Caption: Ready to head South, a pair of old CP RS-18s await their crew at the Orangeville yard. Behind this very obvious CP structure is the station, since moved downtown, now serving as a restaurant. The train consists of only 3 boxcars and a caboose; CP 8773 and 8734 provide plenty of power. Note a pair of ploughs in the far background. This 34.6 mile line was handed over to the Orangeville Railway Development Corp after CP wanted out of local railroad business in 2000, rather quiet as the line to Owen Sound was abandoned in 1995. Since 2000 Cando Contracting has operated the Orangeville-Brampton trackage as the OBRY and business has been steady. A tourist run was added, Credit Valley Explorer, in 2004. And even a new station was opened in May 2007, approximately on the location of the drafty old insul-brick clad structure pictured. The two units were rebuilt into the 1800 series by 1989.
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Nice shot AWM…would that gold car “almost” count as a mooney mobile?? : )
Nope. The big blue beast was hidden over by the out of sight station, as was the woman.
Great shot Arnold. The RS-18′s are awesome. One thing, that’s not the station, that’s the bunkhouse which was destroyed by fire March 21, 2006. The station (found here: http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Bruce/BRANCHES_1.htm) does survive.
Ah, but Jacob………’behind’ the obvious CP structure is/was the station…reads like I meant behind the locos…yeah, I knew this was the bunkhouse or whatever, but really appreciate the information on its’ demise. Did know know what happened to it……thought maybe it was just a rotting old dump whose time was due and so it was ripped down. It was a fire, eh? Typical fate for so many RR structures.
I also read that customers in Orangeville and Brampton weren’t happy with CP’s service but maybe that could do with a Class 1 railroad crew handling 3 carloads.
This is a nice picture Arnold. Amazing to think that this was once an important line for the CPR and it’s connections to the west. Trains to Owen Sound would, at least during shipping season, make connections with steamboats headed to the upper lakes. Owen Sound was replaced by Port McNichol.
It lasted to the Credit Valley Explorer tourist trains too, this in the very early days of the operation:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=4386