Railpictures.ca - Profile and photos of MrDan

Profile Page for MrDan

This page shows statistics, photos, and an all-time map for MrDan. Photographers: Filling your map and earning awards can only be done one way. Submit today!

About MrDan

MrDan is an avid photographer, railfan, modeller and slide collector with an interest in rail photography, prototype operations, equipment information, urban transportation and model railroading. He also assists the RP.ca moderation team, as well as has helped in the past model railroad manufacturers with research and development of various rail-related models and projects. He has had a number of photographs appear in magazines, books, advertisements and used by historical groups. As per RP.ca's photo use guidelines, all photos uploaded by this user are not to be used for commercial and other purposes unless prior written permission has been obtained (but link sharing to the photo's page is welcome and encouraged). Original photographer credit is noted for any collection slide uploads whenever possible. ***Images posted including (those collection slide images) are not to be reused in any publication, both print or online, without prior permission***

MrDan's Railpictures.ca photo upload statistics

Number of images: 1000
Total gold: 10574
Number of comments recieved : 1241
Number of comments posted : 1100
Total views: 1813066

MrDan has won Editors Choice 1 time

MrDan has 1 image in the Time Machine

Contact MrDan

To contact MrDan for licensing, permission, or to send a private comment click this link: (contact)
* note: all inquiries are moderated

MrDan's 1000 photos on Railpictures.ca:

TTC G1 subway car RT-37, one of the last of Toronto's <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=43138><b>"Red Rocket" Gloucester subway cars</b></a> still on the property in 2007 (built as TTC 5069 for Toronto's first subway line in 1953-54, retired by the early 90's), sits stored at the back of Greenwood Yard awaiting disposal. At the time, four of the "G's" remained, having been converted after retirement for maintenance of way use as power units for the railgrinder trains that profiled the rails around the subway system during off-peak hours. The sets were made of two G's for propulsion, bookending two small yellow railgrinder units towed in between. A yard collision in 2004 resulted in one set being retired, while the other set remained active until 2008. These were probably the rarest pieces of TTC equipment to photograph at the time, as due to their obscure duties during off-peak hours, they weren't very well known or photographed (it was sheer luck they were parked along the fence and not buried in the yard).<br><br>The story behind the hunt for these cars is somewhat long-winded, so viewers may want to go back to admiring the photo of RT-37 still in existence in 2007. It all started in December 2006, when someone on a discussion board posted a CP24 news article of some Oshawa GO line rider complaining about unsightly graffiti on subway cars parked next to the tracks hurting their eyes every day. Someone pointed out the blurry photo included, taken out of a rainy GO bilevel window, appeared to be some of the old TTC Gloucester work cars, stored on a back track in the subway yard along the railway corridor.<br><br>More intrepid, adventurous photographers were interested, and a plan was hatched by two to go investigate and get photos of the last of the G-series subway cars, conveniently inconveniently parked there. After a meetup at Union Station, hijinks and shenanigans followed with a visit to Bathurst Street bridge for GO, VIA & CN, some streetcar photos at the hip West Queen West & Bathurst, and an escorted visit inside TTC's Russell Yard for some CLRV and vintage PCC streetcar photos. After that, a short walk up Greenwood Ave brought us to the doorstep of TTC's Greenwood subway yard.<br><br>Unlike streetcar yards, one can't just knock on the door of a subway yard and get the red carpet treatment for an escorted tour inside, so scouting outside was the plan. Walking north up the east side of TTC's Greenwood Yard, on the off-chance the G's were visible from the main street, offered no luck. At the north end was Oakvale Avenue, which afforded a <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=818>good look south into the yard</b></a>, with lots of T1 and H6 subway cars (but still no G's among them). Then, a detour through the nearby neighbourhood side streets on the west side only yielded high sound barrier walls, with not so much as <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=45827><b>a peep possible into the yard</b></a>. Coming out on Jones Avenue, there weren't many options left other than shooting them from the nearby CN rail corridor (if they were still there). Access at Greenwood and Jones Avenues was limited and too conspicuous, but a savvy navigator back then knew lots of the side streets had many "convenient trackside access options" available for the locals walking their dogs and ne'er-do-well crowd engaging in unscrupulous behavior and the like (this was before the Metrolinx days of tall fences everywhere, which was no doubt big business for some lucky fence contractors).<br><br>Sure enough, a dead-end street nearby offered a short dog walk option to the back of Greenwood Yard, with two TTC G-cars parked along the fence immediately visible for all to see: TTC G1 RT-37 (ex-5069) and G2 RT-34 (ex-5102). At the time, there were two steel (former red, now painted maintenance grey) G1's left on the property, and two aluminum (unpainted, but weathered grey) G2's, all sporting yellow maintenance striping. RT-34 had been involved in a sideswipe incident with a T1 in 2004, and was retired & parked with a visibly damaged cab. RT-37, presumably its mate in the set, was parked out of service with it, both on a disused dual-gauge track at the back of the yard that was formerly the <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=30975><b>CN siding leading into the property</b></a>.<br><br>Despite the fence, photos were had, including the heavily rebuilt RT-11 "Duncan's Dragon" tunnel clearance car stored on the same track. Nearby was the other railgrinder set (still in use at the time) with G1 RT-36 (ex-5068) and G2 RT-35 (ex-5103) parked by the heating building at the south-west end, but people working nearby and poor photo angles discouraged getting too close. Satiated with photos, a short walk back to Jones Avenue and a ride on the Jones bus lead us back to the Bloor-Danforth subway, and after a bit of <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=34662>H4 subway riding</b></a> it was decided to call it a day, with the mission complete and all main objectives achieved.<br><br>The four G-series RT work cars all went for scrap over the next two years, and that was that for the Gloucester fleet in Toronto (two other G1's, 5098 & 5099, were donated for preservation to the HCRY after retirement in 1991).

