Caption: "Diamonds Aren't Forever": a sunny afternoon finds CP S2 7063 clattering across the West Toronto diamond with its train in tow, heading eastbound on the North Toronto Sub passing crews working at the interlocking plant (note all the green and red flats erected trackside). We're looking northwest along CN's Weston Sub to the diamond where it crosses the CP's North Toronto Sub at "the Junction", with the CP's Galt Sub-MacTier Sub connecting track that intersected both lines visible on the left.

Further in the distance behind 7063's train, one can see the (Old) Weston Road bridge that once carried automobile traffic over CP's lines (condemned to traffic and closed by this time, and removed later in the 80's). The old Maple Leaf Milling elevators and silos are also visible, once served by a lead that curved off CP and ran north to the elevators, where continued north along Cawthra Ave. and turned into a CN lead. In the background between the little S2 and the yellow CP Rail Ford "Louisville" work truck, one can see the red cab of a CN switcher parked at their own West Toronto freight yards that were once located near St. Clair Avenue and the nearby stockyard area.

Today, much in this scene is either gone or changed: the little Alco/MLW switchers have long been retired, the bridge and silos have been demolished, CN's yard is gone (CP's remains to the west), and the diamonds have been removed in favour of a grade separation for Metrolinx/GO Transit's commuter and UPX trains.

Charles Begg photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.