Canadian Railroads > Fairview Jct. in 2005

Fairview Jct., at mile 5 of the Bedford Sub in Nova Scotia has seen some changes over the years.  It came into being when the new right of way was dug through the south end of Halifax, c. 1915, to connect with a new passenger station and Ocean Terminals.  Previously, there had been a double-track line running around the north end of the city, where the single track in the top left of the photo is, that served Richmond Terminals, the North Street CN station, and the navy dockyard farther south.  There was also the Windsor Park spur off the main line which had the original roundhouse and many other industries on higher ground in the north end of Halifax.  All that track was gradually pared back, and the Windsor Park spur was abandoned in the late '80s, with the old main line, now known as the Deepwater Spur, cut back to Pier 9 and the present Halifax Intermodal Terminal.

The present Fairview Roundhouse and carshops are located behind the highway overpass at the top of the frame, and there was a crossover between the two main tracks to facilitate moving serviced locomotives from there to the south track to go downtown.  At one time a switch tender was stationed here to throw switches for the various movements, but a small CTC plant was installed in the '70s to centralize control at the Rockingham Yard office.  In this photo from August 6, 2005, train 121 is coming up the main line from HOT, and will pick up more cars from Rockingham, a mile ahead.  The train has just passed signal 51, the start of CTC on the Bedford Sub.  The eastern entrance/exit to Rockingham Yard, track RG-10 is in the lower left corner, with its own dwarf signal and power switch on the Transfer Track, while the present Deepwater spur to HIT, veers off to the upper left.  Since the Transfer Track and main line become one track east of here at mile 4.3, there was no longer a need for a crossover.  The power switch at 4.3 had its own dwarf signals (referred to by the crews as "route indicators"), and was also controlled in Rockingham.  The lead into the Ceres container terminal from RG-10 can be seen at extreme left edge of the frame.

Today, things have remained much the same, except the power switches and dwarf signals have been removed, along with the yardmasters that operated them.

GTD

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