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About First954


I was born and raised in Capreol, Ontario. I worked for CN in the Area Engineering Office during the summers of 1965 and 1966. During the summers of 1967-1969, I worked as a brakeman out of Capreol. In the fall of 1969, I transferred to the Great Lakes Regional offices in Toronto. I left CN in 1975 to join the transportation department of Ontario Hydro. I moved to the USA in 1989. I am still an active photographer.

First954's Railpictures.ca photo upload statistics


Number of images: 55
Total gold: 729
Number of comments recieved : 75
Number of comments posted : 48
Total views: 25753



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First954's 55 photos on Railpictures.ca:


On a bitterly cold January 19th, 1969, a trio of MLW units, in the form of 3217, 3235, and 2010 rest on the shop track at Capreol, Ontario. I find it hard to believe that more than 50 years have passed since I took this photograph. How time flies.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 01/19/1969
Location: Capreol
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 14 Favourites
Canadian Pacific's Canadian, Train # 2, nears the end of its detour over CN tracks as it heads out of Capreol. The train is running as "Passenger Extra CP 1413 South". The other two units are 1907 and 8580. What's missing from this photo is CN 4-8-2, 6077, which will, in a few months time, be placed in the vacant area to the left of the train. Lots of interesting stuff in the background.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 04/00/1967
Location: Capreol
Province: Ontario
Comments | 14 Favourites
CN leased a bunch of units to the L&N railway in the mid-1970s. This is the condition of GP40 4011 when it was returned to CN. It also explains why it was never renumbered.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 09/02/1978
Location: Toronto
Province: Ontario
5 Comments | 12 Favourites
CN's morning Rapido, train 61, has just arrived in Toronto on track 1 behind ice cover units 6760 6862 and 6774.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 02/14/1971
Location: Toronto
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 14 Favourites
As CP Extra 5610 North sits in the siding at Rutter, Ontario, VIA's southbound Canadian, probably # 10 at the time (my VIA/CP time tables and memory elude me at this time) flies by on the main line. Notice the conductor (brakeman) hiding in the bushes to give the passenger train its roll-by. This track was ABS territory at the time. It was really unusual(to me) to see the freight waiting in the siding looking at a Clear (green) signal; only to have it turn to red (stop) when the passenger train entered the block. Then about 10-12 minutes later the Canadian appears. As soon as it cleared, the signal turned green and the freight proceeded. Power on the Canadian was 6553 and 6653.
Name: First954
Railway: VIA Rail
Date: 06/07/1986
Location: Rutter
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 15 Favourites
CN steam pile driver 50825 is shown in action pounding away at the west end of the bridge at Field, Ontario. Notice that there is a five man crew: two on the pile driver itself, two on top of the bridge, and one almost under the bridge making sure the support is placed where it is needed. KaThump KaThump KaThump great sounds and all the smells were just a bonus!
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 09/00/1968
Location: Field
Province: Ontario
Comments | 13 Favourites
CP RS-3 8454 and another RS-3 lead a work train at Stinson, Ontario as they unload slag. Map location is approximate.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 09/00/1968
Location: Stinson
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 15 Favourites
On a very overcast February afternoon, CP RS-10 8470 and RS-18 8732 have their work cut out for them as they pull an over tonnage train west on the Cartier Sub in downtown Sudbury, Ontario. Out of sight is S-2 7090 shoving hard on the caboose to help keep the train moving. The crane on the flat car beside the locomotives looks like it has had a pretty rough life.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 02/21/1970
Location: Sudbury
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 15 Favourites
The power for a westbound train, while backing off the shop track, side swiped a yard movement which resulted in this box car laying on its side. Time to bring out Form 3903 Accident Report!!! And it looks like all the "big wigs" also came out to have a look. Its bad enough when you mess up a little, but when you do it in front of the Divisional Offices, it is never a good thing. CN brought out all the cranes stationed at Capreol to solve the problem. For those keeping score: pictured are 7033, 50366, 50022 and that's the 427642 taking a "nap".
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 12/xx/1966
Location: Capreol
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 9 Favourites
