Off the main line

This July, I was in the Sarnia area to visit family and was treated to some great train watching around Sarnia's CN yard. Granted, many of my images from this spot were a bit drab as the scenery was lacking. I have tried in past years to incorporate interesting scenes in my railway photography, instead of just focusing on the train itself.

So for this latest post, I wanted to incorporate some of the other shots I took while I was in Sarnia, which were a bit off the beaten track. As I mentioned in my last post, I did get to see quite a bit of main line freight trains roaring through the yard, but there was also plenty to see in the yard itself, not to mention in other spots.

Just a short drive from the CN yard, CSX still maintains a small local operation, at the foot of Clifford Street, tucked away behind the Imperial Oil refinery. The old railway station is still standing and has been renovated over the years. It once housed passenger operations, back when the railway was the Pere Marquette, but those operations ended nearly a century ago in the 1930s, if my research is correct. 

But CSX still serves its industrial customers in the Chemical Valley and along its Sarnia Subdivision south of the city. At one time, you'd have seen 4-5 locomotives in Sarnia. Now, there are just these two refurbished geeps.

 

These geeps are considered Dash 3s, as they have incorporated a number of new features, including remote control operation (hence the beacons), newly enlarged cabs, inset lights on the hood and a number of other improvements. I have to say that I don't really like the look of these geeps. They seem overly boxy and not in an endearing, quirky GP30 kind of way.

I took a few other shots, but didn't want to wander onto private property. so I did the best I could from the end of the street, where I could legally take photos. The shot below gives you an idea of how far I was from the power. 

 That track in the bottom of the photo once used to extend all the way beside the station. I often saw covered hopper cars stashed on that track with manual feeders beside them. See the shot below for an example of how it was once used.

In the CN yard, the yard power of choice is still GP9s as well as some GP38s. The old SW1200s are long gone, although a few linger near the Lambton Diesel Specialists roundhouse facility, but they are units for lease in LDS colours. 

The curiosity among the yard power was a lone BNSF geep that had been sandwiched between two CN geeps when I was there. Local railfans told me it's been in the yard for quite some time, so it's either a leased unit or possibly a purchased unit that has yet to be repainted. I didn't see a CN stencil on the engine, so I'm guessing it's a leased unit.

In the image below, you can see the crew heading into the yard from the fuel pad, to get going on some switching duties. 

Truthfully, the unit was a bit hard to catch, as it was mostly hidden behind long strings of cars in the yard. I had to get creative to catch a glimpse of it a few times before it finally came out in full view.

 

There were many other cool sights at the yard that I was lucky enough to capture but I will save those for other posts.

First taste of the main line

It's always satisfying for me to see freight trains on a main line, since we get almost no freight activity in the west end of Ottawa, save for the weekly Arnprior Turn, which operates once a week. In late June and early July, I visited my family in the Sarnia area and was able to carve out small windows of time where I sat trackside at the Sarnia Via Rail station, which sits at the edge of the CN Sarnia rail yard. The yard marks the end of the Strathroy Subdivision, a main line for freight trains into Michigan and Chicago.

The volume on the subdivision is pretty steady most days. You don't have to wait too long to see a freight train, with the exception of Via Rail's morning run of Train 84 as well as its evening return. Other than that, the line is exclusively a fast freight line. The trains whiz through small farming communities near Sarnia on their way to and from the tunnel linking Sarnia with Port Huron, Michigan beneath the St. Clair River.

On my first visit to the rail yard, I managed to get some shots of the various locomotives being serviced or used for parts at Lambton Diesel Specialists in the old roundhouse. I will save those for another post. This was the visit where I came across some chatty railfans. I chatted with them for a few minutes but moved on, as time is always at a premium for me when I am with my family. They come first, always.

Luckily, a mainline freight came rumbling from the west end of the yard as it was making its way eastward fairly quickly. ET44AC 3263 was leading a container train with a string of autoracks in the back. Considering the amount of force and power needed to climb the steep grade from the tunnel, I was impressed that the train was moving as quickly as it was. 

Given the sunny conditions and the lack of cloud cover, the shadows played havoc with my shots. Given that this is the only spot you can capture these freights up close, you have to work with what you have. Shadows are a fact of life when shooting at this yard under sunny skies. 

I don't often take close up shots anymore, but I did want to capture the Indigenous reconciliation logo that adorns some modern CN units, including this unit. It's interesting that just a slight change of angle makes such difference in the shadows.

In this case, I really wanted to capture a good going away shot, since you can see the yard engine in the distance, right behind the Indian Road overpass. I saw a fair number of freights and yard jobs during my visit, so I tried to capture as many shots as possible of meets or at least shots of multiple trains in the same frame. 

