Culture: The New Year's Run

The two miniature trains operated by the Toronto Railway Historical Association on New Year's Day were side-by-side near Don Station in Toronto, Ontario on 1-January-2011

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The first real run of the miniature railway in Toronto, Ontario's Roundhouse Park took place on 1-January-2010. With a tradition thus established, the Toronto Railway Historical Association that runs the miniature railway decided to run again on New Year's Day this year.


The "Romulus" miniature steam locomotive pulled some of the passengers from the public past the turntable with full-size equipment at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre on 1-January-2011

The weather was not so cooperative for the second annual event. It rained most of the day, rather steadily during the entire time the miniature railway was operating from about noon to 3 PM. Still, there were people wandering through the park even on a rainy day, and they were treated, if desired, to a free ride on the half-kilometer loop.


Arno Martens had just thrown the switch in the rain to permit Michael Guy running the "Romulus" steam locomotive to take the appropriate track into Don Station in Toronto, Ontario on 1-January-2011

One of the purposes of the event was to test recent changes to the "Romulus" miniature steam locomotive. The locomotive was found to be in good running order, and carried a number of passengers until a new coal supply was tested and was found to be inadequate for steam locomotive boilers, ending that testing for the day.


It might seem silly in the rain, but steam locomotives need water in their tenders to operate, and Arno Martens handled the topping up of the "Romulus" on 1-January-2011

This was also the first run day for the new trackage at the junction between the wye to the maintenance depot and the station sidings. The new configuration felt much better to me as a rider, and the new flexibility proved itself when the decision was made to back the steam train from the inside station track to the depot, which would not have been possible under the old layout.


Most of the group from the Toronto Railway Historical Association that operated the miniature railway was captured on 1-January-2011

With the successful testing completed, the Toronto Railway Historical Association will return to its restoration work for the balance of the winter; the miniature railway is not expected to operate again until the spring.

Transport: New Year's On a Train

Wilson Lau, Dan Garcia, Michael Guy, and Arno Martens of the Toronto Railway Historical Association posed in front of the GO Transit locomotive that carried them to Oshawa, Ontario on 31-December-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Yesterday, GO Transit offered free service on its commuter trains after 19:00 to discourage drunk driving on New Year's Eve. A group from the Toronto Railway Historical Association decided to take advantage of the policy to mark the turn of the year on-board a Lakeshore East GO Train.

This wasn't the first time I had celebrated the New Year aboard a train. As 2006 turned to 2007, I was aboard VIA Rail Canada's "Canadian" eastbound across northern Ontario. As the "Canadian" is a first-class train (at least in the sleeper section), that was a real celebration, with champagne served as the train rolled through the darkness of the Canadian Shield.

Last night, our group of five people from the TRHA had to develop our own celebration. A vice president brought spanakopita and various other finger foods, another brought homemade cookies, and there was plenty of chocolate to go around. We caught train #934, departing Union Station at 22:13 for Oshawa, Ontario.


Wilson Lau, Dan Garcia and Michael Guy enjoyed a New Year's Eve aboard a GO Transit train to Oshawa, Ontario on 31-December-2010

On the return trip on board train #939, between Pickering and Rouge Hill, Service Manager Louise gave a countdown to the New Year over the Public Address system (which was accurate according to my GPS receiver). Some fireworks were noted in the distance a few minutes later. It may not have been champagne on the "Canadian," but it was a different way to bring in the New Year.

Photos: TRHA's First Season, Part II

Mike Salisbury ran steam locomotive #3 past a "Pumpkin Post" at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre on 31-October-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's coverage of the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre's first season on my photo site focuses on special events, both planned and unplanned. These ranged from decorations for Canada Day on 1-July-2010 to the special Halloween night run on 31-October-2010, with many special trains, photo shoots, book signings, and visitors in between.

Photos: TRHA's First Season of Operations

Mike Salisbury ran steam locomotive #3 with a train load of visitors through the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre in Toronto, Ontario and underneath the Pyke rail crane on 19-September-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The Toronto Railway Heritage Centre closed for the season after a night run on Halloween. A look back at first summer of operations will appear in two parts on my photo site. This week, the pictures are from the exhibits, routine operations including the miniature railway, and work projects from July through October 2010.

