Wrong place, right time

After the school year was through, my family headed out of town to Toronto to do some touristy things. While there, I was able to sit trackside for a little while, taking in the continuous movement of trains in and out of Union Station, most of them GO Trains as well as the Union Pearson Express. This time around, my family decided to stay at a hotel near the airport and commute into the downtown aboard the UP Express. This made our trip much easier, as the downtown was packed with fans for a Friday World Cup match at BMO Field, uh Toronto Stadium. 

I was quite impressed with the overall experience of riding the UP Express. At our hotel, you could catch an hourly shuttle to the airport, where the UP Express leaves from an elevated platform, high above ground level. The train itself is quite comfortable. The seats are very much a step above what you would expect to find on a commuter train. The fare for the downtown service is about $12, depending on your age. There are also family passes, which we used several times.

In total, the trip takes about 20 minutes. The cars feature lots of storage space for luggage, which is to be expected, given its purpose in serving the airport. What I did not expect was that the train is very much in use as a local commuter connection for Toronto residents. It makes stops at Weston, Mount Dennis and Bloor before ending its eastbound journey at Union Station. While aboard, I took a quick shot of the layup yard west of Union Station, where a few GO Trains were parked before heading back into service during peak times.

On our first day downtown, my wife took my oldest daughter to enjoy some theatre while my youngest wanted to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is just a quick walk from Union Station. We had a good time there, as the Hall of Fame is very much geared toward young people. When we were done, we proceeded back to Union Station and took a quick walk along the Skywalk, which is an interior pathway from Union Station over the tracks to the CN Tower. At that point, it becomes an outdoor pathway to the Rogers Centre (I almost typed in SkyDome). 

After a walk to the Rogers Centre and a few photos, we decided to head back to the Union Station food court for an early dinner and a train ride back to the airport aboard the UP Express. I did get a few photos of GO Trains. I thought this one was nice, as the train is emerging from the shadow of the stadium as it makes its way to the station.

But it was on the way back to the station that I saw something I had never seen before.

I had to look twice before I realized I was seeing the Canadian, Via Rail's premier transcontinental* train. I have only seen this train one other time, just barely, as I caught a glimpse of it backing into Union Station from my hotel near the tracks. Those photos were mostly useless. 

(* - transcontinental is a bit of a stretch, as it covers the distance from Toronto to Vancouver in each direction, although in earlier times, the Canadian also served Montreal as well) 

This time around, I was able to confirm with a friend in Toronto that this was indeed Train 2, hours late, in the wrong place at the wrong time, essentially. My friend said the train was overly late arriving at the station and was parked in an awkward spot, as it was getting near to the evening rush hour, when GO Trains would be flocking to the station. It was bad timing for Via Rail, but perfect for me. 

 

Given the glass in the Skywalk is almost universally clouded, I had a hard time finding a decent pane that would allow me to get a good image of the train. This attempt was okay, but I would have liked to find a wider angle.

 

This shot from almost directly overhead was okay as well, especially since I was able to get an evening GO Train in the same frame. However, it doesn't do the Canadian justice, as you cannot really make out the train's true character from this vantage point. You can make out the two F40s, hitched to each other elephant style, but other than that, there aren't a lot of clues to let you know what train this is, unless you are in the know.

 

Here's one final shot, with another GO Train on the left of the frame. Again, since my choices were limited by the quality of the glass I was shooting through, I did the best I could and tried a few different angles. The other limiting factor was that the train was only partially visible from beneath the train shed.

 

That lucky meeting with the Canadian kicked off a week of epic railfanning, both in Toronto and in the Sarnia area, where I was visiting family for a few days afterward. Much more to come from my summer travels. 

Old friend and a new twist

In late June, I was told by a friend that CN was using two Iowa Northern-painted geeps as power for local operations. Naturally, with so little to see in Ottawa from a freight train perspective, I was excited. Even better, CN's weekly freight west, Train 589, was operating on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, which is a holiday for Quebec workers like me. My first plan was to camp out trackside along the Beachburg Subdivision, which is not too far from my house. But then I heard the train was making its way up the Smiths Falls Subdivision to Kott Lumber and on to Richmond, where it would do a runaround move on a switch, as the train was not going to Arnprior that day.

So, change of plans. I got in my car and went to Fallowfield Station, which is also not all that far from where I live. I missed the train as it made its way west to Kott, but I knew I was going to catch it on the way back, as there was a large group of railfans awaiting its return.

