Home | Open Account | Help | 167 users online |
Member Login
Discussion
Media SharingHostingLibrarySite Info |
Canadian Railroads > MLW Monday, Glory Days on the CN west of MontrealDate: 12/08/14 10:59 MLW Monday, Glory Days on the CN west of Montreal Author: eminence_grise On a gorgeous June 24th,1971, a carload of Montreal railfans headed west on the MacDonald Cartier Freeway (Hwy 401 or Autoroute 20)
in pursuit of train action on the CN main line to Toronto. This 1850's built rail line was vastly improved between 1900 and 1912, when GTR CEO Charles M.Hays had the entire Montreal-Toronto route double tracked, and new railyard facilities built in Montreal and Toronto. Those improvements to the "core" of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada bought the British owned and administered railway as close to prosperity as it ever was. The GTR, encouraged by an improving bottom line decided to build a rail line to the Pacific Ocean. That would prove a financial disaster and bought about the takeover by the Canadian Government in 1923. The CN continued to improve the Montreal-Toronto main line. In the 1960's, CTC was added, and at places like Coteau QC, outside sidings were added so that faster passenger trains could overtake slower freights. In the mid-1960's, CN revamped and sped up passenger service between Montreal and Toronto and in the first image, we see a westbound passenger train behind an MLW FPA4, FPB-4 and a GMD F9b speeding through Coteau QC. As soon as the passenger train clears the block, a westbound CN freight behind three MLW M-636's accelerates out of the siding and onto the north main. Those M-636's sounded as good as they looked with a sharp "chugging" exhaust from their 251 prime movers. Not all the Montreal-Toronto route was hustle and bustle. At Brockville ON, an MLW S-4 still in the old black and yellow switcher paint scheme idles away a weekend afternoon in the railyard at Brockville ON. Date: 12/08/14 22:24 Re: MLW Monday, Glory Days on the CN west of Montreal Author: NH2006 Sargent stripes always my favorite CN look.
Date: 12/14/14 17:37 Re: MLW Monday, Glory Days on the CN west of Montreal Author: coach I'd be happy if current passenger operators bought new FPA & B units for their trains. Love the look. Way better than any GE Genesis unit!!
Date: 12/14/14 19:49 Re: MLW Monday, Glory Days on the CN west of Montreal Author: King_Coal Great looking trains. Any idea what the passenger train in first photo was? Its a pretty substantial offering. Thanks for posting.
Date: 12/16/14 00:02 Re: MLW Monday, Glory Days on the CN west of Montreal Author: eminence_grise King_Coal Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Great looking trains. Any idea what the passenger > train in first photo was? Its a pretty substantial > offering. Thanks for posting. It is west of the junction with the Alexandria Sub. at Coteau, so it isn't the "Super Continental". My guess is that it is one of the big most stop Montreal-Toronto trains that operated in addition to the "Rapido" limited stop trains. It would have had a diner, and a club car, and checked baggage service. Mid morning westbound on a Saturday or Sunday. |