Culture: Halloween in Roundhouse Park

The steam-powered miniature train at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre in Toronto, Ontario prepared to leave Don Station past a giant pumpkin on Halloween, 31-October-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Amongst the changing social expectations of suburbia in the 1990's, it was possible to put out a Jack o'Lantern and even decorate one's house and still have few or no local trick-or-treaters stop by, in particular if the weather was unseasonably cold or wet. On the other hand, one could simply leave the porch light on and get dozens of costumed youngsters. Therefore, it was not entirely predictable how many children would come to Roundhouse Park in Toronto, Ontario for a scary, after-dark train ride and treats.


The windows of Don Station in Toronto, Ontario were decorated with scary Halloween imagery on 31-October-2010

The Toronto Railway Heritage Centre was not going to be caught unprepared. Volunteer Bob Dickson led an extensive decoration of Roundhouse Park with holiday decorations. Halloween-themed music videos played inside Don Station, pumpkins of various sizes appeared along the tracks of the miniature railway, and a graveyard suddenly appeared in a desolate portion of the park.


A dancing skeleton entertained a child at Don Station in Toronto, Ontario on Halloween, 31-October-2010

For a day that started with snow showers, visitors to the park provided a reasonable stream of business for the miniature railway. A few came in costume and enjoyed the displays around the station, including a dancing skeleton that sang Halloween-themed music whenever anyone passed nearby.


A diesel-powered miniature railway train ran through the "graveyard" in Roundhouse Park set up for Halloween on 31-October-2010

The steam engine came out for the evening in the late afternoon, with cool temperatures allowing it to more visibly emit steam through the park. A few more children arrived in costume around dinnertime. When darkness came, though, the flow had stopped. This would be one of those nights without trick-or-treaters.


The miniature railway train sat amongst the ghosts and goblins in the graveyard of Roundhouse Park in Toronto, Ontario on 31-October-2010.

So, the gathered volunteers went to a backup plan--turning the evening into a night photo session. The steam train was posed amongst the various Halloween displays and in front of the light show put on by the CN Tower, with special attention paid to the graveyard.


The miniature railway train itself looked like a translucent ghost, as a timed exposure captured its departure from Don Station in Toronto, Ontario on 31-October-2010

Next year, with more publicity and likely a different plan, the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre will probably be again prepared for Halloween. For more coverage of this year, watch the TRHA web site.

Margin Notes: Halloween, Snow, Hawk, KPFA

The Toronto Railway Heritage Centre's miniature train paused in Roundhouse Park amongst gravestones and ghosts in the "graveyard" on 31-October-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - With no trick-or-treaters passing by after dark, the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre's run on Halloween night turned instead into a ghostly night photo session on the miniature railway. The train was posed at various decorated locations in the park, mostly notably a "graveyard" scene with headstones, ghosts, and artificial fog. More coverage of this event will be forthcoming in a future post.

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One of the first snow showers of the season brought snowflakes to the Halloween scene at Don Station in Toronto, Ontario on 31-October-2010

While the evening was cold and mostly sunny, today didn't start that way. I walked out of my residence into a snow storm, and the snow showers didn't subside until the afternoon, including the one captured above with the holiday decorations at Don Station in Toronto's Roundhouse Park.

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What may have been a red-tailed hawk flew high above the Don River in Toronto, Ontario on 27-October-2010

Just four days before, temperatures had been approaching twenty degrees, and I was treated to some wildlife I don't often see in the city as I spent time along the East Don River, including various woodpeckers and a chipmunk. The clear highlight was what appeared to be a red-tailed hawk which circled above the river for nearly a half-hour that day.

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Some might accuse the executives of Pacifica radio in the United States of being worse than hawks. The Pacifica network owns five stations across the country, and on Thursday announced plans to replace a quarter of paid staff at KPFA in Berkeley, California with volunteers, resulting in an outcry. Picketing is planned for this coming Thursday. The workers' perspective is covered here. KPFA has a long history of such disputes, and this blog will be watching this one.

Margin Notes: Chill, Houses, Grover, KGO

Wilson Lau ran the steam locomotive at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre on 24-October-2010, with the chilly air resulting in a nice plume of steam

TORONTO, ONTARIO - There has yet to be a low temperature below freezing this season in metropolitan Toronto, but temperatures have been creeping down, enough so that steam locomotives are much more spectacular. Locomotive #3 put off nice plumes of steam in the chilly weather all day today--and probably will again in its final weekend of operations for the season next Sunday, including the evening runs for Halloween--see TRHA web page for details as they become available.

