HgIgyP0/s1600/photo5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPVp0hUqvWGN0otzuz9qNjX0vmqzjpjuJ4AaF1Dyh4nL5puLaN6R0kcHwb8wwmpvJh8bqUoIRJCdxxc8RKJkrkAEF7-E89mYFSPNIfivDIPdjQAXfO4FOG5uh_qx2RMn0Hr0o3HgIgyP0/s1600/photo5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">On the subject of battering ram shipments, railways are not the only victims. Had that red car behind, or any other vehicle been in front of the truck when it made this stop, the outcome may have been far worse. </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Shifted Cargo on a Larger Scale</span></span></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Toppled containers on board a ship are a type of trouble seen less often but a seafaring hazard that does occur nonetheless. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Aside from the damage shown, this breakdown in the ship's stowage alludes to what cannot seen. That fallen stack of containers has tipped into the space vacated by the dozen or two other containers that fell overboard and were lost at sea.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_SAGIVNSJ2LXP_d4yrvAqVwBLml6tZT0e0e4pZot0tYU5jmPYu0YFV8N1ctX92HEqNgBrwGUmtkf0pu-Ng45_XNhrJzinDw0L5AfDbUMSfARLgc7ns5tmlk_a85bDlKsQd3LMuwQWljC/s1600/MSC-Alabama-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_SAGIVNSJ2LXP_d4yrvAqVwBLml6tZT0e0e4pZot0tYU5jmPYu0YFV8N1ctX92HEqNgBrwGUmtkf0pu-Ng45_XNhrJzinDw0L5AfDbUMSfARLgc7ns5tmlk_a85bDlKsQd3LMuwQWljC/s1600/MSC-Alabama-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">When this ship sailed from the previous port, the left aft of the ship carried containers stacked 6-high in the same manner as those that remained intact on the ship's right aft.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Surprisingly, in this modern high-tech age of the 21st century, a marine ocean voyage is still considered a risk venture, and accordingly, any and all cargo in those containers should be insured against perils of the sea. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Question: If the ship owner/operator declares General Average, who do you think pays to rescue the voyage and cover the losses?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Answer: If and when General Average is declared, all parties who have cargo on the ship will contribute to cover the losses.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My parting shot is a rhetorical question: is MSC an acronym for More Scrambled Cargo? </span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Moving Danger is Always Lurking... Always!</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjiJ78mNZzd-Wt-amMsDbpYZfetH9lQMK3R-hswCr-k5zHmcZw9PeaDt2qQcg4s1vueZef8HcoeMZQLJgpyHH-C0Cgi898VJDQZylnRL_H59i_fgU-vt94dJo7a47UJp1nZQ4ND8e3wU7/s1600/side+shifted+lumber.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjiJ78mNZzd-Wt-amMsDbpYZfetH9lQMK3R-hswCr-k5zHmcZw9PeaDt2qQcg4s1vueZef8HcoeMZQLJgpyHH-C0Cgi898VJDQZylnRL_H59i_fgU-vt94dJo7a47UJp1nZQ4ND8e3wU7/s1600/side+shifted+lumber.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Side-shifted out but thankfully not too far.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">While moving on rail, side-shifted cargo and protruding objects become a dangerous, unavoidable menace. An opposing passing train cannot stop nor do anything to swerve out of the way.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Train watchers, photographers, trespassers and even legitimate personnel who have that habit of getting as close as possible to moving trains would do well to always keep safety in mind. Objects can just as easily hang, drag, dangle or protrude from a damaged rail car and not only from shifted cargo. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Passengers waiting on station platforms for trains also face the same potential risks if freight trains share the same track. If an approaching train is not preparing to stop, then heed those warnings and stand well back from that painted yellow or white line.</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Again, for as near or as far as freight may move, it may not always move the way it should and only move in the direction it is supposed to.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Hence off the track, off the road or just plain underwater - these are everyday expressions used for things gone wrong that originated from transportation gone wrong.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Addendum October 22, 2015</span></span><br />
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<h1 class="story-title" id="yui_3_11_0_1_1445529750111_28">
Man on Bedford Highway struck by wood hanging off passing trailer</h1>
<h3 class="story-deck">
Police say man has significant but non-life threatening injuries</h3>
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<span class="spaced"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/cbc-news-online-news-staff-list-1.1294364">CBC News</a></span>
<span class="delimited">Posted: Oct 22, 2015 12:09 PM AT</span>
Last Updated: Oct 22, 2015 12:13 PM AT</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGs8XkHAyHoAlk9wZLQ3jDqXRYxH-8yBLdxWFiDxcF2F65cLFC6-F68UtWBKhJlqp4-G5F2_CM_TQCd0zfoXcmVIElaHyIsbLa3CBL87rUW6pwwt4kRNwuEMvJYtaqzIil5q5BLWGr0c9/s1600/Lumber+on+trailer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGs8XkHAyHoAlk9wZLQ3jDqXRYxH-8yBLdxWFiDxcF2F65cLFC6-F68UtWBKhJlqp4-G5F2_CM_TQCd0zfoXcmVIElaHyIsbLa3CBL87rUW6pwwt4kRNwuEMvJYtaqzIil5q5BLWGr0c9/s640/Lumber+on+trailer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Wood from this trailer struck a man on the Bedford Highway, police say. (Craig Paisley/CBC) </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A man has been taken to hospital after being struck by a piece of wood hanging off a trailer as it moved down the highway.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Halifax police said the man was on the side of the Bedford Highway
near Hammonds Plains Road filling his car with gas when he was hit.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It happened around 9 a.m. AT.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A large piece of wood that was hanging off a trailer of a passing
vehicle struck him," said Lauren Leal, spokeswoman for the Halifax
Regional Police. "He was slammed into his own vehicle and then fell to
the ground."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Leal said the man's injuries are significant but his life is not in danger.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Police don't believe the driver was aware he had struck someone, Leal said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"A witness to the incident actually flagged the driver of the truck
that was hauling the trailer, flagged that driver over to advise him of
what happened."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Part of the Bedford Highway was shut down between Hammonds Plains
Road and Convoy Run for almost two hours, but traffic is now travelling
normally in both directions.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/"><img alt="cbc masthead logo" src="http://www.cbc.ca/i/regional/v11/img/cbclogo_sprite.png" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/ns/">
Nova Scotia
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Addendum October 01, 2019</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Broken strapping on a steel coil has allowed just enough to of the metal to unwind to be a serious menace.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">May not be as sharp but likely as deadly as a scythe...</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfWfVex7FCOKCrUjjORoW4ELawVQTgnU4xJ13WyLKce74NJHefzEaxd1dwzsW5CsdTTJCfPK7X8Rqwjvc_vEstcXDMr3ahknFTZ5bUnBF8WUDlI7tLZo9SkmZqmWBIHhUg9ffn6JN7qEY/s1600/loose+dragging+strapping+on+rail+car.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="480" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfWfVex7FCOKCrUjjORoW4ELawVQTgnU4xJ13WyLKce74NJHefzEaxd1dwzsW5CsdTTJCfPK7X8Rqwjvc_vEstcXDMr3ahknFTZ5bUnBF8WUDlI7tLZo9SkmZqmWBIHhUg9ffn6JN7qEY/s640/loose+dragging+strapping+on+rail+car.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (Posted in TRAINS forum by SD70Dude on Sept 09 2019)</span></span></td></tr>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-88115188418912884952015-01-13T06:31:00.000-08:002015-01-13T06:31:40.098-08:00A Handcar Tale<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RSOQ_2CUr5CXvRPdH_K0W_HSZva9EIvxspxlWseUnCd2RHniBkdoLbpRlQxA6HAGl6j_5POj4tURv8NjMA-JI4LgFmK3W0kXHHOXM6T7o05aWrJi-ExxYGaNfpUocYqVXdBaTG9HJmeU/s1600/Hand+Car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RSOQ_2CUr5CXvRPdH_K0W_HSZva9EIvxspxlWseUnCd2RHniBkdoLbpRlQxA6HAGl6j_5POj4tURv8NjMA-JI4LgFmK3W0kXHHOXM6T7o05aWrJi-ExxYGaNfpUocYqVXdBaTG9HJmeU/s1600/Hand+Car.jpg" height="416" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some traits must run in the family. Two descendants of one of the perpetrators were trying out the handcar on display at the Canadian Railway Museum. Wisely, this handcar has been chained to the track. </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One evening at the dinner table in the late 1960's, my grandfather recounted to us details about a railway related adventure which occurred many years earlier, probably around 1910.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A group of young men from Milan, which was said to have included the CPR station agent as well as my grandfather, borrowed the section handcar to travel the ten miles from Milan to Scotstown. The purpose was to attend some long forgotten social function in Scotstown. Anyway, the handcar was of the vintage that required a pair or quartet of participants to supply muscle power to pump the handle bars up and down, much like a see-saw.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the return journey, rather than pump the handcar over the uphill grade to Milan, the group decided they would place the handcar on the track behind the eastbound passenger train when it made its late night stop at Scotstown. Two of the men then held on to the rear of the trailing passenger car. By the time the train attained track speed, my grandfather claimed the handcar's handle bars were moving up and down so fast that no one dared to move from fear of being struck and killed. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJ8SGRjDCeN-Q8JmAruVEZEGuRp579mgndiHl2bNE4NbCNCJUD_vHNvGUxwSicAbP0WxUmznZXXPkpDWGXWcQ8kdreDBKO-2pvm0FYn7JHQrtc4Yi5Z94KM_2xzywX_SHNJ-rvE5Pvce3/s1600/CPR+1950-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJ8SGRjDCeN-Q8JmAruVEZEGuRp579mgndiHl2bNE4NbCNCJUD_vHNvGUxwSicAbP0WxUmznZXXPkpDWGXWcQ8kdreDBKO-2pvm0FYn7JHQrtc4Yi5Z94KM_2xzywX_SHNJ-rvE5Pvce3/s1600/CPR+1950-51.jpg" height="85" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spring Hill, Quebec, was renamed Nantes</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Somewhere after McLeod's (former flag-stop) the two who were holding on to the rear of the train let go. My grandfather always insisted that the handcar did not stop coasting until it almost reached Milan. Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but that was the only time the perpetrators pulled off that stunt to avoid having to work the CPR's uphill Scotstown-to-Milan route the hard way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Note: Details of this anecdote also appears in Duncan McLeod's publication, "The Milan Story"</span></span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-85433575407394719822014-12-25T06:13:00.000-08:002014-12-25T06:13:44.586-08:00Mile Post 17<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mile Post 17. Nothing is significant about this place unless you happened to have been two boys in summer 1968.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPxH_M5Y8JENPj1FxOzLoBB25Nz0gciq_ro_P9XXjT6FZGLCx9Mezax_R6WvDAdPvWuSUxMUnV-CZgTeTxNEinQskBl38EP6pfzUH-f89KCK3Oai39XaIiGVXk_ff4xFhI7WBspGvyVcH/s1600/Mile+Post+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPxH_M5Y8JENPj1FxOzLoBB25Nz0gciq_ro_P9XXjT6FZGLCx9Mezax_R6WvDAdPvWuSUxMUnV-CZgTeTxNEinQskBl38EP6pfzUH-f89KCK3Oai39XaIiGVXk_ff4xFhI7WBspGvyVcH/s1600/Mile+Post+17.jpg" height="434" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mile board 17 of CP Rail's Sherbrooke Subdivision as it appeared in July 1992. Gone today are the telephone poles, wires and green glass insulators. </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had always wanted one of those green glass insulators that adorned the wooden pins on the cross arms of the railway's telephone poles. As youngsters my brother and I literally walked miles along the railway track in each direction from town. Occasionally we searched around the poles hoping to find an insulator that had been dropped and forgotten. No such luck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One weekend when visiting Milan, I noticed that several wires had been removed from the lowest cross arm and one pin nearest the pole had an unused insulator on every pole. Being the eldest and usually the instigator or schemes, my brother and I set off westward along the railway looking for the shortest pole we could find. None were as short as we thought when we started looking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkb5q32LSLDHre3F5tt1hpOaQFZz5Hwc8IFFEV5rR_5FYg30wpEYcadqwWNzoMAoB3tbfLge9QxXZl3yZh22vl3GKvRCTjuWVYdI3mUTobRJ-VtxYKRa3tJ9fnMUG8OU8JOCTqp7LWnnW/s1600/MP+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkb5q32LSLDHre3F5tt1hpOaQFZz5Hwc8IFFEV5rR_5FYg30wpEYcadqwWNzoMAoB3tbfLge9QxXZl3yZh22vl3GKvRCTjuWVYdI3mUTobRJ-VtxYKRa3tJ9fnMUG8OU8JOCTqp7LWnnW/s1600/MP+17.jpg" height="320" width="186" /></a>Near mile board 17 (in 1968 the mile boards were fastened to the telephone poles) we located a reasonably short pole. Too add to our luck, if one can call it that, we spotted a railway tie further along the embankment. We wrestled that tie over rocks and bushes and eventually had it moved to the base of the pole. With all our strength together we just barely managed to prop up the tie against the pole. My brother clambered up the tie while I tried to make certain it did not slip. He could just reach that unused insulator on the bottom cross arm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a minute he had the insulator unscrewed from the pin and tossed the insulator down to me. Not just content with one, my brother also unscrewed one of the other unused insulators further out on the cross arm and tossed the glass treasure down also. With our work done we shoved the tie off the pole and quickly headed back with our trophies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can probably imagine my reaction, several weeks later during another visit to my grandparents, when I was sent to answer the knock at the front door and found a Canadian Pacific Railway police officer there. While my mother and the CPR police officer talked in French, my brother and I whispered together in the next room trying to figure out how the CPR could have found out about the two missing insulators.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The CPR police officer departed without speaking to Ted and me and Mom carried on as if nothing was amiss. When my brother and I finally had the nerve to ask what the visit from the CPR police was about, we learned that the CPR was investigating incidents of stone throwing at trains several nights earlier. Fortunately for us, we were home in Montreal on the dates the CPR was questioning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mile post 17. Again, nothing is significant about this place unless you happened to have been two boys in summer 1968.