Hilton and Mears On Video: Railfan Reflections...

James lives far enough away that we can’t always get together to go trackside but it’s really fun to think about. I love how he’s seen an era of Canadian railroading that I never had a chance to but would have loved to have...

And then a perfect storm of timing lands on our shores the way it only seems possible when you live by the ocean and so do your trains. A text from a friend who works for the railroad that a loan GP38-2W was out east again. “In my yard?” I hope. “Nah. Moncton.” is the reply. I’m older than I was in the era of my “fuel or film not both” forays into discovering New England railroading yet still a bit of a spontaneous marathon driver. We regularly go to the Island for the day. It would be nothing to go to Moncton. So, well, we went to Moncton to actually see 4769 working the Franklin Spur. A GP in stripes working boxcars on a branch off the mainline. You don’t need a time machine when it’s really just actually happening right now. Of course you go.

We live in a time where it’s hard to be close to the trains. There’s always a fence or some equally effective barrier obstructing our connection to trains. I resist the urge to rant about this because, well, we’re here on Beaverbrook and that kind of problem isn’t a right now kind of problem. The tracks aren’t along the edge of the street, they are the edge of the street.

James is a good friend. He’s been putting up with my vicious cycle of coffee like a game of chasing the tide. I mean, in Truro it was okay because we were planning on stopping through the yard anyway... CBNS might be in town... And the Tim’s is just right there across the street from the Co-op on Willow Street anyway... and I’m totally stopping to photograph because that’s what I am going to do every chance I get! James does a much better job of our “while in Moncton” notes on this beautiful film he composed to record the moment. 

That sure was fun. It’s about (“only” about) two, maybe three at the rate I move, hours to drive from Halifax to Moncton so it’s an easy day trip. It was fun to talk, on the way back, about layout ideas based on the Franklin Spur. It would make a great home layout. It really would be wouldn’t it...

Words by Chris, video by James.

More Hilton and Mears ::here:: but until next time, more soon...

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