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This image is of as gloomy a scene as I remember the days of smoke and cinders to be. But from a distant memory standpoint, its great!!
Agreed with AWM.
The Galt passing track was used as such up until the early 1980s, if I recall. After that, it became just another yard track, now its stub ended…or maybe gone since my last visit to the area.
When I started in 1973, the passenger waiting room with its tile floors was still more or less intact.
When we stopped to switch at Galt, if one went in to see the operator during mid day…an old man could often be found sitting on the bench in the waiting room.
I don’t know if he was an employee or just a local, I wish I asked and perhaps took a photo..
Ronald – very cool. Any photos to share? In 2004 I went to Galt one evening to watch the parade of evening trains go by. First you had the evening GRR Galt job, on duty waiting for the main to clear (Crew were at the station waiting). London Pickup was in the Galt yard limits on the Waterloo lifting cars. Ham turn was on the former Siding clear of main track with two cars, waiting to head west to work Ayr. Now all of this happening, on a warm late summer evening, 127, 137 and 139 are whizzing past the galt station (all automotive service trains, all combined into new service by now) followed by the pickup, ham turn. Once the traffic cleared Galt job got a work clearance to grab cars to head north. Hence, even as late as then I witnessed Galt used to clear trains, even though it was indeed yard track. Curious, if Galt was a passing track, was Killean siding there at the time?
Depending upon when in 2004 that was, I may have been on that GRR job. I went to the Bellville freight Pool out of Toronto after change of time in April, retired in 2010.
To your question, Galt was a passing track at the same time that Killean was where it is still located (versus “old” Killean at Mile 52).
The only trains that could clear at Galt were short…the 36 car Acid train being a good example. I do recall one trip going west where we were too long for Killean and pulled out of the west end of Killean and put our head end into Galt siding.
Using Galt as a siding meant throwing two extra switchee in addition to main track because the switches on the east and west leads (wyes) were lined for the lead rather than into the passing track.
The introduction of cabooselesss trains pretty well precluded the use of Galt for meets, but I think it had been “demoted” to a yard track a few years before that.
There were other such designated passing tracks at Woodstock and Jellicoe, which were later downgraded to yard tracks.
Those types of tracks dated back to the passenger train days when freights were much shorter and meets more frequent.
This may very well be the one of the finest images I’ve seen on RPca. I’m in Awe of the collection you have posted. Thank you for sharing, Sir.
I lived in Galt from 1949 until 1964. I arrived on Dec 2nd, 1949 and this platform was my train watching spot.
1949 eh? I would have joined you,but I probably would have tripped over my droopy diapers.