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It's not cool temperatures but flooding that is the concern in New Orleans. A new floating house has been developed that normally sits at ground level but will rise to float if flooding occurs, as has been widely reported. Why weren't these brought to North America long ago?

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Perhaps everyone has been too busy watching Sesame Street's parody of the recent Old Spice commercials, "Smell Like A Monster." For those that have missed Grover imitating Isaiah Mustafa, check it out on YouTube, or check out this amusing re-mix.

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That skit will apparently not be a permanent fixture on Sesame Street, but KGO radio has made an interesting change in the San Francisco Bay Area. For some years, KUOW Seattle has made a practice of saying that various features would be coming up in "X minutes." As I heard while visiting the area, KGO hosts including Ronn Owens and Gil Gross have started saying that a topic will be coming back in, say, "3 minutes" before a commercial break, or "6 minutes" after the news. It sounds very weird on a commercial radio station.

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As a final note from my trip west, I should credit Virgin America airlines for actually delivering an orange juice shortly after I ordered it on the return trip, unlike on the initial trip. Apparently, the ordering system works after all.

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Finally, those into airline call signs may find it amusing to learn that Virgin America, a Burlingame, California-based airline, uses the call sign "Redwood." If you initially missed the double entendre, then you should be congratulated for having a clean mind.

Margin Notes: Autumn, Steam, Residue, Halladay

The view outside my own bedroom windows showed nice autumn colors in Toronto, Ontario on 15-October-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I'm always amused when the picture outside my own bedroom windows demonstrates something better than things I waked all the way across town to see. In this case, the state of autumn colors this week was best shown by the view out my window on Friday morning.

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Some of the wreaths from the Canada Day re-dedication of the Chinese Railway Workers' Memorial in Toronto, Ontario were still in place on 11-October-2010

It might be fall, but that wouldn't be obvious at the Chinese Railway Workers' Memorial in Toronto, Ontario. The memorial was the site of a Canada Day--that's 1-July--re-dedication ceremony, and wreaths from that ceremony were still sitting at the monument one week ago. Cleaning up the site is obviously a priority for Toronto workers.

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A timed exposure captured the departure of the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre's miniature train on a night test run on 11-October-2010

Speaking of railways, there are few things more thrilling than riding behind a steam locomotive after dark. The Toronto Railway Heritage Centre will be running after dark on Halloween, from about dusk to 8 pm, providing a chance to get such an experience, if on a smaller scale. For more details, watch the TRHA web site as the 31-October-2010 date approaches.

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The Toronto Railway Heritage Centre is near the Rogers Centre, where Roy Halladay used to pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. When Halladay recently pitched a perfect game in the playoffs for the Philadelphia Phillies, the positive buzz around Toronto was nearly as large as if he had done it for the Blue Jays. I'd like to make the case that it is the civility of Toronto fans, but I think this would have happened even in rapacious Boston. Halladay is such a personal class act that it is easy to cheer him on, even if he's playing for another team. This blog would like to add some belated congratulations to Halladay for his accomplishment.

Margin Notes: Fall, Analogies, Radke and Moe

The first tree I found this year almost completely devoid of green color was on Dundas Street West in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario on 22-September-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The season has officially turned from summer to autumn, and with it came the first tree full of fall color (er, colour). While technically summer still had a few hours remaining, I was already in fall mode when I noted an almost completely-yellow tree on Dundas Street West in the Junction neighbourhood last Wednesday afternoon.

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A raccoon peered from the side of a 1942-built steam locomotive as it was switched at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre on 26-September-2010

The start of fall means nightfall comes earlier, which helped facilitate a night photo session at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre this evening. I'm sure spectacular night photos from the session will be appearing around the Internet from the real photographers on hand; my favorite shot from the night is featured above. We have had evidence and second-hand accounts of raccoons taking up residence in former Canadian National steam locomotive #6213, and first-hand evidence was attained the form of those eyes peering out as the locomotive was switched onto the turntable. Abatement plans are being contemplated.

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The raccoons apparently mistook a locomotive for a home, but would you mistake a telephone for a baby? It doesn't seem so crazy after watching this week's Search Engine videocast from TVO.

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The other analogy that blew me away this week came from Daniel Kehlmann and host Christopher Lydon on the Open Source podcast. They discussed the analogy of the Internet as God--it might seem blasphemous, but if one believes in a passive deity, a lot of the descriptions prove to be the same.