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today, all the poles, insulators and wires are gone without a trace. Twenty-five years later this same green glass insulator still sits on my desk. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqimXRkwaTZyKVWtHOjj40kPVbZeTny6YhR6bSiFMhsUQ9NFfLbQS2NSkMi3Sj8q430voKrnVblUTa6_U_M1DmQsHWYrZ64YcvwD1zA85uqkUVOUL83ZriHIv_vBxFGtGXKFiT52jHito/s1600/Dominion+Glass+-+42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqimXRkwaTZyKVWtHOjj40kPVbZeTny6YhR6bSiFMhsUQ9NFfLbQS2NSkMi3Sj8q430voKrnVblUTa6_U_M1DmQsHWYrZ64YcvwD1zA85uqkUVOUL83ZriHIv_vBxFGtGXKFiT52jHito/s1600/Dominion+Glass+-+42.jpg" height="412" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dominion Glass - 42</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Written autumn 1992)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-62875367309221087692014-12-19T07:44:00.001-08:002021-10-15T08:33:10.102-07:00A Bridge Tale<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcZcOvi6IkRcnCEynZqo7zB3qu2Vosl20FyMRC4uTjmGLaOEypOsNIg-PS84dgINygPqjTRn4BB4aJTRBv6exqc_oVFzwIzQu-qp07aQmVF8LRDKBjoZpXyCF0mOObM2lmtmjlopxlA1v/s1600/railway+bridge+over+Salmon+River+near+Scotstown2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcZcOvi6IkRcnCEynZqo7zB3qu2Vosl20FyMRC4uTjmGLaOEypOsNIg-PS84dgINygPqjTRn4BB4aJTRBv6exqc_oVFzwIzQu-qp07aQmVF8LRDKBjoZpXyCF0mOObM2lmtmjlopxlA1v/s1600/railway+bridge+over+Salmon+River+near+Scotstown2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Early 1950's - the other railway bridge in Scotstown, Quebec.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">The railway bridge shown crossed over the Salmon River in Scotstown, Quebec, but a bit upstream near the south edge of town going toward LaPatrie.<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My father's Aunt Annie lived in Scotstown. Her home fronted on one of the town's main roads (Highway 257) and the property, which was a former farm, backed all the way down to the river. That's probably why Dad was at the river to take this photo.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In summer 1960 Dad took Ted and me fishing there; our very first time going fishing and we actually caught some yellow perch. We saw the concrete piers in the water and asked about them. Dad told us there was once a railway bridge. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdI0SNGXI-cpZrvRG82ilUwQqqcHz0By5PwwR5IetDUXhVdoFsIge8au1tOyXA86fi2eoceQKYBrtsQIJDUMCBdPOXhtgjdw8dqn1OrtUHMrnSnFdwxtORtr6kyUNAdjNm6qQguPnZsT_K/s1600/Scotstown2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdI0SNGXI-cpZrvRG82ilUwQqqcHz0By5PwwR5IetDUXhVdoFsIge8au1tOyXA86fi2eoceQKYBrtsQIJDUMCBdPOXhtgjdw8dqn1OrtUHMrnSnFdwxtORtr6kyUNAdjNm6qQguPnZsT_K/s1600/Scotstown2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Scotstown,
Quebec, date unknown. The CPR mainline is across the river just beyond
that tall chimney. The east end of the former station building is barely
visible on the far left of this image. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(photo borrowed from the internet)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Anyway, when I was surfing the internet the other day, I
found this old photo of Scotstown. Sure enough, a third railway
crossing once existed in town and is shown in this photo, and this old photo is what has instigated this essay.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The former Canadian Pacific Railway mainline is on
the far side of the river from where this photo was taken. The railway spur
shown here went into the veneer mill, (where a park and restaurant are located today) and continued along the river to and across that bridge which Dad photographed in the early
1950's. Dad never told me how far that railway spur went beyond the other side of
the river or what it was used for; I never thought to ask.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The former veneer mill (on the right) disappeared in the early 1960's, however the former plywood mill building across the river survived until 1969 or 70; demolished soon after Silva Sol discontinued making chlorinated water in the former mill.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VTZoW1of5pka3lYvzzo_p01pD6IH2FmUi6doVIphluUjLJxru6Q_Ibjg4guN_xAOmozivzkoPOuU2b4rf_WNY-RrZsf09MzaZv4CjVdwH-3tp2rhol9WjDeY3HiCK1bk2f-6hrMbKvlj/s1600/Footnote.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A Megantic Subdivision footnote in the October 27, 1968 CPR employee timetable reveals that Silva Sol was a railway customer.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidytpbkvsGbGNkEUODt9CNQBqzTEHE0_bXiJ0ZYwZyUi4nZ1-6B-ti52ViRvVYEuL9azqkF7EQO5tT2RjqLX36kQjtfL5eNWHyXP9H-Hfc_Ak1FR1PH4US3FyBsYE0I42aefpG5f8IVI2n/s1600/scotstown.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidytpbkvsGbGNkEUODt9CNQBqzTEHE0_bXiJ0ZYwZyUi4nZ1-6B-ti52ViRvVYEuL9azqkF7EQO5tT2RjqLX36kQjtfL5eNWHyXP9H-Hfc_Ak1FR1PH4US3FyBsYE0I42aefpG5f8IVI2n/s1600/scotstown.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One
more undated but earlier image of Scotstown showing the CPR station
building and the mill. Only that brick chimney remains today. (photo
borrowed from the internet)</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2wVIZ4CuGQ_xAuGltz1_f36BTlSN-Gvvuayf2_CsUIe2ghpO_MgtfEdPCQD49mcJL5TdrjNadjZ32AY7HmxUBFYTJjrjzxNuts5xDtLQHLJPzCvZuylm1yc9Ot6AsFvy2JFS4KCaYrN_/s1600/Scotstown+satellite+view.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="672" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2wVIZ4CuGQ_xAuGltz1_f36BTlSN-Gvvuayf2_CsUIe2ghpO_MgtfEdPCQD49mcJL5TdrjNadjZ32AY7HmxUBFYTJjrjzxNuts5xDtLQHLJPzCvZuylm1yc9Ot6AsFvy2JFS4KCaYrN_/s640/Scotstown+satellite+view.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A quick check on Google Maps shows that today a road follows along the Salmon River and some type of structure crosses the water (arrow) at or near where the original railway bridge
was once located.</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This is it for today's very trivial railway trivia history lesson from the Department of Useless Information. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<b>Addendum February 08, 2018</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Corroboration.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh5f0bdS1j3uGLrbjeRrjQ0asm1BJutqvqHNXU8wqLZ2M8K-BOZuvFL3Nmzk-2XcgWdDpjGSRFIl7M_QTGKAIAQQW5dTpn41KoyvKmtR7IQ9Ah2-5v8wSy_eUZ_93c_Tk8Z2W4Vq6QBFl/s1600/Scotstown+Salmon+River.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="657" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh5f0bdS1j3uGLrbjeRrjQ0asm1BJutqvqHNXU8wqLZ2M8K-BOZuvFL3Nmzk-2XcgWdDpjGSRFIl7M_QTGKAIAQQW5dTpn41KoyvKmtR7IQ9Ah2-5v8wSy_eUZ_93c_Tk8Z2W4Vq6QBFl/s640/Scotstown+Salmon+River.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Discovered on the internet: Another undated view of that other Scotstown railway bridge.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MYjTt6IV2gtTtg1iYY2TRoJdJ3LPRCONzJ4ee7fBq0yT55Po0RVjmRe4fEBUytCREgrphwhn3VS8kpKWyK-InHkj9-iTTs7BK3Qi8i1VTxagC8fOjY3NHgrizmoMUQSXjYRe6fXOI9cp/s1600/Scotstown.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="1402" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MYjTt6IV2gtTtg1iYY2TRoJdJ3LPRCONzJ4ee7fBq0yT55Po0RVjmRe4fEBUytCREgrphwhn3VS8kpKWyK-InHkj9-iTTs7BK3Qi8i1VTxagC8fOjY3NHgrizmoMUQSXjYRe6fXOI9cp/s640/Scotstown.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">An undated footnote (listed among 1913-1915 footnotes) found in a CPR-related publication posted on line provides more information about the bridge. (C. H. Riff 2012)</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0f3rLxvBKJeH-z5HUoxbE-7nenUqq7-9xNE_u42C1CWc6BbjwzbMgmV0dHPX0ssoQ8aWBmYrulF6utv-3SYezIFwdBY5GBGNw3nbLobB0OO1vlfBvBLiMvEDOGEOhj8clLTsgjm4Lkuu/s1600/Scotstown+GN+Lumber.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="800" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0f3rLxvBKJeH-z5HUoxbE-7nenUqq7-9xNE_u42C1CWc6BbjwzbMgmV0dHPX0ssoQ8aWBmYrulF6utv-3SYezIFwdBY5GBGNw3nbLobB0OO1vlfBvBLiMvEDOGEOhj8clLTsgjm4Lkuu/s640/Scotstown+GN+Lumber.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">An
undated image of Scotstown looking westward but likely from the same
time period.<br />1. Guelph Patent Cask Company. <br />2. CPR's railway station. <br />3.
Water tower</span></span></td></tr>
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</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2vxVv6fKVTJgYZGOsoOt638KCr0ErvnBmOsxVnGDlCpJrBkpq0_WiFza6vVU-ir-MUrULV4etpb5Y_lXpgqWPmDLpROqsyg9xEs0Wg5SwS7CihtkNlMf6eVoo5p_N1Ym1lcaLAAEHp_6/s448/Scotstown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="448" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2vxVv6fKVTJgYZGOsoOt638KCr0ErvnBmOsxVnGDlCpJrBkpq0_WiFza6vVU-ir-MUrULV4etpb5Y_lXpgqWPmDLpROqsyg9xEs0Wg5SwS7CihtkNlMf6eVoo5p_N1Ym1lcaLAAEHp_6/w640-h394/Scotstown.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br />
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The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-17971229967555959722014-12-11T08:12:00.002-08:002014-12-11T08:12:41.052-08:00The D. & H. Trains<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW5ZqAL9QyEulXPiN-BubZU1WXJEThefwFuAzr2Eik4wLdkPobhF5y7JWbFfQQy2K5g2P_k_qIkOv3uyFcHaYss1n_3I_5ctVNEO0Gz_E2gd9-sCcNKmrFa14yg2AXt6xbqawgM48U8Ke/s1600/D&H+train.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW5ZqAL9QyEulXPiN-BubZU1WXJEThefwFuAzr2Eik4wLdkPobhF5y7JWbFfQQy2K5g2P_k_qIkOv3uyFcHaYss1n_3I_5ctVNEO0Gz_E2gd9-sCcNKmrFa14yg2AXt6xbqawgM48U8Ke/s1600/D&H+train.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">D. & H. Train ready for departure from CP Rail's Windsor Station in Montreal. (photo borrowed from internet)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The first time I learned about
the D. & H. trains was the day Leslie McLeod gave me my first Canadian Pacific
Railway employee timetable. While reading through the schedule and finding the
page with the Adirondack Subdivision, I noticed daily passenger trains numbered
220 and 222 southbound and 221 and 223 northbound operating between Montreal
and Delson, Quebec, which CPR identified only as D. & H. trains. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNUS1mIVmNX8pxrwGipZebGqk3Es-8_1BenV0YOSezXRfVaOJ3b7_iPZCPvHGSyoKECU4gYsHgNxFvRrl1aEzmFg6yIuZG7LTrVkUaWpgGR6FLFi-N0uVIiCvvG3UQLXJ3e04lJrKGuP0/s1600/D&H+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNUS1mIVmNX8pxrwGipZebGqk3Es-8_1BenV0YOSezXRfVaOJ3b7_iPZCPvHGSyoKECU4gYsHgNxFvRrl1aEzmFg6yIuZG7LTrVkUaWpgGR6FLFi-N0uVIiCvvG3UQLXJ3e04lJrKGuP0/s1600/D&H+2.jpg" height="574" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From the Canadian Pacific Railway employee timetable effective October 27, 1968</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I asked Leslie what trains
these were, he told me they were the Delaware & Hudson Railroad’s Montreal to New
York passenger trains. These trains operated into and
out of Montreal
via the CPR from the junction with the Napierville Junction Railway at Delson.
The origin of the CPR station name is a contraction of Delaware
& Hudson.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdnBfICXXqp_TvNrJc3JXIHJHNgxmie65ylI6H2w4bXfzrEl3Ge1nmYxBpgx4FbIx9DB-lCu1JQ9pnpRoqfDYp8yBCjmdd3x7T6Vvp196Ae0YiewngVOA_Cs2TosSuSzHdcX6W-2b_3Oi/s1600/D&H+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdnBfICXXqp_TvNrJc3JXIHJHNgxmie65ylI6H2w4bXfzrEl3Ge1nmYxBpgx4FbIx9DB-lCu1JQ9pnpRoqfDYp8yBCjmdd3x7T6Vvp196Ae0YiewngVOA_Cs2TosSuSzHdcX6W-2b_3Oi/s1600/D&H+1.jpg" height="491" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From the CP Rail public timetable effective October 26, 1969</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While I did see the D. & H.
trains once in a while, I never had an opportunity to travel on them.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These
trains may have been discontinued with Amtrak’s birth in 1971; they disappeared from the CP Rail public timetables that year, however a few years
later, Amtrak re-established a daily Montreal-New York passenger train over the D. & H. route which
Amtrak named the Adirondack. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 1981 Kie and I rode Amtrak’s
Adirondack from New York to Montreal, however, the Amfleet equipment did not
possess the appearance and character of the former D. & H. trains.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-67083056606862968302014-11-19T12:02:00.002-08:002014-11-19T12:02:51.654-08:00A Few Comments About CPR Boxcars<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9ILv08Qy-lvscVJTPWNsjDN-I7mrKXkS9t40ILhXvJYPcZIL2rat1mcoZd73Z-M-OywWtEklrl361CzWZV7nkEG6RF1WQNbwqCc4jEhLIkab5Frswz4vUVKTojeqUmm2AW8FyTWPHVyi/s1600/CP+252240.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9ILv08Qy-lvscVJTPWNsjDN-I7mrKXkS9t40ILhXvJYPcZIL2rat1mcoZd73Z-M-OywWtEklrl361CzWZV7nkEG6RF1WQNbwqCc4jEhLIkab5Frswz4vUVKTojeqUmm2AW8FyTWPHVyi/s640/CP+252240.jpg" height="332" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Canadian
Pacific Railway's brown 40FT boxcars with the stepped white block
lettering were once a familiar sight in trains and at locations all
across Canada on the CPR network. These box cars often made guest
appearances in other railway's trains when shipments required the cars
to be interchanged to move the freight to wherever it was going.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As
CPR's corporate image evolved and changed, so too did the lettering on
box cars. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, the block lettering gave
way to script, as detailed in this next photograph.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfYdordbDA8pcgtUqTgqKW7ixaLiDZbIXEO9HkIDU_qOVUqcD3z2_BNrTWYFdo3yfi7HkbHyGQP7nKhxQYWNOzDkSyaYX79-gLJIyYgJldWuNasZDDSdg0wvD9CerdtJTzXfWrwFPDWsx/s1600/CP+257399.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfYdordbDA8pcgtUqTgqKW7ixaLiDZbIXEO9HkIDU_qOVUqcD3z2_BNrTWYFdo3yfi7HkbHyGQP7nKhxQYWNOzDkSyaYX79-gLJIyYgJldWuNasZDDSdg0wvD9CerdtJTzXfWrwFPDWsx/s640/CP+257399.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Further
changes ensued in 1968 when Canadian Pacific gave their railway a
make-over and changed the name to CP Rail. The familiar brown of CPR
boxcars changed to bright red (and other colours) with new black and
white multi-mark logo added.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzDMW5ri2K6VWrxnXUR_0g4xh9LDnN-_E4Qhwrod6B4cgnkjkYPiZN6VhVyBgZkKkKWYreKlGAQCYI3FLJIX6v57-7zBnZPiD8_xsTSx3JQvA-EvTH9G1Ozunnj9CTojYpfYgAqO-WQHA/s1600/CP+Rail+Boxcar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzDMW5ri2K6VWrxnXUR_0g4xh9LDnN-_E4Qhwrod6B4cgnkjkYPiZN6VhVyBgZkKkKWYreKlGAQCYI3FLJIX6v57-7zBnZPiD8_xsTSx3JQvA-EvTH9G1Ozunnj9CTojYpfYgAqO-WQHA/s640/CP+Rail+Boxcar.jpg" height="432" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If
you have been paying attention to details, you will notice that all the
featured boxcars have ladders on the sides and ends. The top photo
shows the roof-walk in place and this point leads me to the next part.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In
the 1960's, Milan, Quebec, still had a siding and team track in place.
