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Images by mrdanno4050

MrDan — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 04:36:33 +0000

One redeeming feature of the chaos at Bramalea GO station was it would occasionally drop random CN trains like this out of nowhere into your lap. Waiting for a morning GO train? Here's a CN local finishing work around Brampton to shoot, or a GEXR export special with 10 brand new Class 66's fresh from London (that one actually happened). Witness CN GP38-2 4700 and GP9RM 4110 in matching zebra stripes showing up at 7:46am and slowly crawling through the morning fog, heading eastbound through Bramalea GO on track #2 with a sizable local in tow past everyone waiting for the next Toronto-bound GO train to appear. Usually the local working this area went through the other way in the mornings, so I can only speculate this was an overnight or early morning #578 that had finished switching some Brampton/Bramalea industries and was making its way back to Malport amid the morning GO rush, likely waiting for a gap in traffic so the RTC could give it the light through Halwest and into Malport Yard.

CN 4700 (ex-5500, the class unit) in ratty zebra stripes was a regular on the locals in the area at the time. Around 2007 it would depart and return in a fresh coat of the modern CN "website" livery.

The crossbucks and weird railing setup next to 4700 were to corral the "Bramalea Marathon" runners safely over the unused Kuehne & Nagel siding by the south GO parking lot, known for multiple daily parking violations as spots filled up during the course of the day ("Fire route? Sorry, I need to catch the York University GO bus in 3 minutes or I'm late for that business finance exam at Schulich!"). More recent south parking lot renovations suggest this was all done away with, as most of the siding had been removed prior.' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	11/29/2006
Location:	Brampton (Bramalea…
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 3 Favourites

Airman Robert Wanner photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide (duplicate).

(There's some dispute about the exact date of the photo. Photographer Robert Wanner notes it was taken in late October 1955 (also mentioning this is one of his favourite CPR steam photos), but the description on the mount of this duplicate slide shows November 4th 1955, and yet other photo sources show December 2nd 1955.)' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Robert Wanner photo…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	11/04/1955
Location:	Ottawa
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 8 Favourites

Gardiner Expressway, that runs parallel to the rail corridor on this stretch.

The train number wasn't listed on this slide, and the train consist appears to be different than the NYC-TH&B-CP train #322 (New York to Toronto) that John Street-based 2399 often operated on. The date also wasn't listed on this slide, but it appears to be mid-to-late 1950's shot. Perhaps one of the RP.ca viewers more knowledgeable about 50's Toronto-area steam operations has some insight.

Original photographer unknown (duplicate), Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Unknown, Dan Dell'U…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	1950's
Location:	Toronto (Sunnyside…
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 9 Favourites

After picking up a friend in Fergus, we headed to Orangeville with hopes of the OBRY running (driftbusting!?) due to recent snowfall activity. Unfortunately, the front of CCGX 1000 was packed with snow, suggesting it had run the previous day. It was pretty much dead there that morning (not unlike Orangeville today, just with more train stuff sitting around), so we settled for some photos of the equipment and station before departing for Guelph.

This rare cabless Budd RDC-9 specimen was one of only 30 built, all for the Boston & Maine RR in 1956. CN scooped up seven in 1965 (6000-6006), that were later passed off to VIA. When VIA retired them in the 1980's, they were stored and most later sold off to dealer David A. Walmsley (this one becoming DAWX 6006). 6006 was sold to Ontario Rail Equipment Leasing (ORXX) in 2006, whose owner was involved with operating the Credit Valley Explorer. It was stored out of use on the OBRY, and photos suggest it may have run as a trailing car on the CVE a few times (with end-mounted lights). It was later sold to the Waterloo Central Railway around when CVE operations ended, coinciding with operation of the OBRY changing from Cando to GIO Rail in 2018. ' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Orangeville-Brampt…
Date:	12/18/2007
Location:	Orangeville
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 5 Favourites

Departing around noon, after a visit to shoot a train on the BIT pullback track pulled all the way to Automatic Drive, the next stop was a visit to the Highway 7/Queen Street overpass. There was our target GMD-1 1423, visible in the yard but tucked away with her GP9RM-slug set on a track in the distance not doing anything (8-ball says crew lunch break). Since we weren't getting any action along Queen, a side-trip was made to the Malport Yard area to shoot CN #577 and #393, before doing some other shenanigans (probably lunch) and heading back to BIT for another look.