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Toronto Transit Co…
Date:	January 2007
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 7 Favourites

There's no shortage of power on this extra freight rolling into Saskatoon, seen passing through the suburbs of Sutherland at the Highway 5/College Dr. overpass before arriving at CP's Sutherland Yard. CP SD40-2 5625 and 5582 lead GP9 units 8484 (still in maroon & grey script paint), 8701, 8683 and 8685, and a fresh-looking SW900 6711 trailing with stack capped.
<br><br>
Motive power sheets show 6711's regular assignment at the time was Edmonton, so it could have been coming back from Winnipeg's Weston Shops after receiving some maintenance work (it wasn't equipped with MU so wasn't online). All the GP9's shown were Winnipeg-based numbers, so they're possibly being forwarded for branchline assignments in the region.
<br><br>
<i>Eric W. Johnson photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	E.W. Johnson photo,…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	Circa October 1978
Location:	Saskatoon (Sutherl…
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 11 Favourites

Canadian Pacific RS10 units 8576 and 8476 motor through Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood on the Galt Sub, handling northbound train #11 "The Canadian" just out of <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=55182><b>Union Station</b></a> downtown. The train has just passed Brock Avenue underpass and is closing in on <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=14408><b>West Toronto Station</b></a>, where it'll make its final stop in the city before taking the <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=46245><b>connecting track</b></a> across the West Toronto diamonds to the MacTier Sub on their trip north to <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=53634><b>Sudbury</b></a>. On the left are houses off Delaney Crescent, on the right some newer apartment buildings off West Lodge Avenue. The switch in the foreground is for a service track that came off here and ran north along the west side of the corridor to West Toronto, serving a few industries.<br><br>Today's passenger train consists of one of CP's 2200-series lightweight steel "curve-side" coaches up front (likely deadheading), two similar curve-side baggage cars (one still painted fully maroon), a Budd stainless steel baggage-dorm, and possibly another 2200-series coach in maroon (hard to tell, could just be in shadow) in-service, followed by the rest of the train of stainless steel Budds. The old lightweight steel cars dated from 1947-1950, built by NSC and CC&F, and were initially painted in full maroon with gold lettering. In the mid-1960's, CP repainted some coach and baggage variants in silver paint to match the stainless steel fleet, and gave them a maroon (some later red) letterband. Since they were used as-needed on The Canadian (and CP was getting a little tardy with its older passenger fleet), paint wasn't much of a priority, and old maroon and silver/maroon cars showed up well into the action red CP Rail era. A bunch were even transferred to VIA, but saw little if any use.<br><br>CP's fleet of freight/passenger RS10's equipped with steam generators were common on the Sudbury-Toronto runs, mixed in with <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=42540><b>4000-series FP7</b></a> and FPA2 units. When CP was phasing out it's 244-powered Alco/MLW fleet in the mid-70's to early 80's, some RS10's hung on as passenger protection power for VIA's Canadian. The final two were used in <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=29820><b>commuter service out of Montreal</b></a> in 1983.<br><br><i>Original photographer unknown, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide (duplicate).</i>

