CN Freight Train @ Trenton ON - October 9 2023

Canadian National 2801, a General Electric ES44AC, leads 122 freight cars west at Trenton ON on a grey fall afternoon. CN 2801 was part of an order for 35 ES44ACs built between September, 2012 and February, 2013. Behind it was a mixed lot of freight cars: mostly tank cars, centerbeam flatcars, covered hoppers, boxcars and autoracks as well. A lone maintenance of way car, ballast hopper CN 302488, was tucked in near the end.

Eighty-four cars back is another locomotive, CN 8006, an SD70M-2. Generating 4300 horsepower, it was acting as a distributed power unit, remotely controlled from the leading locomotive. Placing a locomotive partway through the train helps to reduce broken coupler knuckles and pulled drawbars due to strain, and allows for quicker application of the air brakes in long trains.

This was an unexpected railfanning opportunity. We were returning to Ottawa after visiting family in southwestern Ontario, and stopped at an Esso off the 401 to put gas in the car and take a break. After filling up, I heard a train approaching, and walked around the side of the gas station to see what the view of the tracks was like. A bit obstructed, but sometimes you play the hand that you're dealt, and the result was this video.

An eastbound Via Rail train led by P42DC 907 passes in the background at the 1:29 mark.

Locomotive - CN 2801 (ES44AC)
84 Freight Cars
Locomotive - CN 8006 (SD70M-2; distributed power unit)
38 Freight Cars

Taken at 4:52pm, October 9, 2023.