Canadian Railroads > Wainwright Sub Near Uncas

I thought I'd begin to share my photography along the Wainwright Sub, east of Edmonton, working various locations to give you some idea of the potential. I hope to remember to include time of day and focal length (Nikon lenses) so you have an idea of when things work and what the light is like. I'm starting between Ardrossan and Uncas (west of here I have shot pre-2010 on K64, and will need to scan, eventually). This is where the day usually begins, because it's where I first reach the tracks, and the NW-SE orientation here means there is good flank light for early-morning WB, unlike much of the Wainwright. Access is east of Sherwood Park on Wye Road, which becomes Highway 630 east of Highway 21. As you near the tracks, 630 bends SE to follow the tracks, but you turn left and cross over them as though headed to the hamlet or whatever Uncas officially is (not the station name Uncas on CN), on what is now Twp Rd 524. Immediately on your left is a long driveway, where you can park and enjoy hassle-free shooting. Pardon my omitting the letter prefixes CN uses before their train numbers.

1. CN #347, westbound lumber empties and one of my favourite trains because of its look, and the wind generated by empty bulkhead flats. The time is 0807 on July 20, 2015, with 120 cars behind CN 2945 and 2890. Lens at 35 mm, west side of crossing which is MP 245.63, Highway 630 in background.

2. VIA #1, pretty close to on-time at 0706 on July 7, 2015, with 20 cars behind 6420 and 6459. Lens at 46 mm, east side of crossing. The trees have grown quite a bit, forcing a fairly tight angle. Some time soon I'll post a scan of what used to be possible.

3. CN WB, mostly grain, behind 8860 and 5441, at 1759. As you would expect, once the sun gets around in the late afternoon, the angles are excellent on the south side of the tracks, for WB. This was an incidental grab when my wife and I were returning to town from the Blackfoot recreational area east of Uncas; the signals showed us something was up, so we stuck around for a few minutes and the scanner was not on. I'm between the tracks and Highway 630, east side of the crossing, lens at 55 mm. In these three photos you'll notice the double track, which CN added between the east switch Ardrossan and west switch Uncas (photos to come eventually), back in 2012, perhaps.

Enjoy,
Fred

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Well done. Thanks for posting these.
Bob