Frograil Rail Tours -- Quebec Railfan Sites

Railfan Sites in Quebec

A self-guiding railfan tour

Railfan, railfan--where do you see trains in Quebec?

Cities And Sites

Montreal -- West Island (1)
Quebec City (1)

Contributors:

(1) Erick Pelletier of Quebec City has provided us with these first few sites in the Province of Quebec. Let's hope we see many more!

Montreal -- West Island (October 4, 1998)

The West Island refers to a well know railfan spot within the "English district" of Montreal. Between Dorion, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Beaconsfield, Dorval and Lachine, both CP's and CN's double track mainlines are about 100 feet from each other, as they parallel highway 20. Some commuter trains between Montreal Windsor Station and Dorion operate on the CP mainline. VIA Rail intercity passenger trains to Toronto and Ottawa operate on the CN mainline, including a stop at Dorval. All told, you should expect to see 3 trains per hour, on average, on these two busy mainlines.

I'd like to thank Erick Pelletier for this information concerning railroading within the Province of Quebec.

Quebec City (October 4, 1998)

[Webauthor's comment: This is Erick Pelletier's hometown, so if he waxes eloquent, who can blame him?] The Canadian National mainline crosses through the south shore of Quebec City. Between St-Nicolas (MP 10) and a few miles west of Laurier Station (MP 28.5), Highway 20 is parallel to CN's track, so you can't miss a train. There is a local road most of the way on the other side of the track, which is a secure place to stop and watch the action.

On Highway 20, there are two rest areas, which are good places to wait for trains, while taking advantage of the available rest rooms, picnic area, and snack bar. The eastbound rest area is near St-Nicolas (MP-10), next to the tracks, while the westbound rest area is west of Bernieres (about MP 15), on the other side of the highway.

There is also a road overpass over Highway 20 and the track at about MP 16, offering a great photo spot. Also, there are passing sidings at Trudel (MP 13.8), St-Apollinaire (MP 20), and Laurier (MP 28.5).

Expect to see one freight per hour, average, plus 6-8 VIA Rail trains a day, and who knows what else. Be advised that this is no idyllic backwater. Trains, to include the very fast LRC trainsets of VIA Rail, move thru here at 60-100 MPH (NOT KPH), so be safe and be prepared.