CN 3928 and 3115 Lead L561 Down the Sangudo Subdivision!

Hey everyone! With 516 ordered for 0400 and a colourful lashup planned, I was on the road to Whitecourt by 3:30 AM! After grabbing some Timmy’s for breakfast shortly past 5:30, I found the train building in the yard. After a couple pull-ups over the McLeod River, the train was underway. One of the main places I wanted to visit was a series of trestles between Whitecourt and Blue Ridge - about six wooden trestles in a mile. The flight in with the drone would be long… too long. With a little help from the universe, I stumbled across a quad trail / oilfield road that took me right to the main trestle I was hoping to shoot, as well as three others just down the line! Once I was finished there, I high-tailed it to Rochfort Bridge; one of the largest wooden trestles in North America. Built from 1914 to 1919 by the CNoR, the 2414 ft. / 736 meter span crosses over both the Paddle River and Highway 43, 110 feet below. Once Mayerthorpe was behind them, the train would slow to a 10 MPH crawl as they crossed over. The drone images really show the true size of this behemoth of a trestle, as it dwarfs the train passing above. By the time the train crossed over the Pembina River near the namesake station of this line, they were already up to a cruise again. While wooden trestles might seem to steal the show on the Sangudo Subdivision, there are loads of other gems along the line! One example being the 100 year old elevator (blt. 1924) in Onoway, Alberta. Highway 43’s 110km/h speed limit and dual lanes sure makes for an easy (and legal) chase, with tons of crossings just a stone throw away from the shoulder! Overall, I couldn’t have been happier with this chase! A friendly crew, great train, and some spectacular coincidences sure will make it one for the books… not to mention waking up at three in the morning for the two hour drive! Thanks for watching!

Timeline:
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - CN L51651 Crosses Over the Rochfort Bridge
1:33 - A family watches as 516 Crosses the Pembina River in Sangudo, Alberta
2:04 - CN L516 Blows for the Crossing
2:53 - Another Crossing Shot
3:33 - 516 Rounds a Curve along Highway 43
4:28 - Yup, another Crossing Shot!
5:01 - CN 516 Passes Mile 40
5:43 - L516 Passes the Elevator in Onoway, Alberta
6:30 - Closing Shot East of Bilby

Train ID:
CN L51651 (Mixed Freight)
Canadian National Sangudo Subdivision

Locomotives:
CN ES44AC 3928 (Ex. CREX)
CN ET44AC 3115 (BC Rail Heritage)

Equipment used:
Video Camera: Canon EOS 90D
Lens: Canon 18-135mm
Microphone: Rode Video Micro
Tripod: K&F Concept TM2324 II

Filmed and photographed by Alberta Bound Railfanning on June 1st, 2024 - 9:00 AM MT

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