Recent Railfanning Fun (RRR)

siderod

Member
Recent Railfanning Fun (RRR) UPDATE

Recently, i've been railfanning quite a bit...no girlfriend means nothing to "occupy" my time! I've got some good stories and some great pics to share! So, without further ado, let's get on with the show!

agj.sized.jpg

agk.sized.jpg

agl.sized.jpg

agm.sized.jpg

Above, we have 4 pictures of some MOW Equipment sitting in Windsor right now. There are more as well, but due to management being at work when i was in town, i couldn't get near enough to the equipment to get any decent shots. Anyway, there we have a Maritime Rail Services Ballast Regulator/shaper, a Maritime Rail Services Torsion Beam, a home-owned WHRC Ballast Shaper/Regulator and another home-owned piece of equipment...a WHRC Electromatic Jr. Switch Tamper...affectionatly refered to by the MOW personell as "Junior". There are 5 or 6 other pieces of equipment on that siding now, but as i said, with management around, i couldn't get near enough without getting yelled at, possiably fined and maybe even arrested...needless to say, i do NOT want that, espically NOT with what else happened today. More on that later.

Anyway, continuing...
ago.sized.jpg

Right now, i'm at the Hering Cove Light Railway (HCLR) a 1:8 scale ridable train-track, about 600-feet long, that Ian Taylor set up in his back yard. He built it all, including the locomotive and the articulated riding car in tow. He lives right on the edge of a 300-plus-foot drop at about 85-degrees to the choppy ruthless atlantic ocean.

agw.sized.jpg

Ian Taylor himself, at the controls of his locomotive. He owns it, but i am usually the one who operates it at the club we both run at. Funny, eh?

agu.sized.jpg

Here is a more overall view of the HCLR, including the 0-6-0 gas switcher, and on the far-right of the picture is a bridge he hand-built. On the left of that bridge (side closest to us) is his lawn...on the other side of the bridge, there is a bit of lawn, and it's a 55-degree drop about 100-feet into a gully which slopes at a simaler angle into the atlantic ocean. When Hurrican Juan visited us last year, the bridge was flipped towards the house and ripped up about 100-feet of track. The track and bridge were undamaged though! All he did was flip it and add some new ballast to the track, and all was fine again. Lost Many a tree though!

Later, after the visit to the HCLR:

agz.sized.jpg

While waiting for the autoport switcher to show up, i snapped this pic...i was standing in the sun for about 30 minutes, in sweltering heat...in this pic you can clearly see the heat waves radiating from the tracks and the ground, making the picture blury.

agy.sized.jpg

This is one of the trucks leaving the autoport, where cars arrive by boat and rail, and depart by boat, rail and truck. This is an EVT, or enclosed Vehicle Transporter, owned by "thorson's". The truck stopped at the Tim Hortons about 40 feet away, i asked what the truck was carrying, the answer i got was legnthy...in short, about 5 million worth of Hummers, BMWs, Ferrari F50's and a few Mini Coppers!

agx.sized.jpg

This is a ship, that came into port earlier in the day. From Germany, it was loaded with new Ferrari's, Lambroghinis and far-away cars like that.

We went from the Autoport to the Main CN Yard in Nova Scotia, CN Rockingham.

agt.sized.jpg

A weather beaten CN GP38-2 idles after switching cars for over 2 hours, putting together the next train to leave. More on that shortly.

agq.sized.jpg

Here we see that GP38-2 that was switching earlier moved to a new location, and 3 new units, a C44-9W, and 2 SD50F's picking up a cut of cars to add to it's train. Soon, this train will leave for Toronto.

