Canadian Railroads > You can see a lot just by looking

Now that asm.transitdocs.com has added the VIA route system to their train tracking map, I noticed something new (to me). I was of course aware of the directional running along the Fraser River in BC, but for some reason I never realized there was a similar on the Canadian route between Wanup and Parry Sound.

Directional running began here 11 years ago.

The westbound Canadian leaves CN at Boyne/Reynolds near Parry Sound and enters CP for approx 90 miles of directional running.....then crosses back to CN at Wanup (near Sudbury)

Eastbound, the Canadian stays on CN through the Wanup/St Cloud diamond where the north end of directional running begins and just continues south on the Bala Sub towards Toronto.

The westbound Canadian uses the CP Station in Parry Sound and the eastbound Canadian, the CN Station.

The CP route is a bit more scenic.....crossing the high bridge above Parry Sound Harbour then along Georgian Bay but on the current schedule this is covered at night.

How far apart are the 2 Parry Sound stations ?
I think the Zephyr once had that situation at some small town in Nevada.

Parry Sound Stations are about 1.2 km apart.

You also have separate stations in BC in the directional running territory there (CN Westbound – CP Eastbound)

Abbotsford w/b and Mission e/b – 14 km apart
Chilliwack w/b and Agassiz e/b – 24 km
Hope w/b and Katz e/b – 8 km
Boston Bar w/b and North Bend e/b – 1 km

How many trains use the flyover/under at Ludgate on an average day?

Ludgate is pretty much middle of nowhere. Curious place to ask about train frequency.There should be 6-10 on each line in a given 24hrs!

​The north end of the Parry Sound directional running is St Cloud, the south end is Reynolds on CP, Boyne on CN. 

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/16 17:48 by algoma11.