The double header dropped off two centrebeam lumber cars at Kott Lumber, on Moodie Drive, before heading further up the Smiths Falls Sub to Richmond, where the power ran around the two empty lumber cars it picked up, so the crew wouldn't have to shove its way back to Walkley.

It didn't hit me until later that these types of geeps, clad in the classic Canadian Pacific maroon, grey and gold, were likely similar to the diesels my grandfather saw when he worked as a rolling stock mechanic for the CPR in Chapleau and Windsor. 

Iowa Northern mystery

I will admit that I knew next to nothing about the Iowa Northern Railway before seeing these two units. It was formed in 1981, when a group of grain elevator owners took over local lines from the bankrupt Rock Island Railroad. Over the years, the short line railway expanded and brought its tracks back up to speed. After a few ownership changes, the line was purchased by the Canadian National in 2025, which explains the appearance of these units up here in Ottawa. The Iowa Northern operates 163 miles (262 kilometres) of track in Iowa, from Cedar Rapids into northern areas of the state. It handles around 40,000 carloads of freight, according to stats listed on Wikipedia. It has connections with CN, CPKC and the Union Pacific.

You will notice below that the small eastbound 589 is taking the siding at Fallowfield Station, since it has to wait for the arrival of Via westbound Train 45 for Toronto.

Next up, I backed up into the parking lot to see if I could get a shot with the train's reflection in the rain puddles. The other railfans remained on the platform, getting very tight wedge shots, which is not my thing at all. I needed to see the sides of the train and that beautiful livery!

Not quite what I wanted, as I didn't get a terribly clear reflection in the puddle. I also didn't get enough of the car behind the power. But it's always worth a try to get an image that is not a standard shot. Next up, Via's Train 45 was due. A meet!

I had to get onto the platform and accept that this shot was going to be a tight wedge. I am reasonably happy with this image, given the harsh glare of the morning sun and the railfans I had to shoot around (everyone was quite accommodating to each other). The Venture had barely come to a stop before 589 geared up and headed back east to Federal Junction. Before it departed, I tried to get another two-for-one shot with both trains in the same frame. The CN freight train was a little too far east on the siding to get a side-by-side shot, but I tried my best to get something. 

Finally, it was time for a few going away shots.

I think this was the best of the bunch as the train pulled away, as I switched to my iPhone and was surprised that it captured the blue sky better than my regular camera, although that could be a function of me not having the camera on the best setting. I'll figure it out, one of these days. 

I am grateful for the tips I received from friends that allowed me to capture this unique train. I noticed the following week that the power in Ottawa had changed again, meaning this rare site is all the more precious. 

I don't know how quickly CN will be able to recover from the Canada Day flooding that slammed the west end of the city. The Beachburg Sub and Renfrew Spur both suffered washouts. CN will have to deal with the Beachburg damage while Nylene Canada and the city will have to fix the Renfrew tracks, as those rails are owned by the company while the right-of-way is owned by the city. I'm not sure how that responsibility breaks down.

All in all, it was a fun morning to capture a rare sight. It was also my first experience with local railfans. I know they're out there, but I so rarely run across them.  

Hello, I must be going

Summer is about to officially begin. My daughters are finished with their schooling and my family's thoughts are turning to time off, trips, visits to family and other leisurely pursuits. With that in mind, I am going to park all activities on this blog for the coming week.

But not before sharing this quick shot captured yesterday (June 24) at Fallowfield Station. 

This might be the biggest rail sensation to hit Ottawa since the Canadian Pacific brought up its vintage rail cars for the CP Canadian Women's Open several years back. Here are two Iowa Northern-painted geeps on the siding at Fallowfield Statiom, coming back from dropping off two loaded centrebeam lumber cars to Kott Lumber on the Smiths Falls Subdivision. 

The train, CN 589, was awaiting the arrival of  westbound Via Train 45. Once the Venture set arrived, the two-car train shuttled off back toward Federal Junction, on its way to Walkley Yard. There was no run up to Arnprior. But the appearance of two locomotives adorned in the vintage CP maroon and grey was amazing to see. 

I'll have much more to share about this meet later on. For now, I'll leave you with this one shot. I have a summer full of railfanning to do, which will fill the pages of this blog in the coming months. 

But I have to say one quick thank you. I would not have seen any of this had I not been given some great tips from railfans nice enough to help me out. Also, it didn't hurt that I am a Quebec worker and had the St-Jean-Baptiste Day holiday off.

Have a good summer. I'm closing in on 500 posts. But for now, let's just enjoy this vintage scene!