Name:	unknown, Dan Dell'U…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	Circa early 1970's
Location:	Toronto (Parkdale)
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 15 Favourites

An NS train with CP power running over a CN line: NS #328 (the autoparts train that ran from St. Thomas to Buffalo) rolls through CN's Stuart St. Yard in Hamilton on the Oakville Sub, having come off the Dundas Sub via "the cowpath" at Hamilton Junction. Power today is St. Lawrence & Hudson (CP's eastern subsidiary/operating unit at the time) SD40 5532, NS B23-7 4013 (check out the stubby high nose), and CP SD40 5536. Burlington Bay and the York Blvd high level bridge add some scenery to this drab March scene.
<br><br>
<i>Bill McArthur photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	Bill McArthur photo…
Railway:	Norfolk Southern
Date:	03/12/1997
Location:	Hamilton
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 21 Favourites

Name:	Harry L. Juday phot…
Railway:	Quebec North Shore…
Date:	03/14/1969
Location:	Windsor
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 20 Favourites

GO Transit cab cars 233, 202, 218 and 234 sit with their trainsets at GO's Bathurst North Yard in the late afternoon, as viewed from Bathurst Street bridge. They will soon be called to nearby Toronto Union Station for PM rush hour duties (the crew of 234 appears to be getting their set ready to depart soon).
<br><br>
At the time, the first group of cab cars (200-214) had already been rebuilt and equipped with a full-width cab (note the 2 front windows), and the second and third groups (215-223, 224-241) were undergoing rebuild, hence 233 freshly rebuilt, and 218 and 234 still waiting to lose their "ogre eye" single window look.

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	GO Transit
Date:	09/24/2008
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 9 Favourites

CP SD40-2 5794, leased HATX 215 (a former UP/MP GP38-2), C424 4241 and GP38-2 3075 lead train #934 off the MacTier Sub onto the North Toronto Sub at Osler Street, heading eastbound for CP's Toronto (Agincourt) Yard just before noon.<br><br>The two main tracks of CP's North Toronto Sub are in the foreground, with the track at the bottom left being the old S-Yard lead that curved south and ran along the east side of the rail corridor to serve a small handful of customers between West Toronto to Dundas Street (the <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=38483><b>"Old Bruce" TG&B service track</b></a>, now the West Toronto Railpath).<br><br>The signal bridges in the distance bracket the CN-CP West Toronto diamond, near the northern approach of the ill-fated Old Weston Road railway bridge that can be seen in the background (the main span over the tracks having been already removed). And a derailment in the late 2000's took out that large warehouse off Osler Street just behind the power.<br><br><i>Peter Jobe photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	Peter Jobe photo, D…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	02/26/1995
Location:	Toronto (West Toro…
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 15 Favourites

Canadian Pacific RSD17 8921, the "Empress of Agincourt", works her usual assignment hauling a large transfer freight, stretching down to Bathurst Street bridge, through the Parkdale area at Strachan Avenue grade crossing. The train has just come down <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=33301><b>CP's Don Branch</a></b> from Leaside, passed through the Toronto Terminals Railway corridor and <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=16615><b>Union Station downtown</b></a>, and is approaching <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=35550><b>CP's Parkdale Yard</b></a>. After its Parkdale visit, it will proceed to West Toronto/Lambton yards and then back to Agincourt Yard.<br><br>CP 8921 was originally built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1957 as their only RSD17 model (essentially a Canadian version of Alco's RSD15). After demonstrating on CP, CN, and PGE, CP purchased demonstrator unit and numbered it after its series of FM/CLC Train Masters (<a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=40661><b>8900-8920</b></a>). An oddball on the roster, it found a home in the Toronto area handling <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=6317><b>transfer duties</b></a> between CP's freight yards around the city, a task well-suited to the 2400 horsepower 6-axle unit. At the time of this photo, 8921's dirty and faded maroon and grey block lettering paint wasn't long for this world, and she would soon head to Montreal and emerge from Angus Shops in December 1973 sporting fresh action red and multimark paint (and return back to Toronto in time for the new year). Chop-nosed in 1988, 8921 lasted into the mid-90's but was retired due to cracks in her truck frames, and was donated to the <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=13444><b>Elgin County Railway Museum</b></a> in 1997.<br><br>The old Canadian Patent Scaffolding Company building, off Ordnance Street in the industrial Liberty Village/Parkdale area of Toronto, would survive until 2014/15-ish when gentrification saw it torn down for condos. Strachan Avenue itself would be <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=45668><b>grade-separated</b></a> by Metrolinx/GO Transit in the early 2010's.<br><br><i>Original photographer unknown, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	unknown, Dan Dell'U…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	Circa October 1973
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 17 Favourites

