Profile Page for Stephen C. Host


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About Stephen C. Host


I've been into photography since 2001 - but like many others grew up interested in all things railway from an early age. I reside in Guelph, Ontario, Canada and currently use two cameras: Nikon D800, and a Nikon D90 (Backup or videos only). Prior Nikon cameras include D60, D70 and D100, and a F65 for when I dabbled in Film (Kodachrome/Fuji Velvia and Provia). Lenses used tend to be either 70-200 F/2.8, 50mm/1.8, or 16-35 F4 (Until 2016) and a 18-35 F/4-5.6 (2016+). I acquired a 80-400 Nikkor which I've been playing with and after some trial and error and a free repair by Nikon it is producing nice sharp results. Professionally - I am an Engineer (P. Eng. - Computer) for a large automotive concern. I also freelance as a photographer with the Canadian Press and their affiliates (AP/etc.) since 2009.

Stephen C. Host's Railpictures.ca photo upload statistics


Number of images: 1467
Total gold: 16846
Number of comments recieved : 4969
Number of comments posted : 7652
Total views: 2343454


Stephen C. Host has the #4 all time image on railpictures.ca!
Stephen C. Host has the #27 all time image on railpictures.ca!
* Note: Placement on the Top all time image list is subject to change. Taken from the 'Top Shots' page measured by number of favourites


Stephen C. Host has won Editors Choice 1 time




Stephen C. Host has 6 images in the Time Machine


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Stephen C. Host's 1467 photos on Railpictures.ca:


