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Profile Page for Paul O'Shell

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About Paul O'Shell

Started my railroad career at CN in 1969 and retired from the industry 49 years later on March 1, 2018. I use a Nikon D7200 (Nikkor 18-140mm, 55-300mm & 80-400mm), a Sony DSC WX-50, a JVC GZ-HM320BU camcorder, and scan with an Epson V550. Enjoy my contributions. Be safe.

Paul O'Shell's Railpictures.ca photo upload statistics

Number of images: 148
Total gold: 780
Number of comments recieved : 174
Number of comments posted : 175
Total views: 225417

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Paul O'Shell's 148 photos on Railpictures.ca:

Since there is a bit of a TH&B crane theme going on as of late, I offer up this photo of TH&B X-755 that I snapped in the early summer of 1974. This crane is an American Hoist & Derrick model 830 DE (30 ton capacity), serial number J-3066, delivered new to the railroad in January of 1952. When new, it was equipped with a GM 6-71 diesel engine producing 145 hp at 1600 rpm, a 50' 2-piece boom with a 15' removable extension, a 20" double sheave hook block, a tagline winder, outriggers, a cab heater, lights, and, a windshield wiper. When CP acquired the TH&B, X-755 went to their Work Equipment Department and became CP 414226. It received CP's standard locomotive crane paint scheme of black on black on black (carbody, upper structure, and boom).

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Toronto Hamilton a…
Date:	Summer 1974
Location:	Hamilton
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 10 Favourites

In contrast to Mr. Thomson's photo of Ontario Northland's Jordan spreader ONT 528 sandwiched between two boxcars at Cochrane, ON, here is sister machine ONT 529, sn 888, blt 1957, also a Type A, but with straight side wings, low front blade, and front operators cab. It is also sandwiched between two boxcars, only this one's in North Bay, ON.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Ontario Northland
Date:	09/24/2014
Location:	North Bay
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 4 Favourites

I snapped AC 9521 in Oba, ON 14 months after Mr. Mooney shot sister AC 9520 at Hawk Jct.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Algoma Central
Date:	11/00/1976
Location:	Oba
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 9 Favourites

Further to Mr. Mooney's photo of Sulphur Springs station and the two pieces of equipment on display taken November 14, 1983, here is a close-up view of the CN & CP units that still reside at the location 34 years later. The CN baggage car is ex-CN 15844 oil electric Doodle Bug built by NSC in 1931. The coach is ex-CP Business car CP 3 'Manitoba' built in 1929.

Name:	Terry O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	6/28/2017
Location:	Dundas
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 9 Favourites

On a cold and crisp December 18, 2001 I was in Hornepayne, ON putting a new snow clearing machine into service for CN. After going through basic training with the operator and mechanics I wandered around the yard to snap a few photos. While the weather was not cooperating with adequate lighting or warmth, I made the best of my time capturing what I could because it was quite evident that with each passing year there would be less and less to shoot in the once thriving division point. The two roll up doors on the end of the house provide access to the Work Equipment repair area where MOW machines are serviced, repaired, and often stored during the winter. The two silver roll up doors seen in the middle of the photo provide access to the under roof turntable within this unique structure.
A great view of the turntable can be had by viewing Craig Allen's photo from 01/01/2000 http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=13460
From where I was standing to take this shot of the roundhouse, I turned 180 degrees to capture this view of the deteriorating Hornepayne station http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=20428
I'm guessing that 16 years later in 2017 the entire area looks even more depressing.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	12/18/2001
Location:	Hornepayne
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 10 Favourites

The only thing left of the former CN Cayuga Sub where the Jarvis, ON station once sat is a little bit of overgrown roadbed behind the new Tim Horton's coffee shop. It is quite a dramatic change from the image presented in Arnold Mooney's January 1980 photo from almost the same vantage point 37 years earlier.<a href="http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=28074"> Click Here For Arnolds Photo </a>

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	09/24/2017
Location:	Jarvis
Province:	Ontario

10 Comments | 7 Favourites

Before hi-rail vehicles were common place at CN, Engineering field supervisors in most departments were assigned a car or truck to perform their duties. This 1976 Dodge D-100 Club Cab Custom was the daily driver for the Roadmaster (my Dad) in Jarvis, ON. The club cab was a Dodge innovation in 1973 and made it the work truck of choice for a number of years with all that 'extra space'. There were no creature comforts in these company assigned vehicles. Bench seat, manual windows, no A/C, no cruise control, and no cab insulation. A bare bones work truck. I added the roof top revolving light that I brough over from the Work Equipment shop at Danforth (Scarborough, ON) and remember the mounting bolts protruding right into the cabin because there was no headliner!

