Some final rough cuts from 2024

Well, the Christmas dust has settled. The decorations will be coming down soon and life will return to normal soon enough. I've had some great conversations and made some new connections through this blog this year. I've seen some interesting things trackside. There was a proliferation of Via Rail content, which was just a factor of what I saw for much of the year. I managed to see some more diverse railway scenes later in the year, which helped keep things interesting. But I cannot deny that it was a heavy Via Rail year.

So, as I close out 2024, here are a few rough cuts, photos with no home, B-sides, outtakes and other odds and ends that didn't quite fit in with other posts that still merit some consideration.

This shot was taken in November as I was waiting for an eastbound Via Rail train to cross Fallowfield Road on the northern edge of Barrhaven. I was returning home from a doctor's appointment and I saw the train making its way slowly toward the crossing. I had mentioned earlier in the year that this was the Year of ABC (Always Be Challenging), where I encouraged myself and everyone else to get out of the routine of taking the same old railway shots and try to get something new and interesting.

In this case, this shot was a matter of good timing, but it was also a chance for me to get a sidelong shot of a train near Fallowfield Road. I had never attempted to get a shot here before, so it was something a bit new. 

This shot was taken at Montreal's Central Station, as our train was about to head back west to Ottawa. As I mentioned, I tried to think of new images to get this year that were not the same old railway photos. I took a few shots in the limited lighting of the underground platforms in Montreal. This was one of the few that didn't have a reflection of my own car's interior, so I included it. It's the side of a Via Venture locomotive taking off. Again, nothing special, but I like it for some reason. It gives me the feeling of movement; of people going to or from some place; of the countless human stories that are waiting to be told once these trains get to where they are bound. There are many shades of grey here, just like with humanity.

Here's an interesting image from Tupperville, Ont., a tiny rural community of about 300 people in Chatham-Kent that is equidistant from Wallaceburg and Dresden. This is the site where the old CSX Sarnia Subdivision serviced the London Agricultural Commodities grain elevator on Centre Sideroad in Tupperville. The image doesn't show that the track over the road had been paved over, yet the rails remain in place through the elevator, awaiting the inevitable lifting up, whenever that happens. For years, efforts to get rail service restarted on this portion of the old CSX line were ongoing, but the end is definitely nigh. Interesting as well that the company's webpage for this elevator clearly shows the rails in place. Just a few metres from this spot, you can see the concrete abutments for the old rail bridge that once carried trains over the Sydenham River. A sad scene for someone who grew up watching trains on CSX rails through my hometown.

Here's a shot taken from the Hunt Club Road overpass as an evening eastbound glides toward Federal Junction en route to Ottawa's main train station. I tried to capture a shot that encompassed the beautiful evening sunset as well as the train. I don't know that I quite captured what I was seeking, but I like this shot nonetheless. It's the human stories aboard that train that are waiting to be told that fascinate me. You can even see the recently removed spur that once served Bentley Avenue customers. Those rails and the old switch stand still lie in the weeds trackside (in the bottom of the image). Here's a post with another photo I took the same night. The shot I used in that post did not include the evening sky to the same extent.

One final image from deep in CN's Sarnia rail yard. I dropped by the station one morning in early November when I was on the way to my sister's house. There appeared to be nothing happening when I arrived so I stuck around and took a few shots. There was a major surprise in store, which I will wait to share in a future post. But, when I first arrived, this was all I could see, other than the long line of diesels parked at the old Sarnia roundhouse.

Even though the fog made a clear picture almost impossible, I do like this shot, which is a bit eerie and wistful. 

So that is a wrap for 2024. Thank you everyone for stopping by. Lots more to come in 2025, I hope. Happy New Year!

Five reasons to be grateful in 2024

As the year winds down to its precious last few weeks, I find myself somewhat glad to be rid of 2024, although not for the reasons you might think. Yes, as many of you know, my family went through a terrible ordeal, having to move from our home due to the very serious threat posed by a former neighbour. Happily, that is behind us and we are safe. But I don't want to be rid of 2024 to be rid of this experience. In essence, a new year is simply a new number. I am happy to be heading into 2025 because I want to use my experiences from this year as a way of moving forward as a better, more grateful person.

