Rambles to Rails

 Little to report as the dull winter rambles on.  It is one of the quieter winters we have had for birds, so we have mainly been out just for exercise!

I have been rambling around locally.  Some redpolls are here and there.  A walk at Wilkesport a few days ago revealed a couple.

I have been to Reid CA a couple of times and it certainly was not for birds!  Hardly any.  I happened to notice a flicker sitting very quietly in a tree.  Unfortunately the usual weather was at hand so lighting was horrible.

The pair of Pileated Woodpeckers is still there, always nice to see.  However they do not want to be photographed.

Yesterday morning was a rare day (for more than two months) where we had clear skies!  The afternoon clouded up though, so it was too good to be true.

I have had quite a few Pine Siskins coming to the yard lately.

The nuthatches also take advantage of the feeders.

With not much to cover lately, I will divert to some local history....again!

I have an interest in railroads and railroad history.  Recent events led me to look into the story of a steam locomotive (CNR 7470) that once worked in Wallaceburg.  I just realized that it is 100 years old this year!  It is close to my heart as I remember this engine sitting in Wallaceburg on the old Canada and Dominion Sugar Company property in April 1966.  I was only three years old (!) when my father took photos of it with me at his side.  The top of my head in the lower left corner, cut off.  I still have the original negative which does shows my face!

 

 It was sold to a couple of different owners and eventually moved to Sarnia where it sat for about two years.  Nothing ever transpired though, until it was sold to Dwight Smith the spring of 1968.

Dwight Smith, who eventually formed the Conway Scenic Railway with partners in New Hampshire, made preparations for transport.  As the photo shows, a man was dismantling the engine in prep for travel in 1966.  I suspect my father knew it was leaving Wallaceburg and wanted to get a photo. 

My initial interest in the engine was back in 2012, when I was looking at the old photos my father took.  I thought about it and wondered what ever happened to this engine.  I went to the internet and simply typed in “steam locomotive 7470”.  Instantly, several things came up showing that it still existed and was working as a tourist attraction with the Conway Scenic Railway in New Hampshire.  I could not believe it!

I wrote to Conway Scenic and sent the photos.  Paul Hallett, Operations Manager, responded and was quite pleased to receive the photos and said operating 7470 was “the BEST part of my job”.  At the time, 7470 was still in running condition, but he said if I ever made it that way, he would personally take me into the roundhouse to see the engine.

Not long after 2012, the 7470 went into the shop for restoration.  It came back out in 2019 to steam again!

The 7470 has a storied history starting with its construction in Montreal in 1921.  It was built as a “switcher”, a smaller type of locomotive that is used in yards for switching or moving rail cars.  It worked all over Ontario, and eventually spent its last years in Wallaceburg shuffling coal or sugar beet cars at the sugar factory.

 

Recently, I was referred to a story of 7470, well worth reading.  Here is the link:

https://issuu.com/wiseguycreative/docs/mwv-vibe-fall19/s/161701

 It covers the history of 7470 very well and provides a nice colour photo of it at Wallaceburg (the exact same location as the B & W photo above).  

Interestingly, after Smith bought it, plans were to go to the east coast via the States.  It was sent over to Michigan, but things changed and it went back to Sarnia then across Ontario on its way to the east coast of the US, ending up in Maine.

One can find several YouTube videos on the internet of 7470 operating on the Conway Scenic.  What a thrill to see it in action!

Here is one:

Conway Scenic 7470

Weekend Birding

Cave Swallows have now reached Ontario.  Not surprisingly a good number were seen at Fifty Point near Hamilton today.  The Peregrine Prints guy and others stood vigil along the shoreline.  No doubt others were around somewhere along Lake Erie as well.

(two years ago at Erieau)

Tomorrow I am heading up to Point Edward for a lakewatch.  It is only a 45 minute drive, so not far to go.  Decent north winds are predicted, although not as strong as originally forecast (what's new?).  There have been no good north winds until now this fall.  A very strong NW wind was blowing early this morning, however it somewhat died out during the day and the wind is light out of the north right now.
It will be a good change of pace since the last few weeks I have headed down to Lake Erie.  Cave Swallows have been seen at Point Edward in the past, but probably little chance of them there for tomorrow.

Yesterday was probably the last blast of SW winds for a while at least.  I checked the gardens at Brander Park and found a few Fiery Skippers.  A decent-looking Summer Azure was there as well.  Never got a photo though as the winds were strong blowing things around.  Getting rather late for one of those creatures.

As I like to include some history on this blog, and not necessarily nature, here is some more for history buffs like myself.  Railroad to be exact.  Recently I looked at some old photos my father took in 1966.  He always had the camera and took thousands of photos over the years.  Steam locomotive 7470 was a switcher at the Canada and Dominion Sugar Factory here in town.  It was a very large operation in its heyday.  I had always wondered what happened to this locomotive.

I googled the number and instantly it came up!  I was fascinated to know that it is still running out in New Hampshire as part of the Conway Scenic Railway.  It blew my mind to find this.  I was there with my father when he took the photos, so I remember it well.  (top of my head is at lower left!)

Come on kittiwakes....