On very rare occasions, a single 40FT brown CPR box car would be set out
on the team track. That rail car was a magnet and of course upon my
suggestion, Ted and I walked over to take an up-close look. After a few
minutes our looking developed into hands-on. Ted and I climbed on the
ladders and eventually on to the top of the box car. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjub1sGDRW54fyhw0EqGKN7sXNfYsEG_qjuXu6Rfz2Vzmm3kPS4OCqISGjUlMSHipwoYcuh6WdUh4wio2EOtfhDrQdyb4L9JXnZixM891Vj7Dm7rHCVB8V24EXFEfJLp3bk3snKE6Kv0JdH/s1600/climbing+a+box+car.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjub1sGDRW54fyhw0EqGKN7sXNfYsEG_qjuXu6Rfz2Vzmm3kPS4OCqISGjUlMSHipwoYcuh6WdUh4wio2EOtfhDrQdyb4L9JXnZixM891Vj7Dm7rHCVB8V24EXFEfJLp3bk3snKE6Kv0JdH/s320/climbing+a+box+car.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">The photo on the right was found on the internet. That could have been me in the 1960's. This box car is in CP Rail colours too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">One
warm summer afternoon in 1968, a westbound freight train that was
passing through Milan was having difficulty. Perhaps a locomotive had
failed but I don' really know. The result was a long string of box cars
being set out in the siding. A very unusual railway activity for Milan
so Ted and I wandered over to take a look. What we found were empty
refrigerator cars like the one shown below.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zfVs9IOL6oAtRz85HLjbLy8UNOBojebis1-FhRGvucFCeVI4U7vPCmsWuEaed4dQ2T1hFHp6sKT-h2Fs1a8FGy7_ilLk1iKN2KsHSf3oUU1pbpe4nalcVKlD29jLjKuTInmpKE6eLVx9/s1600/CP+289760.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zfVs9IOL6oAtRz85HLjbLy8UNOBojebis1-FhRGvucFCeVI4U7vPCmsWuEaed4dQ2T1hFHp6sKT-h2Fs1a8FGy7_ilLk1iKN2KsHSf3oUU1pbpe4nalcVKlD29jLjKuTInmpKE6eLVx9/s640/CP+289760.jpg" height="299" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iXF1sAHzXsmeQAdh0FxWEAvZID5DwPh92lg8Oc3QgoQwz5ouCQwddt3xTZ48PbrXWbxaMNmOCGmQARBBZynB_jIzb6tsF-HSafkCcGlxCVWMpDMQVPm3mTiBG_lURyV8-sZiHTGkEZuV/s1600/On+top+of+a+box+car.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iXF1sAHzXsmeQAdh0FxWEAvZID5DwPh92lg8Oc3QgoQwz5ouCQwddt3xTZ48PbrXWbxaMNmOCGmQARBBZynB_jIzb6tsF-HSafkCcGlxCVWMpDMQVPm3mTiBG_lURyV8-sZiHTGkEZuV/s320/On+top+of+a+box+car.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">We
climbed on the top of one car, walked along the roof-walk, and then
jumped over to the next car, and so on for a dozen or more cars. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The
roof-walks of some cars were made of wood and we quickly discovered
they were well rotted. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">On some of the cars the roof hatches were locked
open but the ice bunkers were empty. No liquids were leaking out of
the drain spouts on any of the cars; meaning they were probably all
empties; ideal selections for an unplanned set-out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here is another photo from the internet selected for illustration...complete with a rotted roof-walk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The following morning the Milan siding was empty and our brief bit of railway excitement was over. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08c1hsXS3Y20AiGVRVYycwADKObzTONWXPTQ_ibljoeBRDSNhSE192ViybsuDs-lkB-kWQ44R95yctsJKyJXygSmaWSL2P1FC_vWoiCMQ2LuJE4saCUPMKOssvcYPhyIu6I2U4V4ICm-k/s1600/Hobo_1933_in_boxcar_door.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08c1hsXS3Y20AiGVRVYycwADKObzTONWXPTQ_ibljoeBRDSNhSE192ViybsuDs-lkB-kWQ44R95yctsJKyJXygSmaWSL2P1FC_vWoiCMQ2LuJE4saCUPMKOssvcYPhyIu6I2U4V4ICm-k/s400/Hobo_1933_in_boxcar_door.jpg" height="400" width="311" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Railways
and trains are fascinating to watch but are dangerous places to play
around. I guess we were lucky that nothing happened and no one got
hurt. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This
last photo on the right illustrates one more reason why railways are
dangerous places to play. Strangers can be lurking and appear out of
anywhere. They may be harmless... but you just don't know.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A word of advice:</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If
you really want to see railways and trains up close, then visit and
support your local railway museum. Some of them even run trains you can
ride on.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally published November 2011. Moved to this blog and updated November 2014)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-71054107527404675272014-11-03T05:39:00.000-08:002014-11-03T05:39:47.478-08:00Canada's Most Famous Photo<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Agree or disagree, even today no other photo taken of Canada is as familiar or so clearly defines the history of this nation.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The irony of Canada's most famous railway scene, was the absence of a train or even a locomotive in the background. </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdKUstHuaeqf_GxjnHsDIGF5SeaSX6F5R2YdX-j-Pig6E-tVJ1Grk6MokNRHxMCdY1yGDqwCN2tQPtEwRzT-CVwt3ILlp3XyDU5gAhAXuB9HLZu18YoZi9LuhmayCtJo881og1H_YRNaC/s1600/The+Last+Spike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdKUstHuaeqf_GxjnHsDIGF5SeaSX6F5R2YdX-j-Pig6E-tVJ1Grk6MokNRHxMCdY1yGDqwCN2tQPtEwRzT-CVwt3ILlp3XyDU5gAhAXuB9HLZu18YoZi9LuhmayCtJo881og1H_YRNaC/s1600/The+Last+Spike.jpg" height="514" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About 28 miles west of Revelstoke, the middle of nowhere in British Columbia, on November 07, 1885, the ceremonial last spike was driven to complete the Canadian Pacific Railway</span></span>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-46564533064410428752014-10-31T07:18:00.002-07:002021-10-15T08:07:26.602-07:00The Massawippi Missiles<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWIxYBWj_swRaw5vpjkYrSviT0qtpPD84J-h1uo9CiC1xudANyXK6Bliy2TTjpmVb1Nz44BdODbFbHbnwd8NPLfUeY1-5Eg9C54hmZqVFb5_uzADo-OmS1HOCZTOFLEh4PaECPgJ33aE-/s1600/Massawippi+Missile.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWIxYBWj_swRaw5vpjkYrSviT0qtpPD84J-h1uo9CiC1xudANyXK6Bliy2TTjpmVb1Nz44BdODbFbHbnwd8NPLfUeY1-5Eg9C54hmZqVFb5_uzADo-OmS1HOCZTOFLEh4PaECPgJ33aE-/s640/Massawippi+Missile.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>"The Massawippi Missile" i</b></span></span>n July 1984. CP Rail<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">diesel locomotive</span></span> C-424 numbered 4248 was leading twenty-one cars and a caboose southward from Sherbrooke, Quebec, to Newport, Vermont. This scene was captured a little more than a mile south of North Hatley, Quebec, near mile 14.5 of CP Rail's scenic Beebe Subdivision.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">T</span>he railway's
alignment literally followed the eastern side of Lake Massawippi <span style="font-size: small;">between</span>
North Hatley <span style="font-size: small;">and</span> Ayers Cliff, Quebec. During summer, <span style="font-size: small;">goin<span style="font-size: small;">g</span> for a swim<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>in the lake
meant having to cross the track because much of the beach frontage was
the railway right of way. The value of lake front<span style="font-size: small;">age</span> was an opportunity
that CP Rail did not miss out on. CP Rail leased
sections of lake front to cottage owners</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <span style="font-size: small;">who</span> w<span style="font-size: small;">anted</span> access<span style="font-size: small;"> to the water</span></span></span></span>.<span style="font-size: small;">..<span style="font-size: small;">boulders, rocks, </span>stones and all.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The former Massawippi Valley Railway was officially sentenced to oblivion on November 30, 1989. The National Transportation Agency granted CP Rail permission to abandon the entire rail line between Lennoxville, Quebec, and Beebe Jct. The abandonment also included the 2.4 mile Stanstead spur to Rock Island, Quebec. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Like a stay of execution, <span style="font-size: small;">t</span>he rail<span style="font-size: small;"> line</span> remained dormant and quietly rusted away for a few years, however, in spring 1992 the scrappers were finally called in and the railway was torn up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Prior to the railway's demise, rumours often surfaced that part of the railway might be developed into a tourist operation, however, nothing ever came of that. Tragic. In terms of scenery, this line could have been one of the best. The Orford Express came along too late.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Today, reproducing any of these scenes is impossible. </span></span> </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhouB6u4KxGRl1WclWDCCpf_gVAqlhvql4DGdlCu0-GrILldUfuteccunkZkOJ1O17aJhW2mdf2nC53XaUPQYv4ThgFUXYXF7Uhyphenhypheng9-AZbmaKAfPrhE1Rp7Y7Urqx4eXI7i7U96frN9Fl56/s1600/Beebe+Sub+Time+Table.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhouB6u4KxGRl1WclWDCCpf_gVAqlhvql4DGdlCu0-GrILldUfuteccunkZkOJ1O17aJhW2mdf2nC53XaUPQYv4ThgFUXYXF7Uhyphenhypheng9-AZbmaKAfPrhE1Rp7Y7Urqx4eXI7i7U96frN9Fl56/s640/Beebe+Sub+Time+Table.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Abstract from <span style="font-size: small;">a 1980 </span>CP Rail employee time table</span></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQyRuE-uMqMop_0CezmWnpzRTy_YY9RYxA6b_6aqxn9SgHzV8MZK9t5lLvuCTz9uEypmXqgFDUcu3_TOl_OAfnB6WdOz171-1veQ3IR-UfGv0ie02ONpbaVm8-efgvIkSrLwJi8KRWsqL/s1600/Beebe+Sub+Footnotes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQyRuE-uMqMop_0CezmWnpzRTy_YY9RYxA6b_6aqxn9SgHzV8MZK9t5lLvuCTz9uEypmXqgFDUcu3_TOl_OAfnB6WdOz171-1veQ3IR-UfGv0ie02ONpbaVm8-efgvIkSrLwJi8KRWsqL/s640/Beebe+Sub+Footnotes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Carload customers were non-existent. Bridge traffic and waterfront users were all that moved over this route. </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms1OjiJvxfCxMlkSESCT89FsXbT8Q_-fTHg9w0vPnpM-fqTDPeTk343ahCYzH28UWtmWHb0m75HjRqMXN_6KIrJjHOIWql_At8eYk0Z550XgOt0CzjrzZoA6NWd70DVPu3OsjsyB6fG5a/s1600/Speeder.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms1OjiJvxfCxMlkSESCT89FsXbT8Q_-fTHg9w0vPnpM-fqTDPeTk343ahCYzH28UWtmWHb0m75HjRqMXN_6KIrJjHOIWql_At8eYk0Z550XgOt0CzjrzZoA6NWd70DVPu3OsjsyB6fG5a/s640/Speeder.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>"The Massawippi Speeder"</b> <span style="font-size: small;">Actually, it was anything but speedy. R</span>ecording this scene in July 1984 was nothing more than<span style="font-size: small;"> the</span> plain blind luck of being in the right place at the right time. I just happened to be on the way back to the cottage after a swim in the lake and about to cross the track. That was<span style="font-size: small;"> the</span> one and only time I ever saw or heard a CPR speeder on this route. Some days things just worked out.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-uzSIL8yAjtzXtpWG3N8kqXquvaAxGHiUkz9tdIXdcGYxHX_Nzc9F9gzVh5bKLTenB0Qf2XX6miqO6S7TdP8203OnHcDxILnwpoZGD4Enz1Ypw701D5XJoPKY06w25S4w03NCrWXHRYs/s1600/Kie+in+North+Hatley+in+summer+1981.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-uzSIL8yAjtzXtpWG3N8kqXquvaAxGHiUkz9tdIXdcGYxHX_Nzc9F9gzVh5bKLTenB0Qf2XX6miqO6S7TdP8203OnHcDxILnwpoZGD4Enz1Ypw701D5XJoPKY06w25S4w03NCrWXHRYs/s640/Kie+in+North+Hatley+in+summer+1981.jpg" width="414" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Trains were not the only attraction on the railway.</span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Kie on a hot hazy evening<span style="font-size: small;"> with Lake Massawippi in the background</span> in summer 1981. </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTZzVZFz9Foz-P15y4wPJykgFT31NB5KYYS2IZ9Co3fgXaq4vy3LNNDjFUYDEJbROL0NE_W7oVGxxNOOKvoEHPkfF2CSAddsfd0_B-qhYpVsAnpEMu59jWiwNue-XsHtFAmCeCDskmleF/s1600/Brown%2527s+Brook.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTZzVZFz9Foz-P15y4wPJykgFT31NB5KYYS2IZ9Co3fgXaq4vy3LNNDjFUYDEJbROL0NE_W7oVGxxNOOKvoEHPkfF2CSAddsfd0_B-qhYpVsAnpEMu59jWiwNue-XsHtFAmCeCDskmleF/s640/Brown%2527s+Brook.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The small bridge over Brown's Brook located just shy of mile 15; the white mile board visible in the distance on the left side of the track. My ultimate goal was to photograph a train at this location but that was not to be. Anyway, I enjoyed making the half-mile walks here and swimming in the lake. </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPo0JDX_9fieLlo9iRR11ErAPX3rK1rIyTI5m-WJWBKTEbA_a-pOFv81v3wkh8q8g7KCC0UEtTFl-xpKQ7Oezow_xV08VSIPogM3x-1pbO5g072z56p0tLD8T2CNEGwTjQDK2Ds-nB8eT/s1600/Massawippi+Missile2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPo0JDX_9fieLlo9iRR11ErAPX3rK1rIyTI5m-WJWBKTEbA_a-pOFv81v3wkh8q8g7KCC0UEtTFl-xpKQ7Oezow_xV08VSIPogM3x-1pbO5g072z56p0tLD8T2CNEGwTjQDK2Ds-nB8eT/s640/Massawippi+Missile2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One
more look at 92 southbound in July 1984 as it meanders along Lake
Massawippi. A string of bulkhead flatcars loaded with Canadian lumber
destined to the United States</span></span>.<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Nothing works better than wood to get a fire going over trade issues concerning Canadian lumber going to the United States.</span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The
Massiwippi Missiles, fourth class trains listed in CP Rail employee
time tables as 92 southbound and 93 northbound, were for me the most
challenging trains to photograph<span style="font-size: small;"> and that was </span>in spite of <span style="font-size: small;">the</span> maximum track speed of twenty-five miles per hour.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In July 1984, service was down to three days per week and train times were any time. Times posted in the schedule were pure <span style="font-size: small;">fiction</span>.
