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About Paul O'Shell

Started my railroad career at CN in July 1969 and retired from the industry 49 years later on March 1, 2018. My area of expertise was railway Work Equipment. Reside in Kelowna, BC. I use a Nikon D850 full frame & Nikon D7200 (Nikkor 24-70mm, 24-120mm, 35mm, 18-140mm, 55-300mm, & 80-400mm) and scan with an Epson V550. Enjoy my contributions. Be safe. Lots more of my photos at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/197431498@N07/albums

Paul O'Shell's Railpictures.ca photo upload statistics

Number of images: 439
Total gold: 4852
Number of comments recieved : 916
Number of comments posted : 890
Total views: 643058

Paul O'Shell has 1 image in the Time Machine

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Paul O'Shell's 439 photos on Railpictures.ca:

<b> Ladies & Gentlemen, Welcome to Churchill </b> <br>
VIA 693 The Hudson Bay makes its 5 mph reverse movement from HBR Churchill South, through the recently rehab'd Churchill yard, towards the stately station in Churchill, MB. <br>
The day is starting out great with sunshine and just a bit of hazy sky. <br>
Not much in the yard this early September morning except a loaded GREX Dump Train, a few tank cars, and a single bulkhead flat loaded with rolls of Geotextile fabric for laying down during roadbed rehabilitation. <br>
I'm just 10 minutes away from detraining and starting a full day of exploring the town and HBRY infrastructure once again. :-)

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	09/19/2024
Location:	Churchill
Province:	Manitoba

3 Comments | 18 Favourites

<b> I've been working on the railroad ???? </b> <br>
CN 414691 & IC 400006 are examples of the real life, hands-on training aids made available for new and seasoned employees at the CN Campus in Transcona, MB. <br>
It's a wonderful training facility that I've had the pleasure of going through on several occasions. A far cry from what was available to CN employees back when I started in 1969.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	09/15/2024
Location:	Winnipeg (Transcon…
Province:	Manitoba

Comments | 11 Favourites

<b> Coffee & pastry, or beer & sandwich, but no passenger train! </b> <br>
The CP station at Vernon, BC sits at Mile 85.4 of the CN Okanagan Sub., but it no longer caters to passengers who want to go to Kelowna or Kamloops from this nice little Okanagan Valley town. <br>
The classic railway structure now houses a specialty coffee counter, pastry bakery, and, a licensed dining room.
I was tempted, but didn't give in to my cravings for a mid-morning java and donut, or at noon hour for a barley sandwich and soup. Maybe on the next visit. :-)

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	10/08/2024
Location:	Vernon
Province:	British Columbia

Comments | 16 Favourites

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	10/08/2024
Location:	Vernon
Province:	British Columbia

1 Comments | 11 Favourites

<b> Doo, Doo, Doo, Lookin' out my back door ???? </b> <br>
Prior to VIA 692 The Hudson Bay departing Churchill, MB the evening of September 19, 2024 I snapped this pic through the rear door window and vestibule of VIA 8224 Chateau Roberval sleeping car. <br>
The Churchill grain silos and elevator still stand vacant, waiting a decision on their future use at this deep water port. <br>
The station track has been nicely rehabbed with new ties, new rail, and a lift, level, line and tamp.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	09/19/2024
Location:	Churchill
Province:	Manitoba

6 Comments | 18 Favourites

<b> Wye it's sunny! </b> <br>
A nice burst of sunshine breaks through the overcast sky to light up VIA 693 The Hudson Bay on the north leg of the wye at Mile 0.0 of HBR's Thompson Sub. on a warm September 18, 2024 afternoon. <br>
Another nicely edited photo by Benny :-)

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	09/18/2024
Location:	Thompson Jct.
Province:	Manitoba

2 Comments | 11 Favourites

<b> Derailment Training </b> <br>
The derailment training site at the CN Campus in Transcona provides a realistic, hands-on experience for new and existing employees. <br>
CN 7083 and a variety of other rolling stock lay strewn across the ground just off Red Jones Road behind the training center building.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	09/15/2024
Location:	Transcona
Province:	Manitoba

3 Comments | 15 Favourites

<b> Two-tone paint <br>
CN 79727 is a CN PSC built (9/1974) mainline caboose that is now on static display at the VIA Rail station/Dauphin Railway Museum in Dauphin, MB, Mile 121.7 CN Gladstone Sub., Mile 0.0 CN Togo Sub. <br>
The van has been vandalized over the years requiring the wire mesh window protectors. Track inspection lights, step lights, and other appliances have been destroyed and still require repair/replacement. <br>
Hopefully a fresh paint job is in the works in the not-too-distant future.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	09/17/2024
Location:	Dauphin
Province:	Manitoba

2 Comments | 12 Favourites

<b> Meeting at the wye </b> <br>The Hudson Bay Railway way freight has just entered the north leg of the wye at Thompson Jct. with VIA 693 The Hudson Bay holding the south leg, waiting it's turn to take the 30 mile trip up HBR's Thompson Sub. to the VIA station at Thompson, MB. <br>A headend crew member from the passenger train does a roll-by inspection of the lengthy freight train, and will then walk several hundred feet to line the switch, allowing VIA 693 to proceed. <br>The way freight consist this day was a very interesting mix of fuel tank cars, general freight boxcars and gons, trucks and construction equipment on flats, and a string of HBRY ballast cars. It was nice to see one of HBRY's newer locomotives on the point. <br>The only thing absent from this photo is a ray of sunshine. :-( <br>A big thank you to my friend Benny for editing this photo.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Hudson Bay Railway
Date:	09/18/2024
Location:	Thompson, Jct.
Province:	Manitoba

