Canadian National, Eh?

Jeff Sohn made a freight viedo of some CN action here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbA2ruQUpXk

Interesting front red marker lights on that CN/IC unit - perhaps illuminated when run backwards at the tail end of a train. I believe that red, white and blue unit is a BC Rail engine and not CN. Odd place to see that - probably a shared power unit.

breezinup, William 1 took the pictures  of the CN/IC unit and of the Red, Blue AND WHITE UNIT AND HE DID ID IT AS A BC RAIL UNIT AS YOU THOUGHT.

To be perfectly honest, and only Lord knows why I would want to do that on this forum, I originally typed in CP Rail by mistake, and corrected it to BC Rail after I saw breezinup's post.  I'll keep my eyes open for it.  I see it fairly frequently.  CN through Lake Villa is on Wisconsin Central track, mostly a single track line with a passing siding right in town, so trains layover on the siding till the track ahead is clear.  Pretty good CN action. 

William, Thanks for your reply. I think you and breezinup are both correct that it is a BC RAIL. The red, white and blue paint job is a pretty good give away..

I get a lot of CN action here in Michigan and we have an old GYW yard in town that they pass through. We also get the LONG BNSF Coal drags 130 or so cars going East loaded and West empty.I think CN and BNSF must have some kind of track agreement.

I also get some NS traffic on another set of tracks.

An then Amtrack has its rail into town.

So eail traffic is pretty good for viewing and poor for car traffic.

I pulled up to the crossing on Saturday and there she was, the red white & blue BC Rail unit leading a train this time, highballing through town, partnered with the same type CN engine behind.  I hope to get some good shots on her soon.

Hi William

Hey that was good to see the BC Rail unit again with the Blue CN. Maybe there is a near by yard that they are working out of to serve that general area. Looking forward to seeing your pictures again. Thanks

Pops thought you might enjoy these Lionel fantasy SD80MAC's.

WOW VERY VERY NICE!! I like the BIG LOOK of these units.They look like they are close to 22or so inches long. Thanks for sharing these "BAD BOYS"

Charlie, I did a pair of SD-90's in the older CN stripes and enjoy the  "BIG POWER" look..

Very Nice!

William 1, I may have found another picture of your BC Rail uint.This picture looks like its number board says 4607. It's a little hard to read the number board in your picture but it looks like it might say 4607.

This is the only 'Canadian National' photograph that I have found in the book that has been my railway bible for the past 50 years.

Below is a wonderful description of how the track-laying machine operates.

Nice find Pops.  My BC Rail looks like # 4623.  They are definitely related.  I'm watching for it.  What type engine is that?

Hi William, I think your BC RAIL #4623 IS A DASH 8-40CM. I found some earlier pictures when she looked a lot better. There are a couple of #4611 in here as well.

.

HI NICOLE,Thanks for post this old picture and the GREAT STORY. i see the story mention the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk. The picture looks like they are coming around a lake. The type of trees and the lay of the land makes me think the location is more easterly than in the west. Did it have any other clues as to where it might be?. Thanks again for the information.

Hi Popsrr,

Unfortunately the book doesn't give any indication as to the location of that photograph. Only that it was supplied by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad Co.   As this, and the Canadian Northern were constituents of the Canadian National I scanned the section mentioning them from my book.

The book is called 'All about railways' by F.S. Hartnell. It was first published by Cassel & company in 1910, then reprinted in 1913, 1916, 1918 and 1920. I was originally given a 1913 edition by my grandfather 50 years ago. I treasured that book, as it taught me almost everything I wanted to know about railways. Sadly, that edition was stolen from me about 20 years ago, and it took me several years to find another copy. I now have a 1920 edition which was awarded as a prize by the London & North Western Railway Co. at the end of the 1919-20 school year.

It is marvellous book, and although it is intended for children, it is written so well that it appeals to all ages. The style of writing is clear and concise, and it beautifully reflects the thinking of the edwardian age. Even today, I refer to it quite frequently.

Anyway, as usual I have digressed.  As you will have seen from the excerpts, the chapter is entitled 'A great trans-continental' and most of the chapter is concerned with the building of the Canadian Pacific line. If you would like to read the rest of the chapter, I will willingly scan it and send them to you. It is only about 20 pages in length. As the book was written over 100 years ago, I don't think that this will infringe any copyrights.

There are some wonderful photographs in the book, and many very useful pieces of historical information. If you ever see a copy of it for sale, I would highly recommend adding it to your library.

If you'd like to see the rest of the chapter, just send me an email and I'll scan it for you.

Hey Pops, Great Pictures of #4623 in action!  That is really cool.  Now I'm even more motivated to chase her down. 

William glad you like the pictures

Nicole, Thanks for your reply. Sorry that your book was stolen but I am glad you found a copy. I appreciate your offer to copy the chapter. I am a bit behind in some of my obligations at this point and better not get diverted away from my main projrct's at this point. Many thanks for your kind offer and I hope you will continue to post on this thread .