Look What CP Sent Down the Connecticut River Line Today!

Sometimes a single good (or, unexpected) shot is all it takes to make for an excellent day of railfanning.  Is this that photo?

Story by Peter Mumby............Photos by George Dutka

This is the kind of Kodak moment that keeps the local railfans heading trackside.  Presumably these units were on a run-through to Montreal and were diverted into Green Mountain country.  I just happened to be on the scene when they pulled up to a level crossing to make a crew change.  This gave me enough time to run up a nearby incline to grab a panoramic shot as well.  They stayed in the area for another day or two, allowing me the opportunity to catch them (singly, this time) in two other locations.  Then, they were gone.  I had my opportunity and I'm glad I was able to make the best of it!

I picked up these models of Soo 501-A and 502-A, EMD FP7A units (Intermountain, DCC/Sound) at last week's Ancaster show.  George thought they would look show well amid the scenery of the WRD layout, and our first Monday afternoon modelling session of the new season presented a good photo opportunity.  There's nothing like new acquisitions to send you looking into the collection for related pieces, so I put together a short train of Soo and CP equipment for the occasion.  Each piece received a light PanPastel weathering treatment before the appointment with George's camera.

A quick hike up a nearby knoll allowed for this nearly panoramic view of the F units and their train of CP/Soo equipment.

Here are a few notes about the rolling stock appearing with the F units.  CP 437076 is a True Line Trains caboose model of recent vintage.  CP 100182, a 40' combination door boxcar, is a nicely detailed model that I picked up at the recent Woodstock train show.  Soo 75846 was assembled recently: see the post of May 22, 2015, "40' Soo Line Double Door Boxcars." The other pieces date back years ago to my formative years in the hobby.  CP431784 was assembled from a Juneco caboose kit long before global warming was a topic of everyday conversation.  Soo 137752 and 137508 date back to when the Athearn "blue box" 40' boxcar was still the king of HO.  The car with the six foot door was lettered with CDS HO-75 dry transfers, while the one with the eight foot door was lettered with Technicals from SLHTS (Soo Line Historical and Technical Society).  Soo 136480 is based on a much older model, an Athearn metal line car from the early 1950s.  It, too, was lettered with SLHTS Technicals.  Finally, Soo 69040 is an E&B Valley kit decorated with a Herald King H-101 set.  How's that for historical record keeping?

So, keep your camera handy any time you detour near the tracks -  and keep attending your local train shows.  You never know just what you might stumble across!

The next day one of the visiting F units was operating solo on a caboose hop.

A diamond is a railfan's best friend?

Now, wouldn't it be nice if the railfan had access to the modeller's 0-5-0 switcher?  Then we could rearrange a shot to suit our every purpose!