|
Caption: I have submitted a photo or two from this location before, but I feel this image best shows the scene from Hayes Rd (named for the Hayes-Dana plant that this road once led to)looking toward Bridge 10 over the Welland Canal and the City of Thorold. Due to work being done on CN's Bridge 6, CN Grimsby Sub, in the early winter of 1996/97 a handful of St. Thomas/Buffalo NS #328 trains were rerouted down from the CN connection at mile 9.49 (Merritton Sta) to Bridge 10 over the canal on the Thorold Sub and down to connect the CN Stamford sub at Port Robinson. The trains were rerouted only if they were later than approximately 10am. Once AMTK #97 cleared thru around 10 AM the work block went up. I know of only about 5 reroutes. So this was a rare catch; even more so because not long after this, Bridge 10 was deemed redundant and dismantled. The former CN line on the west side of the canal is now used by Trillium, and on the east side, the trackage from Port Robinson connects with Resolute, the big forestry plant in Thorold South. The track in this photo was pulled up a number of years ago as well. Power on this #328 is CP 5521, GATX 7371 and NS 6215. The view at this location today is just field and weeds. One would have to consider this an alternate route to alleviate the bitching and complaining by the mayor of Niagara Falls in regards to CN trains breaking down passing thru the city; that is, if the bridge and track had only been left in place. Much shorter route, too.
|
And with one of those GATX units you love so much! Very nice.
Awh!! The mischievous Mr.Smith strikes again!!
You know I have hated those blue things with a passion ever since the D&H was over-run with them around 20 years back. I have finally grown to like them better than the endless G&W orange out there though.:o)
What’s going on with the GPS there Mr Mooney? As a Thorold resident, I don’t recall being that north
Oh hell….something went wrong with the GPS!!!
Gotta get that one corrected. Thanks, Doc.
Good thing someone knows the database editor
I’ll make sure the GPS is fixed up tomorrow at some point, Arnold 
If the mayor does cut the trains through Niagara Falls, would they route them down the rest of the Grimsby, and over the one bridge in the Falls? That might make for some interesting shots in the falls again, but i dunno what they would do with 567 or the odd local train.
I’ll understand better when the map gets corrected. There must have been a real spider web of trackage all over the Peninsula.
Personally, I have no idea what would happen if the Mayor of Niffles would be able to ban trains from the city. I understand the AMTK bridge isn’t structurally sound enough to handle the heavy pounding of mainline freights. And I doubt any connector along the lines of the former Thorold Sub would be built. The only real solution would be to have CN swing onto CP at Hamilton Jct (Bayview) and run all rail traffic on the CP to Fort Erie. Yeah, and like the Hammy Mayor is going to like THAT.
GPS coordinates have been updated
Could ya imagine if a foamer was elected mayor?
Another great catch, Mr. Mooney. I recall those 7300 series GATX units running around in thier original UP and MP colours before they were painted. Yes, they were more interesting, but the blue always looked good to me.
The problem with the line along the canal is the grade. IIRC, it was the steepest mainline grade on CN anywhere, which is in good part why they stopped using it in favour of the route via Clifton Hill. I don’t think it would have ever been seen as a workable reroute, with or without the bridge still intact.
The mayor of NF doesn’t have any authority to remove the trains from his City. For the two trains per day that run through town on the Stamford Sub, it can’t really be that big of an issue. There are rules in place already to deal with blockages, like cutting the crossings. If that isn’t possible, then there must be a serious issue with the train. That being the case, it doesn’t happen every day, or even every year. Seems like a politician doing what they do best… make noise.
If the Hammy Mayor is still Bratina, he’s a model rr from what I recall, so he may not be all that against more trains on CP.
Mike: The Thorold sub route would be torturous at best. Grades and curves. The Vinemount grade on CP much more doable but Bratina packed it in last election and did not run again. (Back when he was with 900 CHML he used to stop and chat trains with us at Bayview trainwatching spots when he was on his daily distance-running schedule) That Niagara mayor who is wetting his pants over CN in his town really got ruffled when 2 trains in a matter of days died right in the middle of town. One, an 11,300 ft behemoth, experienced a pull-apart; and another almost same location experienced operational problems of some sort. The town was completely cut in half, which would have been very serious if there had been an emergency response affected. I might add that NF removed an overpass rather than rebuild, so they can blame themselves as well. You’re so right. All these guys seem to specialize in is making noise.
Very nice Arnold!
The Stamford Sub through the NF sees 4 freights a day – 330/331 and 421/422 plus the odd extra. The latter pair are the troublemakers, often running 10,000+ feet with autoracks and parts boxes… they have suffered hose-bags, broken knuckles, and pull-aparts easily once a month for the past year or so… the last one as Arnold mentioned cut a lot of streets off on a busy Saturday morning and the Mayor heard about it. I think the fact that CP left town so easily makes the city think they can do the same to CN… I don’t think so!
BTW – the only grade-separated crossing on the Stamford Sub in town is the 420, which is not easy to get to for in-town drives. Which bridge was removed?
M.Smith: An old girlfriend who works in a doctor’s office that faces the tracks ! in Niffles rats on CN to me when things go wrong.
She commented “well, its their own fault for removing the overpass”……..and I got to thinking it used to be on Morrison Av.; I do remember it somewhere…I’ll have to check with her…she is currently out of town. Pete Hoople who is on this group got caught in that Saturday traffic mess too and he said it was chaotic.
@awmooney, Congrats of one of the highest rated photos. And great thread too!
@mikelockwood The line along the Canal was the steepest grade along the CN mainline anywhere? Does this mean in Ontario or all of Canada? You’d think BC would have some some of the biggest grades. I was reading the climb up the Escarpment from Hamilton to Brantford is the biggest East of the Western Provinces. So the line along the Canal it must have been climbing the Escarpment there too?
And is it me or does the curve leading to and from the Canal, the abandoned portion, look like a kind of tight curve for a mainline route?
Yes, the CN Thorold Spur between Thorold and Merriton is the steepest grade on CN tracks in Canada. The sound of the alcos climbing it is great. And the curve, as far as I’ve seen, didn’t see much action, and the most it saw other than the reroutes were small local freights.
Thanks, Brad; for your kind comment. The “trail” you can see is probably a canal access road, covered in snow, I am not familiar with what trackage used to be there, if any. And Doc., thanks for saving me the bother of trying to research info.
) I knew it was steep, but not THAT steep.
FYI, I found a good link to maps of The Escarpment with good rail detail. Here’s the Niagara region: http://escarpment.org/_files/file_nep_map1_official_dec2013.pdf
AGAIN, thanks, Brad. Interesting detail of old lines on this map. So much of the trackage has disappeared over the years. I wish I could find my own paper topo maps of this region but I am afraid the great black hole of the den sucked them all in……..
Great photo, love that location and locomotivesee. I wish this line was still is service today.
Years later, this photo still blows my mind. Love whenever it comes up in the top photos, it’s where it belongs for sure.