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Caption: Running out its final miles, Canadian National Railway 6218 rolls an excursion train eastbound through Madoc Junction on the Campbellford Subdivision returning to Belleville after turning on the wye at Anson Junction. Having just crossed Tuftsville Road, the train passes the little station and the siding (designation DB32) in the foreground. Note the yellow, wooden derail post. At right lies the Madoc Subdivision. This excursion would be one of five trips out to Anson Junction and back on July 3 with two trips to follow on July 4 to celebrate the retirement of 6218.
CN’s Campbellford Subdivision was constructed in segments by different railways over almost three decades. The earliest portion of the 86.4 mile long line was constructed by the Port Hope, Lindsay & Beaverton Railway from Omemee north west to Lindsay in 1857. The Grand Junction Railway, originally chartered to build from Belleville to Toronto by looping north through many small communities, was altered to run Belleville to Peterborough with future expansion to Georgian Bay – later cut back to Lindsay. Only the section to Peterborough would be built under this railway. Construction began during the 1870s and was completed after many financial issues in 1880. The final piece of the Campbellford Sub missing at this time was the 13 mile stretch from Peterborough to Omemee, which would be constructed by the Midland Railway of Canada in 1883. At this time, the PHL&B Ry had been renamed the Midland Railway in 1869, though the company would grow to over four times its size in 1882 with the merger of six struggling railways under its name. These would include the Midland Railway of Canada; Grand Junction Railway (of Canada); Belleville & North Hastings Railway (see below); Victoria Railway; Whitby, Port Perry & Lindsay Railway; and the Toronto & Nipissing Railway. The expanded Midland Railway would be leased by the Grand Trunk Railway on January 1, 1884, and finally purchased on April 1, 1893. The line continued service under the Canadian National Railway banner until abandonment in pieces beginning in 1987 by abandoning Corbyville (mile 3.2) and Peterborough (mile 60.6), and finally the section from Peterborough to Lindsay (mile 86.4) in 1989.
Originally constructed in 1879 by the Belleville and North Hastings Railway from Madoc Junction (mile 0) to Madoc (mile 14.9), the line was leased to the Grand Junction Railway soon after completion, finally coming under control of the Midland Railway of Canada in 1881. The Midland Railway extended the line from Madoc to Eldorado at mile 21.69 in 1887, though would close this portion in 1889 due to low traffic. Service continued after the Midland’s merger with the Grand Trunk and later Canadian National until its last revenue movements in 1979 (5 inbound loads, 12 outbound loads at Madoc) and the line closed to traffic effective January 1980. CN would be paying to truck loads to/from team tracks at Foxboro (mile 6.54 Campbellford Sub – image below) and Belleville.
For the two days of July 3rd and 4th, 1971, Belleville was crowded with railfans from all over, many from the USA familiar with 6218 trips on Central Vermont and Grand Trunk Western lines. A ceremony was held at Belleville station on the 4th bidding farewell to 6218 before its final departure, well documented in the Upper Canada Railway Society’s July 1971 newsletter (link below).
An excerpt from the UCRS article:
“6218 herself was in pristine condition for her final hours of glory. She had been restored to her World War II appearance, complete with rectangular herald on the tender coal bunker, smoke deflectors (or "elephant ears") around the smokebox, a glossy black paint job complete with white striping on the running boards and cab of the engine and on the tender, and yellow numerals on the cab sides. The wheels and drivers on engine and tender were painted their usual white...The highways and byways from Belleville to Anson Junction were dotted with cars with many United States license plates, as people came from far and near to see 6218 make her last run on this weekend...A stirring eulogy to 6218 was given by Mr. O.S.A. Lavallee of Montreal. At the conclusion of the eulogy, the Duke of Edinburgh Pipe Band played "Auld Lange Syne". There was now a hush in the crowd, as people stood waiting, cameras and tape recorders at the ready. The band played a second time. After what seemed an eternity, out of the east a plume of black smoke arose. 6218 then came screaming down the yard, through the leads and past the station and the assembled crowd, whistle blowing, doing an estimated 60 per. She disappeared into the sun in the west, and it was all over.”
The full UCRS article covering the final trips of 6218 can be FOUND HERE in newsletter 306: July 1971.
More Campbellford/Madoc Sub images:
Lindsay, Bruce Lowe, June 1964
Foxboro, Doug Page, June 1964
Madoc Junction, Arnold Mooney, July 1976
Madoc, Arnold Mooney, July 1976
Hastings, Steve Danko, May 1977
Peterborough, Eric May, 1979
Stirling, Arnold Mooney, July 1979
Stirling, Arnold Mooney, July 1979
James C. Herold Photo, Jacob Patterson Collection Slide.
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Great image and write up Jacob…very interesting !
Jacob, such a historical picture, from “elephant ears” on the 6218, the old “cute” little wooden Madoc Jct station building, the track diverging on the right for Madoc. Well done, and to think 41 years this is gone, all the railway tracks, the station, and train (except 6218) now just a memory. Also, as usual, your write up is excellent, so informative and with a nice variety of links. Rode on one of the Sat trips, for all we know, one of those waving from the train could have been me ! After riding, photographed the remaining trips. Omer Lavallee’s was as eloquent as ever, his eulogy was stirring and emotional. Then came 6218, thundering out of the east, and is it rushed by us one more time, there were many a teary eye. Well done, John
Thanks Michael and John. I must give credit to the UCRS for such great newsletters and Charles Cooper for archiving them on his site. Really helpful for research.
Fascinating. Glory days long gone.
Great image.
Great write up.
Great times.
Well stated Mr railwayguy.
Shame I can give only one star….
And Moi was on one of those five Anson Jct trips and was present for that final run by at Belleville Station.
And all those familiar faces on board those trips too!
We were all wondering where we were going to get our next mainline Steam Fix!
Fortunately it was only two plus long years…when 6060 steamed into Ontario
(but it wasn’t never quite the same….).
(and we waited for CP… another 32 years!)
And here we wait and wait for mainline CN steam…..is Tracy listening?
sdfourty
I was a member of the U C R S. I think I rode 2 trips with 6218.I n later years I worked the publications desk on the trips with 6060.So much fun