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Combining the last two topics of technology and babies, is anyone else as dumbfounded by the IBM ad running before CBC video programming available on line lately? It shows a baby with its abdomen clearly breathing with the voiceover: "Here is a baby... a baby generating data..." When I see a baby, I can see a lot of things, but data generation is pretty much never on the list.

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Somehow, I doubt even journalists Bill Radke and John Moe, both known for their wit, would ever see the baby that way, either. The two seem to keep following each other around in the media world. I was introduced to both of them at KUOW-Seattle when they were still hosting their own local shows there, Rewind for Radke, The Works for Moe. Radke left for Los Angeles and became host of the nationally-syndicated show Weekend America, but was eventually replaced by Moe, who had moved to the Minnesota headquarters of program producer American Public Media. Radke then signed on to host Marketplace Morning Report, and now, with the re-naming this week of Future Tense as Marketplace Tech Report, both Radke and Moe are anchoring for the same Marketplace "brand" on American Public Media. Just once, I'd like to hear these two guys co-host the same program at the same time.

Margin Notes: Arts, Argonotes, Polls, Isom

A pair of artists carried their works toward their booths at the Queen West Art Crawl inside Trinity-Bellwoods Park in Toronto, Ontario on 19-September-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The last weekend of summer led to quite a few events along my routine walk downtown this morning. I passed through the Ukrainian Festival before it woke up for the day, through the heart of the Queen West Art Crawl (shown above) as set up was going on, and past the rush lines for the Toronto International Film Festival--quite an eventful walk.

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Argonotes performed on the rotating turntable of the John Street Roundhouse in Toronto, Ontario, before crossing the street to the Toronto Argonauts game on 19-September-2010

I was heading downtown to the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre, where there's no telling who will visit the exhibits on any given day. Today, the highlight was a visit from Argnotes, the band of the Toronto Argonauts, who decided to take a spin on the centre's 1929-era turntable before heading in to the Rogers Centre for the game.

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I missed the end of the Ukrainian Festival today (well, technically it's still going on a few blocks from here), but I have one more note to offer from yesterday. Of all the local politicians, the unseated Peggy Nash seemed to get louder applause than even current Member of Parliament Gerard Kennedy, and I wasn't standing anywhere near the people dressed in orange. This is a phenomenon I've noted before, but it didn't translate into votes in the last election.

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No Federal election has been called in Canada, but there's a mayoral race in Toronto and quite a lot of controversy about the Long Gun Registry. Probably as a result, I have been asked to participate in three Internet political polls in the last week, which has to be a record in my experience. I haven't seen the results released from any of them yet.

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I wasn't polled about Islam, yet I think the quote of the week has to go to activist Jacob Isom. After grabbing the liquid-soaked Qur'an off a barbecue in Texas where a radical Christian preacher was going to burn it, he reportedly told the preacher: "Dude, you have no Qur'an!"

Margin Notes: Dining Car, Steampunks, I-Lean

Arno Martens and Michael Guy enjoyed the first meal aboard the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre's dining car on 28-August-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Those wandering through Roundhouse Park in Toronto, Ontario this weekend were treated to an unusual sight--an approximately one-eighth scale dining car in use on the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre's miniature railway. The car debuted this weekend. The first meal? Barbecued hamburgers and water--what did you expect, wine and cheese?

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A group of steampunks (note the steam-powered gun at left) gathered at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre in Toronto, Ontario on 29-August-2010

Across the street from Roundhouse Park, FanExpo Canada was going on at the Convention Centre. That can result in some interesting comic book characters running around, particularly when FanExpo becomes so crowded that some cannot get inside. This year, the only significant spillover to Roundhouse Park, appropriately enough, were a large group of steampunks. Could there be a more fitting place for steampunks than a place where steam engines were in operation?

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Some in Washington state must be thinking they would be better off if they had a steam-powered ferry. The new ferry Chetzemoka's acute vibration problems were apparently solved by a software change this week, but the vessel suffers from a multitude of other design issues, large and small; read this thread on the West Coast Ferries forum for details. Amongst the issues is a four degree list, which has led to the ferry's new nickname--"I-Lean" or "Eileen." Eileen is still on target to replace Bob in a few weeks. Bob, of course, is the Steilacoom II leased from Pierce County--so nicknamed because of its propensity to bob in the rough waters of Admiralty Inlet.

