Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

[smallspy]

Don't you think that's a stretch? Freight trains are a wall of sound, clicks from passing over the diamond are surely minor.

Clicks? Not quite, not when it is 32+ tonnes dropping a quarter of an inch and slamming into hardened steel multiple hundreds of times for each train.

There will be less noise from passenger trains at least, now that they will swoop in and out of the underpass.

It will be a couple of weeks, but the noise from the passenger trains will be less still once they are allowed to continue through at track speed.

Is CP likely to be able to move trains through at higher speeds as well, given the elimination of the junction and presumably some associated signals?

Yes, they will. I think there was a 30mph slow order there, where the zone speed of the North Toronto Sub is 50mph. The bigger gain, however, will be from CP no longer having to maintain the diamonds there and force trains to single-track through the area when they were working on it.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Clicks? Not quite, not when it is 32+ tonnes dropping a quarter of an inch and slamming into hardened steel multiple hundreds of times for each train.

I meant relative to the noise of the rest of the train, but you have a point.

 

[drum118]

I meant relative to the noise of the rest of the train, but you have a point.

Well, here is a video of CP eastbound COFC crossing the Toronto West Diamond Friday night http://youtu.be/ei-dyGWG_K8

Here is the video of the very last GO train to use the Weston Sub Toronto West Diamond after 131 years. The diamond will be remove when the new bridge is move into position late June or early July depending how fast they get the excavation low enough to travel under the bridge while still excavating the tunnel. You can see in the video where the bridge will be put together and it will be a very short move compare to the other one done last year.
[video=youtube_share;yqXmcBNY-5U]http://youtu.be/yqXmcBNY-5U[/video]

 

[interchange42]

A quick visit back to the Strachan Avenue Overpass site for an update:

42

 

[drum118]

Anyone late getting in to Toronto on the KW line, blame what every.

The extra move at 4:50 am turn out to be the first train to use the new fly under as both a Revenue and non revenue train. MPI MP40PH-3C 662 had the privilege of being the power on the first train.

662 had no problems with the new signals going west, but the GO test train had problems going both ways to the point it couldn't do the 2nd test run.

It stop north of St Clair to make it return trip and sat there for some time as well could not communicate with ground personal. One of the the CN crew looking after everything drove out to the train to see what was up as well to communicate with the ground force. The train crew received permission to go south regardless of no signals as he had the first train down 20 minutes at this point.

Crews then walk the line in both direction to inspect all connections to see if there was any breaks in the new place #1 track and found none. Crews on the first couple of trains were told to proceed though this area regardless of no signals. Crews where working on the signal box as I left the site.

Each train I saw drove at different speeds than the one they were told to drive at from slow to fast going down the ramp. It was almost the same coming up where they start the climb and then start to speed up haft way up or at the top.

The Weston Sub south of Old Weston Rd to north of Wallace Overpass cease to exist other than the diamond as all the tracks including ties have been remove by 9 am. Excavation will start on both sides of CP tracks so they can get the roadbed down 4m so they can build the Diamond Bridge and have it ready by the end of June or early July. The move is a lot shorter that Sept 2013 and should only take an hour at best.

When the bridge is to be move, the final chapter on the Diamond will close, ending 131 years of diamonds in this area when they are remove along with the temporary bridge. CP then replace both tracks from the Mactire Sub to the Galt Sub so CP can travel a lot faster than before, but not full speed until the end of the year.

Residents will not hear the Clicky Clack, thumb de thumb as the wheels cross the diamonds.

The last train to Bramalea Friday, cross the diamonds at 7:04:41 for the very last time and was to be the first train to use the fly under.

Using the Fly under is the critical Mile Stone for the corridor as neither GO, VIA and UPX will require permission anymore of be held up by CP to cross their track anymore. GO train will be able to run faster using the fly under and not worrying if they will have to stop at the diamond as they near the block signals. Unless I am miss reading the footings, there will be block signals just south of the ramp for the fly under.

I miss shooting a Milton Train as it round the corner on the Galt Sub as he had the dust flying all over the place and then slow down after passing the site. He was the only one to be flying wit dust flying as none of the other one did. Oh, well.

