PUBLISHED BY Upper Canada Railway Society SEPTEMBER- P.O. Box 122, Station A OCTOBER 1997 Toronto, Ontario M5W IA2 www.btinternet.com/~ucrs NUMBER 567 ISSN 1193-7971 Features this month Research and Reviews Transcontinental CN's BALA SUBDIVISION RAILWAY ARCHAEOLOGY 20 THERAPIDO 26 • A trip on the Bala Subdivision 3 • Historical notes on the Bala Subdivision. THE PANORAMA 29 • Timetables for the Bala Subdivision 6 IN TRANSIT 31 • Baia Subdivision Mileposts 8 INFORMATION NETWORK 25 MOTIVE POWER 33 • Regular trains on the Bala Subdivision 18 • Montreal bus transfers. ROLLING STOCK 35 CN's Bala Subdivision way built the line. The next pages are a remaining in Paul's term as a directoi; and This issue of Rail and Transit is a spiecial, detailed, mile-by-mile guide to the Bala Sub• we will elect a replacement director to serve expanded, single-topic issue about the CN division, listing current and former station the rest of the term at our annual general Bala Subdivision between Toronto and names, and the locations of level crossings, meeting in March. -Scott Haskill Capreol, Ontario. signals, bridges, and other features. Two UCRS meetings With the abandonment of the Beachburg tables follow that, listing the regular freight Friday, December 19- Regular monthly meet• Subdivision through the Ottawa Valley and and passenger trains that operate over the ing in Toronto, at 7:30 p.m. Meetings are Algonquin Park, the Bala Subdivision is now Bala. An historical review of the construction held on the third floor at Metro Hall, on King an essential part of CN's transcontinental of the line and diversions which have been Street at John Street, just west of St. Andrew line, carrying all of their traffic between the built over the years is the subject of the subway station and a short walk from Union eastern and western parts of the country. Railway Archaeology column. Station. Each meeting features recent news, The Bala Subdivision has always been This issue of Rail and Traruit is the result members' current and historical slides, and essentially a long-distance, main-line opera• of several months of work by a group of selected video presentations. tion, with little local traffic. The freight and UCRS members and certified Bala fans. Paul passenger trains on the line today run with a Bloxham, John Carter; Art Clowes, Scott Friday, December 19- Regular monthly meet• single crew over the whole distance from Haskill, Sean Robitaille, Pat Scrimgeoui; and ing in Hamilton, at 8:00 p.m. Meetings are Toronto to Capreol, and make the trip in Chris Spinney all participated in different held at the Hamilton Spectator auditorium, eight to 12 hours. Except for a short section aspects of the production of this issue. 44 Frid Street, just off Main Street at High• just north of Toronto, the whole of the line is This is not the final word on the Bala way 403. Each meeting features recent news single-track, with passing sidings about every Subdivision. We hope that what we've pre• and members' current and historical slides. 10 to 15 miles. pared for this issue will inspire other readers Friday, January 16 - Totonto meeting at In addition to the frequent freight trains, to write about their research or recollections Metro Hall, 7:30 p.m. the Bala Subdivision carries the VIA Cana• about the line, and we know that what we've Friday, January 23 - Hamilton meeting at the dian, the Ontario Northland Norchlander, learned so far has only piqued our curiosity Spectator auditorium, 8:00 p.m. and GO Transit commuter trains between to find out more. The ability to have a Toronto and Richmond Hill. continuing discussion is one of the strengths Cover photos From Union Station in Toronto, the line that a periodical publication has over expen• All four of the cover photos this month are heads north through the scenic Don Valley sive books which can't be supplemented or recent pictures taken on the Bala Subdivi• over the Oak Ridges, along the shores of updated until years later. sion, in the area near Parry Sound. Lake Simcoe, and onto the Canadian Shield, We'd also like to know your opinion of The front cover photo is by John Carte? where it traverses some long sections with• large, in-depth examinations such as this of showing the northbound Canadian, VIA out road access. The scenic setting, heavy a single railway line or other subject. There Train 1, between Waubamik and Ardbeg, on traffic, long trains, and single-track opera• are many other interesting railway lines September 27, 1997. tion make the Bala Subdivision an