On the morning of Tuesday, August 31st, 1965, after westbound freight 401 passed, crews went to work to erase the old wood frame CN Pembroke Ontario station from the planet. This photograph shows the entire west side of the building missing. It won't be long now. As the entire structure was deemed as scrap, no effort was made to save anything. The process took only about a hour. Location is approximate.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 08/31/1965
Location: Pembroke
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 10 Favourites
On the morning of Tuesday, August 31st, 1965, after westbound freight 401 passed, crews went to work to erase the old wood frame CN Pembroke Ontario station from the planet. The west wall of the building was the first to go. This photograph shows one of the first blows being administered. As the entire structure was deemed as scrap, no effort was made to save anything. The process took only about a hour. Location is approximate.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 08/31/1965
Location: Pembroke
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 10 Favourites
CN pile driver 50825 waits for a work block in the back track at Field, Ontario. With its boom in the "full upright position", this photo does not give one a strong feeling of stability.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 09/00/1968
Location: Field
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 9 Favourites
The way it used to be: (well, for a few weeks at least until the GMD yard slugs were delivered) three GP38-2s shoving cars over the hump. 6000 HP doing the work of what 2000 HP used to do. The 200 had been reconfigured to run long hood forward for its new hump yard duties. These units were built as 5541, 5552, and 5542 in 1973. Subsequently, they were renumbered again to 7500, 7501 and 7502.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 07/05/1978
Location: Vaughan
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 12 Favourites
Friday June 4th 1976 was an interesting afternoon in Markham, Ontario. Apparently the 6060 was chartered for a wedding party, or so I was led to believe. Here is 6060 in the siding at Markham and is passed by the 6203 with the southbound equipment move after its Friday afternoon commuter run. It is interesting to note that the 6060 appears to be wearing one white flag and one green flag, something that I did not notice at the time. The train consisted of one CN baggage car and the UCRS private car.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 06/04/0976
Location: Markham
Province: Ontario
3 Comments | 12 Favourites
The way it used to be. MLWs shoving hard to push a long string of cars over the hump at MacMillan Yard (Toronto Yard at the time). Beautiful sight and sound!! Units are 8623-305-8607.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 05/25/1978
Location: Vaughan
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 21 Favourites
CN steam powered pile driver 50825 waits patiently in the back track at Field, Ontario for train #2, the Super Continental, to pass before resuming work on the bridge east of the station.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 09/00/1968
Location: Field
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 8 Favourites
CN steam powered crane 50834 works in the area immediately west of Spadina Shops in downtown Toronto. The huge surprise was the date of this action: September 1968. A lot has changed in the area, so the location is a best guess.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 09/00/1968
Location: Toronto
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 11 Favourites
CN's westbound Panorama is shown arriving in Capreol, Ontario in October 1967. It appears that winter made an early appearance in Northern Ontario that year. Train 202, running many hours late, waits on track 2, for the Panorama's arrival. Notice the number boards on the 6789, one is the standard white on black background and the other is reversed with black numbers on a white background.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 10/00/1967
Location: Capreol
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 20 Favourites
Back in 1974 my railroad pass was endorsed "Good on freight trains and engines". So I took advantage of that endorsement (but looking back, not often enough) from time to time. I'm riding the head end on Train 3, the Super Continental. We are in the hole at Woodward, Mile 106.9 Bala Subdivision for a meet with Train 4, the southbound Super Continental. Interesting is the placement of the business car behind the Auto with You car. Map location is a total guess.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 08/09/1974
Location: Woodward
Province: Ontario
Comments | 15 Favourites
CN train 214 heads east out of Capreol, Ontario on the now abandoned Alderdale Subdivision. This train had the 9503 and 2026 for power and consisted of 74 loads and 6 empties. Other statistics are 6019 feet long and 6284 tons. Location shown is approximate.
Name: First954
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 09/02/1983
Location: Capreol
Province: Ontario
3 Comments | 12 Favourites
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