Without the aid of a car and a scanner I was forced to rely on older
technologies: ears and legs. If I heard the train whistle in the
distance, and hearing it depended on wind direction, I would grab my
camera and race downhill on the footpath to trackside to get there
first. Many attempts were necessary to finally obtain a satisfactory
picture, much to the amusement of neighbours after they caught on to
what was going on.</span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If nothing else, at least I can now identify with those crazy farm dogs that love to chase after cars.</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Addendum August 30, 2017<br />
</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Some days when least expected...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Over the years I've made countless futile searches for an image of a train, any train, crossing this particular railway bridge; I didn't think any existed... and this week, purely by accident, I struck pay dirt! </span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOU9VJ5P3zsvMSBj0-G-8ABuPn4Ednc1rbNXXr6zniRi45TlU2OtUeE_H5YBJ33JM7CaXg30qFPObnA7aqG0tf5v1JvP-u9o26_rfvZCfKy8hJ3pqXlt63o5IbubROFaVjaKlu0glERj3/s1600/CP+9105+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="745" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOU9VJ5P3zsvMSBj0-G-8ABuPn4Ednc1rbNXXr6zniRi45TlU2OtUeE_H5YBJ33JM7CaXg30qFPObnA7aqG0tf5v1JvP-u9o26_rfvZCfKy8hJ3pqXlt63o5IbubROFaVjaKlu0glERj3/s640/CP+9105+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">March 02, 1968, saw this 2-car CPR Budd train crossing the wooden trestle in North Hatley, Quebec, with frozen-over Lake Massawippi in the background. The event was a Canadian Railway Historical Association special excursion. (Fred Angus photo)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>
<br />
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV317enEfAtMNnoFUzqy7DZ5kXmJV-KKaWs9Z6_nozn5LRLZazZwU5lFiPoEXOmNkqE-Nlhn5tCr_lZS9RqpJcz6lYGWLKXwFplCpqpBvEt3mS2OGEElZ6oiQNpcQSgZnDMHPxE6JKaE_T/s640/QC+93+engine+CP5025+at+North+Hatley+December+1980.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="640" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV317enEfAtMNnoFUzqy7DZ5kXmJV-KKaWs9Z6_nozn5LRLZazZwU5lFiPoEXOmNkqE-Nlhn5tCr_lZS9RqpJcz6lYGWLKXwFplCpqpBvEt3mS2OGEElZ6oiQNpcQSgZnDMHPxE6JKaE_T/w640-h310/QC+93+engine+CP5025+at+North+Hatley+December+1980.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Found this image on the internet but the photographer wasn't identified, however the train was identified as QC 93 engine CP5025 at North Hatley December 1980.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>
</p><p>
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNFsXKUGVGlIB57_s76wArHnqJXJ6TzJVkfzzNvNDxdCqLYb1zDXeZGmoKADSqskggTGKhloQ0_30MLHtlgs5hVgXBb8HxST6ZGMBhUWk8pUBu-6X18tK9V81ifcz3YHqWZaHN7J6VisF/s1600/NH+Oct+1989.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="929" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNFsXKUGVGlIB57_s76wArHnqJXJ6TzJVkfzzNvNDxdCqLYb1zDXeZGmoKADSqskggTGKhloQ0_30MLHtlgs5hVgXBb8HxST6ZGMBhUWk8pUBu-6X18tK9V81ifcz3YHqWZaHN7J6VisF/s640/NH+Oct+1989.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> The same bridge in October 07, 1989, before the railway was scrapped</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSn7DBfZJPUE2PvqlaaSu3VrzXtwaIbyDNemLWaE6q6VtBXNm0G2fvXBZja_ADZTjUWgbM0TpILEDLruJCOpfcDm0Cc2kmPaokKTvXNgNfo6lKmhLbZex4Xzdbb2qwiwogwRCq0Zy3_C5z/s1600/CP+9105+on+the+former+Massawippi+Valley+Railway.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="558" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSn7DBfZJPUE2PvqlaaSu3VrzXtwaIbyDNemLWaE6q6VtBXNm0G2fvXBZja_ADZTjUWgbM0TpILEDLruJCOpfcDm0Cc2kmPaokKTvXNgNfo6lKmhLbZex4Xzdbb2qwiwogwRCq0Zy3_C5z/s640/CP+9105+on+the+former+Massawippi+Valley+Railway.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">"A run-past through the woods." Another March 02, 1968, scene of the same CRHA-chartered Canadian Pacific excursion train on the Massawippi Valley Railway. The location was not identified. (Fred Angus photo)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yes, this is the same North Hatley that former US president Bill Clinton visited about two weeks ago, thus putting the small picturesque town in the spotlight... for a while at least.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">On this note, the image below is dedicated to politicians everywhere because the result looks to me like a typical political solution.</span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TAmjUmTtUMoDrA3io5dwpOY82pbNxsLh2rPlEQDqiHF9BaDMrgjEu9tz9kbeXzsSQ8VDLYR1pWbH6woiCFuUZ1xqoD_L-tm__Gqa0Rl0_UcCY-M4oguZWFqtmsnbeI0PS5XT32-Dxh99/s1600/NHQ.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1600" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TAmjUmTtUMoDrA3io5dwpOY82pbNxsLh2rPlEQDqiHF9BaDMrgjEu9tz9kbeXzsSQ8VDLYR1pWbH6woiCFuUZ1xqoD_L-tm__Gqa0Rl0_UcCY-M4oguZWFqtmsnbeI0PS5XT32-Dxh99/s640/NHQ.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Is half a bridge to nowhere better than no bridge at all? I suppose the answer is a matter of opinion.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgQcB_ItVVtfvDZizTGU5dS2w7_D8ku0pGIi9tRYirIEDa0vj_DiM6Jp4rj08-wHChrcCnCE2yimKAPbPs2l_og1ATu50x_izHSPMjw9uYHwqU7vyo-9qLQoE-sLYeJlTwpCvnj22ZhDH/s1600/895-201427135533_original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="500" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgQcB_ItVVtfvDZizTGU5dS2w7_D8ku0pGIi9tRYirIEDa0vj_DiM6Jp4rj08-wHChrcCnCE2yimKAPbPs2l_og1ATu50x_izHSPMjw9uYHwqU7vyo-9qLQoE-sLYeJlTwpCvnj22ZhDH/s640/895-201427135533_original.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQGMuysunn6a101Z_9KAHiYPQcb8eGp8l0ETtFg_2ytflzKRAfkoFHENjqR4EQLZM9DRpLFJOJjvqlk0aOW8oFuc6tx5Pbm7j6C7nVksQR1ayBY3TWmXdYRDeuozxtaxpe9FXQ0_1181D/s512/Beebe+Sub+scrapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="512" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQGMuysunn6a101Z_9KAHiYPQcb8eGp8l0ETtFg_2ytflzKRAfkoFHENjqR4EQLZM9DRpLFJOJjvqlk0aOW8oFuc6tx5Pbm7j6C7nVksQR1ayBY3TWmXdYRDeuozxtaxpe9FXQ0_1181D/w640-h452/Beebe+Sub+scrapped.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beebe Subdivision in the process of being scrapped in 1992<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p>The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-85506467916520780002014-10-03T07:05:00.000-07:002015-08-14T16:40:16.357-07:00What is a Roomette?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Let's start here, one place where roomettes are found.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUKTV6jrULrbj5f2Oxe7txJvSu4zDLLMRio18p2xCHSydMj3_F4ZfKGa-4aI4OvI7wDuXkhKb5-bfsCm828ULcZ8RYFPZ7WUsVOSnXkOYhGt5drWWYcTYfandgcVbhLeb25gemWnjwOMr/s1600/Train+15+at+Moncton.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUKTV6jrULrbj5f2Oxe7txJvSu4zDLLMRio18p2xCHSydMj3_F4ZfKGa-4aI4OvI7wDuXkhKb5-bfsCm828ULcZ8RYFPZ7WUsVOSnXkOYhGt5drWWYcTYfandgcVbhLeb25gemWnjwOMr/s400/Train+15+at+Moncton.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Above
is Via Rail's Train 15 making its scheduled 15 minute stop at Moncton,
New Brunswick while en route from Halifax to Montreal; enough time to
step off the train for a few minutes to record a few scenes.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">By
the time Canadian Pacific Railway purchased this and the other
stainless-steel Budd built passenger cars in the early 1950's, North
America's railways had perfected the art of cramming basic but modest
comforts of home into spaces the size of a closet.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1o82ZG66_fUoiHnFH1wZRoD8TQVBAj2Q8rBxi89Lij7XuGOwuwf7uma_DVFBGxflZcWAvlgGnryGZVDbgQehOXPAKCp_fec74YelEesaNj3H3bGYg2hNgXQifxUPSYRPfkhHSIZ6vsbN/s1600/CPR+sleeping+car+brochure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1o82ZG66_fUoiHnFH1wZRoD8TQVBAj2Q8rBxi89Lij7XuGOwuwf7uma_DVFBGxflZcWAvlgGnryGZVDbgQehOXPAKCp_fec74YelEesaNj3H3bGYg2hNgXQifxUPSYRPfkhHSIZ6vsbN/s1600/CPR+sleeping+car+brochure.jpg" width="552" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Here is a brochure that Canadian Pacific Railway issued in the 1950's detailing the then new stainless steel passenger equipment placed into service for the introduction of "The Canadian"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Below
is an up close view of one of those former CPR stainless steel passenger
cars in Train 15. This car is named Chateau Dollier. The name should be
changed to Chateau Dollars because sleeping car accommodations are
rather expensive these days. An airline ticket between Halifax and
Montreal would have been less expensive but air travel is not for those
who enjoy the journey rather than the destination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Anyway,
my accommodation on the train was in this particular car in roomette
number 4. Via Rail's "Chateau" series sleeping cars have 8 duplex
roomettes, meaning they are more compact than the regular roomettes
that are found in Via Rail's "Manor" series sleeping cars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOmn_EF_nBxsjzP0Utbrc-pSX7mKRwSQM1a36BN2n-ooCYGUh6bthlBGXPGRQp7Pn0k9N_BxqvupFozAhRrusA_osaUQ3mSyvaJ08AVNenrtZGHJmZZatDJ38PSrrugxsLBEvk0faemqR/s1600/Chateua+Dollier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOmn_EF_nBxsjzP0Utbrc-pSX7mKRwSQM1a36BN2n-ooCYGUh6bthlBGXPGRQp7Pn0k9N_BxqvupFozAhRrusA_osaUQ3mSyvaJ08AVNenrtZGHJmZZatDJ38PSrrugxsLBEvk0faemqR/s400/Chateua+Dollier.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A
roomette is ideal for one person for overnight train travel, whether
it's only for the one night on the "Ocean" between Montreal and Halifax,
or for the four night odyssey across Canada on the "Canadian" between
Toronto and Vancouver.</span><br />
<br />
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</div>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U7BbCy7SGXGXVGsEoJ6v4i1yLyf0ymPK0ZuyEjlhF4UI2LZSCUEVRL8BaTfe9HeuZUYt6QY8aO0DOWWCm6-Q59uPUi5g70zqP3SL54NC9sFoaY_BdLpsibp3MhEdKDFSUMhF-ajKvfBw/s1600/Chateau+Sleeper+floor+plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U7BbCy7SGXGXVGsEoJ6v4i1yLyf0ymPK0ZuyEjlhF4UI2LZSCUEVRL8BaTfe9HeuZUYt6QY8aO0DOWWCm6-Q59uPUi5g70zqP3SL54NC9sFoaY_BdLpsibp3MhEdKDFSUMhF-ajKvfBw/s1600/Chateau+Sleeper+floor+plan.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Here is a floor diagram of a "Chateau" sleeping car. In the mid 1990's and some forty years later, Via Rail was placing these diagrams in their timetables. Very little has changed inside except for the removal of one section to make room for the added shower facility,</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">One
thing to keep in mind if you check the Via Rail website; you won't find
roomettes listed as a choice of sleeping car accommodation. Via Rail has since dispensed
with the traditional railway names and now calls a roomette a "Bedroom for
one." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Let's get back on the train and step inside roomette 4.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
scene below shows the bench-style seating for the daytime part of the
journey. A travel bag can be stowed beneath the seat. That's an armrest
that folds down when wanted. The sliding door is closed and latched. The
door can also be latched to remain open as well.</span><br />
<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCsnoUuC4W_37CbxLXu7W9TQjim5YJqOZdeRhwRKtEph6t-OP68ubDljrV2elaDy5BVVx51sR6Uh_TspCJWUA5zeOa7D65qX9rK_rC89_f1BBqNX0m6Di-_A9uzZwm09vvpddNIHP_OyF/s1600/Duplex+Roomette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCsnoUuC4W_37CbxLXu7W9TQjim5YJqOZdeRhwRKtEph6t-OP68ubDljrV2elaDy5BVVx51sR6Uh_TspCJWUA5zeOa7D65qX9rK_rC89_f1BBqNX0m6Di-_A9uzZwm09vvpddNIHP_OyF/s1600/Duplex+Roomette.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">One more look inside the 1950's CPR brochure. In spite of the passage 60 years, this is perhaps the best illustration of what a duplex roomette is and still is today, which is the type of roomettes found in the "Chateau" sleeping cars. Roomette 4 was the lower type of accommodation</span>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In
the corner is a tiny side-table that is ideal for holding a few small
items, a bottle of water, maybe a book, some loose change overnight,
even an i-phone. A raised edge ensures that items won't slide off while
the train is in motion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Beneath
that at floor level is a tiny closet for a pair of shoes. More than
half a century ago in the golden age of train travel, overnight
passengers would the next morning find that shoes left in the closet
were cleaned and polished. A tiny separate door from the shoe closet to
the hallway made shoes accessible to the porter without disturbing
passengers. Those days are long gone. So too are the access tiny doors
to the hallway.</span></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS92qh4oD8ZQecqNbT59Jp0gMwcQ8__CPQxCQaEa1t7r2vhDnHY3q8cosutjdr1quIuPmltk6jS12OAIvVbiAnYIVSt0Sstv2SSmOJYPd-BNPcxq0avVpeYJZ282LyiZx4vjpDW_ILZYv4/s1600/Roomette4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS92qh4oD8ZQecqNbT59Jp0gMwcQ8__CPQxCQaEa1t7r2vhDnHY3q8cosutjdr1quIuPmltk6jS12OAIvVbiAnYIVSt0Sstv2SSmOJYPd-BNPcxq0avVpeYJZ282LyiZx4vjpDW_ILZYv4/s400/Roomette4.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Turning
around, below is the scene as seen from the roomette doorway. Shown in
the lower right corner is the toilet with the cover down. It can also
serve as a footrest while one is seated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Midway
on the right, yes that part that looks like a drawer, is the bed...and
it does slide out just like a drawer. Shown on the top right is a cover
that pulls down like a blind and hooks on to the bed frame during the
hours the bed is not in use. For the photo, the cover is pulled it up to
show the bed.. Smaller baggage can also be stowed beneath the bed but
getting bags in and out can be awkward with the toilet in the way.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1UihOFp1j7l72Aw6hQHuhSvxelC8k8LYielePaMEXR80q5tvaM28g5y4kO86imfvcJeaTW3dojcPdIuQATEwFArE6R5NSSvLgIBcPR3fHyzahfZD2303zdWKY1iN92a7OjT7X-79zFiN/s1600/Roomette3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1UihOFp1j7l72Aw6hQHuhSvxelC8k8LYielePaMEXR80q5tvaM28g5y4kO86imfvcJeaTW3dojcPdIuQATEwFArE6R5NSSvLgIBcPR3fHyzahfZD2303zdWKY1iN92a7OjT7X-79zFiN/s400/Roomette3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The next scene below shows the bed pulled out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When
fully pulled out for its intended use, the bed will cover the toilet,
the seat and all the floor area except for a tiny corner by the doorway.
