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Train Spotting

This could go in one of the VIA threads, but I thought it might have more general interest so it’s here. I got a close up look at a new Siemens trainsets this week, and I was fascinated by the way the underfloor is designed…. It has a rack with holes in it, just like adjustable shelving…. And all the underfloor appliances are hung from this with pins that fit into the rack, almosst Ikea style.
The idea presumably is that anything needing heavy maintenance can be easily removed and replaced, and if modifications happen down the road, it’s easy to rearrange the “rack”.
Pretty clever compared to the bolting and welding that steam era equipment demands.

- Paul

IMG_8371.jpeg
 
Lots to see in this picture. I'm sure @crs1026 @smallspy will have some observations/memories. Two things that stood out for me right away are the jointed rail in the Union Station Rail corridor, and what looks like three active tracks for the Richmond Hill Line/Bala Sub. From the Facebook Group "Classic Canadian National".

Caption text:

Friday Flashback
"Rush Hour"
There's a lot going on about a mile east of Toronto Union Station in this view from a hot, hazy July, 1985 afternoon. To the left, a Canadian National (CN) ballast train is waiting in the clear to head west when the rush hour "dust" clears. In the center, on the CN Kingston Subdivision, a Via Rail Canada LRC ("Light-Rapid-Comfortable") consist is just nicely into its eastward journey to Montreal, while on the right, an outbound GO Transit commuter train is heading toward Toronto's north suburbs on the CN Bala Subdivision. Cherry Street Tower can be seen on the far right in the distance. July, 1985 photo by Mark Hinsdale
Click to expand...

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^ Lots to see indeed, Working grain elevators, boxcar in the then Don Yard....., the freight train is one of the gravel trains that shuttled between the quarry in Limehouse and gravel yards at Scarborough and Milliken. Former boxcar and rebuilt caboose 79499 is no longer with us, but its close sister 79482 still operates in charter service at the Waterloo Central Railway.
And those signal gantries are timeless.

- Paul
 
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When was the last time a CN train went through Union station? Would a CN train even be allowed to run through Union today? Probably in the middle of the night, so as to not impede GO operations.
 
Bojaxs said:
When was the last time a CN train went through Union station? Would a CN train even be allowed to run through Union today? Probably in the middle of the night, so as to not impede GO operations.
Click to expand...

I don't have the precise date close at hand, but CN stopped delivering chlorine to the Ashbridges water treatment plant around 2019-2020.

- Paul
 
For those willing to venture out in the heat, it seems that the demonstration locomotive wearing the new CPKC paint scheme arrived Toronto from Western Canada lat night and is slated to depart shortly heading to the US.

The railfan community seems to fawn over anything with new or different locomotive paint. As well as anything that never got repainted and remains in its "original" garb. For CP, we've gone through the Pacman era, and then the flags era, and then the beaver crest era...so for Toronto, it's the start of a new era. Remember this date.

- Paul
 
crs1026 said:
For those willing to venture out in the heat, it seems that the demonstration locomotive wearing the new CPKC paint scheme arrived Toronto from Western Canada lat night and is slated to depart shortly heading to the US.

The railfan community seems to fawn over anything with new or different locomotive paint. As well as anything that never got repainted and remains in its "original" garb. For CP, we've gone through the Pacman era, and then the flags era, and then the beaver crest era...so for Toronto, it's the start of a new era. Remember this date.

- Paul
Click to expand...
I liked the 'beaver crest'. The way it was rendered gave it a 3-dimensional look.
 
Bojaxs said:
Not my video, but I thought it was cool.
Milton line action. CPKC train and GO train side by side. Always wanted to see the MP40 beside a class 1 freight locomotive. See how they compare.

Click to expand...
I love the contrast between the EMD engine in the MP40 and the GE engines in the GEVOs
 
reaperexpress said:
Spotted at Ottawa Station. In my opinion this is the best-looking train in service in North America.

View attachment 585716
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Got to thank Brightline/Siemens for coming up with this design and long over due for VIA.

Will we see some of these on GO routes where there isn't enough ridership for DD trains??
 
drum118 said:
Got to thank Brightline/Siemens for coming up with this design and long over due for VIA.

Will we see some of these on GO routes where there isn't enough ridership for DD trains??
Click to expand...
No we won't see these on GO routes because they don't have enough door capacity for regional service and they don't have the right floor height for GO's plamned level boarding plarforms.

A regional DMU/EMU such as the Stadler FLIRT would make more sense
 
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