A Past Trip To Montreal In Photos

The Wheelman and I took off for Montreal one dark and stormy night December 27, 2006. It was Christmas break and we had to go railfanning somewhere for the solstice. Time was too short for many distant places but Montreal is only a little farther than a trip to Worcester, from Hebron. It was short notice but what the heck. We'd find a cheap place near the airport in Dorval and start the morning at the depots. A quick run out to Coteau Jct. for the Ottawa Central and see what we can see on the CP and CN mainlines. On return we'd drop down into New York, Vermont and New Hampster seeking NECR, the old D&H and anything else moving. A long day but only one night away from home.

We started at the Dorval suburban station, located conveniently next to the CP and CN mains. VIA even has a depot on the CN side. This was the base for a previous HAPT video mission a year earlier and since produced for “Train Time”. Then we stayed at the hotel next door and seen in the cab car photo. This time we were down the road a bit. Here are two samples, fore and aft, of the AMT service inbound for the morning commute.


Here we have a sampling of Coteau Jct. sights. The CN line branches off here for New York and CSX. The Ottawa Central also connects here, but the “Luck of the Apollo” didn't work on them this time. We did see the local out of Montreal with flatcars for the OC and it also featured many Maine cars. Behind the depot the switcher was crashing together some cars in the small yard along the wye. While we drove around the neighborhood in our quest for the OC we were ambushed by the Operation Lifesaver unit leading LRC cars west.

In the afternoon we waited around another suburban station in sight of both lines and caught the “Red Barn” on a westbound. We saw plenty but nothing showed on the CN for us when the cameras came out. I think we saw one or two other CP's and the same commuter set making it's mid-day turns.


Though we caught a lot of radio traffic going home and the NECR was moving in the dark, this NB Amtrak at Rouses Point was the last train we photographed on our long day.

A few tolerable tidbits from the file of another great adventure.


BC