On Tuesday, May 28th, I, with a friend, did a tour at various rail locations in
the Niagara Peninsula.
Started at the HOPA (Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority) in Thorold where?
Bioveld has a facility and per information provided by Stephen Host, in a
picture/article, Dunn Paper, has relocated from St. Catharines.
GIO 4003, a GP9-4, was switching in the yard but out of sight. Left with 5 empty
tank cars and 2 empty box cars with one being an ONR.
Sight lines are very restricted thus couldn't see where the tank cars originated.
Further down the Thorold Spur, just north of the Highway #20 crossing?
(Mlge 2.70 Thorold Spur) is a yard with multiple tracks and various types of cars.
By the time we got to the #20 crossing GIO was gone and on checking at Port
Robinson crossing (Mlge 21.81 Stamford Sub.), sight lines aren't great, and?
Southern Yard, (Mlge 17.0 Stamford Sub.) the cars weren't dropped at either.
Headed over to Oxy vinyl Canada that has a facility with trackage from the
?Port Robinson yard. LDSX (Lampton Diesel) 6084 was switching covered hoppers
?and backed across Thorold Townline Rd. This unit is former Stelco 84, SW900.
The number board on the front of the unit shows 84.
Cytec Canada is/was at this location but unable to see if there were any tank cars.
Next was the tunnel in Welland that goes under the Welland Canal with the
CP Hamilton Sub. and GIO Cayuga Sub. Vehicles use the tunnel also.
A long string of 40 ft. intermodal cars were sitting on the Cayuga Sub.
Went to Feeder East to verify the connecting track between GIO Cayuga Sub.
and CP Hamilton Sub. (Mlge 18.1) was still in place. GIO's yard at Feeder is?
inaccessible. Need a drone to see what is in the yard.
At Feeder West were the following units: CIO SW900 7920; CN Dash 8-40CW 2462:
CN Dash 8-40C 2019 and 2008; BCR Dash 8-40CMu 4623 and an unknown CN unit that
had the number board missing and the angle was not right to read under the cab.
This location is accessible on Phillips Rd. north of Forkes Rd. The former CN Canal
Sub. crosses Phillips and tank cars are on both sides of the crossing.? Stored??
Then to Robbins, CN Stamford Sub. Mlge 12.5, to check crossings on both legs of
the "Y" to verify the "Y" is CN trackage. The east leg of the wye at the Forkes Rd.
crossing is marked CN Stamford Sub. Mlge 12.62 and the west leg is marked
CN Mlge 0.25 West Track Spur. From this info, I think CP trackage doesn't start until
Mlge 12.2(Signal Tower) where the east and west legs become a single track.
A bit north of the above signal tower is the crossing for Brookfield Rd.
Before CP changed all info at crossings, it was marked Mlge 12.58.
Next was the CN N&ST sub. that comes off the Grimsby Sub. at Merritton (Mlge 9.50
Grimsby Sub.) and heads north to Vale Crescent, Berryman Ave. and Welland Ave.
in St. Catharines. GIO stopped serving on this line March 1st.
Kemira Paper was the only customer left on this spur as others have relocated.
There isn't a tank car on the tracks at Kemira and looking at the rusted tracks at
?crossings, I get the impression CN is not servicing this location or any other.
Interesting Day.
Hope u enjoy reading.
Doug Renshaw
Burlington, ON.
Eric Floden
R.L.Kennedy