njt/mnrrbuff wrote:Sounds good. Which railroads pass through there? Does Amtrak and VIA do? If so, what are the aproximate times? Where are the best spots to photograph West Coast Express? Thanks.
CN, CPR, and Southern Railway of British Columbia (SRY, same people as MRL) run through the Quay. Amtrak and VIA do not pass through New Westminster Quay, but rather pass along New Westminster Bridge further east. You can reach New Westminster Bridge in a 10 minute walk east of Columbia Skytrain Station.
At New Westminster Rail Bridge, you can observe CN, CPR, BNSF, SRY, Amtrak, VIA, and the Rocky Mountaineer. The Amtrak Cascades leaves Vancouver at 6:30 am and 5:30 PM, so add some time to that too see them in New Westminster. The Cascades arrives at 11:45 am and 10:50 pm, so subtract some time for that. VIA's Canadian leaves Vancouver Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 8:30. The Canadian arrives in Vancouver Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays at whatever time pleases the Train Gods . The Rocky Mountaineer schedule is intermittent, and can be found on their website, with trains going through Kamloops and Seattle passing through New Westminster Bridge.
The West Coast Express is most accessible from it's terminus at Waterfront Station where it connects to the Skytrain. Scenic viewing locations include anywhere in North Burnaby, or some of the scenic shots you see in Pitt Meadows or so. It's a scenic commute, and I'd recommend taking it between Waterfront and Port Coquitlam, and taking the 190 bus back into town. You can get back on the bus from as far as Maple Ridge, but not Mission. The tickets are $7.50 and are accepted for 180 minutes on all other transit services.
Good railfanning spots from transit would include Commercial Broadway Station, where you can see the skytrain, Amtrak, Via, and the occaisional CN freight all in one scenic, transit-accessible location. I'm fond of the area around Second Narrows, where CN, CP, and the WCE can be observed, though it is not easy to transit to.
B. Dawe's map of routes and urban populations
https://brendandawe.carto.com/viz/80b9d ... /embed_map" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; NOW updated with 2016 Canadian Populations