Next, some interesting cars in that train:
aha.sized.jpg

Here are some steel bridge girders loaded on decrepit CN wood-deck flatcars. These weight an awful lot, as they have idler flatcars to help spread the weight on the bridges and alos to allow the ends of the beam to turn on corners. Those girders are destined for places west, having been made a mere 15 minutes away in Burnside.

ahb.sized.jpg

One of those idler flatcars.

agv.sized.jpg

CN TOFC Flatcars and Trailers. Interesting cars and trailers, not really because they're still in use, but more because they look odd (the cars) there is alot of what i would call "details" on the bodys...more then you see with the newer stack and well cars. Also, the trailers are 3 fixed axles...something i'm not really used to seeing...more used to seeing 2 fixed axles and an idler or support axle.

agp.sized.jpg

Here is something odd that i'd like to try to model...a CN Cummons Generator Container. For the slower amoung us, thats teh lower container...the one that says CN, CUmmons, and generator! lol. If you look at the upper-left corner of the container, you'll see a dark oval shaped thingy (2nd or 3rd rib from left) that is a light, flashing green to tell that the generator is running. I think that would be hard to model, flashing that is...paint it green and it would be close enough. Alot of balck paint and some custom decals and you'd be all set...hmmm, i might jsut try that!

agr.sized.jpg

Here, Greg and Brian notch out 10800 HP to get +/- 6500 feet of train up to 50+ MPH! Greg got snacks and pepsi from the Irving, and Brian got a LOT of coffee...4 large coffees and a 6-pack of donuts! That should keep them for a few hours, eh?

agn.sized.jpg

This is one of CN's newest...a shop-fresh C44-9W. Literally, it was just out of a tune-up and wash about an hour before this train left! Here is is on a superelevated curve at about 10MPH, leaving with about 6500-feet of train.

A day or 2 later, at home in Windsor:
ags.sized.jpg

WHRC is leasing this GMD1u from CN for a while. It was origionally GMD1 #1000, with A1A-A1A trucks, built in '59...but CN rebuilt it 15 years ago ('88 or '89) and put GP trucks on it...B-B.

Thats all the pics i have on railimages as of right now, i'll let you "ohhh and awww" over them, as i upload more to further hurt the 56K people out there!

Also, in the next post there will be a painfull story of today's railfanning.

Enjoy!
 

Secret Weapon

New Member
Nice pictures,Andy.You do better when your not distracted.I love Nova Scotia.That was my favorite trip when I was driving a tour bus.Mike
 

siderod

Member
Thanks Guys, Nova Scotia kicks butt as far as landscape and scenery goes!

As nice as it is to go railfanning when ever i want and not think about cassie all the time, i do miss her and her friends...none of 'em will talk to me now :(

Awww well, cest la ve (sp?) life will go on, as sad as it can be.

Anyway, back to trains.

More pics and my painfilled afternoon story commin up!
 

NYC-BKO

Member
Nice pics, Andy-:thumb:

Keep a stiff upper lip, they come and they go!!-:eek: Don't do this--:cry: Do this--:)
 

siderod

Member
those were actually over a few days. Great days, none the less!

NYC-BKO, i try to :) as much as i can, but sometimes :curse: this :cry: or this :mad: overcome...the night of the break-up i got 2 stress fracture in my lower arm, near my wrist, sprained both ankles and got 4 nice swolen nuckles on my right hand...

more trains comming soon!
 

siderod

Member
Anyway, more pics! To any 28.8kbps or 56kbps people, i appoligize, but i also pity you...Git yur butt outta da stone-age!

ahf.sized.jpg

Great shot of the gypsum train, taken from a ditch...yes, thats right a ditch! There was a big accident on the 101 highway (far right of pic, not really visable) And i was in me field takin pics of it and listening to the scanner. I heard Kim 'Grizzz' Little on the radio saying "W&H Work 8019 passing W&H western cautionary limits sign, windsor. Full operating rights to Hantsport, no restrictions, is that correct?" followed by Peter in the office "Windsor Base, that is correct W&H 8019" So i walked to the bottom of my field. At the bottom, there is a ditch, a hill, a ditch and then the tracks. i crossed the first ditch, walked along the hill 20 feet and jumped back into the first ditch. Stupid mistake on my part. Knee-deep in mud! But the train came by, both grizzz and the other guy, whom i knew, Bill Fisher, were on this (brakeman or fireman side) side looking back. Bill decided that he should go back to the other side and drive the train like he's paied to. I snapped the pic, then moments later, Grizzz see's me and hangs, literally, half out the window waving!