Sure enough, CN 1423 with slug 242 and mother GP9RM 7265 were busy drilling cuts of intermodal cars at the north end of the yard, as other mainline trains yarded and did their switching. If this looks like a busy scene, it was - as CN's main Toronto-area container terminal, BIT is usually busy. Some photos were had, as 1423 had the significance of being the first GMD-1 built (CN 1000), before entering the late 80's rebuild program and emerging as GMD-1B 1423 (it's now preserved by the CRHA out west). One of the neat things about shooting off Highway 7 is you can see part of Pearson Airport and the Brampton-Mississauga hydro corridor towers in the distance. Unfortunately was also really really cold and windy on that overpass, so this shot was not without sacrifice to the comfort of gloveless extremities.' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	11/24/2007
Location:	Brampton
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 16 Favourites

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	08/28/2007
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 11 Favourites

brand new Toronto Rocket (TR) set in testing service rolled into the station upstairs, the oldest relics of the subway line were still hauling passengers below. TTC H4 5602 leads a 6-pack of the 1970's Hawker Siddeley cars westbound, pausing at St. George Subway Station just before 10pm on the way west to Kipling Station.

The new TR cars spelled the end of the entire H4 fleet by January 2012, pushed out by Yonge-University-Spadina line T1's transferred to the B-D line. The H5 and H6 fleets were also retired as deliveries continued.' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Toronto Transit Co…
Date:	05/10/2011
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 6 Favourites

Standard fare on your average H4 always included the comfy orange and grey bench seats, yellow doorways with cream doors, and the ol' simulated wood grain paneling. Shot portrait-style to show off the large distinct rooftop ventilator fans, at the time the last subway cars in service in Toronto with them (also found in old department stores like K-Mart). All the H1-H4 cars came with those fans, as well as the M1's, but their use was discontinued starting with the air-conditioned H5's. The early H's were also "camshaft control", so no buzzing like the later "chopper control" cars, just a whir on starting and stopping, and no air conditioning either. The final H4 train would run a few months later in January 2012.

More H4 photos:
Davisville Subway Station: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=34861
Christie Subway Station: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=31197
Keele Subway Station: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=34662
H4 ride (Youtube via another RP.ca contributor): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rxna_nbkug' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Toronto Transit Co…
Date:	04/21/2011
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 10 Favourites

Few highrises are present on the Toronto skyline at this time, but the brown CNCP Telecommunications building is visible at 151 Front Street West. The "High Line" bypass tracks sneak by the yard office in the foreground. That concrete CN Tower? Nearly new at the time!

Bill Mischler photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Bill Mischler photo…
Railway:	Canadian Pacific
Date:	07/30/1978
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 14 Favourites

The distinct yellow doors and doorways were original to the H5-class of subway cars (5670-5807) when built new by Hawker Siddeley Canada the mid-1970's, but they originally featured orange velour seat inserts (eventually changed to red fabric, as seen here). TTC 5791 was one of the last cars to operate in service, on the final H5 train run on June 14th 2013.

More H5's:

Platform view at Finch: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=10050
Operator's cab interior: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=59834
New on delivery: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=53581
Meeting a CP freight: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=54660
At Dundas Subway Station: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=34900
At the scrapyard: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=7336' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Toronto Transit Co…
Date:	12/01/2008
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 11 Favourites

505 was one of eight specially-built GMD GP40TC (Toronto Commuter) locomotives constructed in 1966 for the Government of Ontario's new commuter service, but at this point in 1988 they were all on borrowed time. With new GMD F59PH units rolling off the assembly line in London, GO 505 and her siblings had already been put up for sale earlier that year in May, and would depart for Amtrak in October, hastily renumbered into their new numbers 192-199.

Peter Jobe photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Peter Jobe photo, D…
Railway:	GO Transit
Date:	09/08/1988
Location:	Toronto (Mimico)
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 15 Favourites

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Toronto Transit Co…
Date:	09/26/2008
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 8 Favourites

It's a full house under the train shed at 4:29pm as VIA F40PH-2D 6404 departs from Track 10 with 8 HEP cars on train #75. It's passing VIA 1750 "Glenfraser" trailing 3 HEP cars and F40PH-2 6438 hiding on Track 9, waiting for #75 to clear to get the light from the TMD at John Street to back westbound out of service (likely Niagara Falls-Toronto seasonal train #94's former equipment, backing to the TMC). VIA 6415 with 5 HEP cars and an LRC are on today's #83, sitting on Track 8 awaiting departure at 5:15pm. And GO cab car 206 pulls out from under the train shed on Track 7 on Milton line train #151, with 602 pushing the L12 consist on the other end (206 + 602!).' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	VIA Rail
Date:	09/12/2008
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 18 Favourites