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Water is central to Harry Shearer's new film, The Big Uneasy, about the flooding that caused the damage in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina passed through. The only problem is, Shearer's key point in the whole film, that the problem was flooding, not the hurricane, has been rejected by NPR. As told this week on Shearer's weekly radio show, LeShow, he wanted to buy underwriting announcements for his new film, but NPR claimed that only factually incorrect wording for the announcement would be acceptable. Anyone that believes that Shearer is some powerful influence at NPR or that NPR is not corporate radio should give his story some close attention.

Margin Notes: Inukshuks, Flags, Webs, Ladders

Inukshuks are everywhere! One was found at the base of the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario on 3-June-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - In the wake of those games held out in Vancouver earlier this year, Inukshuks seem to have proliferated. Used as a symbol of those games, the stone landmarks used by Arctic peoples have become the latest fad. Now, there's even one at the base of the CN Tower in Toronto, noted above.

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The World Cup is coming! A Brazilian flag was displayed on this vehicle parked on Windermere in Toronto, Ontario on 5-June-2010, a sight soon to become widespread in the city

A more mobile sight is set to take over Toronto. As the World Cup (of soccer) is set to begin on Friday, people have started to follow the tradition of showing their loyalties by displaying flags on their cars. I saw my first such "World Cup car," a fan of Brazil, during the annual walk through the Swansea neighbourhood of Toronto yesterday.

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A well-formed spider web was found near the coupler of a diesel locomotive at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre in Toronto, Ontario on 26-May-2010

Not everything moves. Some of the diesel locomotives at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre have remained in the same location for weeks on end, and as we prepared for the centre's opening at the end of May, one of my fellow volunteers came across the above nearly-perfect spider web near the coupler of the locomotive.

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An old LaFrance ladder truck was visible through the open door of Toronto Fire Station 422 on Jane Street on 1-June-2010

Another thing that may not have moved since I moved to Toronto is the above old LaFrance fire truck at Fire Station 422 on Jane Street near Dundas. The truck has been visible through the doors, and I have long waited for the doors to be opened so that the truck could be seen. On the evening of 1-June-2010, one door was open, affording the view seen above that revealed, amongst other things, that the truck has a flat tire. No fire fighters came out to greet me, so I couldn't get a closer tour or any additional information.

Photos: Doors Open at Roundhouse Park

Roundhouse Park in Toronto, Ontario was more crowded than usual during Doors Open Toronto on 29-May-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update to my photo site features the grand opening of the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre. Doors Open Toronto 2010 was the scene for the first public opening of the full range of displays at Roundhouse Park in Toronto, Ontario. A wide range of activities were available, from locomotive simulators to hand car rides to the newly-restored Cabin D and Don Station to the ever-popular miniature railway on 29-30-May-2010.

Photos: Roundhouse Retrospective

The interior of the John Street Roundhouse was viewed on 15-May-2010, as preparation for Doors Open 2010 continued.

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This weekend, during Doors Open Toronto on 29-30-May-2010, the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre will open with rides on the new miniature railway and tours of the museum stalls of the John Street Roundhouse. In anticipation of that event, this week's update to my photo site shows some of the work performed in Roundhouse Park from January to May 2010, including the miniature railway, a Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo caboose, locomotive simulators, cranes, and more.

Transport: Testing the Miniature Railway

The "locomotive team" of Dave Wetherald, Arno Martens, Michael Guy, and Mike Salisbury looked over the "Sweet Creek" locomotive as it sat on the miniature railway turntable in Toronto's Roundhouse Park on 23-April-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The culmination of more than a year of effort came yesterday as the miniature railway in Toronto's Roundhouse Park was tested for the first time using its own steam locomotive, Toronto Railway Heritage Centre #3, named the "Sweet Creek." While the tracks had been tested using a volunteer-owned "diesel" locomotive on New Year's Day and the "Sweet Creek" itself had tested on an initial section of track last July, this was the first chance to see how the railway would perform in the form that will soon greet the public.


Mike Salisbury watched carefully as Michael Guy ran the "Sweet Creek" past the Toronto Convention Centre for the first time in Roundhouse Park on 23-April-2010

The testing came off as successfully as anyone could hope. The very first time we hooked up passengers cars for the trip around the approximately half-mile figure-eight, we ran a complete circuit without incident. A few minor issues were encountered that can be corrected in the track and on the locomotive itself, but it was clear that if we needed to run tomorrow, we could do so.


