Comments on: Beautiful February day some years ago, I am standing on the bridge just to the west of the Grand River trestle waiting for CN #401 west after having gotten ahead of it coming up from Bayview. Too nice a day to pass this up, and the power consisting of those big MLWs 2024 and 2000 was well worth the chase. This was the final shot of a sequence, others being at bayview and Copetown, of course.

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 02:28:17 +0000

They might have been mandated in western Canada, but they did not appear on units out east in any kind of quantity until well in the late 80′s. I just checked one of my old rule books and they are not mentioned as an operating rule.

By: Eric May

Eric May — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 02:00:55 +0000

Ditch lights were mandated in 1975, although I don’t recall seeing them in Ontario before 1978. Retrofitting older units would have taken a while.

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 20:08:18 +0000

Thx Stephen. I remember the gravel pit and the abandoned box cars.

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 20:07:20 +0000

@Cdn..I know they used ditch lights out west and were so the crews could spot rock slides. I knew that they were not standard when i started my engineers training in 87. I would guess by the mid 90′s. I would have to go look up some old operating manuals to be sure.

By: Stephen C. Host

Stephen C. Host — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 19:41:18 +0000

That should be the Lake Erie and Northern Railway right of way – seen a few photos of Gravel Pit trains in “Steel Wheels along the Grand” by George Roth – highly recommended if you can find a copy.

By: Cdntrainphotog

Cdntrainphotog — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 19:34:01 +0000

1980 eh, a mere 38 years ago.
No ditch lights on the power; when did they become standard across CN’s system?

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 17:50:05 +0000

Its a gravel pit that used to be there. There was also a rail line right near the bridge. I remember seeing TH&B boxcars down there.

By: Stuart Streit

Stuart Streit — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 17:17:15 +0000

Anyone know what that complex in the middle background is? Love that 1961 paint scheme!