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Caption: Well, I figured it's about time I went out for 6420 given it's been here for a couple of weeks now. Oddly, the 1500 Yard Job strayed from it's usual pattern and went all the way to the "Far East" today to switch out McAsphalt. With little head room, they were up there for a few hours making moves it turns out. I was at Strathearne shooting 1412 on the west end of the 1600 Job when 6420 showed up, so off to the races it was. They're pictured here at Ottawa Street, with the old SOR lunchroom at left and Dofasco offices in the background.
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Having your photos bathed in good sunlight is becoming quite an art for you Jamie.
I will say Wow! to the trackwork just to the north of the far tower on the right. There is a wye on this side of the Burlington St. overpass, oh wait, there is another wye on the other side of the overpass and this wye has 2 diamonds (one has been disconnected). Back in the day this was a busy area. Still is at the big facility east of Kenilworth Ave.
Thanks Larry – this summer I realized I hated high sun haha.
Never noticed it really until now.
Hamilton’s north end is quite the spaghetti bowl of track, that’s for sure. The wye between Ottawa and Kenilworth isn’t a true wye anymore – only the west leg is used. The east leg, which I think was the old ore train lead, has a red flag in it. I might post a shot of the flag soon, for context.
They re-did those crossings across Burlington street a year or two ago to the diamonds you mention. I have never seen anything come in or out of there, as it is incredibly rare. Steve recently shared a shot of SOR moving one of Dofasco’s switchers through there, on its way to being repaired. Other than that move, that diamond sees no action at all these days.
The facility east of Kenilworth is CN’s Parkdale Yard, and there is the steel centre there for transloading of steel. It is typically serviced five times a week by 555. I have posted a couple of night shots of 555 there, and have a few more to share one day. 551 goes there sometimes as well. That wye is still used in its entirety.
The north end can still be pretty busy at times. Last night I shot the 1500 job with 6420, the 1600 job with 1412, and AIM’s switcher all at the north end of Strathearne Ave within a very short window of time – both CN jobs there at the same time in fact, with 1500 coming from McAsphalt and 1600 switching Triple M. And CP’s TH21 was on the radio at the time as well, telling them they were on their way too.
Link to Steve’s shot I mentioned http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=40853
Link to 555 at Parkdale http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=37479
Link to CN Yard Job having gone up the wye at Parkdale to go ‘down the hole’ http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=41478
Thanks a whole bunch for the info JK.
Having never been to this part of Canada, it really helps tie it all together when viewing yours and others photos, in addition to doing a little sky watch from Google Earth. Yes to the wye north of Burlington. It looks to being slowly turned into other land use. A good part of it appears to be park area (for now). Don’t think I’ve seen many wyes with 1 diamond, this one has 2.
It gets better, Larry: there was a diamond for the TH&B and CN at this very spot, removed in 1980:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=35394
TH&B, CN, and Dofasco all had mainlines at this spot, the Dofasco mainline is mostly removed (bits and pieces are still in the ground, with a small 1/4 mile segment still in place at the far east end)
Then consider the other belt lines that are long gone, there was crossings everywhere into the 70′s..
As for the diamonds by NSC/Dofasco:
What looks like parkland is considered Dofasco property and you’ll be kicked off quickly by security if hanging on the grass. NSC crosses the diamond often as that track is still used by them (called the Coke Oven leads)
East leg still in daily use, west leg not, the straight is the Dofasco inbound/outbound track and nothing goes in/out by rail except OCS stuff.