4 Comments | 28 Favourites

VIA 693 The Hudson Bay is making a scheduled station stop at Wabowden, MB Mile 136.4 HBR Wekusko Sub. on this beautiful September 18, 2024 morning. Supplies are off loaded, passengers get a chance to stretch their legs, and, VIA performs an unscheduled crew change.<br>
Radio troubles in what was lead unit VIA 6433 has the train running 6+ hours late at Wabowden due to overnight switching moves to reverse the two locomotives putting VIA 6419 in the lead. The new crew was trucked out in the white van to the remote location to take over the throttle. <br>
All part of the fun and adventure of riding this iconic train to Churchill. :-)

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	09/18/2024
Location:	Wabowden
Province:	Manitoba

3 Comments | 12 Favourites

Passengers mill about the platform and former station track in front of the iconic Dauphin, MB train station which has been nicely preserved and is now used as a railway museum.<br>
Situated at the junction of CN's Gladstone and Togo Subs., Dauphin is the first stop out of Winnipeg on the two-day journey to Churchill, MB

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	09'17'2024
Location:	Dauphin
Province:	Manitoba

1 Comments | 14 Favourites

<b>ALL ABOARD!</b> <br>The step boxes have been thrown into the vestibules, the doors are closed and secured, and VIA 693 The Hudson Bay is about to depart the Winnipeg Train Shed at Union Station Mile 0.0 on the CN Rivers Sub. to begin another journey from Winnipeg, MB to the town of Churchill, MB on Hudson Bay. <br>My bags are in my room in VIA 8224 Chateau Roberval sleeping car, and I have claimed the front right seat in the dome of VIA 8511 Skyline car as the trip begins. :-)

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	09/17/2024
Location:	Winnipeg
Province:	Manitoba

3 Comments | 12 Favourites

49 years ago today on June 12, 1975 N&W #90 with NW 3659 in the lead was involved in a catastrophic accident and derailment in Simcoe, ON. <br>
The lead locomotive made it as far as the Hwy. 24 underpass where it dropped from the railway overpass onto the roadway below. <br>
Here we see a heavy lift mobile crane from Nadrofsky Steel Erecting in Brantford, ON hoisting the burned out hulk of NW 3659 from the highway back up to the Cayuga Sub. right-of-way where it will be put on a pair of dummy trucks for movement to Fort Erie later that week. <br>
I was operating a hi-rail excavator/crane for CN at the time and was at the derailment site to provide cleanup assistance. <br>
I am still amazed at how close the general public was able to get to the derailment location and on to the right-of-way back in those days. <br>
The locomotive, the overpass, and the Cayuga Sub. at this location are all long gone.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Norfolk and Wester…
Date:	06/12/1975
Location:	Simcoe
Province:	Ontario

6 Comments | 22 Favourites

<b> Signalman and Tower </b> <br>
The Signalman stands on the stairs leading to the CPR Interlocking Tower at Mile 13.9 Milton Subdivision. CNR Interlocking Signals were controlled by the Signalman from this tower located on the south west quadrant of the Railway Crossing at Grade.

Name:	Wilfred J. O'Shell,…
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	February 1960
Location:	Milton
Province:	Ontario

3 Comments | 23 Favourites

<b> CN Milton Sub., CPR Interlocking </b> <br>
Viewed from the CNR Milton station at Mile 13.9 Milton Subdivision, the semaphore signal displays a Stop Indication for northward CNR movements at the CPR Interlocking located at Mile 14.2 Milton Subdivision.

Name:	Wilfred J. O'Shell,…
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	February 1960
Location:	Milton
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 21 Favourites

While working on a CN tie gang back in the summer of 1976 I managed to snap this pic of AC 201 that was spliced into an Algoma Central passenger train departing Oba for Hearst, ON. Some interesting trucks under this car.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Algoma Central
Date:	July 1976
Location:	Oba
Province:	Ontario

5 Comments | 13 Favourites

After seeing David Brook's photo of steam generator AC 81 <b> http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=53975 </b> it reminded me of a photo I snapped almost 50 years ago of another AC steam generator. <br>
While working on a CN tie gang in Oba, ON back in the summer of 1976 I managed to snap this pic of AC 74 that was spliced into an ACR passenger train departing Oba for Hearst, ON.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Algoma Central
Date:	Summer 1976
Location:	Oba
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 12 Favourites

<b> Steam, Diesel, Passenger & Freight </b> <br>
VIA #2 The Canadian winds its way into Jasper, AB Mile 0.0 CN Albreda Sub. on January 27, 2024 with a plethora of railroad equipment all around. <br>
CN 6015 sits on static display in the distance near the iconic VIA Rail station, while VIA 6421 sits on the team track waiting its turn to pull The Skeena, or possibly be added to the consist of a west bound Canadian. Double stack hot shots fill the yard waiting for new crews on both east and west bound trips. <br>
At the bottom center of the frame a VIA Rail Car knocker does a visual inspection of the equipment on The Canadian as it eases into the platform area. <br>
The CN windsock shows the steady, but pleasant breeze that was awaiting me when I stepped off the train for a walk around town before continuing my eastbound journey to Toronto.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	01/27/2024
Location:	Jasper
Province:	Alberta

Comments | 11 Favourites

<b> Old Dog </b> <br>
CN 4810 Class GR-420c GP-38-2W was built in January of 1974 and exactly 50 years later is still working the rails at Saskatoon, SK on January 28, 2024.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	01/28/2024
Location:	Saskatoon
Province:	Saskatchewan

4 Comments | 8 Favourites

<b> Nice to meet you </b> <br>
VIA #2 The Canadian rolls slowly through CN Swan Landing as CN 3335 leads a westbound freight out of the yard on a quite beautiful January 27, 2024 mid-afternoon.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	01/27/2024
Location:	Swan Landing
Province:	Alberta

5 Comments | 14 Favourites

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