CCGX 1000, a 1957 GMD-built GP9, as it runs around Orangeville Yard after completing its twice-weekly run to Streetsville and back. After dropping its lone car off in the yard, it was then filled up by local fuel dealer Bryan's Fuel and received some some light servicing from the engineer and conductor. Then the unit was moved around the yard and onto the station track to tie down on the Credit Valley Explorer's passenger equipment, effectively being put away for the day. In the distance is the OBRY's new Orangeville Station, and on the right is the site of the former CPR bunkhouse that burned down a few years prior. Another big thanks to Conductor Steve and Engineer Wayne for the short cab ride.

The GP9 was designed to be a bidirectional roadswitcher locomotive, but still had controls installed oriented for one end to lead or be designated the "front" of the unit. Dating from steam era practices, many railroads in the 1940's and 50's ordered their new diesel locomotives oriented for long-hood forward operation, putting the diesel engine and main generator in front of the crew and cab. One reason was for better accident protection in the event of a level crossing or head-on collision, another was crew familiarity after operating steam engines like this for so long. This practice gradually switched during the 50's and 60's as locomotives with low short hoods and better visibility became more popular.

Quebec, North Shore and Labrador, Ontario Northland, and Canadian Pacific all ordered their Canadian-built GP7/GP9 units oriented for short hood forward operation, but Canadian National purchased their entire fleet as long-hood forward units. While on 1000 this is the conductor's view looking out the back, on a CN unit this would have been the engineer's view looking forward for many decades operating a GP7/GP9, RS3/10/18 and other first generation diesels on mainline freights (even today, the 7000's and 7200's still have the controls oriented for long-hood forward operation).' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Orangeville-Brampt…
Date:	04/20/2007
Location:	Orangeville
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 10 Favourites

One of the more scenic spots along the Weston Sub is the old Grand Trunk Railway bridge crossing the Humber River, seen here out the rear of GO cab car 237 trailing train #252 into Toronto. Located just north of the town of Weston at "CN McGill", there's no shortage of lush green foliage in the area surrounding the river valley, part of which is home to the Weston Golf and Country Club's sprawling golf course on the floodplains below (see 1971 aerial here). Note the tall codeline/telegraph poles remaining alongside the bridge, and the lack of any handrails for safety (the small bridge platforms, relics from back in the day that used to hold fire barrels, remained for anyone brave or unsmart enough to cross on foot).

In the distance through the cut of trees, the line climbs up to Highway 401 overpass, Islington Avenue and Etobicoke North GO station at the top of the hill. The two signs in the distance warn trains of the private golf course crossing. This stretch had been known to cause problems in the fall due to leaves on the tracks stalling freight trains climbing the grade, like CN #577, sometimes resulting in lengthy delays and cancellations to GO service (like that one time with two GP40-2LW's that had to double their train in the pouring rain, SNAFU'ing evening rush hour service on the Georgetown line).

This section had remained single track for decades under GTR/CN until Metrolinx purchased the line in 2009, and proceeded to add three more tracks for expanded GO and new UPX service. Things here look a little bit different here today.' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	GO Transit
Date:	09/17/2007
Location:	Toronto (Weston)
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 9 Favourites

The Crossways Mall can be seen on the left, and in the background the old Bishop Marrocco Catholic Secondary School, built in the mid-late 1960's on the site of some commercial buildings and the small CPR "Bloor Street Yard" once located here just off the Galt Sub. The small commercial plaza south of there was at the time home to a rather shabby looking Zellers (originally Towers), Loblaws, and Coffee Time, among other stores.

More around Bloor & Dundas:
Bloor GO Station: https://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=59667
NW corner in 1965: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=56302
NW corner 1989: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=53600
SW corner 1965 http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=36187
Slightly further south http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=31303
Dundas West station, brand new: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=51391
Departing Dundas West station: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=51570' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Dan Dell'Unto
Railway:	Toronto Transit Co…
Date:	02/11/2008
Location:	Toronto
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 9 Favourites

CN Hamilton (James Street) station as a crew member down on the platform looks on. This appears to be an evening shot, suggesting the train had just finished its run from Toronto to Hamilton and was preparing to depart in push-mode back east. At the time, CN's car department was still using some of the station tracks and platforms for freight car repairs (imagine getting off your GO train onto the platform next to a giant set of freight car wheels! That wouldn't fly with the Metrolinx liability department today).

