April 18th, 2004
Amtrak's train called "The International" from Toronto to Chicago's final Sunday in existence... 27 people took the train together as a group trip up to Sarnia for a final-miles excursion, through the GHRA.
Stratford, Ontario
(map) Stratford lies between Kitchener-Waterloo and London on the GEXR Guelph sub and is the home of Cowie junction, where the GEXR Goderich sub begins.
January 15th, 2006
Steve called, suggesting we go to Goderich to see GEXR #581 working around the salt mine. We headed up to Stratford, and found them getting ready to leave. They called themselves GEXR #431 for some reason, but no matter. We chased it as far as Seaforth before it got too dark to continue. Chasing on the GEXR Goderich sub is relatively easy as the train only goes between 5 and 15 miles per hour for the most part.
April 27th, 2008
We headed down to Cambridge, tieing CP #159 to the crossing at 50.05 Galt sub. CP #244 came over Galt bridge with a CEFX bluebird leading. From there we went to Ingersoll for OSR's Salford shops to see the CP MP15s that have come in, finding two there next to the TH&B unit, and the other two tucked away in a spur in Mount Elgin. From there we headed back to Ingersoll for lunch and CN #385, then up to Stratford where we just barely caught GEXR #433 leaving town light power before returning home. Hopefully it's not another entire month before I get out again!
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GEXR #433 pulls out of Stratford.
May 11th, 2008
GEXR has received 3 6-axle units which means some of its 4-axle power is going to be distributed to other RailAmerica lines. I went to Stratford to find what I could of them, chasing GEXR #431 to London. There it lifted 10 EuroCargo Rail Class 66s and returned as GEXR #432, which I dutifully chased home.
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VIA #85 pulls into Stratford station.
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GEXR #431 pulls out of Stratford.
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GEXR X432 pulls into Stratford as GEXR #433 pulls out.
September 7th, 2008
With our by-election in Guelph cancelled by a Prime Minister who can't keep his word on anything one day before voting day in favour of a general election, I took off to London to chase an EMD extra with 17 JT42CWR locomotives bound for France and Germany.
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GEXR X432 pulls through Stratford yard with 17 Class 66s.
February 7th, 2009
We got an early start, leaving Guelph at 6:30, and chased a plow run from Stratford to Goderich on the GEXR. We then returned to Stratford to shoot some parked Class 66s (in tarps) and some KCS units in the yard, then headed to Zorra where we reported a defective crossing and shot CP 153, 138, T69, and 245. From there we went to Ingersoll and shot VIA 76 and CN X368, an army move that I did not know was coming. We chased that to Creditville and called it a (good) day.
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A GEXR plow extra runs from Stratford to Goderich with us in hot pursuit.
November 26th, 2009
Trevor had American Thanksgiving off and so picked me up first thing in the morning to head up to Goderich and see what was happening. We left the house a little after 9, catching Via 84 at P&H in Breslau. P&H's sign is gone and there's a rezoning application at the facility, but the backtrack is still full of grain hoppers. After that, we hopped over to the bridge coming into Kitchener and saw GEXR 580, found nothing at the station in Kitchener, and went on to Stratford where we found 433 with 4001-6061 preparing to head east. We went back to Shakespeare to shoot 433 on the bridge over Highway 7, got out of the car, and heard a loud hissing noise. We abandoned the chase and returned to Stratford to rectify the rapidly flattening tire and have lunch. It worked out well, as when the car was ready and we had eaten, 433 returned from Kitchener. We shot it working and then shot 85 at the station, then pushed on to Goderich, where we happened upon the two CN units GEXR is using moments before they headed into the salt mine. Don't know the last time CN power worked that mine...
