Pop-up Post: Here come the . . . new O-Trains?

This year, I have been pacing this blog so that a post is shared every other week, but the problem with that pace is that it doesn't leave much room for me to share items that a newsworthy. So I am speeding up the pace of the blog a little bit for the time being, as there is a lot to share and the backlog of posts is getting to the point where some information is becoming outdated by the time some things are ready for publication.

This post is a short one, but it does come with an interesting story. Long story short, my two children were down with the flu last week and our supply of childen's medication was quite low. As we needed to get them through about 5-7 days of fever maintenance, I made the decision to go down to Ogdensburg, New York to get some children's medication there. Alas, there was very little available, since many Canadians near the border are doing the same thing as me. I did manage to get some, but it was a tough pill to swallow, as the border is about an hour's drive from Ottawa. Hardly worth the gas, although a full tank only cost $30 in the U.S. Glass half full.

As I was driving south on Highway 416, I noticed a large flatbed truck making its way north toward Ottawa with a large plastic-wrapped railcar in tow. As I was driving in the opposite direction, I could only steel a quick glance and file the information away.

As I approached the bridge over the St. Lawrence River at Prescott, I noticed another flatbed truck with a similar railcar in tow, which was wrapped in plastic. As my car was stopped and it was safe to take a photo, I managed to get a quick shot of the mysterious rail cargo.

I was a little confused at first, since the trucks on this piece of rail equipment struck me as something that you'd see in a heavy rail vehicle, and not the typical trucks of a light rail car or power unit. So, to find something by way of comparison, I took a look at a shot I took from the end of Albion Road of a new O-Train sitting in Walkley Yard this past August. It's a Citadis Spirit trainset, which will be the train in use when the second phase of the O-Train Confederation Line is ready for use, supposedly next year between Corkstown Road in the west end and Trim Road in the east. The shot below doesn't show you the trucks, so I couldn't use that as a comparison but I thought the curvature of the end of the unit was similar to what I saw in the plastic-wrapped car. The reason I'm doubtful though, is that the O-Train below has a distinct hump on the end of the roof and the car under wraps does not. 

Also, as the O-Trains are designed to be accessible with seamless walk-on, walk-off capabilities, I'm not sure this piece of equipment fits the bill, although I realize that the platforms would rise above these trucks.

Since some have mentioned that Ottawa has had most of its light rail equipment delivered by truck, I figured it could be a piece of light rail equipment other than an end unit. But I'm not sure. Possibly a new piece of diesel equipment for the Trillium Line expansion? A piece of unrelated equipment destined for testing at the NRC facility near the airport? Can anyone else shed light on this mystery?

In this press release from Alstom, the company that makes the O-Train, it mentions that the trains are being "assembled" in Belfast Yard, where the current O-Train fleet is maintained. So, this further clouds the issue. In what state do the O-Trains arrive in Ottawa? Is this piece of rail equipment something else that is perhaps bound for the NRC facility for testing?

Can you help solve this mystery? There were two of these heading to Ottawa on December 13.

Sometimes, it all comes together

In two recent posts, including this one, I shared some shots of Via Rail corridor trains on the Smiths Falls Subdivision. I have been trying to get some shots from different perspectives as a way to liven up an otherwise dull pursuit of nearly identical Via Rail corridor trains. One area I have been working with is McKenna Casey Drive beneath Highway 416. This is a tricky spot since the road has narrow shoulders. But I did find one stretch beneath the highway that has wider shoulders that allow you to pull over safely and get some interesting shots.

Recently, I parked right beneath the highway and was immediately struck by the interesting lines that the twin highway spans created over the railway. Also, unlike the area I have shot from a little west of this perspective, there were no trees to block my shot.

This image below is the end result where all the elements of a great photograph came together. I found the right location. I was fortunate enough to arrive just as this purple-blue cloud was passing over the area, which only added to the shot. Combine those colours with the buttercups in the field and you have the makings of a great railway photo. This shot below shows Via's Train 55 making its way west toward Moodie Drive, being pulled by a P42. I was thrilled with how this shot turned out.

I'm not sure which shot I liked the best, because I really liked this shot too, since the train is not blocking the lines made by the highway spans. This is good example of the types of images I have been trying to get recently where the train isn't necessarily a huge element of the photograph, but is still striking nonetheless.

I also liked this shot below as Train 55 made its way out of the frame. The composition of the sky really made these shots better.

This meet with Train 55 completed my experiment with this area. I know now where I will take shots of trains in the area in the future. I've tried photographs from different angels, but I think this shot is by far the most dramatic.

I've mentioned this before but I've really think it's worthwhile to get photographs of trains where the train is not necessarily dominating the frame. Taking shots that showcase a train's immediate surroundings really do result in some compelling photos.