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Caption: Canadian National 5299, a J7c-class Pacific (built by MLW in July 1920, scrapped March 1959) assigned to passenger service out of Spadina Roundhouse is seen reversing onto one of the yard leads near the engine servicing facilities in downtown Toronto, looking west off Spadina Avenue sometime in the mid-late 1950's. CN's Spadina Coachyard is located to left out of view, its wash racks visible in the distance.
Two tracks over on one of the main tracks leading from Union Station, a CN steam engine pulls a passenger train with the usual CN-painted equipment, plus some NYC-painted Pullman sleepers, a Lehigh Valley RPO, and a CN RPO (lettered "Mail & Express").
Further back is CN's Bathurst St. Yard full of freight cars, predominantly a mix of 40' steel and wood boxcars: CN wafer logo cars, CPR stepped lettering cars (being interchanged with CN), a Northern Pacific outside-braced wooden boxcar, and a D&LW "Route of the Phoebe Snow" boxcar. A bunch of silver-grey CN 40' ice reefers are also present. One can just pick out the red farm equipment on flatcars coming from Massey Ferguson in Parkdale sitting near the west end. And in the upper right, a glimpse of the top of a CN diesel switcher hiding in the yard.
Buildings and houses along the elevated Front Street run along the background, meeting up with Bathurst St. and its bridge over the rail corridor on the upper left.
Original photographer unknown, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide (an unlabeled, undated and slightly faded Anscochrome that needed some TLC).
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Very nice. I have a bunch of Chione dupes of 5299 on Toronto – Palmerston passenger runs. IIRC from a John Mills film, the CN/NYC/LV consist should be from that morning “The Maple Leaf” from New York.
Hi Jacob, thanks for posting this wonderful picture ! The 5299 was often used on one of the two morning commuter trains operated by CN from Hamilton James St station to Toronto, and may be working its way to the Spadina Roundhouse. Indeed, the passenger consist two tracks to the right of 5299 is the overnight Lehigh Valley-CNR Maple Leaf from New York City Penn Station with a connecting Pullman from Philadelphia Reading RR Terminal. The give away is the red LVRR combine which for many years seemed to be in “captured service” on CNR 97 & 98. It appears in my 8mm movies of this train arriving in the morning, and saw it many times leaving in the evening on the NYC bound train. Never did receive an explanation for the use of the LVRR combine, but I believe it was put on at Depew Jct and used to convey LV operating crew from Suspension Bridge NY to Toronto for layover. Another tip, the grey Pullman Co. sleepers. They were not NYC sleeping cars, but owned by Pullman Co. and operated by Pullman on behalf of LVRR. Although Pullman Co. sleeping cars showed up now and again on the competing CPR-TH&B- NYC/Boston overnight trains (usually equipped with NYC sleeping cars), Pullman Co. cars were the only sleepers on the Maple Leaf. This train was also used by commuters from St Catharines, Hamilton, Oakville for those who worked in downtown Toronto as the Maple Leaf arrived before 9 am. The Maple Leaf was not as well patronized as “The Water Level Route” (NYC) overnight train, but it was convenient for those who found it easier to catch a train at Penn Station, or were connecting from the PRR. CNR and LVRR advertised the Maple Leaf as also providing passenger service from NYC to London, Windsor/Detroit and to Chicago all by changing to connecting morning CNR passenger train in Hamilton. Those were the days of great passenger train service, and hopefully the VIA- Amtrak Maple Leaf will operate again. John
Hi Dan, please forgive me referring to you as Jacob, and thank you for obtaining and posting this picture. You and Jacob are great for posting historical pictures of steam days from your respective collections with very informative and interesting captions. Both of you, keep up the good work. There may not be many railpicture.ca viewers who were around in the late ‘50’s, but those of us who are sure appreciate viewing pictures like this one. So much has changed today from what is showing in this picture, but Spadina Bridge is still there as is the Bathurst St bridge in the background, still great spots for train watching and photo taking some 65 years later ! Thank you, John
Thanks for filling in the gaps John, there’s only so much us younger whippersnappers know about all the operations from back then. I’ll see what other steam goodies I have here awaiting the scanner…
Some more 5299 action: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=46333