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Caption: JASPER JUMP OFF-During its 40 minute station stop at Jasper, the eastbound Super Continental # 4 gets a full servicing and crew change while the photographer and his fiancée jump off to quickly explore this beautiful gem in the Rockies and capture the 'B' unit getting topped up by a CN fuel truck on September 27, 1988. Now on the return trip to their native Newfoundland after a marriage proposal on the west bound Canadian # 1 on September 24, they chose the 2 night northern route back to Winnipeg to connect with the eastbound Canadian # 2 for the run into Toronto for a few days. Wanting to ride as many different VIA routes as possible on their month long journey, they were waitlisted for a sleeper for nearly six months and learned just weeks before departure that space had opened up, such was the demand at the time for # 4.
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Even a grubby day looks good with classic F units leading; nice shot ! I’ve enjoyed the back story to this series of images you’ve been posting. Keep ‘em coming.
Thank you so much! Getting a chance to ride a F-Unit hauled ‘Super-Continental’ was one of the great joys of my life as I thought the experience was already lost forever. – Ken
Wow!!! Marriage proposal on the VIA??? I was trying to think of a “getting railroaded” joke to throw in there somewhere, but instead I should say that was a great idea and I am sure it all worked out as one of the best things that ever happened to you.
Thanks Arnold! It truly was and we celebrated 32 years this summer! Not every woman can put up with a diehard railfan but I found one who did and actually loves train travel. Interestingly, the proposal was to take place on the last Newfoundland mixed train as CN first announced in June that it would stop on September 1, 1988. To celebrate the completion of my BSW, I booked a full VIA Rail journey with all the major trains of the day, the Atlantic, Canadian, Super Continental, the Ocean, RDC’s and LRCs. Well lo and behold, after booking and wait listing for months, they changed the date of the last train to September 30. Too late for me to change my VIA trip. All’s well that end’s well. We’ve since crossed Canada twice and had some major rail trips in Europe with more planned!