Comments on: Approaching Waterdown is Extra 4019 North with RS-3 8437 and dead SW-1 IREX 5 ex Vermont Rly trailing ( for AA Merrilees at West Toronto). The Hamilton area phone lines were buzzing this day as the train was being marshalled at TH&B Aberdeen Yard. This would be today’s version of the Ham Turn. This shot was taken off the shoulder of Snake Road immediately south of the old overhead bridge ( which at that time was iron with wood planks). Needless to say he was working hard with a 46 car train which includes a couple of transformers from Westinghouse. It was mid morning in January hence my tendency to over expose.

By: RonaldB

RonaldB — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 23:32:06 +0000

Hello again Bruce,my comment on note 3 may also have applied to the transformers. The “Aberdeen Turn” sometimes handled dimensional loads headed east, because CN didn’t want then on the joint section. The most common load in that category was combines from Massey-Ferguson.
By the way, this shot was taken about 6 months before I started my 37 years on CP.

By: RonaldB

RonaldB — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 05:16:33 +0000

Also, the SW-1 may have been set off at Guelph Jct for an eastbound to lift to Toronto. Maybe there was a speed restriction on it, precluding sending it across the typical route for Toronto bound traffic out of Hamilton..the CN Oakville Sub ‘joint section’.

By: RonaldB

RonaldB — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 05:14:23 +0000

These trains were called ‘Aberdeen Turns’ in those days. They ran out of the East Pool in London with an unassigned crew. The train often did a lot of work enroute didn’t pay well ..so often went to the spareboard, it was the trip to book off if one was a regular man.
Back then, only London crews worked trains on what was then called the Goderich Sub.

By: Ryan Gaynor

Ryan Gaynor — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 20:15:30 +0000

This is amazing, Bruce! Thanks for sharing this photograph with us. Its always a pleasure seeing these retro takes on my stomping grounds.