Just make sure you have everything out that you need before going to
bed for the night. If not, then you'll quickly find out why.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Partly shown on the left is the window with the blind down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyjmBmKoeVXMR7LaKSzFcH5IlBf4Ptu2E07IYJpcHpCZ-wwA-0qC6RL79-nhTA12gtWc7dX26tNQbU6_M7zu-JL4PjrRL-EOgwjKGePKO1IZSbO5E1Q_yQc6Z6Akp1RVyFVl_93RoDtia/s1600/Roomette5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyjmBmKoeVXMR7LaKSzFcH5IlBf4Ptu2E07IYJpcHpCZ-wwA-0qC6RL79-nhTA12gtWc7dX26tNQbU6_M7zu-JL4PjrRL-EOgwjKGePKO1IZSbO5E1Q_yQc6Z6Akp1RVyFVl_93RoDtia/s400/Roomette5.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Below
is the stainless steel sink which folds down from the wall. As you can
see, it's located above the toilet. Both hot and cold water are
available for washing. While the train is moving water in the sink will
constantly slosh around, but water never seems to run over on to the
floor. Well designed for use during the journey. When done, simply fold
the sink back into its place and the water will drain out.</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtaR3DTJSMFmLrsj23gIP3y9A38jSvnqmDajaZ8-HnfOS4Glw6fWZ7nym1V1gGzVk7kyLSp8nJ1ltuenxl7M4O18zJ9k6jfQYpcVZrIWfrui9kukOQuOFfaOj9YgmzoN1Gh7eau4mRDnO/s1600/Roomette2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtaR3DTJSMFmLrsj23gIP3y9A38jSvnqmDajaZ8-HnfOS4Glw6fWZ7nym1V1gGzVk7kyLSp8nJ1ltuenxl7M4O18zJ9k6jfQYpcVZrIWfrui9kukOQuOFfaOj9YgmzoN1Gh7eau4mRDnO/s400/Roomette2.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">In the scene below is the night light which is easy to reach even while lying in bed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">If
you're not ready to go to sleep, then turn off all the lights, raise
the window blind and look outside. Even though it's dark outside, you
can easily see and watch the night time scenery pass by from the
darkened comfort of inside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi92_rsqN-IVZD4gYrPmcf44V1kAVo750RphFHcaXoOe8uMvoIUVzcz1jCYYMq_FdmLgX8fxQb8CPv55sU2Y3D458oiCKO9JTVMEdrV5u86kofHIVqPznwmZYDyLPqr49oD2WMDhvpqVG/s1600/Roomette1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi92_rsqN-IVZD4gYrPmcf44V1kAVo750RphFHcaXoOe8uMvoIUVzcz1jCYYMq_FdmLgX8fxQb8CPv55sU2Y3D458oiCKO9JTVMEdrV5u86kofHIVqPznwmZYDyLPqr49oD2WMDhvpqVG/s400/Roomette1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"There's nothing to see!" you say.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">That's Canada! Those seemingly endless miles of trees, hills, rocks and water is Canada. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In
today's world, long distance passenger train journeys that require days
rather than hours to complete do not make any sense. Trains can only go
where the tracks go. The convenience of driving your own vehicle makes
more sense f</span><span style="font-size: small;">or land travel and flexible choices of route.</span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">That
having been said, the train journey itself is the adventure; not the
destination. A sleeping car roomette offers a comfortable, even
nostalgic means to make that journey.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally published January 2012. Moved to this blog and updated October 2014)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></div>
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The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-76840708872813103662014-07-22T05:09:00.002-07:002014-07-22T05:09:54.968-07:00Triple Crown of Train Travel<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Perhaps now
enough time has passed since the January 15, 1990, Via Rail cuts to
permit a look back at train travel in 1989 and keep emotions tempered.</span></span><br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjUjNqQQAltrd0kyHpMptg95wICQaZLKANsM_QPTP6QAVq-e1zeqJPI_vfTx243qYp9nTuzApsDXvMIafjeRNNjhvMJtWNMJaeJZB-L_LSb7lIF0n4_BPZnPofeZXLCfVpYcqTighP8rV/s1600/Via+Sep+29+80-3+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjUjNqQQAltrd0kyHpMptg95wICQaZLKANsM_QPTP6QAVq-e1zeqJPI_vfTx243qYp9nTuzApsDXvMIafjeRNNjhvMJtWNMJaeJZB-L_LSb7lIF0n4_BPZnPofeZXLCfVpYcqTighP8rV/s1600/Via+Sep+29+80-3+cover.jpg" height="584" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Train travel was exciting... an adventure too! </span></span>The way it once was... and perhaps should be. This image was on the cover of Via Rail's September 29, 1980 system timetable. This scene was captured in the former CN/GN passenger train station in Vancouver, BC.</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOpusBXn1giLB2fqgRLdgCWD7Pwy-8FSvLeUhB5SmoOGnp8EhehJJxWMqS-udX8PKxyOK5Emk3C2BxudjN_7wnrWxlDxcalInhJSHLsiSqYRcMC8TFvqH-gGB7YNrv3l4WId8F7G-nZgT/s1600/Aislin+about+Via+Rail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOpusBXn1giLB2fqgRLdgCWD7Pwy-8FSvLeUhB5SmoOGnp8EhehJJxWMqS-udX8PKxyOK5Emk3C2BxudjN_7wnrWxlDxcalInhJSHLsiSqYRcMC8TFvqH-gGB7YNrv3l4WId8F7G-nZgT/s1600/Aislin+about+Via+Rail.jpg" height="582" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Montreal Gazette's Aislin has a genius for putting into illustration what words cannot adequately say. This 1989 illustration of course was referring to the Government's announced decision to cut Via Rail service on January 15, 1990.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While I have always considered myself a railfan and a sometimes dedicated train traveller, I did not even attempt to buy a ticket for a seat on any of what would prove to be the final run for many passenger trains. At that time I expected there would be too many media people probably making their first and only trip on a train and most likely being an annoyance to legitimate veteran train riders wanting to quietly say goodbye to their favourite trains.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As to which three trains would or should make up a triple crown of train travel in Canada can be debated, however during 1989 I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to travel on three of Via Rail's hand-me-down name trains inherited from CP Rail and CNR, and these trains are the three that I have nominated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Atlantic</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The first rail adventure commenced on March 26. My wife and I were going the full distance from Montreal to Halifax on Via Rail's Atlantic which was formerly CP Rail's Atlantic Limited. In 1978, after Via Rail took over CP Rail's scant but surviving passenger services, the train was operated through to Halifax instead of terminating at Saint John.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While I had travelled between Montreal and Megantic on CP Rail's Atlantic Limited many times, I had never travelled the rails eastward from Megantic. I had always planned to do that but just never did. Procrastination should be considered the rail traveller's worst enemy. 1981 with almost no warning, Via Rail's Atlantic was discontinued, ending passenger train service between Montreal and Saint John over CP Rail. Cancellation also ended any hope of making another trip over the former Megantic Subdivision or the possibility of a first trip on the rails through northern Maine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When aspiring politicians made election promises to restore the Montrea-Saint John train service, I cosidered it nothing more than worthless politilca babble. The records show, however, it was one promise that was actually kept. Via Rail's Atlantic was restored on June 01, 1985. Very few times in life come along when one is given the opportunity to correct a past mistake., and for me, making this rail trip east was to be one of those very rare occasions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our children stayed behind with my parents while Kie and I travelled alone to Halifax. A second honeymoon some may say. After all, the Atlantic, headed by a young FP40 paired up with an aging F unit, did rather resemble my wife and me. Our train was a lengthy thirteen car mix of former CNR and CPR equipment; a blue baggage car, three blue coaches, two daynighter cars, a stainless steel dining car, three blue E sleeping cars, two stainless steel sleeping cars completed by a stainless steel dome observation on the tail end. Our assigned bedroom was in sleeping car "Edmunston" the first of the three "E" sleepers. After quickly settling into our first class closet-sized accommodation, I retreated to the rear of the train to find a seat up in the dome.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-ebuBI2yghJNrv6hDmfAs5I9Y9vdMARZf0z54RJJ_Q3HesTm73aKAvDTP_024PYT2aEZbMAFOd_T35DPRDdOQJFAIxtz1d2gd8VTAM-dBKyqE73mrjhvGWnWidJZXJOWNmIqGlB723Xj/s1600/1124E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-ebuBI2yghJNrv6hDmfAs5I9Y9vdMARZf0z54RJJ_Q3HesTm73aKAvDTP_024PYT2aEZbMAFOd_T35DPRDdOQJFAIxtz1d2gd8VTAM-dBKyqE73mrjhvGWnWidJZXJOWNmIqGlB723Xj/s1600/1124E.jpg" height="300" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"E" sleeping car Elizabeth. These former CNR passenger cars (later Via Rail) built in 1954 by Pullman Standard were assigned the "E" designation because this entire group of 4-8-4 sleeping cars (4 sections, 8 roomettes, 4 double bedrooms) all had names beginning with the letter E.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At 18:30, almost to the second, the Atlantic gently eased out of Central Station, rumbled over rue St. Antoine and commenced its 1210 kilometer trek toward the ocean after which the train had been named.. Now more than 125 years old and modified several times during its life, even by today's standards Victoria Bridge is an impressive structure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Later, clear of the bridge over Riviere Richelieu and with Mont St. Hilaire a distant view from the dome, I vacated my seat in the glass attic. For months Kie had been hinting that she wanted to eat out for dinner and I figured that St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, was probably far enough out. Dinner in the dining car had long been my favourite choice of restaurant. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What would a train named the Atlantic and bound for Halifax have on the menu? Clam chowder and Digby scallops? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yes, that is exactly what was on the menu and the food was surprisingly good. Quite a few miles later I was enjoying a second or third cup of coffee when the train rumbled across the bridge above the St. Francis River, making its descent into Richmond, Quebec.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was already back upstairs in the stainless steel caboose when the train pulled out of CN's Sherbrooke station and commenced the climb toward Lennoxville and connection with CP Rail. After the Atlantic had backed onto CP Rail's Sherbrooke Subdivision and the interlocking flickered from red to green, I could scarcely contain my excitement. Ahead were 66 miles of the former Megantic Subdivision and another three more subdivisions through to Saint John. Nearly thirteen years had elapsed sine my last trip over the Megantic Sub and I was about to fulfill an almost life long dream of travel over CP Rail's International of Maine Division.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Soon after the lights of Lennoxville had faded from view and fewer traces of civilization could be seen in the dark, the other passengers up in the dome quietly disappeared. A recent snowfall made visibility fairly good from the darkness of the dome. For most people though, I suppose watching the head end of the train disappear from view through curve after curve amidst two walls of trees in unfamiliar territory may lack appeal. There was no other place I would rather have been seated except maybe for a seat in the lead unit.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Racey, Johnville, Bulwer, Birchton, Cookshire, Ross, Bury, Long Swamp, Gould, Scotstown and Spruce. Now mostly former stations and former sidings obliterated by the passing of time, I could still name them from memory and point out their locations in spite of the dark and snow cover. Kie could only quietly endure; her ties to her past are far from Quebec's Eastern Townships.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The lead unit's horn sounded for the unsignalled road crossing a little west of mile board 16 and I was restless. Milan, Quebec, was ahead; that tiny town where all my previous journeys over this route had taken me to or from. Today, 1989, the station was gone, the siding was gone, my grandparents were gone, even their old house was gone. At mile board 15 the lead unit's horn wailed again, this time for the crossing in Milan, and within 30 seconds all was passed and out of sight. While the "Atlantic" would allow me a journey over the route of my past, the train could not return me to my past held dear. Time had forever severed all tangible links with my youth. Sadness? A little, but I am forever grateful for having been given those years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A westbound freight was waiting in the siding at Nantes. That would be the only other sign of rail activity that I would see between Sherbrooke and Saint John. The descent from Nantes through Glen River (former siding) into Megantic was made a lively pace, the quickest since the train had departed from Sherbrooke, but nothing like the last westbound trip I made nearly thirteen years earlier; but that is another chapter.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The descendant of CP Rail's Train 42 coasted to a stop in Megantic and my long awaited rail journey over the former Megantic Subdivision was finished. Kie decided to retire for the night. This had been her first trip over these rails and I am certain she must have been wondering about my undiminished fascination with this mostly curved route through mostly nowhere. During the fifteen minute break I briefly ventured down from the dome to an open door and stepped down on to the station platform. Although the building was lighted, I saw no sign of life in the big red brick structure. Spring may have arrived in Montreal but winter still ruled Megantic. The midnight air was cold and fresh snow was deep. A few seconds was long enough to be satisfied and say I had been in Megantic again, and I retreated to the warmth inside the train.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Megantic to Boundary, the Quebec-Maine border, was the final major climb the eastbound Atlantic would encounter, an ascent to the highest elevation on the entire route between Montreal and Halifax. CP Rail's Moosehead Subdivision is ABS territory. Every signal approached displayed green and then flickered to red as the head end of the train entered the next block. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At some time after the descent from Nantes and the climb out of Megantic, a bright, near-full moon had appeared above the trees. Visibility was exceptionally good. Alone in the dome I was thinking about staying up all night. Sleep won out and I too retired for the night as the train neared Jackman, Maine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was awake early and, after speedily washing and dressing, retreated to the dome of the Park car. Offering a similar overview of the equipment in front, a Park car is akin to a luxury caboose on the rear of a passenger train. Anyway, while I was awaiting early morning sunrise from upstairs in the glass attic, Train 12 coasted by the Danforth, Maine, station, a former Maine Central Railroad structure. Later at Vanceboro, Maine, the train made a brief pause to allow the United States Customs officers to leave the train. Afterward, the Atlantic trundled across the bridge over the St. Croix River and back in to Canada. While we remained on board the train we never officially left Canada.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Arriving almost on time at McAdam, New Brunswick, the Via Rail consist squealed to rest along side the famous huge stone structure that stands as a reminder of the golden age of railway passenger travel not so many decades ago. Joining Kie in the dining car, the two of us feasted on a hearty breakfast of pancakes, syrup, eggs and sausages, all of which was augmented by a bottomless cup of coffee. Following the mandatory thirty minute rest in McAdam, the Atlantic charged eastward and within two miles, was rattling along atop the steel bands at or near the 65 miles per hour speed limit. An hour later and just east of Fredericton Junction, New Brunswick, the pace was more relaxed as an on time Atlantic twisted and turned through a continuous series of gentle curves. A little more than a century earlier the railway builders carved out this frugal but skewed route following the proverbial path of least resistance along the shores of the Saint John River and other waters. One notable highlight was an almost endless sweeping bend that cut through the community south of Grand Bay.</span></span></div>
