Field Report: CRHA Niagara’s “Longest Day” Event
The Niagara Division of the Canadian Railway Historical Association has a tradition of an all day event on the Friday nearest to the Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year. Our conviction is that this is the best train spotting day of the year as we have the most hours of daylight to devote to the cause.
The event
happened this year on Friday, June 21st, 2014. It began at the famed Bayview
Junction railfanning site in Hamilton at daybreak. Specifically, several dozen
of us assembled on the pedestrian bridge over the mainline tracks at the
entrance to Laking Gardens, a part of the Royal Botanical Gardens system in
Hamilton, Ontario. Camp stoves were set up and generous helping of eggs, bacon
and buns fed the assembled group as we waited for and photographed the trains
as they rushed past. Apparently, we demolished 10 lbs of bacon, 6 dozen eggs
and about 4 dozen buns in roughly a hour.
We then moved on about 9:00
a.m. another spot we call Hamilton West and then to Copetown’s Inksetter Road
Bridge where more fans joined us.
Hunger
consumed us by noon so we ate a delicious lunch, as usual, at the St Georges
Arms in St. Georges, Ontario where many great stories were shared.
After
lunch, we visited the Ontario Heritage Steam Museum in Puslinch, Ontario just
north of Hamilton where dozens of massive steam fired tractors are preserved,
many in operating condition. Wayne
Fischer, the museum owner, gave us a ride behind on these massive engines as
well as a tour of the museum.
Click here
to watch a brief 2 minute video inside the museum.
Click here
to for a great set of pictures of many of the museum artefacts with
accompanying descriptions.
Mainline
action was slow after that. The group closed the afternoon session by patronizing
another favourite haunt, the Camp Thirty One restaurant in Paris, Ontario. The
day ended with some great train spotting opportunities at a busy location
called Paris Junction.
Click on each image for a closer look!
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| Breakfast on the Bridge |
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| GO Train at Bayview Junction |
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| CN Diesels at work |
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| Lunch at the St. George's Arms |
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| Steam Tractor in Action |
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| Steam Yacht |
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