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Caption: After waiting to cross just east of the diamond, Canadian Pacific H1a 2804 (a "standard" 4-6-4 Hudson built in 1929) displays an impressive amount of smoke she gets her 50-car freight underway out of London, heading eastbound on the Galt Sub crossing the diamond at Mile 111.7 with CN's Thorndale Sub. The train is leaving the city from the east end of town, photographed from First Street crossing nearby.
The sharp-looking CPR-designed "standard" Hudsons (2800-2819) paved the way for the semi-streamlined Hudsons (2820-2864), later bestowed the title of "Royal Hudson". While a handful of the latter are preserved today, the only standard Hudson still in existence is CP's "Empress" 2816.
Original photographer unknown (duplicate slide), Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.
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I really enjoy this picture. My dad grew up just north of here on Rushland Avenue and like me, enjoyed watching trains and got me into this hobby. Sadly he’s gone now, but did share a few stories of walking down First Street to watch steam locomotives go by.
From timetables posted online, it looks like there were 5 passenger trains each way on the CP Galt Sub and 4 each way on the CN Thorndale Sub (including a 03:55 option for the early risers!) I suspect that diamond got a lot more usage back then than now!