Canadian Railroads > VIA #2 Jasper - Winnipeg travelogue

Your humble hoghead is on board #2 travelling from Jasper to Winnipeg. I’ll post the odd update - maybe a pic here and there:)... 10:14...we are just starting to pull and they’ve toned off the derail as we have been waiting on CN 412 to finish working at the East end of the yard.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/18 12:14 by xcnsnake.

Depart Jasper 1021 (by my watch anyway)
Through Henry House @ 1032
over the HBD at mi 216 @ 60 per
Then it begins...a rolling (slowing...) meet with WB grain (821) btw Devona & Park Gate, then wait at Park Gate for 889 (grain) and 199 (intermodal) from 1054-1116
Dep Park Gate but will now be following an E/B (180?) from Swan Landing to... can you say “clear to stop”?!
Wait for a permissive signal and depart Hinton 1212; “Second call for lunch!”

Posted from iPhone

We pass by the under construction loadout of the new mine at Pedley, then back onto dbl track which finds three Westbounds stacked up waiting for us between Dalehurst and Hargwen:)... however our progress is somewhat short-lived as we take the hole at Medicine Lodge for 309 and wait as it’s 460 axles grind by us at 19 mph... we cool our heels from 1247-1308 then get the slow to clear out of Medicine Lodge.

Posted from iPhone

Out of Edson about 1’06” down, made good time to Wabamun (mi 45) but on-Board Service Mgr just came on PA to announce a “little bit of a bottleneck” as we approach Edmonton...

Posted from iPhone

well, well... some nice dispatching and a little time recovered as we overtake 2 e/bs on the N. track btw Wab & Carvel, are lit up through Spruce Grove and Acheson (over the HBD @ 67) and another e/b grain ety on the S. track at Bissell... arr Edmonton @ 1714

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/18 16:28 by xcnsnake.

On the move from the depot in Edmonton @1845, toward the bypass behind a 112... the adventure on the Wainwright Sub. and points East begins...

Posted from iPhone

Excellent !!! Looking forward to more reports ! Thank you for sharing !!! :):):)

Thanks gaspeamtrak!
Ok, dep Edmonton @1909, but instead of taking us ahead of the 112 - and we’re long gone - now it’s back to “clear to stop” land... probably all the way to Wainwright unless they put us by. But at least a w/b (709) in the hole for us at Ardrossan.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/18 19:08 by xcnsnake.

A brief glimpse of the glory days of track speed East of Tofield, into the hole at Ryley for 863, then off we go... over the detector at mi 206.7 at 78... and then a clear to stop to Bruce; now how about that 3rd and last call for dinner?!

Posted from iPhone

The rack of lamb was delicious, and here we are just past Fabyan, sadly
passing through the beautiful Battle River country in darkness. We look to be into Wainwright just over an hour down.

Posted from iPhone

A brief station stop at Wainwright... then East of Chauvin unopposed and we’re over the HBD at mi 103 at 53 mph... now in Saskatchewan and I bid you all good night!

Posted from iPhone

Good morning! #2 almost back on schedule, having departed Saskatoon @0539, but stopped btw Bradwell and Allan for about 20 min. waiting on a w/b, on the move again about 0651.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/18 05:55 by xcnsnake.

Track speed over the CP Diamond at Nokomis aka “Junction City”, a rolling meet at Booth, highball Raymore, Punnichy, then holding the main at Touchwood to meet 191.
Meet 199 who is on the N. track at Kelliher, pass a cut of containers (no power) at Hubbard, an announcement made that we are “ahead of schedule, ETA Melville 1015.”

Posted from iPhone



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/18 08:16 by xcnsnake.

xcnsnake Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Track speed over the CP Diamond at Nokomis aka
> “Junction City”, a rolling meet at Booth,
> highball Raymore, Punnichy, then holding the main
> at Touchwood to meet 191.
> Meet 199 who is on the N. track at Kelliher, pass
> a cut of containers (no power) at Hubbard, an
> announcement made that we are “ahead of
> schedule, ETA Melville 1015.”
>
> Posted from iPhone
I'm happy ...Keepin those reports coming...Excellent !!! Thank you for sharing...

Ok maybe not so early into Melville;) ...no sooner does the OBS Mgr. make his announcement and the dispatcher is
Calling to give us a Pass Stop into the siding at Goodeve where we will wait for 199, then after a 142 overtakes us and goes by, signal indication back out of the sdg to then follow 142. Stopped at mi 4. Brief station stop at Melville and departed 1119 then held up a bit to meet one at Cariati, just east of town. Onward on the Rivers Sub!

Posted from iPhone

We wait at Atwater for 4! w/b: 771 (w/b sand train), 401, 101 and 115, then back out of the siding and continue eastward, overtaking the e/b train that was ahead of us in the hole...

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/18 12:32 by xcnsnake.

We rock through Yarbo, Code and then Spy Hill (with several miles of new dbl track being added btw there and Welby), past the Rocanville Spur and on into Manitoba!
St. Lazare, Wattsview and then into the siding at Uno, where our little dash comes to an end as we meet a couple of w/b Q trains: 141 and 197.
Departing Uno we are now ~43 Miles from Rivers and are informed by the RTC that we’ll be heading in at Miniota for a couple w/b - the first being the mighty 111 - and then back out and by a couple of e/b ahead of us in the siding.

Maybe if they paid VIA by the rollby they’d turn a handsome profit!;)

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/18 15:15 by xcnsnake.

Enjoying your report, as a retired running trades employee, it is interesting to hear traffic details.

Thanks e_g!

I’ve made my way to the tail end and have made myself comfortable on “Kootenay Park”; after sprinting from Miniota to/and through Rivers, a Maker’s Mark on the rocks is soothing the sting of sitting still on the north track somewhere east of Rivers for the last 30 min or so:)

Posted from iPhone

Well I enjoyed a nice dinner of prime rib with the usual fixins in good company as we made our way through Portage la Prairie and sped toward Winnipeg in the early evening; meeting a few w/bs on the move, we arrived at Union Station at 2046. All in all a pretty good trip.

Posted from iPhone