I hope this is reflected in the tone of the posts I include on this blog. Just yesterday, someone sent me an email with an inspirational quote/graphic. I usually discard these emails out of hand, as they are a throwback to the days when people used the internet to perpetuate tired old jokes. But I read this message for some reason and I'm glad I did. It basically said, I have a roof over my head, my home is heated, and I have food on the table. I am grateful. Something like that. 

And I am. Grateful, that is. For all the discontent in the world and all the endless bickering, political grandstanding, political manipulation, tribalism, shaming, irrational hatred, old world grudges and general lack of courtesy, we are lucky. There is no other place I'd rather live than Ottawa, Canada. I have gone out of my way since we've moved into our new house to thank people more often, praise people for doing good work and letting people know they matter. I cannot believe what a difference it makes when you actively show gratitude and share it. I have been like this increasingly in the last few years of my life, but I have made sure to more actively show gratitude with others lately.

With that in mind, here are some reasons for me to be thankful.

1. I am grateful that I was able to share my writing with the Western Ontario Division of the National Model Railroaders Association's online magazine, Model Railroad Inspirations. For the sake of their intellectual property, I'm merely offering a screenshot of part of my article.

If you wanted to read about the Point Edward Spur, you can read my original post here. My thanks to Paul Hurly, editor of Model Railroad Inspirations, for reaching out. This is good lesson for bloggers out there. It pays to check out the comments on old posts. You never know.

2. I am grateful to be inspired by other writers. They should know that their writing matters and sometimes, their writings move people to action. 

Recently, I read this post on the Prince Street Terminal blog. I have to admit, when I read it, it felt like Chris, the blog's author, was reading my mind. He explored the beauty of an imperfect image and went on to muse on the people who operate trains, how they are masters of a very rare skill. They know how to balance the immense power of their diesel engine and the sometimes intimidating crush of the weight behind the engines. This dance between push and pull, slack, resistance, strain and raw physics is indeed an incredible skill. We should be thankful for these people, who help bring us the goods that make our lives more comfortable.

Chris is one of a number of great writers in the train blogosphere that inspire me to think harder, research more, write more clearly, and remember what my strengths are. 

I must admit, I have often thought about writing a blog post about the human element of each train. When Chris shared his thoughts in the blog post I linked to above, he managed to express some of the thoughts that have been rattling ahead in my head for years. He read my mind. And he managed to express those thoughts in a way I never could.

His post reminded me of this photo below, which is another reason I am grateful.

3. I am grateful for surprises. As someone who often relies on road trips to get the train photos that feed this blog, it's the surprises in my travels that make this blog sing.

This photo above was taken in late November as I was driving on the Rokeby Line back to my brother's house after visiting with my sister's family. This was a CN local picking up cars and doing its switching duties on the St. Clair River Industrial Spur, a long stretch of track that serves a number of industrial customers south of Sarnia's Chemical Valley.

And just like Chris mused in the Prince Street Terminal blog post above about imperfect shots, I'd like to take a moment to share how much I love this shot above, even thought it's far from perfect. I had to scramble to get anything as I was in my car and there was almost no light, save for the light of the engine's headlight. The signals, as well, did me no favours, as the red lights often washed through the images I was taking.

But this shot, which was the last one I took, worked out pretty well. It reminded me of that human aspect of railroading that we often forget, when we get caught up in talking about heritage paint schemes, locomotive numbers, axle counts and other technical aspects.

To me, there is a human story to be told here. Who was working this train late on a Sunday night, when he/she would rather be home with their family? What was the train picking up or dropping off? Why was it important that it be done at that time? How many other people relied on that engineer and conductor in the cab of that GP38 so their company could continue operations? Do the people who need these trains to operate even realize the work railway employees put in around the clock to keep their companies operating? These people are our unsung heroes in these blogs. They keep the wheels in motion (literally and figuratively) so that we can enjoy the lives we live.

