Comments on: CP 8426 (MLW RS3, built 1954), is spotted alongside the Owen Sound roundhouse. Donald Coulman Photo, Jacob Patterson Collection Slide.

By: Paul O'Shell

Paul O'Shell — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 03:02:51 +0000

Thanks Ron. After making my last comment, my brother Terry (also a retired railroader) started to remind me of all the wood signs along CN’s right-of-way. He sent me a few photos and BOOM! my recall of the various signs is now running wild. There were so many that I had forgotten. Just about anything that is metal, or fiberglass today was once made of wood. Snowplow/flanger signs, grade crossing ‘crossbucks’, mile boards, station name signs, yard limits, and so on.

By: RonaldB

RonaldB — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 23:05:47 +0000

Hello again Paul, here’s another shot of a yellow wooden target at Guelph. Across the street, you can see one of the cast metal targets that CP used on some yard switches. http://www.railpictures.ca/upload/taking-a-step-across-alice-street-from-last-weeks-posting-a-wider-view-of-the-cpr-guelph-engine-house-facilities-on-the-fibreglass-spur-in-guelph-cpr-mlw-s11-6617-is-assigned-as-the-guelph-yard-e

By: Paul O'Shell

Paul O'Shell — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 16:24:53 +0000

Thanks for that info RonaldB.
I’m looking through some old photos from the 50′s, 60′s, and 70′s when we lived near the CN tracks in Concord, Hornepayne, Washago, and Jarvis, ON, but I have yet to spot a wood switch stand target. I do recall seeing wood restricted clearance signs (yellow) back in the day.

By: RonaldB

RonaldB — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 03:44:29 +0000

Paul, we had a lot of wooden targets on CP. I only recall seeing them on branchlines. It was only the large oval part that was wood, of course. I saw yellow ones in yards sometimes too.

By: Jacob Patterson

Jacob Patterson — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 19:47:38 +0000

Yes it is. They seemed to be fairly common on the CPR. There was one at the south end of the downtown/Alice Street wye in Guelph that lasted until about 2018.

By: Paul O'Shell

Paul O'Shell — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 17:50:26 +0000

Is that a wood switch target?

By: Klaucker

Klaucker — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 13:45:47 +0000

Great contrast and cool to see