Trackside Log for Thursday, July 1, 2010

Happy Canada Day!

This morning, after Missy's walk, I was at home working on the computer with the scanner on in the background. Before very long I heard Canadian Pacific Job 2 announce it was entering the main track in Welland with "three hot empties" for International Minerals & Chemical Corporation in Port Maitland. It was a sunny morning so I decided to take Missy over to the former Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo's Dunnville Subdivision to see it.

To get to Port Maitland these days Canadian Pacific travels west along the former New York Central's Canada Division (later Canadian National's CaSo Subdivision). At E&O Junction, the former crossing of the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo's Dunnville Subdivision and the New York Central, Canadian Pacific turns south onto the original routing to Port Maitland. Since it was morning and the sun would be directly behind the train on the CaSo portion I drove directly to Wabash Crossing near Moulton Station for the first photograph. Wabash Crossing is the location of the former interlocking between the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo's Dunnville Subdivision and the Wabash and Canadian National's Cayuga Subdivision. The northbound interlocking signal still remains although it is inactive.

• 1011 Wabash Crossing (Moulton Station) - CP Job 2 south - CP 8208-CP 8250
  

Next we drove ahead to catch the train running through the east end of Dunnville. Not far from this location was yet another crossing with Canadian National's now abandoned Dunnville Subdivision. It didn't take long for Job 2 to arrive at Main Street.

• 1034 Dunnville - CP Job 2 south - CP 8208-CP 8250
  

The tracks are inaccessible from the Main Street crossing in Dunnville to the former Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo yard in Port Maitland so we drove straight to the yard. After a short wait Job 2 arrived and set off their three cars.

• 1058 Port Maitland (south end of yard) - CP Job 2 south - CP 8208-CP 8250
  

After picking up the necessary paperwork the crew changed ends and moved to the north end of the yard to lift two cars for transfer back to Welland Yard.

• 1110 Port Maitland (north end of yard) - CP Job 2 north - CP 8250-CP 8208
  

After following the train for most of the morning Missy and I returned home for lunch. It's hard to predict what traffic will be like on a holiday so I left the scanner on. In the afternoon I heard a southbound call out the Smithville mile board so I took Missy out for a little walk down to the Foss Road crossing for a photograph.

• 1430 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CEFX 1039-CP 9676
  

When the short train passed by we walked back home.