The Art of Film

A CN Train begins crossing the trestle over the Humber River at Steeles and Islington area of North York, Ontario. Large ice pans are scattered outside the banks of the Humber River from when the river had earlier ice-jammed. The evening sun bathes the landscape in a golden light.

Train at Steeles and Islington

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Years ago when I lived in North York, Ontario, I would come home from work and faithfully walk my dog. Of course, I’d take my 35mm film camera along as I always did. During this one particular winter in the early 1990s, the Humber River ice-jammed and spilled thick, frozen pans over the river bank. It looked like the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, where I grew up, more so than something found on the outskirts of Toronto.

The train tracks ran East-West, parallel to Steeles Avenue, and I lived off Islington Avenue, just south of where it intersected Steeles. On this particular hike, as I marvelled at the spilled contents of the Humber River, the CN Train came rolling along the line as the late afternoon sun – commonly referred to as the golden hour – cast it’s final rays across the landscape.

In my head I still hear that train as it rumbles along, with its seemingly endless rail-cars of cargo, heading on down the line… somewhere, that train keeps on rolling…

I lived among millions of people, but I had this little corner of the world all to myself, complete with river, forest, and wildlife. I wonder what it’s like now… maybe I’ll get a chance to return some day…

This image was scanned on a Minolta Dimage Scan Multi Pro (like most of the scans that you’ll find on this site, unless noted). This is a jpg digital output of the very large, original tiff scan, unedited. Such great potential for a beautiful wall canvas! 🙂

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A CN Train begins crossing the trestle over the Humber River at Steeles and Islington area of North York, Ontario. Large ice pans are scattered outside the banks of the Humber River from when the river had earlier ice-jammed. The evening sun bathes the landscape in a golden light.