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About RTCDave


I have been photographing trains since I was 15 years old back in nineteen seventy something. I have worked on the railway since 1979 starting at Conrail in Windsor, and have worked at both CP and CN. My first slide camera was my Dad's old Zenit-E (Russian POS with a sticky shutter). From there I went through a few Minolta SRT-201's and X-700's. I now use a Nikon D-60 which still works fine. I have started scanning slides using an Epson V550.

RTCDave's Railpictures.ca photo upload statistics


Number of images: 132
Total gold: 2072
Number of comments recieved : 270
Number of comments posted : 85
Total views: 225249




RTCDave has 5 images in the Time Machine


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RTCDave's 132 photos on Railpictures.ca:


"The Penultimate Run". In what was supposed to be the last day of Gio Rail operations North of Welland on the Canal Sub and Grantham Spur in St Catharines, turned out not to be. Upon gathering eight cars, 1859 did what MLW/Alco's love to do, sprung an oil leak. The train was tied down and after repairs the following day the last run did occur. It was not a great day for the railway or myself as earlier I had stopped at the dirt crossing at Hurricane Road to shoot this train and had slipped and fell on some snow covered ice. It was not until I got to Thorold that I realized my phone was missing. I backtracked to Hurricane Road and found my phone in an ice encrusted puddle. Amazingly it still worked albeit a bit glitchy and so I missed them crossing the CN at Glenridge. The hazards of this sport we call Railfanning. Here we find the last Northbound on leap year day Feb 29th 2024 just past Allanburg with four cars for Clearwater Paper.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: GIO Rail
Date: 02/29/2024
Location: Allanburg
Province: Ontario
3 Comments | 16 Favourites
Nearing the end. On the last day of service on Gio Rail North of Welland we find RS-18 1859 crossing the Old Welland Canal with the final Southbound train on this section of track. The train is crossing a causeway and small bridge that was placed across the Canal as no more ships or Lake Freighters would ever pass this way again, and now it appears that this will now apply to trains.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: GIO Rail
Date: 03/01/2024
Location: Port Robinson West
Province: Ontario
Comments | 12 Favourites
The view from atop "El Capitan' (A huge snowpile at the Westend of the GO parking lot) as an Eastbound led by CN 5544-CN 2428 passes through Georgetown on Feb 7th 2014. The trees in the background show the damage from the December 23rd Ice Storm that hit Southern Ontario.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 02/07/2014
Location: Georgetown
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 16 Favourites
Lots of snow during the winter of 13-14 as evidenced by the giant pile at the West end of the GO parking lot at Georgetown. Nicknamed "El Capitan' by the locals, it provided some nice elevation for those brave enough to ascend it due to its steepness. Here we see an Eastbound passing by the sheer drop-off led by CN 5695-IC 1009 on Feb 7th 2014.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 02/07/2014
Location: Georgetown
Province: Ontario
Comments | 9 Favourites
CN 3015 in Support Our Troops camo paint scheme and 3217 with a CN100 logo lead 562 out of Port Robinson and over the Welland River. The train will stop to set-off at Southern Yard before looping around onto the CP Hamilton Sub at Brookfield and passing beneath the Welland Canal to interchange with Gio Rail at Feeder. After lifting interchange from Gio will return via reverse route to Port Rob and attend to any other switching required in the area.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 02/06/2024
Location: Port Robinson
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 16 Favourites
Heading to YYZ and got a text that the CN EJ&E Heritage unit was leading 421. Bailed off the QEW at Beamsville and only had to wait about ten minutes. Sometimes good timing works out. CN (EJ&E) 3023-CN3112-GEXR 3393 pass through Beamsville Ont on the Grimsby Sub. The GEXR SD40-2 was an added bonus. It already went West from Buffalo to Mac Yard and I was told it was supposed to go to the Huron & Eastern in Michigan, but looks like someone decided to send it back to the Buffalo & Pittsburgh. I'm sure it'll be back bouncing around Southern Ontario. This was my first time seeing the 'J' heritage unit.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 02/10/2024
Location: Beamsville
Province: Ontario
3 Comments | 13 Favourites
Close-up of CP 2816. The last time I saw her she was in pieces at Ogden Shop.
Name: Julia M Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific K…
