Canadian Railroads > CP Steam to Montreal - NMST G5-a 1201 at Hawthorne

This series of three photos and a screenshot from Google Satellite illustrate the Ottawa end of a run by National Museum of Science and Technology's ex-CP G5-a 1201 to Montreal, on October 17, 1986. I cannot remember the purpose of the run, which involved combine 3051 as the only other part of the move. I do know Ray Farand went to Montreal to shoot it at Central Station, in gorgeous sunlight. I also don't remember who tipped me off to it; it could have been Ray. I was a west-end railfan and not all that familiar with the arrangement at the east end of Ottawa.
1. The first photo was shot at 0910, with the consist southbound out of the SciTech Museum on its own line. You can see it on the satellite view coming from the NW corner of the photo. I'm confused by it because the train appears to be curving left, which doesn't show up as an option now. At present, this line curves west to the CN Walkley line. There must have once been a connection from the museum line to the Alexandria Sub headed north. This might be Walkley Road, which now shows up as the major W-E road on satellite.
2. I'm certain of that, because this shot, at 0913, shows the consist backing around the connection between the Alexandria Sub running NNW-SSE. The train is headed in a southwesterly direction. You can see the traces of this connector in the satellite view. This move was necessary to get the consist pointed east on a line that would go to Montreal. Having reversed almost as far as Hawthorne Road, the train was now ready to go.
3. I was not; it accomplished all this much more quickly than I thought it would, and I ended up running at full tilt to get to Hawthorne proper, the junction between the freight line and the Alexandria Sub to Ottawa Station. I'm almost under the overpass of Highway 417, at 0920, as 1201 stormed past.
I'm hoping moonlighter or somebody else can clarify what's now all fuzzy in my memory. All I remember for sure is that the train couldn't simply run from NMST to Montreal from its own spur. The satellite view follows.

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4. Here's the satellite view; Alexandria Sub to Montreal runs off to the right, Hawthorne junction is just west of the 417, with the Walkley line headed west, and the Alexandria Sub running northward. The NMST spur comes in from the NW; you can see with the tracks as currently configured the train could not be pointed eastward. Any clarity would be appreciated. Thanks.
Fred

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Thank you for posting these- the 1201 was en route to Montreal/St. Jean in conjunction with celebrations of the 150th anniversary of railways in Canada.

I hope my notes on your map will help clear things up a bit.  I've also added the missing trackage.

Photo 1: 1201 is on the spur (now gone) from the museum and swinging left to connect to the lead that services the industries along Sheffield Road the St Lawrence Cement and Baker Brothers  This lead parallels the Alexandria sub .  1201 is indeed crossing Walkley Road running over the orange dotted line (now gone), thus turning to the left as you have pointed out.

Photo 2: 1201 is reversing over the south end of the Sheffield lead in order to connect with the Walkley Line. (this section was also removed in the recent past.)

Photo 3: After clearing the switch the Ottawa CTC dispatcher will line the switch so 1201 can travel forward towards the connection with Alexandria sub to Montreal.

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa ON

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jeffgeldner Wrote:
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> Thank you for posting these- the 1201 was en route
> to Montreal/St. Jean in conjunction with
> celebrations of the 150th anniversary of railways
> in Canada.

Thanks for the information.
Fred

moonliter Wrote:
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> I hope my notes on your map will help clear things
> up a bit.  I've also added the missing trackage.
>
> Photo 1: 1201 is on the spur (now gone) from the
> museum and swinging left to connect to the lead
> that services the industries along Sheffield Road
> the St Lawrence Cement and Baker Brothers  This
> lead parallels the Alexandria sub .  1201 is
> indeed crossing Walkley Road running over the
> orange dotted line (now gone), thus turning to the
> left as you have pointed out.
>
> Photo 2: 1201 is reversing over the south end of
> the Sheffield lead in order to connect with the
> Walkley Line. (this section was also removed in
> the recent past.)
>
> Photo 3: After clearing the switch the Ottawa CTC
> dispatcher will line the switch so 1201 can travel
> forward towards the connection with Alexandria sub
> to Montreal.
>
> Gerry Gaugl
> Ottawa ON

As always, you nailed it, Gerry. Thanks so much. The absence of any trace of the dotted line was what had me baffled. I feel like somewhere I have seen a shot of a St. Lawrence cement industrial diesel.
Fred

Thanks for sharing these images, feclark.  The 1201 is one of my favourite steam locomotives.

RuleG Wrote:
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> Thanks for sharing these images, feclark.  The
> 1201 is one of my favourite steam locomotives.

Mine, too. It never got the railfan press publicity it deserved; it's such a pretty locomotive.
Fred