Railpictures.ca - Liam MacDougall Photo: This image by Steve Danko in January of 1987 inspired me to dig into my 2020 archives and retrieve this shot of GO 564 north as it leads one of the rush-hour Richmond Hill GO Trains through an ancient relic of a signal bridge located at mile 2 of the Bala Subdivision at the foot of the Don Valley in Toronto. As Steve noted in his photo, this location not only is the beginning of the Bala Sub, but also the former end of the CPR Belleville Sub seen here in the weeds to the left. The Belleville Sub once continued from mile 206.3 at Leaside down the Don Branch to this location at 209.6 where it terminated. This was the case up to 2009 when the branch was sold to Metrolinx and cut from the mainline at Leaside. Unbeknownst to me at the time I took this, the signals here would be taken out of service in early 2021, and the structure dismantled later on in the year, making this frame now a piece of history. This particular signal bridge was one of the first of the 1930s-era USRC structures to fall, and many others in the area will be following suit very soon as Metrolinx continues to modernize their system. | Railpictures.ca – Canadian Railway Photography

This image by Steve Danko in January of 1987 inspired me to dig into my 2020 archives and retrieve this shot of GO 564 north as it leads one of the rush-hour Richmond Hill GO Trains through an ancient relic of a signal bridge located at mile 2 of the Bala Subdivision at the foot of the Don Valley in Toronto. As Steve noted in his photo, this location not only is the beginning of the Bala Sub, but also the former end of the CPR Belleville Sub seen here in the weeds to the left. The Belleville Sub once continued from mile 206.3 at Leaside down the Don Branch to this location at 209.6 where it terminated. This was the case up to 2009 when the branch was sold to Metrolinx and cut from the mainline at Leaside.

Unbeknownst to me at the time I took this, the signals here would be taken out of service in early 2021, and the structure dismantled later on in the year, making this frame now a piece of history. This particular signal bridge was one of the first of the 1930s-era USRC structures to fall, and many others in the area will be following suit very soon as Metrolinx continues to modernize their system.

Caption:

by Steve Danko in January of 1987 inspired me to dig into my 2020 archives and retrieve this shot of GO 564 north as it leads one of the rush-hour Richmond Hill GO Trains through an ancient relic of a signal bridge located at mile 2 of the Bala Subdivision at the foot of the Don Valley in Toronto. As Steve noted in his photo, this location not only is the beginning of the Bala Sub, but also the former end of the CPR Belleville Sub seen here in the weeds to the left. The Belleville Sub once continued from mile 206.3 at Leaside down the Don Branch to this location at 209.6 where it terminated. This was the case up to 2009 when the branch was sold to Metrolinx and cut from the mainline at Leaside.

Unbeknownst to me at the time I took this, the signals here would be taken out of service in early 2021, and the structure dismantled later on in the year, making this frame now a piece of history. This particular signal bridge was one of the first of the 1930s-era USRC structures to fall, and many others in the area will be following suit very soon as Metrolinx continues to modernize their system.

Photographer:	Liam MacDougall [149] (more) (contact)
Date:	08/18/2020 (search)
Railway:	Canadian Pacific (search)
Reporting Marks:	GOT 564 (search)
Train Symbol:	Not Provided
Subdivision/SNS:	CN Bala Sub mile 2 (search)
City/Town:	Toronto (search)
Province:	Ontario (search)
Share Link:	http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=48176

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5 Comments

Aitch

March 8, 2022 at 2:34 pm

Fantastic image. More than worthy as a Time Machine entry.
trainsintoronto

March 8, 2022 at 6:04 pm

@Aitch, thanks very much!
Todd Steinman

March 8, 2022 at 9:38 pm

I agree…very time machine worthy. Hardly recognizable….what a difference! Well done.
sdfourty

March 10, 2022 at 11:47 am

Liam: Thanks for posting! And wow, the vegetation grow in…..and gotta wonder, all those decades past when the rails freely spread defoliants along the R of W, how that may have impacted our health….
sdfourty
trainsintoronto

June 9, 2022 at 12:44 pm

An update for whoever is interested; MX has since built a modern aluminum signal bridge here with some ugly square signals. I’ll eventually drag myself out to shoot them to show the stark contrast between the old relics you see here in this photo and the modern structures.

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Aitch

March 8, 2022 at 2:34 pm

Fantastic image. More than worthy as a Time Machine entry.

trainsintoronto

March 8, 2022 at 6:04 pm

@Aitch, thanks very much!

Todd Steinman

March 8, 2022 at 9:38 pm

I agree…very time machine worthy. Hardly recognizable….what a difference! Well done.

sdfourty

March 10, 2022 at 11:47 am

Liam: Thanks for posting! And wow, the vegetation grow in…..and gotta wonder, all those decades past when the rails freely spread defoliants along the R of W, how that may have impacted our health….
sdfourty

June 9, 2022 at 12:44 pm

An update for whoever is interested; MX has since built a modern aluminum signal bridge here with some ugly square signals. I’ll eventually drag myself out to shoot them to show the stark contrast between the old relics you see here in this photo and the modern structures.