TTC Peter Witt streetcar 2766, operating on a fantrip during its early "Tour Tram" career, heads southbound on Victoria Street between Dundas and Shuter, passing the back of the old Imperial Six theatre (built as the Pantages Theatre in 1920, currently named the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre) and the Imperial Optical building. In the background, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute's tan-coloured Podium (POD)/Library building is visible beyond Dundas at Gould.
<br><br>
<i>Tom Gascoigne photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>
<br><br>
On the same day at Parliament & Dundas: <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=53755><b>http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=53755</b></a>

Name:	Tom Gascoigne photo…
Railway:	Toronto Transit Co…
Date:	10/07/1973
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 7 Favourites

Canadian Pacific 7047, a little 1000hp Alco S2 switcher built in 1946 and assigned to John Street Roundhouse nearby, rumbles through the Toronto Terminals Railway corridor at Spadina Avenue with a short local freight or transfer move, heading eastbound towards Union Station. Its duties today could be numerous depending on assignment, as CP worked industries downtown along Queen's Quay, the Portlands, and also interchanged traffic with CN at Don Yard and Cherry Street.
<br><br>
<i>Original photographer unknown, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	unknown, Dan Dell'U…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	10/12/1972
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 12 Favourites

There's catches, there's "catches", and then there's CATCHES(!!!): both CP Rail GP30's, 5000 and 5001, set up elephant style, leading an eastbound freight together on a gloomy day at Galt.
<br><br>
In their early days the two CP GP30's (the only Canadian-built GP30 units at that) could often be found paired together, but by the 70's both were mixed in general freight service with CP's large fleet of 4- and 6-motor units, and it became somewhat harder to catch the duo working the same train. But apparently the stars aligned on this day, and both GP30's must have been at the same shop at the same time for some power planner or shop foreman to line up both together for a freight, elephant style, with a successor GP35 (5008) to boot. The occasion was not lost on Bill, who made sure to note "LOOK AT POWER!!" on the slide mount.
<br><br>
It appears someone at Toronto Yard may have <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=41079><b>had a thing for pairing them</b></a>. Later on in the 80's when a bunch of the GP30 and GP35 units were reassigned out west in BC, there were a few instances of both running together with other units on local freights. Both were retired in the 90's and disposed of, with one being donated to a <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=10246><b>museum</b></a> and the other ending up as a lease unit at a US grain elevator.
<br><br>
An interesting note here is 5000 had been repainted in relatively fresh 8" action red paint with large multimark (same paint as 5008 trailing), while 5001 retains its mid-70's "Ogden multi" paint with 5" stripes and small multimark. Both GP30's were still DRF (Diesel Road Freight) units, (converted to DRS (Diesel Road Switcher) next year in June 1980), but 5000 had been modified with smaller standard-sized EMD window glass in its middle front windows, while 5001 retains its wider as-built GP30 center windows (modified later).
<br><br>
<i>Bill McArthur photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	Bill McArthur photo…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	03/24/1979
Location:	Galt
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 17 Favourites