Date: 10/19/2023
Location: Dalemead
Province: Alberta
Comments | 15 Favourites
Finally, they decide to run 2816 on my day off. Headed out to a nice open spot at Dalemead Alberta. After a bit of a wait for a few freights, the 'Empress" 2816 finally appeared doing track speed heading from Calgary to Medicine Hat.
Name: Julia M Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific K…
Date: 10/19/2023
Location: Dalemead
Province: Alberta
2 Comments | 25 Favourites
Sitting trackside on a beautiful sunny morning waiting for the "Empress" CP 2816. A Westbound freight with KCS 4622 waits on the North track as an Eastbound double-stack led by CP8100 passes on the South.
Name: Julia M Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific K…
Date: 10/19/2023
Location: Dalemead
Province: Alberta
Comments | 13 Favourites
Richardson Pioneer Grain Terminal RPGX 403 GP15-1 Carseland AB
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 10/03/2023
Location: Carseland
Province: Alberta
Comments | 14 Favourites
CP Hydrogen Fuel test units 1001-1002 just happened to be spotted perfectly as I was driving by. Within a couple of minutes they had disappeared back into Ogden Yard.
Name: Julia M Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 110/06/2023
Location: Calgary
Province: Alberta
3 Comments | 19 Favourites
Just driving by Ogden and saw these two CP Hydrogen Fuel test units just about to duck back into the yard.
Name: Julia M Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 10/06/2023
Location: Calgary
Province: Alberta
1 Comments | 20 Favourites
Travelling West along the Trans-Canada Highway West of Broadview SK and passed this Eastbound, CP#113. Did a quick U-Turn and the chase was on. The highway was pretty slick with drifting snow and ice, so as I attempted to keep the car out of the ditch, my daughter Julia took this pan shot through the open driver side window. We eventually got far enough ahead and found a road crossing for the back-lit wedgie.
Name: Julia M Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 03/30/2023
Location: Oakshela
Province: Saskatchewan
1 Comments | 11 Favourites
Taken from the third floor GYO washroom window, a set of hump power 1502-1537-1519 passes over the main retarders heading down into 'C Yard' after humping a cut at Toronto Yard (Agincourt) on a chilly Feb 18th 1990. 1502 is adorned with the Toronto Yard 25th Anniversary stencil. The hump and associated 72 yard tracks is all gone now.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 02/18/1990
Location: Scarborough
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 21 Favourites
CP 3043 leads a very small No 528, consisting of just the Triple Crown adapter car passing through Coakley on the Galt Sub March 31st 1992. Not sure why the lack of traffic, suspect the connecting train at NS Oakwood Yard (Detroit) was late and they would require the power and adapter for the Westbound train out of Lambton that afternoon.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 03/31/1992
Location: Coakley
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 17 Favourites
A rare sunny morning for this time of year, and a drive by the CP Welland Yard resulting in this nicely lit consist. CP7011-7033-7040. The two lead units are shut down with just 7040 idling.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 01/31/2023
Location: Welland
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 18 Favourites
A rare sunny morning this time of year, so I thought I'd head trackside to get Amtrak 100, one of several Amtrak 50th Anniversay units.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: VIA Rail
Date: 01/06/2023
Location: Merritton
Province: Ontario
3 Comments | 17 Favourites
Looking out the window here in Welland at at least a foot of snow today (Nov 19th 2022) We sure would love to see some of these out on the tracks. Five CN Plows 55209-55267-55400-55241-55xxx and a van await some snow at Gordon Yard in Moncton NB on Jan 22nd 1996.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 01/22/1996
Location: Moncton
Province: New Brunswick
4 Comments | 18 Favourites
Having just cleared No 84 with a pair of Big MLW's, Extra 5744 West (Along with 4510) pulls out of Walkerville Siding on the outskirts of Windsor for the last few miles into Windsor Yard.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 03/12/1983
Location: Windsor (Walkervil…
Province: Ontario
Comments | 13 Favourites
Pride of the Fleet....At first I thought the number was 4310 as they did such a stellar job with the stencil. Good thing we don't use trainorders anymore because this is not clearly identifiable.
Name: David J Parker
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 109/09/2022
Location: Paris
Province: Ontario
4 Comments | 14 Favourites
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