As some of you know...I am lucky enough to have the Canadian National Toronto to Windsor Corridor at the edge of my backyard. It is a busy line and you get used to looking up when you hear the rumble to catch the consists. Even at night they lull you to sleep or mark the time. However, it has been unusually quiet here due to the current labour unrest. Conductors are on strike and management are operating the trains. The job action at present does not currently affect GO Transit and VIA...yet. So far the VIA trains are still running on time. The silence, resulting from the absence of the usual freight traffic, however is deafening. You really miss the sound when it's not there. I suppose the only rail freight traffic I'll see is at the N Scale Club tomorrow ight. I suppose I better run something really big.
Withdrawal can be painful. I had the same problem for six months after Hurricane Katrina while CSX was repairing their New Orleans to Mobile line.
The Northeast Corridor with Accella "Swoosh", Metroliner "shig, shig, shg" and Commuter Rail rumble rumble is 40 feet from my window. Trying to sleep other places can get strange.
Eureka !- the first freight since I got home from work just slowly idled by and came to a standstill. 2 SD60M's and an SD75 with a mixed consist waiting for a green going westbound. We are in the midst of a MAJOR snowstorm (first one all winter in this part of Southern Ontario) so I could barely make out the illuminated #'s on the lead unit only 200 feet away. The peacefulness of a train in winter.....aaahhhhh