Departing downtown Toronto in the low December late afternoon/early evening light, CP Rail train #11 "The Canadian" (Toronto-Sudbury leg) passes by John Street interlocking tower (visible behind the Skyline dome) and the old CN freight loading platforms as it makes its way through the downtown Toronto Terminals Railway trackage to CP's Galt Sub at Bathurst Street. Lead unit is CP FP7 4069, sporting bright "Action Red" paint with later 8" striping. Trailing is steam generator-equipped RS10 8478 in very ratty maroon & grey "Script" paint. A short consist of six stainless steel Budd cars follow (no Park car this late in the game for #11/12).
<br><br>
All the usual suspects are in attendance in this pre-condo boom photo of Toronto's downtown skyline: the TD, BMO and RBC towers, CP's Royal York Hotel, the brown CNCP Telecommunications building at 151 Front Street, and Union Station off in the background beyond the new yellow CN Tower pedestrian bridge.
<br><br>
<i>Bill McArthur photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	Bill McArthur photo…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	December 1977
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 17 Favourites

TTC PCC 4744 in "subway red" paint (A13-class, built by Pullman in 1947 for Birmingham, Alabama) turns westbound onto The Queensway off Roncesvalles on a Dundas short-turn, returning to nearby Roncesvalles Carhouse after morning rush hour. TTC 4653 (A11-class, built by Pullman in 1946 for Cleveland) follows behind, another Dundas car returning to the carhouse. Both are passing the old Edgewater Hotel and the Gray Coach terminal in Sunnyside.<br><br><i>Dennis Cowley photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	Dennis Cowley photo…
Railway:	Toronto Transit Co…
Date:	07/31/1973
Location:	Toronto (Sunnyside…
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 10 Favourites

A matched A-B-A set of CP Rail F-units (FP7 4036, F7B 4432, and FP7 4063) leave their westbound train on the mainline as they switch cars at the west end of Galt Yard on a gloomy day.<br><br>By this point in time, the Alco/MLW and FM/CLC fleets of cowl units had been retired, leaving only the GMD fleet, which would soldier on until most of the passenger F-unit fleet was sold to VIA in 1978, and most of the remaining F-units in freight service were retired in the early 80's. <br><br><i>Bill McArthur photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	Bill McArthur photo…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	05/22/1977
Location:	Galt
Province:	Ontario

5 Comments | 19 Favourites

Things are looking more than a little hazy around CN's Stuart Street yard in Hamilton, as four GMD SW1200RS units (CN 1250, 1315, 1249 and 1254) on an eastbound freight coat the yard in a blue-white haze of diesel exhaust as they switch cars.
<br><br>
Things of interest in this scene include the BC Rail bulkhead flatcars, CN 40' boxcars in the yard, a snowplow on the track to the side, and the high level York Blvd bridge in the background by Hamilton Junction.
<br><br>
<i>Bill McArthur photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection negative.</i>

Name:	Bill McArthur photo…
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	09/12/1981
Location:	Hamilton
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 24 Favourites

Four burly MLW C424's lead by CP 4239 head southbound on the Nephton Sub bound for Havelock, coming down from the Unimin mines at Nephton and Blue Mountain with covered hoppers full of nepheline syenite. The four units are coming through the rock cut at Mile 10 by County Road 44, one of the few crossings along the line.
<br><br>
This was about the spot where a scene in the movie <a href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ015GoR41k><b>"Martin's Day" (1985)</b></a> was filmed, where the main characters hijacked a train for fun at the crossing, lead by a CP C424.
<br><br>
<i>Bill Grandin photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection negative.</i>

Name:	Bill Grandin photo,…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	August 1988
Location:	Nephton (south of)
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 15 Favourites

CN RS18 3118, FPA4 6779 and a single passenger car work their way back to the station on the Brockville Loop Line after visiting the Brockville wye (located amid a residential area to the southwest of the CN station area). After some research and input from others train appears to be heading eastbound on the north end of the Brockville Loop Line, crossing over a culvert for Butler's Creek and approaching Perth Street crossing. The houses in the background appear to be along Hubbell Street.<br><br>The wye trackage was part of the old Brockville, Westport & North-Western Railway, that ran between Brockville and Westport, Ontario. The line was acquired by Canadian Northern, and became part of Canadian National, who abandoned it in 1952. The wye and CN connecting track (the "Brockville Loop Line" that ran from the CN station area west, ducking under the Kingston Sub to get to the wye and BW&NW) was left intact, and used by CN and later VIA to wye passenger power and equipment as needed into at least the mid-80's. The wye and line is now part of the Brock Trail.<br><br>The processing date on this slide was stamped June 1973, but judging by the snow and sparse foliage, this may be a March or April photo.<br><br><i>Al Gorney photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	Al Gorney photo, Da…
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	Early 1973
Location:	Brockville
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 15 Favourites