Then, it was time to capture a shot of the train making its way through the gantry that guards movements to the St. Clair River Industrial Spur turn off, the Point Edward Spur turn off and the main line into the tunnel. I like that this shot shows the curvature of the track, the noticeable grade and the gantry. 

Now time to capture a few logos. I haven't seen this logo, but remember that I don't see a lot of mainline freights! I did capture a few other logos and freight car shots over the course of my visit, but this one was worth showing as it is new to me. 

I walked down the station platform to capture the end of the train in the same frame as the Sarnia station. This vantage point at least allowed me to capture a bit of blue sky and some colour, as I wasn't fighting the sun from a difficult angle. 

If you look closely, you can see the railfans I was alluding to in my previous post. They are camped out beneath a tree right by the faded Canada flag.

All in all, it was a great first visit to the yard on June 28 in the mid-afternoon. I returned to the yard later that evening and caught more action. I will save that for another post.

The Railfans

On my recent trip to Sarnia to visit family, I was able to make repeated visits to the Sarnia Via Rail station, which sits on the edge of CN's rail yard. It's interesting that, in my recent visits to the yard, I have come across a number of railfans quite often. It's interesting, in that, I have very rarely come across railfans there in the past. But there is no doubt that there are a number of regulars who sit on the Sarnia platform and film the mainline trains. There are even some others that come and go, including kids (see picture below). Most seem interested in taking videos. 

I mention this because I don't know that I have ever shared my experiences as a railfan and my limited interactions with railfans. When you live in Ottawa, your experience with fellow railfans is limited. But this summer in Sarnia, I have to say that I saw a wide swath of railfans and it left me feeling somewhat ambivalent.

 

I will come out with the truth. I much prefer railfanning on my own, without any interaction with anybody. I don't say this because I am antisocial. I say it because railfanning, to me, is my own private time where I can zone out trackside, listen to the wind, smell the creosote and forget about the world. I've always been this way. Not many people know I am a railfan, even among my close friends. I prefer it that way. It's certainly not a popular hobby and, let's be honest, outside our railfan circles, we are ridiculed. It's not unlike the people who camp out at the end of the runway at the edge of the Ottawa Airport property, watching the planes. I think it's cool, but not everyone sees it that way.

For some people, I simply explain it this way. Some people like classic cars. Some people like following ships. Me? My family has a long history with the railways and this is my way of keeping up the tradition.

So I will say I was a bit surprised when approached by railfans in Sarnia when I was there in July. They were camped out trackside and had been there for quite a while, they told me. One of the railfans was from Guelph visiting family and was sitting next to his cousin. Beside the two of them was a woman who could not have looked any more disinterested. I felt for her. If you're not into it, I can't imagine why you would be there! The whole vibe to me was a little off.

What surprised me was that they were asking me when I was coming to the station next, because they figured we should all get together during the time when trains were sure to come. I appreciated the offer, of course, but told them I was squeezing in time trackside in between visiting my family, which was my main priority in visiting. I found it surprising that someone would come to visit family and spend hours watching trains instead. But maybe that was the plan all along for them. If so, I guess that's fine. It's just not my thing.

Even here in Ottawa, I rarely come across railfans. I think that we are a unique breed up here. Some rabidly chase the one west-end freight train each Wednesday. Me? I don't bother following CN 589 to and from Arnprior much. If I have a chance, fine. If not, I'm not all that bothered by it. Others fill their free time capturing Via Rail corridor trains at either one of our two local train stations. There's not much to choose from and, as I have a job, family and other duties in my community, I suppose my options are even more limited than younger railfans.

I generally find the vibe on the Eastern Ontario Rails Facebook group to be very friendly and supportive. I appreciate everyone's outlook on that group. 

But I can't help but mention my ambivalence over that encounter in Sarnia. I guess railfanning is not a social thing for me at all. I enjoy discussing railways online and trading messages with fellow bloggers, but I'm just as likely to trade messages about music, writing, current affairs or anything else that captures my attention. I hate to limit myself. That is why my railway photographs have changed quite a bit over the last few years. I'm more interested in capturing a railway scene, rather than capturing a tight shot of a train. Sometimes, we tend to limit ourselves, I feel.

Maybe I'm just not as big a railfan as others. Maybe it's because I prefer to split my time between multiple pursuits. That's why I find it fascinating when I come across railfans who talk about epic bike rides, or their family history, or their pursuit of music, or their love of hockey, or whatever else it is they do.

I suppose what I'm getting at is that railfanning is a small part of me as a person. I am in the midst of preparing my next two books for publication. My daughter is a budding writer and it's inspired me to take up a pen again. I find this just as exciting as being trackside. I'm thankful for my curious mind.

When I have these encounters with railfans, I wonder what else is there to these people? My guess is everyone has fascinating things to share and has many unique strengths and talents. We are all unique in this world. We all are complex, interesting and baffling in our own ways.

Railfanning is just a part of who we are.