Caption: Canadian National Northern 6218 makes its first winter fantrip debute! Operating on the Upper Canada Railway Society's fourth annual winter steam excursion held on January 30th 1965, 6218 took railfans on a tour of the new "Toronto Bypass" line (CN Halton and York Subs), and is seen here doing a run-by westbound over the bridge at Stewarttown, on the former Milton Sub portion of the line (Georgetown to Burlington).

According to an old UCRS newsletter, the excursion's routing was departing Toronto's Union Station and heading up the Bala Sub to Doncaster, turning west onto the York Sub (with runpasts at Yonge St. and Dufferin St.) heading westbound through Snider onto the Halton Sub (runpasts at the Humber bridge and Claireville overpass), stopping for coal/water at Brampton, and continuing on to Stewarttown for a runpast. Problems with the feedwater heater cut the trip shorter than intended, and the train proceeded south to wye at Burlington and head back to Toronto via the Oakville Sub.

In addition to it being the 6218's first winter fantrip excursion, it was apparently the first "revenue" passenger train operated over the new York & Halton Subs, and the first time a large-sized engine operated between Georgetown and Burlington over the former Milton Sub.

William (Bill) R. Linley photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.