Caption: The year 2003 was a busy one for Essex Terminal steam engine #9. The old engine spent a fair amount of time stretching its legs across Southern Ontario. In October it spent the better part of a week operating over the various lines operated by the Goderich -Exeter RR. It's companion for these trips was recently transferred Railink FP9 #1400. This day the fan trips operated between Stratford and St. Mary's. The train has just returned from St Mary's and is unloading its passengers when the sun briefly breaks through the mainly cloudy skies. In the background GEXR road train 431 has just arrived from Toronto with a rainbow consist of four axle Geeps. This would turn out to be the high point for FP9 #1400 during its life on the GEXR with its remaining years spent hauling loaded salt and grain trains out of Goderich until it and sister 1401 were retired and gradually stripped of usable parts to keep GEXR's lone surviving GP9 in service. The Ontario Southland would eventually rescue both 1400 & 1401 from a scrapper and today both are out on the road serving the OSR.