Canadian Summer

When I lived back east, I was only about a three hour drive from Canada. There was a lot of interesting railroading up there. Until the early 1990s, much of the equipment was leftover from the 1950s, so in a way it was a trip back in time.

One of the big draws is that our border crossing brought us to the mainline between Montreal and Toronto. That meant lots of trains, both passenger and freight. Except for a few towns between the metro areas, the line went through rural countryside. Much of the line is straight and flat which meant fast running. Passenger trains were allowed 90MPH, freights 80.

This shot is taken at a place called Yonge Centre, Ontario. One of my favored locations. It is basically a wide spot in the road, with a church and graveyard being the only things there besides the railroad. They predate the railroad, as the tracks go through the middle of the cemetery, graves on either side dating to the early 1800s. It was a great place to spend a nice afternoon, lazing in the grass besides the headstones, watching and photographing the trains as they flew by.