Caption: As with many, new contributors to rp.ca, I love seeing those older photos of what the railway looked like 'back in the day' - namely as I remember them being a train-loving kid growing up through the 80's.
As Bruce Mercer started to share his photos, I couldn't help but love the ones he has posted from his time here in Chatham. But there was one that specifically caught my eye. It shows Train 72, pulling into the repainted Chatham station on a lazy Sunday afternoon. From his shot in October 1986, those old VIA F-units were the last of it's kind as the newer models started were just starting t be put into service. Chatham still had regular freight service by CN, and the main was all double tracked. Bruce's photo can be seen by clicking here.
Jump ahead to 30 years later. I wanted to Time Machine that photo from 1986. The difficulty in trying to do this was great - the westbound main was torn out, and the sidings that used to exist had also been truncated to end before the Lacroix Street overpass. Bruce mentioned how sad a state it is nowadays being a railfan in Chatham...and to some extent I agree. Thankfully the station hasn't changed much, and I was lucky enough to have VIA 904 in the Canada 150 wrap which surprisingly adds to the dreary scene of what used to be. Just as it was for Bruce to have captured Train 72 back then, this one is extra special for me being (hopefully) my 150th photo submitted to rp.ca.