Part 2 - Boss The Train, The Train...But No Camera!

Well, the train that went by at 10 this morning has gone by my office again and I believe is on it's way back to CP's main stomping grounds, Alyth Yard, down by Blackfoot Trail.

This time 8232 was in the lead and 1648 second. The consist was SOO 120414 grain hopper, CP 340122 cylinder hopper (not sure if this is from the feed plant), CPAA 205271 box car, 5 SRY box cars, 5434, 9231, 5176, 9080, 5313, and AOK 300566 center beam flat floowed by the caboose.

Cheers,

Boss The Train, The Train...But No Camera!

Here I am at my desk, 10:00 am in the morning and the one day that I don't bring my camera, the local train comes by, and chuggs up the hill right beside my office. With CP 1648 in the lead and 8232 in second with a consist of center beam flat BCOL 873038, 3 bay grain hopper DME 96211, caboose CP 4347##, 5 SRY box cars 5313, 9080, 5176, 9231 and 5434 (in blue paint).

The center beam flat was loaded with wood going to a local lumber yard i think. The grain hopper is going to a local feed producer. The box cars to various other bussinesses on the spur.

If anyone knows the name of this local spur here in Calgary that crosses Barlow Trail just north of Memorial Drive, please do let me know. This spur joins up to the north south main line between Calgary and Edmonton where it goes through a is a tunnel at the begining. I'll have to get some photos of that someday.

If anyone is reading this Blog, heres a short explanation to the lack of posts lately. Busy at work. Although I do manage to go out occasionally to do a little railfaning. So with that said I am accumulating a back log of photos to post. So check back once in a while and something may popup on the site.

Cheers,

Lunch Time Train

I am fortunate that my place of work is beside a spur line that services a few local industries. Yesterday I was sitting at my desk when I heard the familiar sound of a train horn. At this point the train was about to cross 19^th Street Southeast. So I hurried to dress up for the outdoors, grabbed my camera and walked up the hill.

At my first position I snapped a few shots of the train crossing Barlow Trail. One of the crew jumped out to align a switch I assume is used as a derail in case freight car comes rolling down the hill. You can see the switch in the third picture. After the crewman jumped off the train slowed to a very brief stop and then started to back up back down toward 19^th Street. I have no clue why he did this as I don’t own a scanner yet to monitor any chatter. This is the first time I’ve ever noticed this happen before.

I decided to change position and crossed the street to try to get a better shot of it coming around the first bend. I would have stayed there to try to get a shot of him on the S but this time he was coming up the hill at a much faster pace then before and I had another position I wanted to try.

At the third position I was just shy of eye level with the engineer. I probably should have stood a bit further back to get a bit more angle and get a little more of 1567’s side. What can I say, I’m still pretty new at this. I also grabbed a few shots of a couple crewmen standing on the back deck of the caboose.

At about 3:45, they finally returned and I grabbed a couple shot from my desk of the cars they parked just before 19^th Street. This is the first time I’ve ever noticed this as well. If you look to the right, the rugged sillouette in the background is the Rocky Mountains and to the left part of Calgary’s downtown’s core.

Google Earth kmz file.

Cheers,