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	Spring 1976
Location:	Jarvis
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 14 Favourites

I captured Cartier X-24 at the Port Cartier shop complex 11 years ago today. This unit is a Jordan Type A 3-175, s/n 900, built in 1960 with medium front blade, straight side wings, front cab, high rear platform and pneumatic cylinders. X-24 was parked nose to tail with sister X-23, s/n 899, built 1960 that has been highly modified from its original look as seen at http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=5712

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Cartier
Date:	March 28, 2006
Location:	Port Cartier
Province:	Quebec

Comments | 8 Favourites

CN 1324 idles away behind the Burlington, ON station on this warm June day in 1976. Sad that only a couple of these CN SW1200's are still in use today in Ontario.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	June 1976
Location:	Burlington
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 13 Favourites

On this dreary May 1975 afternoon, C&O GL6 sits patiently outside the roundhouse in St. Thomas, ON hoping for something to do before someone decides it no longer has any use. This Jordan spreader was built around 1924 and is a standard 2-180, translating to center cab, low front blade, articulated side wings and pneumatic cylinders. It is an early front braced riveted design, and may have been rebuilt from a knuckle type unit.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Chesapeake and Ohi…
Date:	May 1975
Location:	St. Thomas
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 9 Favourites

A major component of keeping the roadbed clean and able to properly drain is ballast undercutting. Back in the 80's, 90's and 2000's, CN had several Plasser RM-76 UHR ballast undercutters across the system. CN 50553, s/n 203, built in 1981 is seen here sitting in the Transcona Work Equipment Yard after a long season of undercutting, waiting its turn to go through the shop for necessary repairs before once again heading out for another work program.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	12/11/2002
Location:	Transcona (Winnipe…
Province:	Manitoba

3 Comments | 6 Favourites

40 years after Mr. Mooney's recently submitted photo of ONR's North Bay, ON shop complex, I snapped this shot from a similar location which captures some of the changes to the buildings and grounds over the intervening years. The main shop buildings have been extended, the turntable relocated, and some track realignments to mention a few.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Ontario Northland
Date:	9/2/2015
Location:	North Bay
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 5 Favourites

I remember taking this photo like it was yesterday! After having spent a number of years on regional rail and tie renewal gangs, I decided to change it up a bit by bidding the Great Lakes Regions only hi-rail excavator at the time. This Gradall G-660 had been modified by Warner & Swasey with motor grader tires to give it the clearance needed to adapt a very heavy set of hi-rail wheels to each end of the unit. The rear axle set was direct drive to the rail wheels through a pto from the 10 speed manual transmission. The machine clocked in at 68,000 lbs. and had a boom tip reach of 35 feet from center of rotation. It was quite the rig to move around some of the small Ontario towns I worked in during 1974 and 1975. The remote control drive and steering from the upper cab made for some second looks when working the machine off the tracks. I last saw the unit in the work equipment shop in Moncton, NB in 1987. Both of which are no more. And the same goes for my 1973 Duster parked along side the unit.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	July 1974
Location:	Fort Erie
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 9 Favourites

A trio of locomotives led by CP 5826 charges out of a tunnel with a lengthy train behind as it climbs the grade east of Field, BC on a beautiful spring day in May of 1983.

Name:	Terry O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	May 1983
Location:	East of Field
Province:	British Columbia

1 Comments | 8 Favourites

LRC locomotive Via 6913 is about to cross Colbourne St. as it leads four coaches out of London, ON and becomes the first train to pass the newly commissioned CTC signal 774 at McLeod on this cold, drizzly and overcast day in December of 1982.

Name:	Terry O'Shell
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	September 1982
Location:	London
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 14 Favourites

Rebuilt and freshly painted for static display at CP's Ogden Yard Headquarters in Calgary, this end cupola unnumbered caboose looks great on a sunny but cold November day.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	11/12/2014
Location:	Calgary
Province:	Alberta

3 Comments | 6 Favourites

Just before the summer begins in 2002, CP 8120 (DRs 12a) is getting a fresh coat of maroon & grey paint at the Lake of the Woods Railroad Museum in Keewatin, ON. The van in the background could also use a freshening up.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	06/18/2002
Location:	Keewatin
Province:	Ontario

4 Comments | 5 Favourites

CP 3084, GM GP38 sits silent outside the shop in Revelstoke, BC waiting for its next assignment.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	05/13/2002
Location:	Revelstoke
Province:	British Columbia

Comments | 8 Favourites

Still running on bolted rail, 6529 gives lots of bell and whistle as it passes the occupied boarding cars of CN Great Lakes Region tie gang No. 4 parked in the siding at Albany Forks on CN's Ruel Sub. You can't get much closer to the action than this! There's nothing quite like living in a flat car mounted white fleet unit in the middle of northern Ontario. Passenger trains came and went with little to no disturbance other than the lights, horn and bell. On the other hand, and especially in the middle of the night, you could hear and feel heavy freights coming for quite some time before they arrived and thundered past the accommodation units which were only a few feet from the mainline. Flange squeal, a flat wheel, or slack action really got your attention!

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	June 1976
Location:	Albany Forks
Province:	Ontario

5 Comments | 9 Favourites

In contrast to Colin Arnot's August 30, 2016 photo of CN 621-14 working on a bright and warm summer day southeast of Edmonton (http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=26526), here is the same unit on her maiden voyage dressed in full winter gear, working hard to clear CN's Sangudo Sub. about 12 miles northwest of Whitecourt, Alberta on the night of January 12, 2005. I took this photo at 20:49 hrs. while standing in -30C temperatures as evidenced by the exhaust smoke hanging in the air. The track beside and behind the machine have been plowed and winged clear and we are getting ready to sweep the turnout before heading back to Whitecourt for the night. While it is always an adventure putting new machines into service, I can honestly say that I don't miss those frigid days and nights with snow removal equipment.

Name:	Paul O'Shell
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	01/12/2005
Location:	Northwest of White…
Province:	Alberta

1 Comments | 8 Favourites

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