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<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Canadian Atlantic Railway RS-23 8023. The CAR was a short-lived shortline-type railway operation established by CP Rail as a final effort to turn around the remaining money-losing Atlantic Region mileage. The experiment failed and the entire CP network east of Lennoxville, Quebec, was abandoned outright in January 1995. (Bob Heathorn photo)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most of the tracks in the Saint John Yard were empty. The few rail cars present were empty intermodal flats patiently waiting for containers that would probably never arrive. All the major containerized ocean carriers had long since deserted Saint John for other ports. Motive power in single file was idle and I spotted RS-23 units in Canadian Atlantic Railway lettering. The entire rail yard appeared to be standing at attention for the morning appearance of the Atlantic. Lack of rail traffic was probably the true reason for no motion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The finale was a stunning crossing of the Saint John River high above well-known Reversing Falls. This was immediately followed by a somewhat anti-climactic snail's pace descent of the steep grade terminating near Via Rail's Saint John passenger depot. An on time arrival concluded my journey over CP Rail's former International of Maine Division and the McAdam Subdivision. I was grateful to have been able to fulfill a life-long dream, one which could have very easily remained forever impossible.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During these years Kie has patiently listened to me recall numerous details about various journeys I made on CP Rail's Canadian. After the rumours about passenger train cuts finally became official news, I wanted to try to book space on Via Rail's Canadian to make a last trip over the fabled rails of the Van Horne route between Calgary and Vancouver. Also, I wanted my family to have one chance to see the mountains of western Canada from CP Rail's perspective.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Single, I had made the journey between Vancouver and Calgary in the mid 1970's on CP Rail's Canadian as often as I could, which was frequently. Employee passes made the trips no cost or low cost and I took every advantage of the pass privileges during the three years I lived in Vancouver. Unfortunately, looming changes in the Canadian Pacific organization left me with no doubt that my position was soon going to disappear. On good terms with my boss I ended my employment and returned to eastern Canada, grateful to have had those three years with Canadian Pacific in western Canada.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oddly enough, while all coach space had been sold out through to the planned final run, some sleeping car space was available on the dates I was interested in. In fact, two complete sections were available in the same car, so all of us would be together. Conveniently, Air Canada had announced a seat sale for travel in late November and I had one week of vacation remaining which my employer was already pushing me to take. Travel arrangements went together perfectly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Snow was already several feet deep in Banff, Alberta. During the Canadian's obligatory ten minute stop, some passengers were leaving the train but many more passengers were boarding and almost all were Japanese. Later walks through the train indeed confirmed that most of the sleeping car passengers were Japanese. Many appeared to be tired and bored; making for a quiet train because they shunned the dome cars as well as the dining facilities. Unfortunate though for Canada's visitors; the train was on time and the Canadian's entire ride down the "Big Hill" was made in daylight. Although grey and snowing, the descent from Stephen to Field was no less spectacular.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfkcBur5z45vTtfVlFf3unPIh2tF1Umx8VW1zx_LcyrM_1Ynw0tfAZwh47chhhc1JU5SVmm0ev8jpsQks1kkXksGqdIYNiBgNRqs0N1rK9kVETrzzCw1I6D_oIzJVT2Vpr2J0U-BJkEbl/s1600/cp+ottertail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfkcBur5z45vTtfVlFf3unPIh2tF1Umx8VW1zx_LcyrM_1Ynw0tfAZwh47chhhc1JU5SVmm0ev8jpsQks1kkXksGqdIYNiBgNRqs0N1rK9kVETrzzCw1I6D_oIzJVT2Vpr2J0U-BJkEbl/s1600/cp+ottertail.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Circa 1980's: Via Rail's eastbound Train 1 at Ottertail Creek between Golden and Field BC. No snow on the ground in this particular photo but snow was abundant here in November 1989.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One memorable moment that comes to mind was early morning before dawn. Via Rail's Train 1 was proceeding along the upper Fraser Canyon. It may have been the wheels squealing against the rails through curves that awakened me but I cannot recall. I pushed the window blind up as far is it would go, propped up the pillows and lay back to watch the coming dawn. When the train curved left the head end was sometimes visible. Not too long later I heard rusting around in in the bunk above and then clicking on and off of the light switch. My daughter was in the upper berth and I was in the lower. After listening to a few more minutes of clunking interspersed with fiddling with the curtain zipper, it was obvious that Kimberly was not going to go back to sleep. Rather than have everyone awake early I had her come down and the two of us watched daybreak from the window of the lower berth.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shortly afterward near Cisco, where CP and CN swap sides of the canyon, our train rumbled across the bridge over the Fraser River and immediately charged into a tunnel. Our side of the train now overlooked the river and North Bend was just ahead. I told Kimberly about the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, about CPR's "Canadian" and why we were making this "last" trip. At times I would mention features we would soon see just ahead, and as we passed by them, she would keep asking, "How did you know, Daddy?"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Four Days Later</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Via Rail's Canadian slowly rocked and groaned through switches, eventually squealing to an unhurried stop in Calgary, a surprising forty minutes early. Yes, I had turned my watch forward. Calgary was cold and clear and my 1284 miles of rail travel through the mountains were now history. My family rushed on ahead but I lingered behind and stood alone on the platform for a few moments. The brilliant afternoon sun was highlighting and reflecting off the features of the stainless steel features train. With a familiar hissing, clouds of steam were rising from beneath the cars. This is how I wanted to remeber "The Canadian" and I bade a final goodbye to an old friend.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Cavalier</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our third trip was simply an impulse purchase... mine that was.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A final trip on the Via Rail's overnight trains 58 and 59 between Toronto and Montreal, had not even been wishfully thought about. When I went downtown to Union Station to pick up the tickets for our trip on the Canadian, out of curiosity I inquired if any sleeping car space was available on the "Cavalier" for almost Christmas Eve travel on Friday, December 22. Space was available!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5C_1qpgtBic77zfQNhabME_KF05O8GSTzxFuJYeztLQ5rf9nJgWR0SaDD-07NNlmhv-6Bu-NxR9mCxAN9RbfLLhpL9kODA_V3YWGwdpYiWJblmvUORIxof2L5R8OUlPWa8jxrc_HM9yL/s1600/Kie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5C_1qpgtBic77zfQNhabME_KF05O8GSTzxFuJYeztLQ5rf9nJgWR0SaDD-07NNlmhv-6Bu-NxR9mCxAN9RbfLLhpL9kODA_V3YWGwdpYiWJblmvUORIxof2L5R8OUlPWa8jxrc_HM9yL/s1600/Kie2.jpg" height="301" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Without so much as pausing to think about it, I immediately booked the two available bedrooms and bought the tickets. I knew my children would be delighted because they had already resigned themselves to the fact that they would not be spending Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa. And I would be able to indulge in one more final journey on another soon to disappear train.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 1988 my employer moved the head office from Montreal to Toronto. I was given the opportunity to follow and did so. Because our home in Roxboro did not sell quickly, I was compelled to travel back and forth between Montreal and Toronto on weekends during that summer. That long distance commuting reintroduced me to the Cavalier because Kie and I made a one way overnight trip on the Cavalier in October 1980.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Combing a night's rest with eight hours of worry-free travel on the Cavalier made more sense than seven or eight hourse of mindless, boring driving on Highway 401 while trying to stay out of the way of crazy truck drivers. The 23:35 departure Sunday night also allowed me more weekend hours at home.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why Via Rail's Montreal-Toronto overnight train was permitted to travel into history on January 15, 1990, will never make sense. Before you make up your mind though, read on.</span></span></div>
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<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although copied from Via Rail's September 29, 1980, system timetable, the Cavalier's schedule in 1989 was almost identical; departing both cities at 23:35 and arriving the next morning at 07:30.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The week before Christmas 1989 was bitterly cold in Toronto, even for former Montrealers. Temperatures at night were dipping down to -22C and that December 22nd evening was no exception. I had timed our departure from Etobicoke so that we would arrive at Union Station around 22:30, quickly check in, go right on to the train and settle into bed for the night.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So much for the best laid plans of...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We arrived at Union Station only to find crowds standing in almost endless queues. The extreme cold weather was wreaking havoc on Via Rail schedules and trains were departing late... very late. The "Northland" should have been gone long before we arrived but passengers had not even boarded. As for the Cavalier? The train's empty consist had not even been shoved into the station.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Via Rail employees did not seem to know when the train would be ready other than it would be some time... not too long... really... and definitely before Christmas. Impatient passengers were irritable, many of the numerous small children were fussing and all we could do was wait like everyone else. Sleeping car passengers were lucky though. With bedroom space already assigned we could seek out places to sit and wait out the delay. Pity the coach passengers who dared not move and lose their places in line.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The time was almost 00:30 when sleeping car passengers were finally permitted to board. Originally I had planned to make notes and record the names and numbers on the equipment in the train's consist. (train nut stuff) Reality dictated that my notebook would never leave my pocket. Late was understatement; outside very cold and my own children tired and cranky. Boarding the train was not the expected relief. Bunking down in the bedroom, with our winter coats on, was like spending the night in a refrigerator except colder. While steam and heat were supposedly passing through the pipes, we felt no evidence of that. Worse, plumbing was completely frozen and the toilets plugged with ice. Mercifully, sleep came early.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>1980:</b> $44.00 for a bedroom for 2 on the Cavalier </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Around 02:00 I was awakened by noise outside. Pushing up the window shade to see where we were, I was surprised to discover that the train was still in Union Station; and it was still reefer cold in the passenger car. Sleepily I silently wondered, "Will anyone on board tonight really lament the demise of this train?"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In spite of the freezing cold I did not awaken again until daylight. The train was still late but had definitely made up some of the lost time. Around 07:30 I estimated that we were probably near the Ontario-Quebec boundary. Racing through Coteau within the next few minutes verified the accuracy of my estimate. On the floor outside the bedroom doors, plastic boxes containing our cold breakfasts had been left by seemingly invisible crew members. Maybe they had found a car that had heat. Our breakfast boxes must have been kept in a refrigerator to keep them from freezing. At least the fruit cups had no ice but no one wanted to eat. My wife and children were complaining about the freezing cold and I reassured them we would be in Dorval at 08:00. Lucky for me nothing else went wrong and we were all on the station platform within minutes of 08:00. Outside in the -24C at Dorval did not seem any colder than it had been on the train.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That trip was a facet of Canadian winter train travel that I had not experienced before and those memories of a frigid overnight spent in</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> the Ice Box Express </span></span>would remain with my wife and children. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Epilogue</b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">October 1980: Car 5931 carrying pretty bride...and the markers.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On January 15, 1990, both the Canadian (on the CPR route) and the Cavalier followed steam and passed away into railway history. Of those three passenger trains, only the Atlantic partly survived the Via Rail system surgery. Service frequency for the Atlantic was reduced from daily departures in each direction to three days per week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will any of Canada's remaining passenger trains survive into the year 2000?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Should Canada's passenger trains survive into the next century?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While pondering these questions and trying to remain objective, the answers are not clear or simple.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you love train travel in this country, then do not waste time just thinking about making that trip. Get going!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (Written March 1993)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent </span></span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-56911594719184812652014-07-21T14:04:00.001-07:002016-10-04T06:17:18.044-07:00Future Railway Tycoon?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNtYwjOI9aGzWDhy__V5gzHRgFJkaybwyAsJpgFdc1MnczQe889pki6MUtxRAJdvrUaX6M7Y1klcxVw8dyKOQC-aXCROmBmse_WCWWl6LvKl8QL6aLbCGUKwDjVYycStAnSqolxUX2Ksz/s1600/Future+Railroader+Maybe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNtYwjOI9aGzWDhy__V5gzHRgFJkaybwyAsJpgFdc1MnczQe889pki6MUtxRAJdvrUaX6M7Y1klcxVw8dyKOQC-aXCROmBmse_WCWWl6LvKl8QL6aLbCGUKwDjVYycStAnSqolxUX2Ksz/s1600/Future+Railroader+Maybe.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An interest in trains may start here but it won't necessarily end here.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8AhzKbUDzJK_GLH2fpSmH3aZz8FRKXEC27eb32zgGeitZTOZwJ3y3vcYlGdJo4fYFctMp9hKd-bSF4AIBMSdUyD2CT2ZhrCfS6SN_tWepoZvMva18tZYhxM8pqOQDisuqd7DP-3-1JY2/s1600/Future+Railroad+Tycoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8AhzKbUDzJK_GLH2fpSmH3aZz8FRKXEC27eb32zgGeitZTOZwJ3y3vcYlGdJo4fYFctMp9hKd-bSF4AIBMSdUyD2CT2ZhrCfS6SN_tWepoZvMva18tZYhxM8pqOQDisuqd7DP-3-1JY2/s1600/Future+Railroad+Tycoon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A bit off the track... but that's okay... his heart's in the right place... at least according to Grandpa.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Addendum: December 22, 2014</b></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cape Town, South Africa - riding on the steam train to Simon's Town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All I want for Christmas is my...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enthralled by the view... but not sure if that means the tracks or the mountain in the background.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4udzRO2_wwAz1AOmCmCxa06i95rQMsew7IeF3v2z1pUuhqFeofLkNAuGj4GBezcqgJZ1PirlfURQYSYleMukFRLPB5w6rjM-5Sk1cNEhjlVZ6ssVjm_IaYMGiRl8wuVtGoanorUjjsaD/s1600/Jonah+in+Cape+Town+Dec+2104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4udzRO2_wwAz1AOmCmCxa06i95rQMsew7IeF3v2z1pUuhqFeofLkNAuGj4GBezcqgJZ1PirlfURQYSYleMukFRLPB5w6rjM-5Sk1cNEhjlVZ6ssVjm_IaYMGiRl8wuVtGoanorUjjsaD/s1600/Jonah+in+Cape+Town+Dec+2104.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Checking out the head end of the train... and that steaming tea kettle up front.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Santa Claus is here in South Africa??</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Santa to Jonah: What do you want for Christmas?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jonah to Santa: I want a train! </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DuJgB2wpFhw3na8kYoslfjTAJZJcItgPq-Ibwc6iOZZiFyBQ6KLZk9W69aL94MAc-ZXZDbVdVDCVuJmmFUVn6uZ_z0aP1xMv7qb0zE57auhFfPxA91wDz1-yLlXKPuHxD1Iu3UXyn-W0/s1600/Steam+Locomotive+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DuJgB2wpFhw3na8kYoslfjTAJZJcItgPq-Ibwc6iOZZiFyBQ6KLZk9W69aL94MAc-ZXZDbVdVDCVuJmmFUVn6uZ_z0aP1xMv7qb0zE57auhFfPxA91wDz1-yLlXKPuHxD1Iu3UXyn-W0/s1600/Steam+Locomotive+scene.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking of tea kettles up front - can't get much closer to the action than this!</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A look inside the cab of the steam locomotive.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nearing the end of the trip</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kimberly and family are visiting South Africa for Christmas 2014. Instead of that proverbial souvenir T-shirt, Grandpa received these photos</span> instead... and I'd rather have the photos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Addendum: June 06, 2015</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course the best way to see trains and rail cars is from a train. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7nFbMT5-AJ1w0Ujnmz19r1qGDhn4_f9IZEOCu3ht8xP6LyvOQJatHzP2v3jY1SdAX4eAucSeF5hbR2pTPB71EazyH14-nUwPt0H-VBvu1LArpmczOArsgnkAUVjOvF23WktdUN_EHnMI/s1600/Jonah+-+a+view+from+the+train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7nFbMT5-AJ1w0Ujnmz19r1qGDhn4_f9IZEOCu3ht8xP6LyvOQJatHzP2v3jY1SdAX4eAucSeF5hbR2pTPB71EazyH14-nUwPt0H-VBvu1LArpmczOArsgnkAUVjOvF23WktdUN_EHnMI/s640/Jonah+-+a+view+from+the+train.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A little closer to home: empty autoracks waiting at the Ford plant in Oakville as seen from a GO train.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Addendum: July 31, 2015</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Competition - certainly not something new with railways and this business of trains.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Audrey with her budding railway empire.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzqvXRk-OdyjjQSjNwey9jc5pAbAZbGs7gIpJkLNlQMMdM_zP0zPbCUqhcO4cDTsHOzLuOa7bhh68fCv5gM26rIr29EgUrmbJiT6msl48CvaNdLKl-jYdNztE8mAqV1tM4l4b8xnwPS83/s1600/Audrey+and+her+railway+July+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzqvXRk-OdyjjQSjNwey9jc5pAbAZbGs7gIpJkLNlQMMdM_zP0zPbCUqhcO4cDTsHOzLuOa7bhh68fCv5gM26rIr29EgUrmbJiT6msl48CvaNdLKl-jYdNztE8mAqV1tM4l4b8xnwPS83/s640/Audrey+and+her+railway+July+2015.jpg" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Audrey: Now if I can just get things back on track, then...</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Addendum:October 04, 2016</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jonah was about to embark on his first every trip on Via Rail.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowzDRiBcbooY6GNMnpv7EhGLmaJaula2q5BxEXlgPEjNAzFvchNMAc3vNz_LDxhKv8hp5VsHsSeyVSZpD7HMsHafkXNPRY1IMkH8D2M4BT6Cl8onyT9NfkGFsIXHQPYMegxaoo0o1KUda/s1600/Jonah+and+Kimberly+on+Via+Rail+Oct+01+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowzDRiBcbooY6GNMnpv7EhGLmaJaula2q5BxEXlgPEjNAzFvchNMAc3vNz_LDxhKv8hp5VsHsSeyVSZpD7HMsHafkXNPRY1IMkH8D2M4BT6Cl8onyT9NfkGFsIXHQPYMegxaoo0o1KUda/s640/Jonah+and+Kimberly+on+Via+Rail+Oct+01+16.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">October 01, 2016, Jonah with Mom on Train 66 awaiting departure from Union Station.</span></span></td></tr>
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The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-90110438043536602532014-04-21T05:58:00.000-07:002014-11-21T16:42:54.260-08:00CP 9111<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1AONH116y5SVekqCOunLQpNaD8AwDAyisMjCzSprkDQkVgFRLiVdPh6z1KxRT_RNFLH_FsU4fk-6Mc_1_hKQSL5IkFZvhIk2jXDtYR4G1O6UXm8k1kxZTVYDTWVOqwEhzwGLLXWJX1D4/s1600/CP9111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1AONH116y5SVekqCOunLQpNaD8AwDAyisMjCzSprkDQkVgFRLiVdPh6z1KxRT_RNFLH_FsU4fk-6Mc_1_hKQSL5IkFZvhIk2jXDtYR4G1O6UXm8k1kxZTVYDTWVOqwEhzwGLLXWJX1D4/s400/CP9111.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This scene of CP Rail’s Dayliner 9111 was captured in
1969, about a year before CP Rail’s Montreal to Megantic daily trains 206 and
201 were discontinued.