Catching that train late on a cold November evening after spending time with family was a wonderful surprise.

4. I am grateful for the chance to learn from others. Since I relaunched my blog in 2022, I have been fortunate enough to pick up some new readers and reconnect with people who have been reading this blog since I launched it in 2013. To everyone who stops by the read my ramblings, I thank you. I have never considered myself anywhere near the calibre of other bloggers and I don't try to pretend I know more about railways than I do. That is why you will often find me making educated guesses and opening myself up to being corrected. It's the only way to go, if you want to survive online and learn.

But I am thankful for some of the new people I have met along the way since I relaunched, because it has allowed me to explore new territory. For example, I have been trading messages with a reader from Windsor, who has fed me all sorts of railway information from the city. I am slowly working on a few blog posts about Windsor, with his help. Thanks, Kevin!

Here's a shot from my brief time in Windsor in November, when I was lucky enough to catch a Venture set about to depart the city's Via terminal in the Walkerville part of the city. More on Windsor to come.

5. I am grateful to be published. I saved the best one for last. I don't want to go into great detail, as the details are yet to be finalized, but I can share with you that one of my photos will likely be published in a forthcoming book from a writer who is a well-known name in Trains and Classic Trains Magazine. 

A tip of the hat to Steve Boyko of Traingeek.ca for putting me in touch with this well-known writer. Not surprisingly, this writer reached out to Steve, who was able to relay the message to me. As I said higher up in this post, I don't consider myself anything other than what I am. I am an okay photographer and I know a bit about railways. But I am no expert. Everything I know I learned by reading or listening to people, especially those in my family who worked on the railways. I don't want to share the photo that will be published in the book on this particular post, but I can assure you that you can find it on one of the 400 plus posts I have already published on this blog. 

Instead, I will share this shot from 2015 of CN 589 making its ways to Arnprior, led by a GP38 in the CN North America scheme. The shot was taken along the Trans-Canada Trail crossing near Corkstown Road. No, the author was not looking for photographs of the Arnprior Turn. He was interested in another shot I have of a CN diesel in the short-lived North America scheme.

I hope to share more details about this new book of his soon. 

To conclude...

Would I do it again if I could redo my family's troubled time between September 2023 and 2024? I might have done a few small things differently at the outset, but even when things were at their worst earlier this year, I took time each day to remind myself to be grateful, even for the smallest things. Being a person of faith, I constantly remind myself that there is no guarantee in any sacred scripture from any faith that says a Higher Power promises us an easy life. Even if you're not a believer, I think we can all agree on the old adage, what doesn't kill us...

Let me expand on that for a moment. Whatever doesn't kill me will make me more thoughtful, more grateful, more sympathetic, more alert, more understanding, more aware of my mental health and more patient. All those things make me stronger.

So I wouldn't trade in the last year at all. Because if I did, I wouldn't be a better version of myself today. Even in hardship, I am grateful. 

This will likely be my last post before Christmas. Merry Christmas to everyone who has dropped by this year. I will see you all after Christmas.

Michael

hammond.michael77 AT gmail dot com

It these silent walls could talk: Montreal's Windsor Station

This summer, my daughter and I visited Montreal to go on a tour of the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens. My daughter has developed a love of hockey and chose to support Dad's team, so we went on a small train trip to the city. While there, I kept an eye out for anything railway related, as Montreal has some interesting railway relics and infrastructure in its downtown. 

One of the jewels is the former downtown passenger station that housed the Canadian Pacific Railway, Windsor Station.

Getting a photograph of this beautiful old station is a challenge, as the city has encroached on many of the sightlines surrounding the old stone building. To get this shot, I had to climb the stairs leading up to an office building across the street. Even on the top step, almost with my back against the glass of the office tower, I could barely squeeze all of Windsor Station into my frame. 

