A while back I had a Throwback Thursday about the changes over the years at CN's Bayview Jct, in Hamilton ON. Turns out I 'scooped' my dad who was coincidentally writing a similar article at the same time. So today is part II of our Bayview documentary, written by my dad Keith.
'Til next time,
Cheers,
Peter.
Bayview Flashback
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On a clear mid
spring evening freshly painted Canadian Pacific SD40's 5541 and 5514 are about
to duck under the Royal Botanical Garden's Laking Gardens pedestrian bridge as they pass through Bayview Jct.
and lead the ‘Starlite’ mixed freight towards Burlington, Ontario. The named
freight is a carryover from the days of the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo
Railway, by this date a fallen flag having been fully absorbed by co-parent CP
two years previously. Decades-old trackage rights permitted the competitor
movement along Canadian National's historic Oakville Subdivision. However,
nothing lasts forever and CP's trackage rights would expire approximately twenty
years hence.
The right of way that the train is traversing
was originally that of the Great Western Railway and dates from the mid 1800’s.
In the distant background directly above the lead locomotive is the Desjardins
Canal, sadly the scene of one of Canada’s first passenger train tragedies. On
the evening of March 12th 1857, as a Great Western passenger train
approached the canal swing bridge, a
broken axle on the locomotive caused the consist to plummet some six stories to
the frozen waters below. Some fifty nine souls were lost in the calamity,
including renowned railway contractor and banker Samuel Zimmerman. A fixed
replacement rail bridge replaced the destroyed movable span, preventing the passage
of ocean-going schooners through the canal. In time, a consequence of that decision would be
the reversal of Dundas’ industrial prominence over Hamilton in the Great Lakes shipping trade. The four-posted highway bridge in the background, known locally as the High Level bridge, was
constructed in 1932 by the city of Hamilton as part of a western entrance
beautification/depression era unemployment relief program.
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| In order to accommodate the extra mainline
track the width of the supporting berm was increased and then stabilized with a
series of piles along the base of the embankment at the water line. Note that the cantilevered
signal mast near the cross-overs has been removed in the interim. |
While the overall harbor view remains
relatively unchanged decades on, the area's railway infrastructure has been substantially
enhanced. In 2006 a third main track, extending westward to the junction was added to the harbor side of the existing double track right of
way. Currently, in conjunction with expanded GO Train service
As for the locomotives in the lead photo, CP
SD40 5514 was built by GMD London in 1966. The unit was upgraded to SD40-2 specifications
and equipped with Q-Tron electronics (to enhance tractive effort) prior to sale
to the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad, becoming DME 6081. The new owner
would subsequently upgrade the venerable unit to -3 electronics. In something
of an ironic twist, CP would re-acquire the survivor, included in its
acquisition of the regional road. Likewise, CP 5541 was also built at the London facility, in 1967. Similarly upgraded to SD40-2 specifications the unit’s fate would be
far less auspicious; retired in 2001 and subsequently sold for scrap in 2005.
- Keith.
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| Mission accomplished. To further stabilize the
man made addition, the geographical feature was immediately hydro-seeded. Note
the substantial pile structure along the water line. Note also the natural
grown in appearance of the vegetation shown in the photo below. Over time, the view (possible photo angles) on one side of the junction has improved, while the other (west side) view has been obliterated all together by the vegetation. |
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| Note the start of some low-level vegetation on the hillside at left - how long until those trees obscure the view again? |
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