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the late 1960's the 9111 was often assigned to trains
206 and 201. Many times I watched solo 9111 roll through Milan, Quebec, but
rarely making the scheduled flag-stop. Once in a while trains 206 and 201 would
be flagged and occasionally I was the arriving or departing reason for the
stop.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While the train in the photo has not been identified, the
location is Windsor Station in Montreal. The 9111 appears to be an arriving
train and not a deadhead back-up move to CPR’s Glen Yard in Westmount.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Judging from the direction of the hazy sunlight I would
venture to guess the time of day would have been early afternoon. Perhaps this
was train 201 arriving from Megantic, the train was due into Windsor Station at
13:05.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Addendum April 21, 2014 </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another look at an old friend. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CP9111 appeared to have changed little in the ten years that followed the demise of CP Rail's Montreal-Magantic trains 206 and 201.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wS8eQVmn0aWfA7Lbzkn4cGNCdVJO020RqvoV3PeTGGtSjsuq0INkj79VSOWpm9_M95VbsiPWXrHB9gn9n7WyA3UCuBJuKvsFgFuGHBtTZQluOi_vEM5iKs2ZdQy7j98sYc-01tUI1vQU/s1600/CP9111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wS8eQVmn0aWfA7Lbzkn4cGNCdVJO020RqvoV3PeTGGtSjsuq0INkj79VSOWpm9_M95VbsiPWXrHB9gn9n7WyA3UCuBJuKvsFgFuGHBtTZQluOi_vEM5iKs2ZdQy7j98sYc-01tUI1vQU/s1600/CP9111.jpg" height="393" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CP9111 as seen in former colours.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAopmaxMqLGaIh7zlooERQcugpiJvFjR-Lo38QrN2Cm-vFdA-abEfNGd4T1sYEgblKKvjqCMevYodLa3RkA-sQ7nyBHHpRCaPsoiAEaTruB94qNdqdZVWyUQwRPZxmkbCR4ttIDUZaYP6E/s1600/CP_9111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAopmaxMqLGaIh7zlooERQcugpiJvFjR-Lo38QrN2Cm-vFdA-abEfNGd4T1sYEgblKKvjqCMevYodLa3RkA-sQ7nyBHHpRCaPsoiAEaTruB94qNdqdZVWyUQwRPZxmkbCR4ttIDUZaYP6E/s1600/CP_9111.jpg" height="404" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two RDC-2's comprise Train 32, <i>The Alouette,</i> seen
here departing from Windsor Station in Montreal. The lead car was Boston & Maine and the trailing unit was CP 9111.) 4/10/1958 <i>L.B.Chapman
Collection) </i></span></span></td></tr>
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The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-34272309754853324412014-03-27T13:13:00.000-07:002014-03-31T09:24:23.796-07:00Algoma Central Railway Scenes<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiLDZX6HAkouFDFbYHnNoRsiTcfk264eDfioQSsSoUhZ2wPK3oLbnQvSGtp5_3hvoZbSJfzhT6O_SpuuXjOTYbD_Jr0paIvy3pL0ET9oRRYC7dqXxLXHwEvTfi5eF0PqLqSSvrEfE-_13/s1600/ACR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiLDZX6HAkouFDFbYHnNoRsiTcfk264eDfioQSsSoUhZ2wPK3oLbnQvSGtp5_3hvoZbSJfzhT6O_SpuuXjOTYbD_Jr0paIvy3pL0ET9oRRYC7dqXxLXHwEvTfi5eF0PqLqSSvrEfE-_13/s1600/ACR2.jpg" height="193" width="200" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Route of the Black Bear</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Agawa Canyon on August 17, 1997. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Algoma Central Railway's Agawa Canyon tour trip is a great, all-day train ride if you're not the impatient type.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The familiar walking bear logo has long been a symbol of the northern Ontario wilderness that the railway passes through.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Financially struggling for years, the ACR was purchased by CN Rail and absorbed into their system. Passenger trains continue to operate northward from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, but no longer with the colourful F units.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUSBSgNzAWRNORbaIyH4BbfieKbp_YBvkT1b1cDjJtr_t8wtII_W7FbvjvnbwtpoicFz6YDZz3lbv0hWItOqtDG-XVPFDmzdM7ZX42IOOMX3uSG9HRmMHnrC19SrumXuBrGmHVOkc-IAZ/s1600/ACR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUSBSgNzAWRNORbaIyH4BbfieKbp_YBvkT1b1cDjJtr_t8wtII_W7FbvjvnbwtpoicFz6YDZz3lbv0hWItOqtDG-XVPFDmzdM7ZX42IOOMX3uSG9HRmMHnrC19SrumXuBrGmHVOkc-IAZ/s1600/ACR2.jpg" height="390" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Working as the trailing unit northbound, 1752 becomes the lead unit for the southbound train waiting to depart for Sault Ste. Marie.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP6-B3CizNrj1WAdURPhtuQ0HPGzgwcjm8Ak2ajFEQNjC7TfipIwVg2r716uIXm2hLaWXoND_itXMmFXMEQnpW2ry_P_cmtKTk0NdXFnwnhCwEKW3HkJl1jS0HvdlNwFxRDUwXtMHZKIW/s1600/ACR3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP6-B3CizNrj1WAdURPhtuQ0HPGzgwcjm8Ak2ajFEQNjC7TfipIwVg2r716uIXm2hLaWXoND_itXMmFXMEQnpW2ry_P_cmtKTk0NdXFnwnhCwEKW3HkJl1jS0HvdlNwFxRDUwXtMHZKIW/s640/ACR3.jpg" height="640" width="524" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An old ACR bulkhead flat being put to use...but not for passenger service as this scene may indicate. This car was set out at Canyon for hauling out garbage containers.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvlNkJK0Sd5iRc61-1MzQQ5PNNHzEEloZVZ_26N41TLFsswLvMF85USJUhsUHIH6sexg2ws1MiKGfHOC_AP9pVfPHPSGHDAw2Mq0ki6zF4F9HbjSBcGNJapvo6Emj5tbaBtViIXjRa1PX/s1600/ACR5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvlNkJK0Sd5iRc61-1MzQQ5PNNHzEEloZVZ_26N41TLFsswLvMF85USJUhsUHIH6sexg2ws1MiKGfHOC_AP9pVfPHPSGHDAw2Mq0ki6zF4F9HbjSBcGNJapvo6Emj5tbaBtViIXjRa1PX/s640/ACR5.jpg" height="640" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Train 3 was still operating on the same schedule a few years later after this employee time table expired.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsc7ZToiOir569SG_PgzDI5DmCqQdGV3Zi_nVupyZCC0PkyOrkl5tfDCW6GK82qJbKlQ1TLgg7Ai960rk2Ca9tVJentzWOujOQACw_rzfGuPyphQ8vug6tj9UOdkXWLBlSRN-VY82Ml2w/s1600/ACR1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsc7ZToiOir569SG_PgzDI5DmCqQdGV3Zi_nVupyZCC0PkyOrkl5tfDCW6GK82qJbKlQ1TLgg7Ai960rk2Ca9tVJentzWOujOQACw_rzfGuPyphQ8vug6tj9UOdkXWLBlSRN-VY82Ml2w/s1600/ACR1.jpg" height="640" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Southbound train waiting for passengers to board minutes before departure. No welded rail here and very little elsewhere on this route.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIWYKGsGnB0UN6lGyBL0SZB8P_4fWMyTwI1e_-4y5kcXi0D8odrQKLD4c2kwEZjM4q8XGIimQgZapwNnTOiaJkCSzlCMwRm83GIJTEVs3CGtZOm1n1H0AOh0C4b5Z_MlvQpKyulNnLzd-/s1600/ACR4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIWYKGsGnB0UN6lGyBL0SZB8P_4fWMyTwI1e_-4y5kcXi0D8odrQKLD4c2kwEZjM4q8XGIimQgZapwNnTOiaJkCSzlCMwRm83GIJTEVs3CGtZOm1n1H0AOh0C4b5Z_MlvQpKyulNnLzd-/s640/ACR4.jpg" height="473" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Scenes captured from a moving train rarely work well but with the assistance of technology some improvement is possible. Northbound passenger train slowly rolling off the north end of the bridge crossing the Montreal River. That trailing unit is 1752.</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnjII4syZuTPNfalurEKKY9dDdCE8sUuvYYiVkkNN0FHXNPShyphenhyphenEjPjkZRUztbiDWvM_vNPvSz5g8zgUJmWSpdvZnhwcWU-_xtZAmGICTlq6DAlc7nNNgkzD2ZsUzH2fMUcBd4Zfdkg-Tr/s1600/ACR+Train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnjII4syZuTPNfalurEKKY9dDdCE8sUuvYYiVkkNN0FHXNPShyphenhyphenEjPjkZRUztbiDWvM_vNPvSz5g8zgUJmWSpdvZnhwcWU-_xtZAmGICTlq6DAlc7nNNgkzD2ZsUzH2fMUcBd4Zfdkg-Tr/s640/ACR+Train.jpg" height="390" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ACR passenger train. Caption details missing.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Addendum March 31, 2014</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A look at a few more scenes of the Algoma Central Railway</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOiwTEvX1R_eH0AlT_G9hbY84ZyKtF-QOGZ3jI1NUJm2eAltZckIhtePjiZlfR-bOUkmgq0tTjIt8JE2o8NpifaiNJzIsCIzGKodb0snf9aDQyumaRh0u5HlnQyMPP3aPgHYKoECSYK14/s1600/ACR1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOiwTEvX1R_eH0AlT_G9hbY84ZyKtF-QOGZ3jI1NUJm2eAltZckIhtePjiZlfR-bOUkmgq0tTjIt8JE2o8NpifaiNJzIsCIzGKodb0snf9aDQyumaRh0u5HlnQyMPP3aPgHYKoECSYK14/s1600/ACR1.jpg" height="640" width="510" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ACR really means All Curves... Right? </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvpO8eILLHDzEJSOyXF_PhrPmRZEx1yWFqmXm4sAkLQJ_k8nQsQvpBGbuG3FtIdDPZ1IQ6JVVIJA6THRYaeFlrEg2HY6RnFzPObY4CpK0Z1KVppp6XHkFUqs6aURLO-llxehyjPj-e6Ng/s1600/ACR3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvpO8eILLHDzEJSOyXF_PhrPmRZEx1yWFqmXm4sAkLQJ_k8nQsQvpBGbuG3FtIdDPZ1IQ6JVVIJA6THRYaeFlrEg2HY6RnFzPObY4CpK0Z1KVppp6XHkFUqs6aURLO-llxehyjPj-e6Ng/s1600/ACR3.jpg" height="464" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A few more scenes from a 1980's day the life of the railway</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWEagO6t7EwD9hxUWn9mEIkzIeWaPjn2SvV1xnNht_kmu7YhcBw_v-IzhjfCFnjHu8wZsyl5TKLOVsOrU0ysPHjIVHFk6NOXkvsSE9is1QYfhHyalKETqXvVPqZc9YFAaCcMSwDKReS-D/s1600/ACR4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWEagO6t7EwD9hxUWn9mEIkzIeWaPjn2SvV1xnNht_kmu7YhcBw_v-IzhjfCFnjHu8wZsyl5TKLOVsOrU0ysPHjIVHFk6NOXkvsSE9is1QYfhHyalKETqXvVPqZc9YFAaCcMSwDKReS-D/s1600/ACR4.jpg" height="522" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A scene from the history books. Actually this photo came from one of the ACR's annual reports.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWO3W60pPELUWWcTRQ9QhzjHZiHPCYJdjjKaGLOYPMVH5FvX6H20lPmDOQMwc8Ouoaz598CgSTBjxYcWhdSTfP4qPC-Vlp6htc5xaaZ01Cb5FutNuRnTRFVHc3JZsJVBex0NrAR9ac3FI/s1600/ACR5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWO3W60pPELUWWcTRQ9QhzjHZiHPCYJdjjKaGLOYPMVH5FvX6H20lPmDOQMwc8Ouoaz598CgSTBjxYcWhdSTfP4qPC-Vlp6htc5xaaZ01Cb5FutNuRnTRFVHc3JZsJVBex0NrAR9ac3FI/s1600/ACR5.jpg" height="442" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is not a scene that is normally associated with the Algoma Central Railway known for carrying tourist passengers into Agawa Canyon.</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tie replacement in the northern Ontario wilderness is a real and necessary part of what goes on with a railway... any railway... and to allow trains to safely operate. </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not much glamourous about Steelton Yard in Sault Ste. Marie, but loaded railcars means needed income for the railway to earn its keep.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No shortage of autumn colours or passengers this morning as evidenced by a lengthy Train 3 heading northward.</span></span></td></tr>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326254495076462252.post-85880894960361395552014-03-13T14:22:00.000-07:002014-03-18T10:29:04.348-07:00Roxboro Revisited<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(First written in spring 1993 for Branchline)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The CNR Montreal - Deux Montagnes commuter service must surely be the ultimate railroading oddity in Canada. It is by far the most archaic in terms of some of the equipment used and probably operates over the most politically studied 16.9 miles of railway track in Canada.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Through the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's, various levels of government commissioned studies to determine whether or not services should be rehabilitated and modernized, or abandoned. During that time CNR simply made numerous threats, some written, to shut down operations on the line due to seemingly perpetual losses. Meanwhile the trains continued to operate and thousands of people travelled back and forth between Montreal and the suburbs; equipment failures, service interruptions, politicians, strikes, winter weather and CN management notwithstanding. (Anyone who has regularly used these trains will know this is the real meaning of the "Notwithstanding" clause.)</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSqhk7xwwOrB8Yam_0r30o-UGW6WCvZYd9MStn9yLCrki4EPG373i5XeZ9pkrY07PAVCJ_GgPVIIIoUUEEg6IOi7UsNinZtED0qIQVc-W4Cs-s7_HMPn3Gd8QIj-esnvnfVS6ZUtA2q8v/s1600/CN+Rox3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSqhk7xwwOrB8Yam_0r30o-UGW6WCvZYd9MStn9yLCrki4EPG373i5XeZ9pkrY07PAVCJ_GgPVIIIoUUEEg6IOi7UsNinZtED0qIQVc-W4Cs-s7_HMPn3Gd8QIj-esnvnfVS6ZUtA2q8v/s1600/CN+Rox3.jpg" height="441" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">M.U.