The station, located at the corner of avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal and rue Peel, has proudly stood as a mammoth Romanesque Revival stone chateau-style monument since it was completed in 1889 and expanded in the ensuing years. It took its name from the fact that it was built on Windsor Street, which is now Peel Street. Among the major downtown railway stations built in North America during the railway boom years, Windsor Station is the oldest that is still largely intact.

Of course, Windsor Station belongs to another time, when railways were much more prominent in the day-to-day affairs of Montreal. This station's prominence cannot be understated. Think about how important railways were to Montreal, as one of Canada's most important eastern ports on the St. Lawrence, not to mention its position as Canada's once largest city and financial hub. 

The Canadian Pacific built three stations in Montreal in the late 1800s. The first was the Dalhousie Station, completed in 1884, which was the railway's original eastern terminus in Old Montreal. The site was originally a Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway concern, but the station was built by CP when it took over the QMO&O in 1882. Windsor Station was completed in 1889. The Viger Hotel and Station were completed in 1898, as a replacement for Dalhousie Station. The Viger Station and Hotel were where CP passenger trains from the north and east came into the city. Windsor Station was where trains from the south and west came into the city.

There's an interesting history of these two stations. Windsor Station, near the old Windsor Hotel, was seen as the English station. The Viger, located closer to the French Canadian part of the city, was seen as the French station. But look at any historic railway photo from Montreal, and it's a good bet that it was taken at Windsor Station. It has figured into many historic images of the city. And, I must admit, its name has always confused me, as a railway fan from southern Ontario, who spent a lot of time in Windsor, Ont.

Photo of a CP passenger train awaiting departure from the train sheds at the old Windsor Station. Photo from the Library and Archives Canada online database

A railway with multiple stations in a city is not as uncommon as you would think. In Ottawa, CP operated out of the Union Station on Rideau Street as well as at the Ottawa West station, on the edge of the Lebreton Flats, for overlapping years. At one point, it even had a station in Westboro and small platform station in Bells Corners.

Today, much of the old Windsor Hotel is but a memory, replaced by an office tower, built in the 1950s. A piece of the old hotel remains, as an office building for Desjardins. Parts of the old hotel's interior were retained, as a way to preserve its heritage.

As for Windsor Station, it operated as a passenger station well into the 1980s, as Via Rail briefly kept its former CP passenger routes operating from the building until it integrated its operations at the nearby CN Central Station, located beneath the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Still, a few RDC routes between Montreal and Quebec continued to use Windsor Station, as they used the CP trackage north of the St. Lawrence. Amtrak also used Windsor Station until 1986. 

After Via Rail and Amtrak focused their operations at Central Station, Windsor Station still hosted suburban commuter trains into the 1990s. It should be noted that the Canadian Pacific housed its headquarters in this station until 1996, when it relocated its administration to Calgary and sold off its trackage east of Montreal in order to focus on its western operations. Some of that trackage is back in CP's fold, as it purchased the Central Maine and Quebec Railway in 2020, to reestablish a route into Maine and New Brunswick, ensuring it had an Atlantic port. 

With the construction of the Bell Centre next to the old station in the early 1990s, the tracks were removed. Today, Windsor Station still connects through some tunnels to the Montreal Metro commuter services, although those operations are better connected to the Bell Centre (Lucien-Allier Metro Station).

The old station today is an office building, but its main concourse, which is richly lit by natural light on white floors, is open to the public. When my daughter and I briefly stepped into the building on our adventures, I was amazed by how quiet it was in the old station. It made me think of all the people who once used to walk through the main concourse every day. It's a nationally recognized historic structure, thankfully preserved after once being threatened with demolition. It nearly ended up like New York City's Penn Station, which was replaced by a soulless office tower. That was the plan for this Montreal station at one point.

Library and Archives Canada photograph of travellers about to head to their awaiting train.

The station's main concourse can be rented by the public for special events. That concourse also opens onto a courtyard near the Bell Centre, making for a pretty memorable site for weddings or other gala receptions. The next time you find yourself in downtown Montreal, take a stroll through this wonderful old building and let yourself imagine the history that once unfolded within its walls.