More than 20 years later than Tom Nelligan's excellent picture of a young CP Rail M636 leading a westbound past the station at St. Lazare, PQ (http://www.railpictures.net/photo/649321), my father and I recorded a now elderly M636 leading a westbound at the same location and angle. Many changes have taken place, including, sadly, the removal of the station. It's interesting to compare M636 4730 to M636 4714 in the earlier photo. The 5 inch stripe scheme over the entire face of the locomotive has been replaced by the 8 inch stripe scheme on the nose only. Other additions include ditchlights, a water tank behind the stack, a cover over the louvre on the cab, and, though not visible in the picture, modifications to the air intake.
Normally most of the westbound MLW action was in the morning and, after the weather closed in, my Dad and I had finished for the day and gone to dinner at St. Huberts. We kept the scanner on just in case, and heard the dispatcher calling to "Extra 4730 West" just as the weather began to clear at sunset. This train traveled at restricted speed due to a crane in the consist, enabling this shot at last light at a shutter speed of a 60th of a second.
Ted Steinbrenner Photo