The OBRY's "snow Train" with CP GP9 8249 in charge about to run around the train in Snelgrove before heading back long hood forward to Orangeville. This was an amazing event and to think only about 4-5 of us were out photographing this.. today - this would be far far busier. <br><br> The short form of the story is this: After CCGX 4009 died earlier in the week, CP had to loan a unit to the OBRY to continue their operation. Also, on the weekends, the "snow train" was scheduled to run. A CP Geep on a passenger train? I had to go see this for myself. What made this train extra special is the OBRY had a dome and a fourth coach (RDC-9) on site, the train line was frozen, thawing it out was not working (it was very cold) so instead of switching everything out the 4009 and the dome had to go along for the ride. One of the coaches was even painted in CN on one side for a movie shoot <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=22241 target=_blank> "as seen in this picture"(click to see)</a> Unfortunately the CN side was only sunny for this one shot. But the views were nothing short of <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=20690 target=_blank> Breathtaking (Forks of the credit - click to see)</a> as usual. It's a shame this line is done for, it would have made an amazing tourist line.<br><br> The 8249 died that day and CP had to send another unit - so they sent brand new 2267 and, a week later, <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=13819 target=_blank>I had to be there to see it lead the train again.</a>. Two years later CP would loan another ECO and it would be used in freight service for a couple weeks. It never happened again. After Trillium took over the CP loaner agreement was still in place but it was never needed and of course, Mayor Brown killed the railway at all costs with the <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=47413 target=_blank>Last train in December 2021 (Lion Liu)</a>. Lots more on this site if you want to find more - we covered this line a lot. Regular OBRY hogger <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/author/runeight target=_blank> Steve Bradley</a> has photos going back a few decades on his profile. Check it out.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 2/15/2014
Location: Snelgrove
Province: Ontario
Comments | 10 Favourites
A boring leader on an otherwise not so boring day. Check out the two trailing units. I think I only saw 3 of those things. An hour after this train i'd chase <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=9012 target=_blank>this one north</a>. Oh to go back.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 10/16/2005
Location: Hamilton
Province: Ontario
Comments | 12 Favourites
Located on the border of Thorold and Niagara Falls, two chemical plants exist having been born to make explosives for the war. Both facilities now produce highly toxic chemicals that is all the news in Ohio, as this plant produces Vinyl Chloride used in plastics manufacture. There's a very good reason these plants are miles from civilization. For us rail fan types, we seek out these things for the locomotives and this is one of my all time favorites - former <a href= http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=44416 target=_blank>Stelco 6089, SW900 built for Stelco in 1964</a> which I would see <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=28585 target=_blank> a couple times</a> can now be found here fairly frequently. I'm not sure if this unit is in daily service because it seems LTEX 1084 is sharing duties. Roll the dice, pay the place a visit and see what you find. Just stay on the road, the crews are a bit jumpy at photographers being nearby.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Industrial
Date: 2/1/2023
Location: Niagara Falls
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 13 Favourites
The unmistakable silhouette of a GP9 rolls east over the Grand River in Galt Ontario nearly 10 years ago. The divide between day and night is a losing game for the golden hues of a setting sun, fire reds of a sailors delight contrast with the blues of darkening sky for a few brief moments. T69 crosses the scene, rushing to Guelph Junction with hot cars for the Ontario Southland before racing back home to London in complete darkness.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 6/19/2013
Location: Galt
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 13 Favourites
With Stelco looming in the background, the Hamilton yard 0800 job is about to lift gondolas from Sunrise metals while RLK 4003 waits for it's next role. Parked after the Southern Ontario Railway lost their lease in December 2018, 4003 would be re-activated by the Lambton Diesel Services folks in 2022 and is now <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=50734 target=_blank>painted for GIO Rail. (Mooney)</a>
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Southern Ontario R…
Date: 12/12/2021
Location: Hamilton
Province: Ontario
1 Comments | 9 Favourites
Nova 902, a nice SW900 still with original EMD number plate on the side sits at Nova Corunna between assignments. Two locomotives are normally assigned to Corunna but this is not it : 902 is used as a floater to go between Nova's three (at the time, now four) plants in town. Between these plants there are now 8 Nova locomotives in Sarnia, and all are assigned to the facilities directly except 902.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Industrial
Date: 6/13/2020
Location: Corunna
Province: Ontario
Comments | 14 Favourites
An extra 542 from Kitchener with just a single GP9's working Guelph on the east leg of the wye on a beautifully warm fall day. October 2022 was just a gorgeous month with great colour. In the background is Guelph Twine, a long time Guelph rail using customer (many decades) and still gets cars today.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 10/09/2022
Location: Guelph
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 24 Favourites
There were very few blue sky snowy days in Ontario this winter, pictured was one of them, L542 is blasting eastward through Mosborough by a rural stone farm with "unique" 4136 taking the charge. Its been an awfully grey, rainy, and snow melting winter and it may just be finished already in 2022/2023 in early February. I wish we had more days like this.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 2/3/2023
Location: Mosborough
Province: Ontario
6 Comments | 17 Favourites
I took my kids to Comic Con on the 26'th and after lining up to see William Shatner I went to my own event as the only participant of the 'con to do so. I was nerding out, not really because of the comic stuff, that was for my kids, but for what's surrounding the place as you see pictured :) Ticket in hand to be on the grounds, I took whatever photos I could given that I usually don't have much time for it when I'm visiting Toronto. Just as #2 departed a GO train came eastward with an old cab car and ended up in the perfect spot for a photo as they both moved past each other. At the far right is VIA Train 47 waiting to depart for Mimico after letting everyone off, a true 'three train' meet. I'd have to head back in soon as we had our next event lined up and I had to find my kids in that smelly godforsaken place that, well, everyone surprisingly had fun at. This was *my* souvenir for the day though :)
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: VIA Rail
Date: 8/26/2022
Location: Toronto
Province: Ontario
7 Comments | 17 Favourites
GEXR 583 switches lower yard in the early afternoon on a rare, for this winter and Ontario, sunny day. We've had about 4 sunny days in the last month or so... that's it. Also note the plastic hopper car being switched, it's brand new.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Goderich-Exeter
