CP Track Evaluation train creeps across Penetanguishene Road at the north end of Craighurst Siding, which it will enter and inspect before continuing on to test Essa and Baxter sidings. Note the v... (more)
In 2011 ON North Bay Shops were contracted to refurb/repaint some Rocky Mountaineer dome cars, two of which are seen here tacked on the back of the southbound Northlander passing through Martins o... (more)
CN 553 returning to Oakville Yard from Clarkson with 19 tankers from the PetroCan refinery.
CN 451 approaches the south mileboard to Huntsville on a crisp fall morning. Only one unit on 451 today.
After switching the Panolam plant at Martins CN 595 continues south on its twice weekly return trip to Longford Mills.
The crew of 595 works Huntsville Yard on a gorgeous fall afternoon.
595 makes its final move of the day, coupling up to a tanker which they will haul down to Longford Mills tomorrow morning.
Trackside Treasure: Portage Flyer passengers focus their attention on the train as they stretch their legs on the station platform in the background while we focus ours on this odd little h... (more)
With autumn getting into gear 595 passes some typical Muskoka fall colors at Mile 144 of the Newmarket Sub, having just finished up switching the Panolam plant at Martins on its way home from Long... (more)
Derelict on display This poor old girl sits rusting away with moss growing in all the dark places in Algonquin Park's Logging Museum. Look closely and you can see a green spot on the smokeb... (more)
Detail shot of the nose plate on the Algonquin Park Logging Museum's old MLW 0-4-0 saddle-tank locomotive on display. Locomotive was manufactured "at Montreal for a contractor in Nova Scotia and a... (more)
In the early stages of the afternoon rush a westbound GO train speeds into Oakville with a refurbished cab car leading.
Judy has just got a shot off of CN 553 as it returns to Oakville yard from Clarkson.
I'd met Ray at a weekly local car show and asked him to stop by sometime to take some shots of his sweet 1950 Meteor with the Portage Flyer. He kindly obliged by showing up the very next day, so I... (more)
Number 2's trusty Detroit Lubricator basks in the warm glow of the train shed's lights - filled and ready for another day's service protecting the locomotive's vital parts from wear.
CN 451 passes Mile 144 of the CN Newmarket Sub with work just ahead at Huntsville before continuing on to North Bay.
CN 595 southbound from Huntsville headed for the Panolam plant at Martins.
A CN stack train soars over Parry Sound Harbour on the 1,695' CP Trestle. Between Reynolds just south of Parry Sound, and Wanup just south of Sudbury, CN and CP operate directional running with no... (more)
The Portage Flyer nears the top of the 3% grade on a return trip from Fairy Lake.
The day following a severe storm a large maple tree was discovered laying across the tracks. A work team set out to clear the line before the first run of the day, but was unable to remove more of... (more)
"Engineer for a Day" Tom at the throttle of HLBR Number 2.
Brakeman Dustin fills Number 2's saddle tank between runs on a gorgeous mid-summer afternoon.
Nope, it's not who you think it is but Robin, our Engineer for a Day participant today, did bear an uncanny resemblance to Duck Dynasty's Uncle Si!
Heavy thunderstorms kept the crowds away from today's last Portage Flyer run and soaked the ground, rails and our brakeman. However nothing dampened the spirits of the "Engineer for a Day" David,... (more)
CN 4132 with one gondola makes up today's 595 southbound consist, seen here along Aspdin Road approaching Martins.
The Portage Flyer returns home on the last run of the day, with an "Engineer for a Day" program participant at the throttle of old Number 2.
A late-running 451 is seen about to cross Domtar Road at Martins. Less than 10 miles up the line this train would have an unscheduled meet with the broadside of a pickup truck. The truck en... (more)
CN 5613 and 2501 lead the first few cars of today's 451 past Huntsville Station for 595 to distribute around town. They’ve left the bulk of their train about a mile back on the far side of the H... (more)
CN 451 is reflected off the surface of a beaver pond approaching the south switch at Martins.
Just the basics! Engineer's-seat view of the control stand in HLBR's 1948 GE 25 tonner #3, or at least it would be had I not removed the engineer's seat to take this shot! Although possibly... (more)
On the first day of operations for the 2013 season I've posed the engine clear of the water tank for photos before backing the train up so the coaches are even with the station platform..
