Canadian Railroads > Stations at Vankleek Hill and Hawkesbury, plus CN Wayfreight

This post and a couple to follow were triggered by mberry's post of 12/29/16 as follows:
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4190534
regarding an ex-CN van stored at Vankleek Hill, ON, for use on the L'Orignal spur that serves Ivaco Rolling Mills. I freaked when I dug out my slides and realized it was almost 29 years ago, March 17, 1988, that I went up this way with a couple of railfan buddies to shoot the industry. Along the way from Glen Robertson on CN to L'Orignal via Hawkesbury, we shot the following:
1. The former CP/VIA Vankleek Hill station. My memory is very hazy on this, but I'm sure someone can fill in and I'd welcome informed input. I'm not sure when this was last used, but it seems to me that the Canadian last ran out of CP's Windsor Station in Montreal on October 28, 1978. I never had a handle on rail action between Ottawa and Montreal.
2. Another view of the station, this time on July 30, 1988, shot when we were chasing the first run of ex-CP 1201 up this way on the first Highlander, servicing the Maxville Highland Games. The rails are a little more evident.
3. Arrival at Hawkesbury, again on March 17, 1988, got us the CN station. I'm no station aficionado, so anyone who wants to weigh in on these with the "it's a GTP standard such-and-such design" is more than welcome, and it would add to the value of these posts.

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4. Upon our return to Hawkesbury, after shooting at Ivaco, we netted CN #539, behind 3736 and 4298. Perhaps someone (kgmontreal?) can fill in some info on this operation, which must have been a turn out of Montreal, as it sure wasn't out of Ottawa, the only other remotely-nearby operation. It would have come off the Alexandria Sub at Glen Robertson to run up to Hawkesbury and thence Ivaco via the L'Orignal spur. It struck us as odd that we hadn't seen this at the plant itself. I hope to post up Ivaco images tomorrow (Sunday).
Fred 

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The CP station in Vankleek Hill was used later than the last run of the CPR "Canadian".  There was a period when the VIA #3 departed Montreal's Central Station, backed through the connecting track at Dorval and then went west up CP's M&O sub to Ottawa.  During this period VIA #3 stopped at Vankleek Hill.  I have a shot of it doing so.  I'll dig it out if I remember.  Of course, the eastbound did the same thing during that period.

Your shot of the Hawkesbury station is of the Canadian Northern station there and it was a CNOR standard plan.  Hawkesbury had two stations, the CNOR one in your picture and another one in between buildings on Hawkesbury's main street.  The latter one was from the ex-GTR line up from Glen Robertson.  It was demolished many years ago.  The CNOR one was on higher ground in the town on the line that crossed the Ottawa River from Grenville, QC and Montreal.  The CNOR line continued to L'Orignal and at one time west to Ottawa and Toronto.  The CNOR station hung on longer by being used by MofW and Signals employees.

KG



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/17 11:08 by kgmontreal.

The Ivaco plant in L'Original makes wire from steel billets purchased from the steel mill at Contrecoeur and from scrap remelted at the plant.  It has been a going concern for many years.  It was primarily rail served until the last decade.  CN used to have a dedicated train #321 that ran from Sorel/Tracy on the Sorel sub to L'Orignal.  The raw steel billets from Contrecoeur were hauled on bulkhead flat cars and the outgoing wire coils in gondola cars and in containers on container cars.

At one point (1990's?) CN decided to spin the off the line from Glen Robertson to Hawkesbury and L'Orignal to a shortline owner.  If I remember correctly the first operator was Railtex using a pair of ex-Cartier low-nosed Geeps.  As ownership changed the line was operated with a trio of MLW S-13 units leased from CANAC.  Eventually the operator became Ottawa Central and with it came handsome RS-18 units.  Further, Ottawa Central got the right to operate down the Alexandria sub to Coteau Jct.  At that point CN 321 set off the steel billets at Coteau and OCR lifted them there.  A visit to Coteau at midday became a railfan favorite as a trio of RS-18s waited for the arrival of 321 and then whisked the loads up the Alexandria sub to its own line north of Glen Robertson.

When the Quebec Railway Corp went bust (largely due to paper mill closures in the Maritimes) it took the Ottawa Central down with it and the Glen Robertson - L'Orignal line reverted to CN operation.  Ivaco switched to trucks for steel delivery from Contrecoeur and most of the product left by truck as well.  CN continues to run to L'Orignal twice a week with a local that originates in Ottawa.  It is supposed to run from Ottawa to the branch, go up to the mill, then return down the branch and back to Ottawa.  Sometimesafter the mill  it goes to Coteau and dies there.  Other times it runs out of hours and, needing a recrew, takes two days to complete the cycle.   If it has a dozen cars it's a surprise.  I've seen it with as few as four.  In addition to Ivaco the local serves an industry in the Hawkesbury Industrial Park that makes life preservers.  It gets carloads of life jacket fill material.

In your shot of the RS-18 and Geep the crew and power originated in Coteau and returned there.  I rather suspect that it was not an Ivaco mill job but rather a local to the Hawkesbury Industrial Park.  #321 would have served the steel mill.

Ken Goslett

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/17 04:54 by kgmontreal.

Glad my post inspired you to dig into your archives!