ONR 698 southbound approaching South Lancelot Road in Allensville.

A school bus waits at the Old Muskoka Road crossing for the passage of 698, whose arrival fortuitously coincides with the sun deciding to peek though a hole in the clouds.

698 leans into the big curve at the site of the former whistle-stop and siding in Utterson.

Southbound at Mile 144 of the CN Newmarket Sub on a chilly spring afternoon.

About all that's left of the whistle-stop at Utterson is a couple of orphaned hydro poles with empty meter sockets and the dirt path where the siding used to be. One has to wonder how long it will... (more)

Cue The Doors... This is the End

The Ontario Government announced earlier that it will be divesting Ontario Northland assets and cancelling the Northlander train service. This could spel... (more)

1809 leads 698 southbound approaching South Lancelot Road on an 80 degree spring afternoon.

With old man winter getting the boot by an early spring (at least for now) we've entered the "dead zone" where the remaining snow is the same dirty brown as the leafless deciduous trees. Once agai... (more)

The days are getting longer, at least when the sun decides to come out! 698 crosses Old Muskoka Road in Allensville on a beautiful late winter afternoon. The railway line through these parts was c... (more)

A zoom-pan of 698 scurrying south on a dismal day.

A week to the day that I caught two RMR domes heading north for repaint at the ONR North Bay Shops I catch two others headed back south in their spiffy brand new paint. Those guys sure do a great ... (more)

698's northbound counterpart 697 broke trail through here about 4 hours ago, but the accumulation of snow in the meantime alowed for a continuous wake being thrown all down the line, with decent b... (more)

The Weather Network called for 5 centimetres of snow today. That's a couple of inches by my reckoning. Hasn't let up yet, I wonder how many times that they really meant...

With 1809 (now minus its Christmas Train decor) leading, 698 races south along beside Siding Lake at Martins. With the temperature at -28C (~-18.5F) when I woke up this morning I felt confident en... (more)

Zoom-Pan of 1800 leading 698 south through Allensville, approaching the Old Muskoka Road crossing.