Near the end of an otherwise dreary day the sun has finally decided to come out for a while before setting, illuminating this BC Rail unit in original paint. The "u" designation in the locomotive ... (more)
It's never easy to photograph narrow-gauge equipment at mid-day without getting obliterating shadows on the underframe parts of the locomotive, so when Steven the brakeman and I arrived at work th... (more)
595 rolls through the curves at Mile 144 of the CN Newmarket Sub on its return trip to Huntsville after switching the Panolam plant at Martins.There has been a dramatic increase in loads coming ou... (more)
Spring has returned to Muskoka (although you would never have known that yesterday) and along with it so has CN 4132, after a rather lengthy absence. Here it is approaching the Bethune Road crossi... (more)
A pair of old gunboats idle away the afternoon awaiting their next assignment.
A westbound GO commuter train speeds past the west end of Oakville Yard during the afternoon rush, led by cab car 252. Since there are few things less visually interesting than a cab-car leading a... (more)
A couple of geeps bask in the sun at Oakville Yard.
Snow and freezing rain had coated the trees with a thick layer of white overnight, so I thought I'd head out and capture 595 in one last wintery shot for six months or so. By the time the train ap... (more)
CN 451 has passed through the 10MPH restriction alongside the flooded Big East River just north of Huntsville, and is beginning to climb up into the Almaguin Highlands on its way to North Bay.
Pink! Faded and blistered, CN 2518 on the point of CN 451 negotiates the S-curve at the Mile 144 marker of the Newmarket Sub, just south of Huntsville.
CN 4132 has been replaced temporarily by 4115 as power for CN 595, the Huntsville roadswitcher. 4115's paint, while rusted out in places, at least lacks the embedded grime of 4132.
CN 451's power rejoins its train after making a drop at Huntsville, with Shadow the Railfanning Dane watching the move closely.
CN 451 rolls into Huntsville to drop a few cars before continuing on to North Bay.
Teamwork! First of all you can relax; although the old Geep is doubling as a tractor today it only looks like it's on the ground! CN 595's crew teams up with Foreman Macintosh's crew... (more)
CN 595 makes its way down familiar rails to Martins amid some heavy squall activity. 4136 spent about 10 years as the power for the Huntsville roadswitcher, but only returns briefly these days to ... (more)
Six months ago today the Northlander passenger train service was terminated. Definitely not one of the prouder moments in the history of Ontario. Four days prior to the last revenue runs I ... (more)
CN 451 hits a small snowbank deposited by the road plow earlier in the morning as it crosses North Lancelot Road, approaching the mileboard to Martins.
Back under way after making a drop at Huntsville Yard 451 pulls out from under the Highway 11 overpass and heads for North Bay. The trailing engine is GP9 4132, the power for the Hunstville Roadsw... (more)
CN 595 leans into the bend approaching Old Muskoka Road, kicking up powder from a small dumping of snow the previous day.
CN 595 returning from Longford Mills at the Mile 144 marker of the CN Newmarket Sub on the shore of Lake Vernon just south of Huntsville.
Yesterday it couldn't decide whether to drizzle rain or snow. It finally settled on snow in the early evening which continued off and on until the time of this photo, the resulting wet stuff stick... (more)
Yesterday it couldn't decide whether to drizzle rain or snow. It finally settled on snow in the early evening, which has continued off and on until now, the resulting wet stuff sticking to the tre... (more)
CN 4132 works the south end of Huntsville Yard, preparing to make one of 595's twice-weekly return trips to Longford Mills.
CN 4132 peeks through an opening in the snow-covered trees while working the south end of Huntsville Yard.
The snow clearing crew heads south from Huntsville on the Newmarket Sub, clearing grade crossings down the line. The snow fighter has plow blades at one end and a Railroad: Canadian National RailwayLocomotive: Snow fighterLocation: Huntsville, Ontario, CanadaLocomotive #: CN 62587Train ID: UnknownPhoto Date: February 11, 2013
CN 2565 trailing GTW SD40-2 5930 leads a tardy , normally nocturnal 450 down the Newmarket Sub just before 8 AM. Catching a daylight 450 is not super rare, but rare enough that it comes as a welco... (more)
451 rounds the bend approaching North Lancelot Road as light snow continues to fall.
With CN 595 with the GP9 4132 working in the background the snow fighter does its stuff in the foreground as the Foreman in charge of the snow clearing operations seemingly floats above the main ... (more)
Looks almost like a posed shot, but in reality it's just two jobs juggling position on the same chunk of real estate. The snow fighter has pulled off the back track at Martins to allow 4132 in so ... (more)
After getting stuck behind this very long 451 at both the Domtar Road and Aspdin Road crossings on either side of Martins I had only a couple of miles to get ahead of him, which I finally did here... (more)
The Polar Bear Express creeps over the Store Creek Bridge as it departs for Cochrane on a blackfly-season (err... summer) day in Moosonee.
