Caption: CN McMillan! No, not that MacMillan, this is the other less-famous (a-less) McMillan!

Here's the view looking east on CN's Midland Subdivision, at eastern junction point of McMillan, towards CP's Port McNicoll Sub and part of its log wooden Hog Bay Trestle, now disused. Therein lies a story connecting this "new" CN switch and that old CP trestle.

Port McNicoll, home of CP's last regularly scheduled steam locomotive operations, was long reached via the 2142 foot long wooden Hog Bay Trestle near the south end of town. Due to rising maintenance costs of the old wooden trestle, CP decided to obtain trackage rights over CN's Midland Subdivision to access Port McNicoll, and abandoned much of their line in March 1971 (the Hog Bay Trestle was eventually disassembled in early 1978). CP trains would take the Port McNicoll Sub from Medonte (off their MacTier Sub) west to a point near Coldwater (Mile 16), that connected with CN's Coldwater Spur and Midland Sub. The CP train would receive permission from the CN RTC, and take CN's Midland Sub west to this point at McMillan, where a new connection at the east end of McMillan was made here (forming the east leg of a wye, running around the bay), allowing eastbound CP trains a direct route back onto CP's existing trackage in Port McNicoll.

Predating this new arrangement, CP had an existing agreement and connection at the west end of McMillan with CN, for running rights to use their Midland Sub west of Port McNicoll to access Midland and Tiffin (the grain elevators were a large source of traffic over the winter months when the St. Lawrence Seaway was closed). Adding a new connection at the east end of Midland formed a new wye arrangement south of Port McNicoll.

This setup continued until the early 1990's when CP ended operations to Port McNicoll in 1991, and abandoned their remaining trackage in 1992. CN abandoned their Midland Sub two years later in 1994. Both are now walking trails.

Keith Hansen photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.