The first train run by the "Sweet Creek" through Roundhouse Park passed Don Station, which was undergoing restoration work on 23-April-2010

As always, a train in the park brought out kids from all over--but this test run brought out the adults as well, especially locals such as the Steam Whistle Brewing employees that had watched as the railway was constructed, mostly last summer and fall. They were out to offer their congratulations.


This view from 23-April-2010 will soon be publicly available--seeing the crossing shanty and the base of the CN Tower from behind a miniature steam locomotive in Toronto's Roundhouse Park

The first public event for the railway will be Doors Open Toronto on 29-30 May 2010. Come out and visit us then!

Transport: Stuck in Toronto

TORONTO, ONTARIO - When the volunteers of the Toronto Railway Historical Association work on the track of the miniature railway located in Roundhouse Park across the from the CN Tower, it is not uncommon for a family to watch our activities. If we are working around a piece of full-size equipment, it is routine for us to offer to take a picture for them, move a fence to create a better photo angle, or generally engage in conversation.

Today, there were several families with young children who paid attention as we re-laid the very first track laid in the park to our contemporary standards and added the last switch on the mainline. One young boy was especially taken with the large steam locomotive, Canadian National #6213, behind a fence in the park. At some point, his family was invited inside the fence to pose with the locomotive.

It soon came out that the family was stuck in Toronto because of the current flight bans over Europe as a result of the volcano eruption in Iceland. (Is anyone else amused that almost no news agencies refer to the volcano by name, which is to say Eyjafjallajokull?) Having to stay here on an extra Monday, they were wondering what to do, and headed for the CN Tower, then noticed a roundhouse with a bunch of railroad equipment across the street.

The father seemed rather serene about the whole scenario. "These guys need to get to school," he stated, gesturing to his sons, "I need to get to work. But, we can't fly back right now." There are thousands of people in Europe and wanting to travel to Europe in the same predicament, many of them bleeding money from scarce accommodations where they are located and multiple re-booking fees.

Somehow, there seemed an irony in looking at historical transportation equipment--which never could have gotten them to their destination even when it was in operation--while waiting for the modern transportation system to become operational again. Hopefully, as winds and the eruption shift, the planes will start flying and start bringing the world back to normal.

Margin Notes: Perspective, Ghandi, Napoleon

Dan Garcia peered through the number boards of a F7 locomotive cab that he was turning into a simulator at the John Street Roundhouse in Toronto, Ontario on 10-April-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - While not possible to apply in all situations, I've always been a big believer that how one manages to frame a subject in a photograph is often more important than the subject itself. A classic example presented itself yesterday in a volunteer session at the John Street Roundhouse. Seeing Dan Garcia at work on the locomotive simulator has become rather routine in recent months, but seeing him through the number boards of the locomotive--that made a nice photograph.

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I haven't been taking many photographs lately, as the record temperatures of last weekend gave way not just to spring showers, but actual wind-swept snow flurries as I walked through the neighbourhood Wednesday evening. Spring tends to be the season that can't decide what it wants to do--one day it's winter, one day it's summer, but it's not very often actually spring.

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Spring may traditionally be a time of hope, but not for Arundhati Roy, a recent guest on the Open Source podcast. Amongst her profound, but not particularly inspiring, comments was "Ghandi was India's first NGO... It took a lot of money to keep that man poor."

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Sticking with history, leave it to John Yemma, editor of the Christian Science Monitor, to point out in a recent column that what I have called Glitch's Razor actually originated with Napoleon, translated as: "Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence." From now on, I'll call it Napoleon's Razor.

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History sounds better than politics to me right now. Between discussions of a new Governor General in Canada, more maneuvering in the Toronto mayoral race, the recent scandal surrounding now-former Conservative cabinet minister Helena Guergis, and the prospect of a political fight over a Supreme Court nominee in the United States, I have discovered that I have no appetite for political stories at this juncture. Wake me up when a real campaign starts.

Margin Notes: Photos, Chetzy, Weather

Are these locomotives hungry, or did we invite them for dinner? Two locomotives owned by the city of Toronto, Ontario were posed just outside the Leon's furniture store in the John Street Roundhouse for a photo shoot on 20-March-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I spent the first half of the day yesterday orchestrating the movement of Toronto Railway Heritage Centre equipment for a photo shoot at John Street Roundhouse, and then putting the pieces back in their places afterward. It took a team of five of us to move the three locomotives and various maintenance equipment into the appropriate positions outside Leon's furniture store for a requested photo shoot from inside the store. It certainly led to a unique sight, with three very distinct locomotive faces peering inside the store, as if they were shoppers wanting to be allowed inside.

