Caption: The Last Mixed, Part 2. On Saturday, August 4, 1962, four railfans from the Upper Canada Railway Society, including Basil Headford, boarded Canadian Pacific Mixed train M741 at Guelph headed northwest to Goderich on what was the final run of southern Ontario’s last CPR mixed train.

On the Goderich Sub, through Passenger service from Hamilton to Goderich (daily except Sunday trains 637/640 per 1954 timetable) ended in 1955, with service south of Guelph Junction to Hamilton cancelled. During the 1930’s, this run was usually held by gas electric 9007 and a trailer as seen in this March 1939 image at Guelph. Guelph Junction – Guelph Service remained typically using gas electric 9004 until April 26, 1958, when service was cut from six round trips per day to two round trips, and the doodlebug would be swapped for a mikado and combine. Months later in fall 1958, this too would be replaced by a mixed train, which in turn would be cut in the fall of 1960, leaving just the mixed north of Guelph.

Here, CPR 8144 arrives back at Guelph with the last M742. The siding switch has been lined for the station platform and once the train is spotted at the station, CPR mixed train service in southern Ontario will be history. At right the Norwich Street bridge crosses the Speed River, and a portion of the Dunn Seeds plant can be seen on Cardigan Street.

An article detailing the trip appeared in the September 1962 UCRS newsletter: found here.

CPR 8144, built by GMD in 1959, rebuilt to CP 1239 in 1981, retired 2012, sold to Independent Diesel Services of Minnesota.

Part One: Setoff at Millbank

Basil Headford Photo, Jacob Patterson Collection.