Team tracks can receive a wide assortment of car types and commodities. Kingston's Counter Street team track, part of the Aluminum Spur, is no different. Here are some cars photographed between 1983 and 2003. Most were spotted for unloading. CP 59457 is an eight-foot door CP boxcar, spotted at the ramp in March 1986. Billed to Topnotch Feeds, also on Counter Street, it's likely feed grain(above). CP 111510 built 9-44, formerly CP 250045 is spotted on a snowless January 8, 1983:
A 1986 Belleville CN Car Control Manual lists "Customers with team track loading or unloading in that zone" in a customer list. For the Counter Street Team Track:
- Blatchford Feeds Ltd.
- Cashway Lumber Ltd.
- Clow Farm Eqpt. Co.
- Glen Supply Ltd.
- Kingston Iron & Metal
- MacLachlan Lumber Ltd.
- Muttart Buildling Supply
- Topnotch Feeds
- United Co-Operatives of Ontario
May 5, 1979: CP 202127 boxcar, spotted not on ramp for easier unloading, likely lumber.
Gondolas predominate, with I-beams or other structural steel for local steel distributors such as Kimco. The team track is now within Kimco's fenced perimeter. ATSF 168997 and two P&LE gons April 24, 1989:
P&LE 17165 still bears vestiges of a New York Central oval herald:
May 28, 1991: CCBX 57857 covered hopper, CN 53154 air dump car, MNS 2040 all-door boxcar, OTTX 91379 and 97252 with Canadian Forces line truck, excavator and trailer.
September 9, 1991: Gondolas: green CNW 132744, AC 1302.
September 17, 1991: Gondolas: black CNW 372032, green CNW 128069, MP 650642 with UP crest, AC 1212.
June 8, 1992: ATSF 169034 gondola, CNWX 110454 blt 9-84, BCOL 2319 blt 9-71:
July 17, 1992: 3 TTX flats, 5 CN air dump cars including 56502, 56076, 58163, 56583.
May 11, 1995: Gondolas AC 1251, SF 164544.
January 31, 1998: Covered hoppers CN 388995, CNWX 111439:
February 21, 1998: CNWX 110963 grain unloading, blt 11-84:
June 12, 1998: CN 91085 Marine Industries tie car, CN 615121 pulpwood bulkhead flatcar.
April 30, 1998: CN tamper 619-25 and panel switch flatcar CN 54993:
June 12, 1998: CN 91085 Marine Industries tie gondola, CN 615121 pulpwood bulkhead flatcar.
June 12, 1998: CN 91085 Marine Industries tie gondola, CN 615121 pulpwood bulkhead flatcar.
January 30, 1999: Gondolas 340684, CNW 137006 with I-beams, and brown WCRC 3264:
March 1999: Covered Co-Steel gondolas CEFX 30143 and 30283:
July 24, 1999: Bulkhead flats DWC 605449 with timbers, TTPX 81769 with steel, gondolas BN 580715 and brown BNSF 518281.
May 7, 2000: CN 603145 bulkhead flatcar with crossing timbers for Kingston sectionmen:
May 7, 2000: BN 580598 gondola with I-beams:
July 3, 2000: CN OCS gondolas 53752, 137097, 136723 with scrap rail.
March 1999: Covered Co-Steel gondolas CEFX 30143 and 30283:
July 24, 1999: Bulkhead flats DWC 605449 with timbers, TTPX 81769 with steel, gondolas BN 580715 and brown BNSF 518281.
October 8, 1999: Gondolas CSXT 490787, BNSF 519272, brown and yellow CNWX 101155 grain.
November 11, 1999: ATSF 169594 gondola.
December 11, 1999: CEFX 30117 covered gondola.
March 2000: CN 377645 with bad-order 'B' end knuckle:
May 7, 2000: CN 603145 bulkhead flatcar with crossing timbers for Kingston sectionmen:
May 7, 2000: BN 580598 gondola with I-beams:
July 3, 2000: CN OCS gondolas 53752, 137097, 136723 with scrap rail.
March 24, 2001: BN 624368 bulkhead flatcar with I-beams.
April 20, 2001: CN 603867 bulkhead flatcar with crossing timbers.
