Comments on: Here is where it all began… at the back of my yard! I spent many hours here watching the trains work their way from Toronto up the hill towards the Agincourt Yard. Over the years, I got to know the faces of many of the engineers. They would give me a friendly blast when they saw me waving. Sometimes I would be in my bedroom and I’d hear a couple of short bursts on the horn… the engineers like Mac Allen just sayin’ hello. It has been many years since I’ve lived there, but I sometimes wonder if even today there are other young teenage boys watching and photographing the trains as they go by.

By: RonaldB

RonaldB — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 03:51:46 +0000

In my other comments on this photo, I thought it might be No 50 out of London, but upon reflection it’s probably the “London Pickup”if this train is westbound. The power off No. 50 often turned back at Toronto Yard on the pickup upon arrival of No. 50.

By: Extra 1014

Extra 1014 — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 00:13:38 +0000

By: RonaldB

RonaldB — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 22:01:13 +0000

The use of three “pups” suggests that this is the east pickup out of London, usually run as train No.50.
The dimensional sheet steel on the flatcars might well have been lifted at Guelph Jct, because back in those days..trains between Hamilton and Toronto ran over the CN joint section, but dimensional loads had to be routed via Guelph Jct.
They were usually lifted off the south side from Hamilton 1 or Hamilton 5 tracks. That is because the Aberdeen Turn usually hauled them to Guelph Jct. and set them off on his way to London. Naturally, he left them in the most convenient place for him to set them out.
The white extra flags the unit is flying are unusual for an eastobound from London..most time they were run using a timtable schedule, which might involve green flags,if more than one train was run using that train number.
Whatever way they were run, regular train or extra, the signals if any were carried right through to Toronto Yard.

By: MrDan

MrDan — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 08:46:41 +0000

Neat photo! All the branchlines are gone, and they’re too small for modern Class 1′s, that’s why they were ultimately phased out by CN & CP Arnold

Some interesting variations on these “pups”: 8141 sports an extra stack for the watchman’s heater installed in the hood, and 8151 sports the seasonally-applied snowshields on the front handrails.

By: awmooney

awmooney — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 01:25:47 +0000

And we did see those little switchers so often we wished for something better. Now, alas, where have they all gone??……..