451 negotiates the S-curve on the south shore of Lake Vernon at Mile 144 of the CN Newmarket Sub, just south of Huntsville.
Today's 451 has a freshly-painted Dash 9 leading a grimy Dash 8 cowl unit, approaching Domtar Road and the south switch at Martins at Mile 141 on the Newmarket Sub.
CN 595 heading south to Martins with its usual Monday morning consist of 2 boxcars for the Panolam plant. Nice to see 4136 back where it's spent so much time over the past decade, temporarily fill... (more)
With 595 out of its way having ducked in the hole at Martins, 450 is back up to track speed southbound approaching Old Muskoka Road, just north of the CN Newmarket Sub Mile 138 marker.
CN 595 approaching the north switch at Martins with its usual Monday morning consist of 2 boxcars for the Panolam plant. Nice to see 4136 back where it's spent so much time over the past decade, t... (more)
CN 451 rolls across the south end of Siding Lake, approaching the south switch at Martins at Mile 141 of the Newmarket Sub, as more snow clouds start to move in from the west.
595 heads home to Huntsville from Martins with an icy fog layer hanging above the frozen surface of Lake Vernon.
Southbound CP led by an SD90 slows to meet a northbound at Craighurst.
After dropping 6 cylindrical hoppers at the KWH Pipe plant at the north end of Huntsville Yard 4132 backs up to get back on the main so they can head back into the yard to finish up the switching ... (more)
The power for 451 rolls along the main past Huntsville Station to drop a cut of cars having left the remainder of its trin on the far side of Highway 11 (angled bridge in right of frame) in order ... (more)
In Better Days: With just a month remaining before the discontinuation of the Northlander passenger rail service, 1809 passes along the eastern shore of the appropriately-named Siding Lake,... (more)
Having returned fom this morning's run to Martins, 595 is about to do some switching in the yard. 4132's aged and grime-embedded paint job almost looks half-decent here in the cold winter sun!
4132 shoves 6 boxcars up the hill to the Panolam plant on this wintery "doomsday".
4132 prepares to push 6 boxcars up the hill to the Panolam plant on this wintery "doomsday".
CN 595 hits the big curve at Utterson the day after a small dumping of snow took the "blah" out of the scenery.
If April is the cruelest month, Novermber surely must be a close second and therefore it tries harder! Cold, damp and lifeless, a purgatory between fall and winter it inflicts its depressing bruti... (more)
Stopped by Oakville Yard after attending Remembrance Day ceremony at the George's Square cenotaph downtown. Caught 4116 doing some work with 4791 sitting a bit further back in the yard. Part of th... (more)
It's been over a month since the Last Ride of the Northlander. Having left one car in Gravenhurst that morning we rode the last northbound to Huntsville and returned in the afternoon on thi... (more)
A crew member takes advantage of a 75 degree October day as CN 595 trundles slowly through Foreman McIntosh's limits approaching Martins, where the finishing touches on the Aspdin Road grade cross... (more)
A touch of fall color still clings to the trees as 595 heads south through Allensville on its way to Washago and Longford Mills.
Approaching Ford Drive, CN 553 transfers 18 cars from Clarkson to Oakville Yard.
My last shot of the South Simcoe steam operations on Canadian Thanksgiving Day catches 136 crossing the 7th Line south of Beeton, heading home to Tottenham on her 5th and final run of the day. 4 r... (more)
While the fall colors this far south were mildly disappointing this Canadian Thanksgiving Day we did find the odd spot, such as here on the northern outskirts of Tottenham, that had a bit of flash... (more)
Whistling for the 7th Line crossing on the return trip from Beeton to Tottenham.
A throwback to earlier times has a CP vintage "American" on ex-CN trackage about to cross under the CP Mactier Sub (behind the photographer) at 7th Line south of Beeton, Ontario. In its present re... (more)
South Simcoe Railway's gorgeous 4-4-0 Number 136 pushes an extra run up to Beeton at the 7th Line crossing.Thankfully the turnout on this Canadian Thanksgiving Day was much higher than anticipated... (more)
Today's 595, a "one car wonder" on return from Longford Mills, passes some of the colorful fall foliage that makes the Muskoka area a magnet for tourists from all over the world at this time of ye... (more)
Cue The Doors: This really IS The End! The final scheduled Northlander pulls into Huntsville Station with the freshly-washed 1809 gleaming in the sun on point duty. This morning dawned clou... (more)