In less than two years, GO would leave James Street station for the newly renovated TH&B station in downtown Hamilton in early 1993 (Amtrak and VIA had already left in 1992), and LIUNA would purchase the vacant station for use as a banquet hall. GO would eventually return to this area of Hamilton in 2015 with its new West Harbour GO station, built a stone's throw away from the old James Street station.

Original photographer unknown, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Unknown, Dan Dell'U…
Railway:	GO Transit
Date:	Circa October 1991
Location:	Hamilton
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 11 Favourites

Bill McArthur photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Bill McArthur photo…
Railway:	Conrail
Date:	05/20/1984
Location:	Burlington
Province:	Ontario

1 Comments | 17 Favourites

A unique car for a unique operation:

In the 1960's, McDonnell-Douglas Canada, who was operating the old A.V.Roe (Avro Arrow) plant in Malton (originally opened by National Steel Car in 1939 as their aircraft division, later sold to the government during WWII), needed a bigger car to ship wing assembles for the new DC-10 model from their Canadian branch plant in Malton to their Long Beach, California plant for final aircraft assembly. The Malton plant had been purchased from the government by DeHavilland in 1962 to make its own commercial plane components and DC-9 wing assemblies for Douglas Aircraft under contract, who later bought the plant from DeHavilland in 1966 to bring its wing production in-house. They purchased 6 unique 88-foot long "wing gondola" cars from Maxson in 1969 (DCCX 1001-1006) and began shipping DC-10 wing assemblies in them, and Union Pacific followed up with an 8 car order in 1971 (UP 229580-229587), likely due to increased DC-10 production.

Both groups of cars were used in pool service between Malton and Long Beach, shipping completed wing assembles from the "MDCan" Malton factory in Canada down to California for final assembly, and empty cars forwarded back. They were typically shipped out in pairs (one left wing, one right), with an idler flatcar equipped with a container full of wing assembly parts separating them. Research indicates the smaller wing assemblies (DC-9) being built at the Malton plant went out on flatcars, the larger assemblies (DC-10, MD-11) were shipped out on wing gondolas. CN switched the cars out of MD's plant off Airport Rd via a long spur off the Weston Sub near Malton GO station, that passed through the grounds of De Havilland's old Malton plant (later the International Centre, that featured a retractable walkway between convention buildings to let MD cars pass through). Sometimes they could be found spotted on sidings in the Malton area near the plant, including around the former Malton Station (Scarboro Rd), by Woodbine Racetrack (Woodbine East), and Malport where freights to the US via Sarnia would sometimes lift them.

Intelligence suggests routing was CN from Malton to GTW (via Port Huron) to Rock Island (interchanged at Blue Island in Chicago) to UP (interchanged at Council Bluffs, Iowa) for their final trip to Long Beach CA. There's even a photo out there of three Rock Island passenger E8A's hauling a freight train through the US midwest with a pair of wing gondolas heading back to Malton in-consist.

This operation continued after Boeing bought McDonnell-Douglas in 1997. Being this is a 1999 photo, production indicates these are either Boeing MD-11 or MD-80 wing assemblies, or possibly those for the then-new 717. Apparently around 2000, they started shipping wing assemblies out by truck and discontinued the use of wing gondolas. Following the last shipment of 717 wings the Malton plant was closed by Boeing in 2005 and was demolished, and the Long Beach plant appears to have been initially closed in 2006 after completion of the last 717, but continued producing military C17's until 2015. Some sources indicate a few of the DCCX wing gondolas were scrapped by CN in the early 2000's at the south end of MacMillan Yard, and some of the UP cars may have gone into MofW service.

Bill McArthur photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.

More wing gondola loads:
Ground-view at Bayview Junction: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=40429
Returning empty through Burlington: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=18567
MD spur switch in Malton near Orenda Engines: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=36986' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Bill McArthur photo…
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	02/27/1999
Location:	Burlington
Province:	Ontario

2 Comments | 17 Favourites

CN and later VIA had a habit of converting their RDC-3 cars (Baggage/RPO/coach) into RDC-1 (coach) or RDC-2 (baggage/coach) configurations for more seating. CN 6351 changed hands to VIA, operated for a few years as an RDC-3 until it was rebuilt as an RDC-2 numbered 6225 in 1984. Eventually it was retired and sold to CAD Rail (likely scrapped).' height='150' width='200' />

Name:	Bill McArthur photo…
Railway:	Canadian National
Date:	August 1977
Location:	Burlington
Province:	Ontario

Comments | 17 Favourites

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