And now, yesterday's railfanning:
ahe.sized.jpg

Here is what those trains haul, gypsum. These are some of the stockpiles, only about 1/3 or 1/4 of it though! And there is another mine 2 miles away with even more!

ahg.sized.jpg

While waiting for the train to arrive, my grandfather Peter and i went to the public wharf in Hantsport and watched them loading the "Gypsum Baron" with about 20000 tonnes of gypsum! Then, the replacement tug, the "Atlantic Jupiter" (from New Brunswick, the province OWNED by J.D. Irving) came in to dock. This is a picture of her. The normal tug is in for repairs and tune up in dry dock, as well as a fresh coat of paint!

ahh.sized.jpg

The train arrived about 15 minutes after we left the public wharf. Kim "grizzz" Little and Bill "Billy" fisher were on this train.

ahd.sized.jpg

The imfamous Grizzz squinting in the cab, reading gauges and relaying them to Billy, who's at the end of the train, trying to get the Sending Braking Unit (SBU) to work right. The reciever in the cab said not armed and 0lbs...the SBU on the rear said 86lbs and armed. Odd, really...we flipped every switch and button that we could trying to get it to work. Yes, i was up in the cab! More on that later. He even had me walk back to the 2nd and 3rd unit, trying to get it to work from there. No such luck, they just went as it was. Grizzz is one of a kind! In a way, that COULD be a good thing. He has his overalls cut off just below the knees (they're about 10 sizes too big) and has another pair of tighter (still baggy though) jeans under his overalls.

And now, the story.

I was in hantsport, watchin grizz and billy switch the cars of the gypsum train. I was standing on the sidewalk. Grizzz and billy stopped the locomotives in front of the station to allow the shunted to come and get half the train to unload it. Grizzz yelled at me "Hey Andrew, didn't recognize ya! How are ya?!" I yelled back "Hey Grizzz, i'm good!" Then yelled "Hey Billy" and bill replied "So, yur the famous Andrew eh?" I looked at him funny and said "yeah...famous am i?" he laughed and replied "yeah, everyone around the railway knows ya and likes ya, except for Ol Taylor!" Ol' Taylor is what everyone calls management, Jim Taylor. Grizzz yelled to Billy "Wat are ya waiting for, start walkin" and pointed to the rear of the train. Billy started walking and Grizzz motioned for me to come up in the cab with him. I climbed those virtical 5-stair RS23 steps faster and more easly then most of the guys that work there! Once in the cab, grizzz and i talked about quite a bit, Including management. I said "i don't worry about anyone on the railway, i know none of you guys will report me for being too close to the tracks or comming up in the cab with you guys" grizzz said "heck no, we won't report ya!" and i continued "The only person i worry about here is taylor..." and grizz cut me off "Ohh...don't even start with him, he's been pissed at me more then once for having people in the cab. I only bring people up who are able-bodied enough, know what they're doing, arn't too young or too old. I know that you are able bodied, neither too old nor too young and know more about theses locomotives then i do, and i work here." I laughed. I was leaning against the cab windows when a white car drove by blowing the horn and shakin his finger at Grizzz, meaning he shouldn't have me in the cab. The radio crackled with Billy's voice "was that tompson?" and grizzz replied "yup". He was a VIA engineer a few years ago, and now lives in hantsport. I got off the locomotive as skillfully as anyone who works there. Grizz said "you'll make a good engineeer some day!"

Grizz and i walked over to the car, where my grandfather was waiting. Billy and tompson drove up. Billy said "c'mon kim, lets get goin" because grizzz had be yellin at him to come on earlier. Tompson said "Yea Grizz, get back to work!" and grizz said "up yours!" Tompson gave grizzz the finger and started to drive off, grizzz threw a glove at the car, hitting the back windshild. Tompson stopped and yelled "try that again!" and sped off. I laughed and said goodbye to grizz and Billy.

SO thats the afternoon adventures of Andrew...tune in later when i have time, i'll tell ya the painful story.

A word of warning...do NOT get shot at, it's not at all fun!
 
Top