powered coach 6735, built in 1952, is on the rear of southbound Train
944 at Roxboro, Quebec, on March 18, 1993. Passengers are boarding the
train which was about 8 minutes behind the scheduled 16:51 departure.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My final three years as a resident of Quebec, 1985 to 1988, were played out in Roxboro. Home then was just within sight of the train station and I was one of the Monday to Friday regulars on the trains. Those trains were oft referred to as saunas in the summers and refrigerators in the winters. Being a railfan, train nut or whatever, and knowing that the trains were made up from possibly the oldest operating railway equipment in North America (not in a museum) did not mean anything while waiting for late trains on early February mornings while freezing on the station platforms. Neither did being a rail enthusiast mean anything on the standing room only afternoon trains inexplicably late and standing idle between stations under the July sun. In the early 1960's as a youth, I heard my father curse these trains. In the late 1980's as an adult I truly understood why. If it is possible for a rail fan to have a love-hate relationship with trains, then this service certainly pushed the limits.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As a rail fan, the utmost irony for me was on one of the Bytown Railway Society's October 1201 Sunday excursions from Ottawa to Pembroke. I was surprised to see in the consist two CN passenger cars fresh from the Montreal - Deux Montagnes commuter service. That morning I was unaware that the BRS had acquired the pair. I found it amusing to know that the following morning I would take the train to work and travel in virtually identical cars hauled by power nearly twice the age of long retired steam locomotive 1201. And that would not be on a museum excursion! I was relieved to learn that my seat was in the Algoma Central coach.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Montreal news media have reported that the Montreal - Deux Montagnes line will be shut down for part of summer 1993 for rebuilding. There have also been reports that Bombardier will be building new equipment to replace the existing roster. Similar rumours have persisted before. During the 30 years I have watched these trains, virtually only the paint changed until the VIA Rail cars showed up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Perhaps distance and the passing of time changes one's perspective. March break was approaching and I was planning to visit my parents in Pierrefonds. (Adjacent to Roxboro) This would allow occasions to visit two excellent train watching locations; Dorval and Roxboro. I had been thinking about photographing some of the trains at Roxboro before the older equipment disappears. The March snow storm and record snowfall severely fouled travel plans, however, when I was finally able to visit Roxboro, the unusually high snow banks provided unprecedented photo opportunities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The morning of March 19, 1993, was cold and clear. Radio station CJAD was reporting temperatures below minus 30C (without wind chill added to inflate) in Ste. Agathe and other places up north. Outside in Pierrefonds was only a balmy minus 22C (some things don't change over the years) so I headed over to Roxboro. By the time I arrived, southbound Train 926 had gone and the first section of empty Train 929 was disappearing northward. Leaving the warmth of my car, I climbed on top of the snow banks and waited for the second section of empty Train 929 to move. Mercifully there was no wind. Cars were idling in the parking lot as commuters were waiting until the last minute before venturing out into the cold. Pushing the second half of 929 into the station that day were boxcabs 6712 and 6711.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKG69m4gTP9T0gDTHvIWX5QPem5D0b2IBJdxWYAGThVoY80Pgkd0lA208AdkpA7UcMIcldLyU5MZ6q6WXVoCAGDRG4iXNoXtvBGYbajYo9hrB0oTvXJ_sHM3lccD_KCGYvRGRS0ROLJXc/s1600/CN+Rox4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKG69m4gTP9T0gDTHvIWX5QPem5D0b2IBJdxWYAGThVoY80Pgkd0lA208AdkpA7UcMIcldLyU5MZ6q6WXVoCAGDRG4iXNoXtvBGYbajYo9hrB0oTvXJ_sHM3lccD_KCGYvRGRS0ROLJXc/s1600/CN+Rox4.jpg" height="448" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CN
boxcabs 6712 and 6711 were built in 1914 by General Electric Company.
81 years later, both were going strong early in the morning on March 19,
1993, in spite of the cold temperature. This was the second section of
Train 929, backing out of the north end of the siding at Roxboro,
Quebec, to the station platform to enable shivering commuters to board.
Later at 07:10, the pair of boxcabs would lead as Train 930 to Central
Station in Montreal via the Mount Royal tunnel.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Train 929, which does not appear in the public timetables, is listed in CN employee timetables as a northbound deadhead empty equipment movement from Montreal to Deux Montagnes. What the E.T.T. does not reveal is that Train 929 is in fact two trains joined back to back with the motive power at each end. On arrival the train goes into Roxboro Sud (official CN name for the siding) where it is split into the two trains while waiting for southbound Train 926 to pass. Following 926's departure, the first section of Train 929 continues on to Deux Montagnes from where it will return later as Train 932. The second section of Train 929 backs out of the siding, crosses Commercial Street and stops alongside the passenger platform. After a short wait the consist will depart as 07:10 as Train 930.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is one aspect of this Monday to Friday operation which goes unremarked yet a problem the train crews must contend with. The road crossing between the north end of the siding and the station platform is protected by flashing lights as well as barriers which lower. Many times I have witnessed car drivers going around the lowered barriers and crossing the track in front of the moving trains.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With Train 930 gone I return to the warmth of my car to wait for Train 928 to make its appearance. During the time that has passed since I was one of the regulars, the operator's position at Roxboro was abolished. What also quietly disappeared soon afterwards was the semaphore signal which was still in use while the operator worked there. The signal mast was across the track from the operator's shack. Entertainment on some warm summer evenings used to be taking Kimberly and David to see the trains meet at the siding. The bonus was watching the signal arms moving up and down. Yes, this was railroading in Canada in the 1980's. While the signal now was only another memory, a positive change also occurred. A new shelter for waiting passengers was built.</span></span></div>
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<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On March 19, 1993, and right in time at 07:39, centre-cab unit 6727 and unidentified sister lead Train 928 out of Roxboro, Quebec, toward Montreal. Both centre-cab units were built in 1950.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When the crossing bells started ringing, I left the car again and climbed on top of the winter hills. (Snow banks) Train 928 appeared right on time! Leading today was centre-cab unit 6727 with an unidentified sister unit. While the train made its obligatory</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> scheduled </span></span> pause at the platform, I paced around the tops of the hills; partly to stay warm and partly trying to decide where best to take my photos from. One shot was all I would have of Train 928. The sudden change from warm to extreme cold was affecting the camera.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Train 932 was due 25 minutes later. Rather than wait it out in Roxboro, I decided to try and capture a scene elsewhere. The bridge across Riviere des Prairies was inaccessible without skis or snowshoes, so my selected location in Pierrefonds was on the north side of the track as far as I could reach by car, the place where snow removal trucks had been dumping their loads. Again, winter hills were providing unusual persecptives.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just like the old days! I was waiting for another late train in winter and shivering in the cold, only this time was by choice. At 08:01 I heard the train rumbling over the bridge about half a mile away and within a minute Train 932 was approaching. Boxcab 6724 was in the lead with its twin and a string of ex-Via Rail coaches in tow.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The early morning show was concluded and visions of a hot cup of coffee had displaced thoughts about more trains. Only by chance, I had managed to capture a scene of at least one electric locomotive from each group by years built. The photos of the M.U.'s taken the day before would complete the set.</span></span></div>
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<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Train 932 was about 8 minutes late at 08:11 when passing this location between Ile-Bigras, Quebec, and Roxboro, Quebec, on March 19, 1993. Boxcab 6724, built in 1926, and unidentified partner, were leading an octet of former VIA Rail coaches toward Montreal. Northbound an hour earlier, this consist was the first section of Train 929.</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOwsyvHAMjgcl5ksVknTNmZ6sze2auE90X9R-cGJBTATpWAoNccl8IROT5uU4444VhKm5v5MpWQBpnrbOVP2LZEcBpgoUKpWpgysADvVXFOigwUHuJyS9INZc3hsnM5aehG9e37zwSCBD/s1600/CN+Commuter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOwsyvHAMjgcl5ksVknTNmZ6sze2auE90X9R-cGJBTATpWAoNccl8IROT5uU4444VhKm5v5MpWQBpnrbOVP2LZEcBpgoUKpWpgysADvVXFOigwUHuJyS9INZc3hsnM5aehG9e37zwSCBD/s1600/CN+Commuter.jpg" height="267" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"What's the future of Canada's only mainline electrification? In its present form, CN's electric suburban service can be expected to be short-lived."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Verbatim, this almost obituary was written 18 years earlier, appearing on page 23 in the March 1975 edition of TRAINS Magazine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While time may finally be running out for these trains in their present form, I am not about to predict their passing. These paragraphs are only some of my reflections about the trains I love to hate... or possibly hate to love.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Oddblock Station Agent</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Second section:</b> A few extra scenes</span></span><br />
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<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having departed the Ile Bigras station, a 3-car southbound CN commuter train is crossing the Riviere des Prairies en route to Central Station in Montreal. Next intermediate stop though is Roxboro. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Photo taken in July 1992.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWRdtGw6oXpVY6RUDkO_Pb_kd288Yj5rczO9p0lRZGwVkh4LayoaPTsS3WesM_zPU7ZjqCtBJvZJ0BLjORQFqkznXbXJdJA9dI8DsNQX8jM2MQLug1g1qGpXYE6SiPWxH3FsFDt9_Uw55/s1600/CN+July+1992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWRdtGw6oXpVY6RUDkO_Pb_kd288Yj5rczO9p0lRZGwVkh4LayoaPTsS3WesM_zPU7ZjqCtBJvZJ0BLjORQFqkznXbXJdJA9dI8DsNQX8jM2MQLug1g1qGpXYE6SiPWxH3FsFDt9_Uw55/s1600/CN+July+1992.jpg" height="640" width="614" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a friendly wave from the engineer and having just crossed the Riviere des Prairies bridge, (in the background but hidden in by the train) CN6741 is leading a trio of cars southbound toward the next station, Roxboro, and ultimately to downtown Montreal.</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Photo taken in July 1992</span></span>.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Life after retirement</span></span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgr6H-a9Kv4vXT66kASYy5-SCquckI45uaoFxvBCbCjoy5ZhcOUuAmyYP9i10C3UJ283szTItMO_JwKtA7RYIaIQ4oLNst6f7bbvQ48Yctp3gZwYOEBYZIgMw76naKZdDmFboHxMv0CV2/s1600/cn-mu6749ajc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgr6H-a9Kv4vXT66kASYy5-SCquckI45uaoFxvBCbCjoy5ZhcOUuAmyYP9i10C3UJ283szTItMO_JwKtA7RYIaIQ4oLNst6f7bbvQ48Yctp3gZwYOEBYZIgMw76naKZdDmFboHxMv0CV2/s1600/cn-mu6749ajc.jpg" height="412" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CN6749 and two others like it are at the Conway Scenic Railroad in North Conway, New Hampshire.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hrtGQ5OiszFqLEAUP8Dm-NdBeFkzReecRZw0nHIByxUqEsx19Jgz2XvfoszRvfo_Wqpl9QC3C4XlHF8tLafd_aQyHxrrN0RkI9YnxKbuv6Jxtyku3CulDdyIG8ALxD0nnEI0FxwImaNo/s1600/6711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hrtGQ5OiszFqLEAUP8Dm-NdBeFkzReecRZw0nHIByxUqEsx19Jgz2XvfoszRvfo_Wqpl9QC3C4XlHF8tLafd_aQyHxrrN0RkI9YnxKbuv6Jxtyku3CulDdyIG8ALxD0nnEI0FxwImaNo/s1600/6711.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CN6711 now resides at the Canadian Railway Museum in Delson, Quebec.</span></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The last word on this subject - taken directly from the CN website.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">February 28, 2014</span></span></span></span><br />
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CN sells Deux-Montagnes rail line to Agence métropolitaine de transports for commuter rail service for C$97 million</h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>MONTREAL, Feb. 28, 2014 —</b>
CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) today closed the sale of a rail line
principally used by Agence métropolitaine de transports (AMT) commuter
trains between Deux-Montagnes and Montreal’s Central Station to AMT for
C$97 million.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">AMT, a government agency that reports to the Quebec Transport
Minister, oversees public transport services in the Greater Montreal
area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">AMT is acquiring CN’s entire Deux-Montagnes Subdivision, which runs
from St-Eustache to the entrance of Montreal’s Central Station,
including the Mount Royal tunnel, a rail corridor of 21 miles in total.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CN will retain freight operating rights over a portion of the line sold to AMT where freight customers are located.</span></div>
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<br />The Oddblock Station Agenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214013724011379352noreply@blogger.com0