Caption: Hard to believe how this once-favourite rail photographers location has changed. Todays generation of trackside buffs would be hard pressed to know where this image was taken. Back in the mid-70s it was not only CP that leased GO power on weekends. The CN did it as well. Here we see a 4 unit GO freight at Aldershot stopped on signal. The signal tower in lower left is gone, the area is now expanded with Aldershot yard trackage and yard lead, the smokestack for Burlington Brick is gone, and so is the fabled Aldershot Cold Storage building, at this time advertising "Kirkelder Spray Misters" on the upper walls (in red). Sidings left and right of the mains are under snow. Power is GO 9801, 9804, 710 and 709. The 9801/9804 became GO 501/504 in 1975, the 710/709 became CN 9677/9676 in 1991.
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Didn’t know CN borrowed GO power. I miss the old cold storage building these days, I never saw it looking this clean of course I was also born one year before you took this shot. Great stuff Arnold
After all this time it has been brought to my attention that this, unlike what the caption reads, is NOT a “4 unit GO freight”. Of course it isn’t. I just got very very lazy in my description of what I had photographed. So let us call it an ‘eastbound freight powered by leased (borrowed?) GO locomotives. And Marcus, as far as this train goes; I have seen solid GO powered CN freights before around this time, and this certainly doesn’t look like any “Starlite” which would be the only other train around the 1700 time frame. I was told it was CN’s, so went with that. Anyway, it was a rarity along there.