attractive which could be the subject of sjjecial issues The upper photo on the back cover is by location for watching and photographing of Rail and Transit; if you'd like to organise Pat Scrimgeou? taken on August 31, 1997. It railway operations. something, please get in touch. shows a northbound CN freight train ap• In this issue of Rail and Transit, we begin proaching the south end of the siding at Resignation with a trip over the Bala Subdivision in the Waubamik. Paul Bloxham has resigned as a director of Skyline car of the Canadian, for an overall The lower pair of photos is by Paul Blox• the UCRS. We wish to thank Paul for his look at the line. We then continue with ham, showing southbound CN train No. 304 assistance and encouragement over the past excerpts from employees' operating timeta• approaching and entering the siding at Faid- two years, especially the work he has done in bles from 1910 and 1996, to show how the ing on May 25, 1996. organising a number of UCRS weekend ex• details of railway operation have changed cursions and day trips. There were two years since the Canadian Northern Ontario Rail• This issue completed on December 9, 1997 Editor Contributing Editors Subscriptions Directors Pat Scrimgeour John Carter, Art Cbwes. Scott Haskill, Subscriptions to fioi/ and Transit are available Scon Haskill, President 604-2071 250 Queens Quay West # 1607 Sean Robitaille, Gray Scrimgeour, with membership in the Upper Canada Art Clowes 506 387-4258 Toronto, Ontario M5J 2N2 Chris Spinney, Gordon Webster. Railway Society. Membership dues are Calvin Henry-Cotnam 287-9396 E-Mail: [email protected] $29.00 per year for addresses in Canada; Al Maitland 921-4023 Correspondents $35.00 (or $27.00 in U.S. funds) for George Meek. 532-5617 Please send news items to the address Paul Bloxham, Tom Box, Alex Campbell. addresses in the U.S. and overseas. Please Pat Scrimgeour 260-5652 shown with each news section. Articles and Richard Carroll, Calvin Henry-Cotnam, send inquiries and changes of address to the PatSemple WA3-9I23 photos should be sent to the editor. Bill McGuire, Don McQueen. John Reay address at the top of this page. Chris Spinney 754-7175 Denis Taylor. CN's MAIN LINE NORTH FROM TORONTO A trip on the Bala Subdivision For a fiist-hand look at CN's Bala Subdivi• Railway, then northwest on CN's Weston - and the train accelerates quickly east, and sion, join us in the dome of the Skyline car Subdivision. At Parkdaie, we turn north on crosses the Newmarket Sub. From Yonge on VIA train No. 1, the Canadian. (This is an the Newmarket Subdivision. After we cross Street, we coast downhill toward Doncaster. composite trip, made up of observations on the St. Lawrence and Hudson's North At Doncaster, we turn from the York several actual trips.) Toronto Subdivision and climb a short hill at Subdivision north onto the Baia Subdivision. We arrive at Union Station in Toronto on St. Clair Avenue, the speed picks up to about We pass the GO stations at Langstaff and an October Saturday morning, in a light 40 m.p.h. as we continue through the back Richmond Hill, and there is a 30 m.p.h. slow drizzle and cool weather. It takes a few lots of industrial fjarts of Toronto. order in Richmond Hill, Mile 21.1, for some minutes for the queue of passengers to show At Snider we cross the diamond of the sewer construction. We soon enter the single- their tickets to the gateman and board the York Subdivision. A short distance north, the track section of the Baia at Elgin. From train, but once aboard the time goes quickly train stops, and we hear on our scanner the Doncaster to Elgin, the grade is 0.7 to 0.8 as we leave our bags at our assigned seats directions being called by the crew as the percent uphill, and for about a mile north and head for the Skyline right away to get train backs south, then west onto the York from Elgin the grade eases to 0.3 percent. the choice seats in the dome, the sets of four Sub., at the entrance to MacMiiian Yard. A Then, it's back into 0.8 percent uphill all the seats facing tables at the front of the dome. signal ahead winks to green - a clear signal way to Mile 29, except for one compensated It's a couple of minutes after 11:00 when S-curve at Mile 25. The train has plenty of we notice that the train has started to move. power in its two F40PH-2s, but we feel the The Canadian heads west from Union Sta• speed drop slightly at Elgin. A couple of cars tion, so we won't be travelling on the lower were waiting for us at the Leslie Street cross• part of the Bala Subdivision today.