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Caption: Well, after countless trips down to Niagara, I finally came across one of the things that has always eluded me. After shooting G875 (brand new grain cars from NSC) at points between Fort Erie and Yager, I decided to swing by the Martech/Welded Tube area to see if anything was going on. Sure enough, I got there as the crew was getting into the blue centre cab (there is also the orange one), and really couldn't believe my luck. They went east on the Tube Spur to Welded Tube, where they'd pull three loaded pipe cars, spot some empties in there, and then shove the three loads down the Tube Spur (former CASO) towards Southern Yard, where 562 would later lift them.
Naturally, clouds obstructed the shot I had planned for and I figured this was still going to have to be one that remained on the to do list, but luckily the sky opened up in time for one shot.
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Awesome.
I’m wondering what happened to the big CDN flag that they usually sported on that run……….
Thanks Craig.
Arnold, its absence caught my eye too. I have a shot of the unit parked from back in April, and it was absent then as well. It is pictured in the linked shot in my caption from Dec 2019, so disappeared sometime between then and April 2020.
Love the little blue critter, trundling along on what was the ex-MCRR CASO main line. Back in April 1953 , when I travelled over this same rail line in a Pullman sleeper bound for NYC Grand Central Station (according to the ticket accommodation receipt in my collection), who would have thought 67 years later this blue loco (and its orange sister) would be the only power running on this track. So much has changed since then. My last rail trip over this line was on the CPR RDC TH&B train to Buffalo a week before its final run. Thanks for posting, John
That’s very cool John – thanks for sharing stories like that. Helps bring these lines and their history to life. Other than how straight it is, it’s certainly is hard to picture this as a main, though you can still see the old ROW heading east towards the Stamford in this shot.
Where would you have boarded? Welland?
Jamie, boarded train at Toronto Union Station, with my parents and older sister and brother, occupying roomettes 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 in car 821R, departure April 2, 1953 at 8:30 pm, as set out in Canadian Pacific Railway ticket numbers 24736 to 24740, issued on April 1/53. The tickets would be “strip” with detachable parts, the first for CPR to Hamilton, the 2nd for TH&B to Welland, 3rd for NYC to Buffalo, 4th to New York City, and the 5th for the passenger showing the train car number, departure time and date and accommodation . Even though the ticket is a CPR one, the sleeper was either NYC or Pullman Company as I don’t remember CPR sleeping cars operating to NewYork (maybe Ray Kennedy knows). The return trip was on April 12, 1953, roomettes 3,4,5,6, 7 in car 212, no departure time shown, tickets being The Pullman Company “New York to Toronto, Ont.”, numbered 3707 to 3711, issued by “CAN. PAC. RY., C-1 Apr 1 1953 TORONTO ONT.” according to the ticket validation stamp on the back. Hope this clarifies. By the time we reached Welland, I was tucked comfortably in bed in my roomette, peering out the window at the spot showing in your picture, John
Great story, thanks for sharing John
railwayguy. The last trip of the CPR/THB Budd car would have used the tunnel and not this portion of track. This portion terminates at the East side of the canal. Would love to see pics from 1953 though.