Date: 1/16/2023
Location: Guelph
Province: Ontario
Comments | 12 Favourites
The 0700 has called the RTC for a light of the "hole" and is proceeding "west" toward Hamilton yard with a fairly untouched GP38-2 standard cab leading, original bell and all. A truck heading to GFL Environmental is about to pull in. I worked for Philip Services in the summer of '98 who did metals and environmental cleanup and they are everywhere in the north end of Hamilton to this day, but philip services, which once had about 20 facilities in Hamilton alone is not to be found.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 12/13/2021
Location: Hamilton
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 7 Favourites
These locomotives seem to have had a love/hate relationship on the OSR. Some folks liked them. Some hated them. Crews, that is, but the railfans probably the same. (Did you love/hate them? comment below). Purchased for the Food Terminal that was supposed to go on the former Turfgrass/York District lands in Guelph in the early 2000's, it would not come to pass (surprise surprise). Billed as an agri-food hub, the terminal was supposed to get unit trains of reefers from western USA to be distributed to Canada's largest markets by truck. OSR was stuck with these and they retained their obvious BC Rail heritage all the way to the end. Sold off in May 2020 to the Sartigan Railway who would waste no time painting them. <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=50135 target=_blank>(Check out this Beautiful Michael Berry shot though!)</a> <br><br>It's 5:20 and I left work, thank god with my camera in hand (I don't do that very often) and found them just down the road in beautiful evening fall light as they switched the former Sanimax spur. Sanimax built the spur around 2009 but left a few years later and the owner of the property leases the spur to GJR for car storage. The place (still today) is only switched about once a month or two to retrieve cars for the customer as needed.. and in the afternoon faces the sun perfectly.. at peak fall? I suddenly liked these things. I wasn't a big fan honestly, but the BC Rail heritage grows on me.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Ontario Southland
Date: 10/18/2019
Location: Guelph
Province: Ontario
2 Comments | 15 Favourites
Glory days when five GP38-2's power the Wolverton Hagey turn on a beautiful November day in 2019. Most of the time this job has two or three units, but not five. One was set off for T98 to lift the next day (for the Hagey yard job) and the rest went both ways.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Canadian Pacific
Date: 11/23/2019
Location: Galt
Province: Ontario
Comments | 15 Favourites
I was staring at <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=50810 target=_blank>Dan's post from his collection</a> thinking this looks really familiar.. then it clicked. I had done something very similar in pretty much the same location a few years ago. While I assume Dan's photo is on the GO side of Mimico, all the changes there over the years confuse me. Feel free to let me know where Dan's photo is relative to mine as mine was on the east side of TMC. Pictured is the VIA RDC "deadline" which has since been gutted/sold/removed. I was on assignment for the day to VIA Rail and took the opportunity to get a tour of the grounds while in the area. Taken with full permission of course. While I wish for sun, <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=24154 target=_blank>it came out later in the day</a> while I was still around. I think the high vantage point was a much better choice than ground level despite the rarity of me getting permission to be there.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: VIA Rail
Date: 3/15/2016
Location: Toronto (Mimico)
Province: Ontario
3 Comments | 13 Favourites
Train #8, the final run of the day is reversing back to the shop to park with all runs completed. Recently released and repainted WCR 1012 nee CNR 1437 looks immaculate given it was only weeks from being released. This unit is occasionally used on tourist trains but due to high fuel cost the MLW's are preferred.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Waterloo Central
Date: 3/12/2022
Location: St Jacobs
Province: Ontario
3 Comments | 18 Favourites
GEXR 582 is struggling up grade at Arkell as they tow about 25 cars south toward Guelph Junction on a beautiful fall day with foliage in the area at their peak of browns and reds.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Goderich-Exeter
Date: 10/11/2022
Location: Arkell
Province: Ontario
3 Comments | 11 Favourites
CN L542 rolls back toward home base in Kitchener light power as a storm bears down on Southern Ontario. Posting this on Christmas Eve 2022, so from my family to yours I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, along with Health and Happiness to you and yours in 2023.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Grand Trunk Wester…
Date: 12/23/2022
Location: Guelph
Province: Ontario
6 Comments | 15 Favourites
Ahh... when we had <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=34451 target=_blank>back to back years</a> of a D&H painted unit on the Spray train in Ontario, 7303 was scrapped and no longer on the roster. Crazy eh? We owe someone in Calgary a real nice present for this - thanks whoever you are!<br><br>Waiting on the Spray train to depart the Junction, a light power 240 goes by on the mainline, the time is 0650 and you had to be up and at 'em early to get this bird. Worth it as most of us hadn't shot D&H paint before.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Delaware and Hudso…
Date: 5/23/2017
Location: Campbellville
Province: Ontario
4 Comments | 13 Favourites
Train 390 blasts out of the Sarnia tunnel with two SD40-2's, one a former GEC Alstom GCFX (re-letterd WC with white CN Logo) and an IC. The IC was supposed to lead this train but they swapped it before entering Canada. Rats. Reference from FPON Groups.io <a href=https://groups.io/g/FPON/message/2762 target=_blank>here</a>. According to the late and great Ken Lanovich: "I was wondering how far IC 6017 would lead. The only IC units equipped with safety devices (alerter-RSC) are the GE`s."
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Canadian National
Date: 1/2/2007
Location: Sarnia
Province: Ontario
3 Comments | 12 Favourites
There were 50 people gathered in the yard, about half the people were locals and employees, the other half were photographers from out of town. We could walk anywhere we wanted, but not run, as the head of safety for GIO was on site and making sure people behaved, but they knew the occasion that was before them and let us walk anywhere we wanted within reason. The crew and employees are on the platform having a chat waiting for the Mayor to arrive to have a media event - he never came (He got word of the middle fingerand his name painted on one of the last freight cars), but thanks to the Mayor's tardiness and no show we got lots of time to get our last shots of the last train to depart Orangeville as the sun danced in and out between clouds. Thanks to the Mayor, we were able to photograph a "last train" - it's all thanks to him. Thanks Mayor Brown! (I'm being a bit sarcastic here, but also being a bit real). It's been exactly one year, and all the rails in Orangeville, save for a small bit where a ballast hopper remains, is all that is left. Tracks south of town remain in place until Region of Peel and their subordinates (Caledon, Brampton, Mississauga) figure out how to remove everything.
Name: Stephen C. Host
Railway: Orangeville-Brampt…
Date: 12/18/2021
Location: Orangeville
Province: Ontario
4 Comments | 12 Favourites
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