Comments on: The Fergus spur is just one of those lines that seems to defy the odds. A line that seems like it should have vanished years ago. Somehow it justifies daily service and even has motive power stored on line. It’s hard to believe the line once stretched all the way from its namesake town all the way south to Harrisburg, near Brantford. The 1980′s claimed over 3/4 of the original trackage, no longer passing it through Fergus as well. Even the one time busy industrial park a branch off the line one served today sits lifeless and is only used east of Highway 24 to access a wye to reposition the daily train and power for the next days trip. Between Guelph and Cambridge there is only one active rail side customer, which local 542 is seen departing from after exchanging a lone take car for another one. Other then that the only online customers in Cambridge are a lumber yard and a wallboard transfer facility in Preston. But for now the line manages to cling to life somehow, with typically one or two units ambling along at a leasurely pace typically arriving in Guelph in the morning hours before working the North spur and yard in town then heading back to Preston to spend the night. In the image here the switch to Flochem is in the background and the farm makes a nice backdrop. After the line crosses highway 24 it will then become unshootable traveling through an old gravel quarry until it’s arrival in Hespeler.

By: Stephen C. Host

Stephen C. Host — Sat, 09 May 2020 20:48:44 +0000

I noted some missing rail north of Concession st. Not sure how much was removed…

Yes CN ran an Extra for the IST loads a couple months ago. I missed it all of course. Saw the loads in the yard though.

By: Marcus Stevens

Marcus Stevens — Sat, 09 May 2020 20:46:09 +0000

Thanks for the contents, I passed by B&W seems some rail is still intact but maybe some sections elsewhere are gone, definitely very rusty and overgrown. Glad to hear the occasional load still makes its way into the industrial park. I certainly haven’t witnessed it in years.

By: Kevin Flood

Kevin Flood — Sat, 09 May 2020 19:12:42 +0000

Great shot!

By: Larry Parks

Larry Parks — Sat, 09 May 2020 17:10:17 +0000

Well done and nifty Marcus.

By: Stephen C. Host

Stephen C. Host — Sat, 09 May 2020 15:57:31 +0000

The line to BWXT is also severed and/or removed….

By: Stephen C. Host

Stephen C. Host — Sat, 09 May 2020 15:43:25 +0000

Hi Marcus. IST is using rail again in the industrial park – but very infrequently as usual.

The customers as of now are Hunts, IST, Gillies, and Flochem.