Train spotting. To some, the term means spotting or ‘collecting’ a series of trains, either engines or other components. To others, it’s a drug crazed movie that launched the career of Ewan McGregor.
For me, I guess I like a little of both. The movie was good. In fact, the 1996 film Trainspotting
I also find something pretty awesome about watching a train pass by. I’m not concerned with the type of engine or even the company name painted on it. I guess this would put me in the category of ‘rail fan’ more than ‘train spotter’. As far as I can tell, the difference between the two designations is as wishy-washy as the difference between a trekker and trekkie…
My love isn’t limited to just trains. I’m awed by anything impossibly large that will take you from Point A to Point B. My love of airplanes is obvious if you look around this site. Ships I find amazing, as well. I tried and mostly failed to sell cruise ship vacations but am grateful for being introduced to the finer details of these incredible vessels.
With trains, I get giddy when I think that some of the freight trains these days are literally miles long. That means the guy driving the engine would at times not even be able to see the end of thing that he’s in control of. It also means that, when stopped, it would be an athlete’s workout to jog from one end of this mode of transportation to the other.
I assume there are some kind of sensors or cameras involved in these mammoth freight trains but it makes me wonder just how hard it would be to jump aboard one of these trains somewhere around the 200th car and get a free ride. It also makes me wonder if you could detach the remaining cars at this point and take home a rather large bounty without the driver having a clue…
What follows is the ‘train spotting’ collection of videos from 2014. These videos are located at our YouTube channel – fitted amongst other travel, nature and transportation videos that you should check out!
Richmond, Quebec
The above was taken in Richmond, Quebec in May. My Dad, my two sisters, my brother and I were visiting shortly after my Mom passed away. My Mom was born and raised in the small town in the Eastern Townships and we were on a tour of all the places where my parents called home before I was born.
QG3102 is a locomotive belonging to the Quebec Gatineau Railway, an affiliate of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. Richmond used to have rail service to Montreal but that ended in the 1980’s. The new line was formed in 1998 bringing freight service back through Richmond, between Saint-Rosalie, Quebec and Portland, Maine.
Originally, the railroad was opened in 1853 as the St. Lawrence & Atlantic. Shortly after, it was absorbed by the Grand Trunk and eventually became part of the Canadian National Railway.
Inglewood, Ontario
The above train is part of the Orangeville Brampton Railway. This engine is the only one that travels the line. Along with the Credit Valley Explorer tour train, freight cars are also pulled to and from Orangeville. The line once reached to Owen Sound, Ontario but now stops at the northwest end of Orangeville.
London, Ontario
London, Ontario is a hotbed for rail in Southwestern Ontario. passenger and freight trains criss-cross at this point, with destinations in Windsor and Sarnia to the west and Toronto and Niagara to the east.
The video was taken on October 25, 2014, just west of the city, somewhere around Kilworth and Komoka. The two engines pulling are CNR 5444 and Illinois Central 1037. The train is heading east into London.
Brampton, Ontario
On weekends, there are few places as good as the Brampton GO/VIA station to check out trains passing by. During the week, parking is at a premium but on weekends you can usually park with your bumper just a few feet from the tracks. And, there’s no protective fence between you and the trains.
The two trains shown in this video are going to and from Toronto. The first is heading west away from the city and the second is heading east into the city.
Brampton Freight Train From July, 2017