April 8, 2001: JTTX 931212 89-foot flatcar with I-beams.
July 21, 2001: Gondolas SP 365138 and MP 650887
Undated: MP 650197 in a Tim Reid photo
Undated: MP 650197 in a Tim Reid photo
March 2003: MP 650788 with steel:
August 28, 2008: BNSF 522319 green 89-foot pole bulkhead flat car, TKEN 942 black gondola, TTX flatcars and bulkhead flat car.
Mar 27, 2009: Covered gondolas CEFX 30143-30283
One other unusual load in 2009 was a boiler for the Queen's University co-generation plant which arrived on a white depressed-centre flatcar, likely BAWX 107. Now that the team track is fenced, it's much harder to get car numbers, nevermind photographs. With all the wood strapping, nails and banding that usually accompanies steel loads, it's a good place to avoid driving into anyway.
Running extra...
Driving around Kingston today, we passed Quattrocchi's Produce at Railway & Montreal Streets, which was formerly rail-served, initially via CP and later CN's Hanley Spur. There's more to come on Kingston's rail-served industries. Be sure to check out the series so far, in my sidebar.
Made a Kingston-Toronto round trip on trains 47/68 this week. Minor delay westbound at Brighton for a hard-luck freight in emergency, and to protect crossings. VIA1 full window seat rows in LRC 3470: 9 and 11; HEP stainless steel 4006: 4, 6, 8 left side, 5, 7, 9 right side. Sounds of VIA1: the tip-tap-tap of laptop keys and the clink of liquor bottles in the bar cart.
Stainless steel cars in Union Station trainshed: Emerald, Skyline 8517, Laird Manor, Douglas Manor. GO locomotives: 607, 625, 615, 550.
Great photos!
ReplyDeleteBTW, would you - or anyone you know - have photos of recent train derailments in Kingston..?
Specifically, there was one right at the Counter street crossing near the Train Station a few years ago (time goes by so quickly, I'm not sure exactly what year it was, but could track that down), and one a couple years back at the Coronation Street crossing in Amherstview.
If so, please contact me at steve.gerard @ my website address indicated here. (can find email on the site's 'writers' page, as well).
Thanks in advance!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteTo Steve Gerard: there was a discussion about the Counter Street derailment in the C-N-R Yahoo Group, but it looks like the photo links have expired.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/C-N-R/message/19547
As for the latest blog post Eric, I love this "Kingston-series", as always. Are the dates in the blog some indication of the frequency of use, or how often you were able to swing by for photos? For example, are there deliveries typically once a month, once a week, etc.?
Regards,
Bryan
Hi Bryan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments. The dates are random, dependent on there being cars spotted to see, and a camera to photograph them with. It's a cross-town trip for me. The local can work the team track one to three times a week, generally.
Eric
Enjoy your occasional excursions into aspects of railroading "less glamorous" than the main line.
ReplyDeleteOf course the very term "Team" track dates back to the days when teams of horses pulled along side cars for unloading.
Often the scene of odd-ball one of a kind shipments. I recall my days in Prince Rupert seeing portable asphalt plants, off highway logging equipment, oversize fuel tanks and other stuff at the team track. Actually there were several, serving various industrial activities.
Hi Robert,
ReplyDeleteMainline railroading is OK, but as you say, each shipment begins and ends at a spur somewhere. Unglamorous but essential.
Interesting about the Rupert team track. These kind of shipments, many being dimensional, are currently heading north of Edmonton, Alberta to the tar sands projects. Unique.
Eric
Ian, thanks for your kind comments. I have done posts on a lot of Kingston trackage, but I must admit that area is the one I photographed the least. I was able to copy a few photos from Queen's Archives, plus I have a couple of newspaper photos. An excellent source of photos of this trackage is 'At the Bend in the Road' by Gordon Smithson.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support on this, it should get me collecting the materials I have for this upcoming post.
Eric
To Steve Gerard, I have half-a-dozen shots of that Counter St derailment taken with my 2 meg point and shoot just before the cops shooed me away. I realize that your request was in 2010 but I just found Eric's blog just recently.
ReplyDeleteRon Barrett ronaldbarrett895@msn.com
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ReplyDelete