I asked the question today about Dennison Rd E new road as to when it should be finish and was told it was Aug. From what I saw Friday, don't think so as they are just to lay rebar for the first section of the road as well this is a lot deeper than originally plan that will require more retaining wall.

The ramp for the new bridge over Lawrence Ave is almost complete for it, less the railing. Not much has happen on the New Weston Station other than steel going up for the south end entrance and platform.

End up touring the Grade Separation from John St to Weston Rd and boy is that a deep tunnel from the bottom looking up compare to looking down. The floor is 100% completed south of King Rd to about 500m from Weston Rd. where it will be standard roadbed.

As for Weston Rd bridge, it become a moving target as to when the beams for the tracks will be install.

They are pouring the ceiling of the tunnel between King and Church using a platform from Spain that moves on a track after they pour a 60m section every 2 weeks.

Trains are schedule to start using this fly under in December.

All the videos I shot on Friday are up on youtube and the photos up on Flickr as I don't have the time to post them. Hope to get today videos up late today, but the photos are a few days away as I have others still to upload from Friday as well the weekend.

 

[scamander24]

Excuse me if this question has been asked before, but is there anything planned to be put above the ceiling of the Weston tunnel?

I found this rendering from the GTS project website:

Source

I would wish for some sort of park to be built on top, but I'm assuming its simply going to be left as a long slab of concrete? Will GO sell air rights to developers to built condos on top?

 

[vic]

Drum....thanks for documenting this.

Wondering...was that you filming/photographing on the Wallace Bridge this morning?

It'll be interesting to notice the difference in sound once the diamond is gone. I live on Symington just a bit north of Bloor, and although I rarely hear the freight trains, the pounding of the diamond is loud and clear, especially at night....and even moreso now with windows open.

Davenport Diamond will continue to rumble though, and the talk of separating that has been quiet for a few years now.

-Vic

 

[innsertnamehere]

The davenport seperation will come when all day GO is rolled out, whenever that is.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Drum....thanks for documenting this.

Wondering...was that you filming/photographing on the Wallace Bridge this morning?

It'll be interesting to notice the difference in sound once the diamond is gone. I live on Symington just a bit north of Bloor, and although I rarely hear the freight trains, the pounding of the diamond is loud and clear, especially at night....and even moreso now with windows open.

Davenport Diamond will continue to rumble though, and the talk of separating that has been quiet for a few years now.

-Vic

Vote Parti Davenport for separation!!!

 

[drum118]

Excuse me if this question has been asked before, but is there anything planned to be put above the ceiling of the Weston tunnel?

I found this rendering from the GTS project website:

Source

I would wish for some sort of park to be built on top, but I'm assuming its simply going to be left as a long slab of concrete? Will GO sell air rights to developers to built condos on top?

I should know this since I was on the various committees for Weston. But for the life of me, drawing a blank. I know Metrolinx spent an extra $2 million for the roof.

I believe it will be green space or a park as well the crash wall along CP track.

There will be nothing built on top of these separation for Condos.

 

[smallspy]

Unless plans have changed in the past year, there will be a park and community garden on the roof.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[the lemur]

Not sure when it went up or whether it's been mentioned yet, but this signal gantry (is that the right word?) looks pretty new.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Is this by the Wallace Ave pedestrian bridge? Some guys at CPTDB were fussing about it because it was for 5 tracks instead of six. Like it could potentially be a huge f*ck-up and GO doesn't know what they're doing.

 

[the lemur]

Is this by the Wallace Ave pedestrian bridge? Some guys at CPTDB were fussing about it because it was for 5 tracks instead of six. Like it could potentially be a huge f*ck-up and GO doesn't know what they're doing.

Yes, just south of the Wallace bridge.

 

[smallspy]

Is this by the Wallace Ave pedestrian bridge? Some guys at CPTDB were fussing about it because it was for 5 tracks instead of six. Like it could potentially be a huge f*ck-up and GO doesn't know what they're doing.

It's not a huge f*ck-up. There will only be 5 tracks on opening day.

The concern was whether it could be expanded to handle the future track on the east side without issue, as most of the other gantries are already designed for 4 tracks/ultimate build-out.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.