hoped for one of the painted B23-7s, but still he had four unit consist, a few grain cars on the head end and about 100 empty oil tanks. We shot the train numerous times, although he moved at a smart 25 m.p.h. pace. We did ten shots, and finally had to break away at Fillmore as we had a three hour run to Brandon. With stops to roster shoot ten wooden elevators at eight locations, it became even longer. Between the elevators at Antler and Sinclair we crossed back into Manitoba from Saskatchewan.
Thursday, August 29: I got up at 0545
and checked the lineups and the weath- er. Thunderstorms were going to con- tinue for a while, so I made a command decision to go back to bed, and not wake the other boys.
We finally rolled out at 0800, had a leisurely breakfast, and decided to go try for the 298 train on the CP’s north main line at Minnedosa, due there at 0945. Shortly after we arrived in a heavy rain, I got a cell call update; the train had been early and was gone! We hemmed and hawed and decided to go
to Gladstone and try and get the coun- terpart, No. 299. Once there we began waiting. We de- cided we’d have to break off at 1310, if we were to have any chance at No 1, VIA’s Canadian, running on the CN several miles to the south. At 1310, we heard our freight coming, shot him at 1315, and bolted south. We figured we’d stayed too long and moments be- fore arriving trackside we heard the de- tector go off. Rolling at 78 m.p.h., it was going to be close! With only seconds to spare, we bailed out and nailed the west- bound Canadian. Eastbound No. 454 was in the siding, so we got the meet as well. In fact, the freight was there for three more westbounds in the next hour. After that show, we drifted in Portage la Prairie, and shot the CP local and a westbound freight, before returning to the CN at Oakville. In a couple of hours we got three eastbounds and a west- bound, then headed to Portage la Prairie for VIA No. 2, the eastbound Canadian (Thursday is the only day both tri-weekly Canadians are in this area). He was on time, and the 21 stain- less steel cars glinting in the setting sun was a wonderful sight. Since he had a station stop and a temporary slow or- der, we were able to go several miles east, and finish off the trip in spectacu- lar fashion with a super across the field broadside glint shot. The sun set then, on both the day and our trip. We headed into Winnipeg for dinner and the motel. It was an early night, as I had a very early flight home in the morning.
I don’t want to miss another year, es- pecially with the success of this trip. It’s just too darned good to miss.
TOP LEFT: GMD1s, once the rulers of Cana- dian prairie branch lines, are in service in the yard in Regina, Saskatchewan, on August 28. LEFT: The VIA train between Churchill and Winnipeg, Manitoba, makes its station stop at the dirt platform at Kamsack on August 24. BELOW: VIA No. 2, the eastbound Canadian, glints in the setting sun at Newton, Manitoba, on August 29, the last shot of the trip.
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