Caption: Over two decades later the Waterloo Spur is a much different place now being owned by the Region of Waterloo and is a large component of the new ION light rail system. After servicing the line for 20 years, the Goderich-Exeter Railway’s lease of the Guelph Subdivision and related spurs wasn’t renewed, thus CN returned in November 2018. Now, ordered as required for 21:00 CN L566 services Elmira during the week operating on the shared ION trackage during a small window over night. The CN assignment has to be off the ION operated section before the light rail schedule begins to roll again in the early morning hours. However, sometimes the job doesn’t make it back due to any number of factors and ends up timing-out on the line between Elmira and Northfield Drive in Waterloo.
On July 30, 2019 it was reported that CN L566 had ran out of time that morning in Elmira with none other than 4138. The unit and two tankers would sit near the former Uniroyal plant, now Lanxess, for most of the day and evening awaiting a fresh crew to take L566 back to Kitchener later that night. There was no question that after work that day, Elmira was my destination. Now 26 years later, I still felt the same excitement as I had the day of my first cab ride. This time it was the anticipation of once again seeing CN 4138 on the Waterloo Spur so many years later. Upon arrival in Elmira I saw it had its CN noodle proudly re-applied on its long hood exactly as it did in 1993. For a brief period I was that 13-year-old kid again as I photographed 4138 in the same evening lighting as that summer day so long ago. And the best part was that I was able to share it with my wife and young daughter who had come with me. I wasn’t going to take any chances as this time ensuring that all the images were saved on my SLR camera’s memory card…..and on my phone and my wife’s phone, which they thankfully all were. Checked, double-checked and triple-checked….