A morning westbound VIA passenger train speeds through Scarborough with three MLW's on the head-end: FPA4 6788 and 6769, sporting VIA paint and logos, and an unknown 6800-series FPB4 still in CN zebra stripe paint. Nine passenger cars trail, including two baggage cars (most appear to still be in CN paint, as the new "VIA" branding was barely two years old at this point). It won't be long before the train covers its final miles and arrives at Union Station in downtown Toronto.<br><br>The location is just before Greenwood Avenue on CN's Kingston Sub. As per track diagrams, the train is heading westbound on the "west mainline", with the next track over the "east mainline", then the Y-200 service track, and the track bumper at the end of the old Greenwood Avenue team track (Y-012, appears to be out of use at this point). North of the mainline track was another service track, Y-230, that lead into the back of the <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=30975><b>TTC's Greenwood Yard</b></a> nearby.<br><br><i>Original photographer unknown, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	unknown, Dan Dell'U…
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	Circa July 1978
Location:	Toronto (Scarborou…
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 19 Favourites

VIA FPA4 6762 and F9B 6622 sit on a passenger consist on Track 10, poking out of the west end of Union Station's train shed in downtown Toronto. A few tracks down, VIA's "The Canadian" consist sits with on Track 4, with CP FP7 1424 (and GP9 8517) on the head-end. VIA had taken over CP's passenger services last fall, and plenty of the ex-CP power was still in full CP colours (the 1400-series F-units were sold to VIA, but the steam generator-equipped GP9's were retained by CP and used as passenger protection power when needed).<br><br>The brown 3-story brick building in the background is the old CN Express Building (cut down and turned into park of the Skywalk in the 1980's). While Union Station itself isn't visible (other than the train shed), part of CP's Royal York Hotel is on the right.<br><br><i>Barry Schroeder photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	Barry Schroeder pho…
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	Circa June 1979
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 20 Favourites

Tracklaying of the new Canadian transcontinental railway takes place across the prairies in the Summer of 1882 under the watchful eye of William Cornelius Van Horne, famed "Abelsist Railway General in The World". An American railway builder, he took took up the challenge of building the railway for the CPR when things were behind, for $15,000 a year (1882 funds). He completed the railway in under half the projected time.<br><br>According to Pierre Berton's book "The National Dream", Winnipeg was the base of Van Horne's operation, and railway building contractors stockpiled it with living supplies, hoards of men, rail supplies, lumber, provisions, and horses in order to build the railway line further west. Supply trains were dispatched from Winnipeg to "end of track", that kept moving each day. Mobile boarding cars with kitchens and dormatories were kept nearby to house the "navvies" - the labourers <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=55064><b>toiling away grading, laying ties and spiking rails</b></a> under sometimes harsh prairie conditions.<br><br>This is, of course, the dramatization: the filming of Pierre Berton's "The National Dream" - an eight-part series filmed by the CBC in 1973 and released in 1974 documenting the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Here, the filming crew are either rolling or setting up their shot with Van Horne (in black with hat, behind microphone) and Secretan (in grey). Workers toil away in the background laying and spiking down rails, while the supply train with 2-3 flatcars and Canadian Pacific "144" (really <a href=http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=47318><b>ORA's ex-CPR 4-4-0 136</b></a>, borrowed for filming, backdated to 1880's appearance and given a different number) sits in the background. In this series, Van Horne was played by Canadian actor John Colicos, and Secretan by Davis Schurmann.<br><br>According to a source on the matter, the track-laying filming scenes here were done on CP's Cassils Subdivision between Miles 9 and 9.5, on the curve approaching Kitsum, Alberta.<br><br><i>Eric. W. Johnson photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.</i>

Name:	E.W.Johnson photo, …
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	06/07/1973
Location:	Cassils
Province:	Alberta

1 Comments | 11 Favourites

12 3 4 5…►last

MrDan's Map:

Note: Due to Google's greediness you may have to click the OK button when it asks you if you own this website. We'll replace this in time, but it's going to be a while. Sorry :)

*Note: Only photos with GPS added upon submission are mapped here. Some users do not map images and may show a blank map.