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Speaking of transportation pictures, the new Washington state ferry "Chetzemoka" has been launched at Todd shipyards in Seattle, Washington. A variety of photos are posted on this thread on the West Coast Ferries Forum. It seems believable that the vessel may enter service on the Port Townsend-Keystone route this summer, allowing the state to return the "Steilacoom II" leased from Pierce County.

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It's hard to look ahead to summer when the temperatures are heading downward again in Toronto. After temperatures reached 18.5 C on Thursday (that's 65 F), there were actually snow flurries on Saturday and it is expected to freeze tonight. Spring may have officially started yesterday, but it already visited and has decided to leave for awhile.

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Whether it feels like spring or not, Earth Hour is coming next weekend. From 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time across the world, various cities and civic groups are calling for people to turn out lights and other energy-using appliances and walk with their neighbours for an hour on Saturday, 27-March-2010.

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Graffiti or art? This painting was located on a pedestrian bridge over the Humber River in Toronto, Ontario on 11-March-2010

This guy isn't going anywhere, nor is he going to do anything for Earth Hour. This resemblance of a monk has been painted on a bridge pillar at the Humber River for some time now, and has been the subject of debates of whether it is art or graffiti. One thing it isn't--unless there's a new gang centered on Buddhism--is an example of tagging.

Photos: F7 Cab Move in Toronto

The F7 cab was moved inside the John Street Roundhouse in Toronto, Ontario on 5-December-2009

PORTLAND, OREGON - On 5-December-2009, the F7 cab that will be used for a rail simulator was moved inside the John Street Roundhouse, capping off a big year for moves of equipment to the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Also included in this update to my photo site are pictures from the cab's arrival on 4-December-2009 and pictures from the work session on 5-December-2009.

Margin Notes: Displays, Subway Trees, H0H 0H0

The Toronto Railway Historical Association's former Canadian National GP7 displayed red and green lights for the holidays on 28-November-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Between the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train and the CBC Sounds of the Season, I am finally starting to feel like it is the holiday season. Holiday decorations are spreading; the CN Tower is displaying only red and green in its top-of-the-hour light shows at night, and the Alex Ling fountain is covered with a tree in my neighbourhood. Even the Toronto Railway Historical Association got into the act, mounting red and green lights on a locomotive displayed outside the roundhouse. Unfortunately, the scene shown above lasted only a few minutes, as some of the solar-charged lights rapidly quit shining.

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Canadian Christmases are apparently rather austere, if the store windows like this one at The Bay in downtown Toronto, Ontario were any indication on 5-December-2009

The recession seems to be the excuse for a lot of repeat holiday decorations at many retailers, so I have yet to find any store windows that really impressed me. Especially disappointing are the windows along Yonge Street at the Hudson's Bay Company (The Bay) downtown store, the location of some quite creative displays over the years. This year, while there are some rather different Christmas trees made from antler-shaped materials, these windows are mostly just mannequins wearing winter clothing that could pass for a February display. They even dropped the corner toy display with G-scale trains that had been a regular scene for several years. If you come to downtown to see window displays, don't count on being impressed at The Bay this year.

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Some people hop on the subway in Toronto not to visit store windows, but to get a Christmas tree. Despite living in cities with many transit-dependent residents for more than a decade, it was not until this year that I noticed people carrying trees on the subway. There seems to be an unwritten rule on the TTC that the trees are treated like bicycles, and only allowed during off-peak hours. In addition, I saw someone wheeling a tree home using a small grocery cart down Dundas Street West last week. Not having a car is no excuse not to have a tree here.

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There's no excuse not to write Santa Claus here, either, as Canada Post will deliver letters to the North Pole. For some reason, I had not noticed the postal code that Canada Post uses for the North Pole until this year--H0H 0H0. If I understand the Canadian system correctly, this means that the North Pole's ho-ho-ho code places it somewhere in the outskirts of Montreal, Quebec--not exactly where I thought the North Pole was located!

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At least there's been snow on the ground around Montreal this year. Toronto did not receive snow the entire month of November for the first time since records started being kept at the airport in 1937. I'm not complaining--especially since all the long-term forecasts still call for a very snowy winter and winter doesn't officially start for two more weeks.