An Afternoon on the Cataraqui Spur, 1977

It's a cold afternoon at CN's Kingston station, during March break, 1977. The local wayfreight, bound for the Cataraqui Spur approaches. This is Trackside Treasure's most historic post to date, complete with 126-format Instamatic black & white images. Perched high on a parking lot snowbank, here's 3731's train approaching on the north track of the Kingston Sub with its nine-car train. Bearing in mind the Cataraqui Spur leaves the south track of the Kingston Sub, why is this train on the north track, and how will it reach the south track and 'Cat' Spur? Notice the first three cars (above): NAHX and ETCX covered hoppers of plastic pellets for Northern Telecom, and a double-door Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific boxcar, likely loaded with lumber for Weldwood Lumber. These two industries run off CN's Industrial Spur just west of the top end of the Cataraqui Spur.

After making those setouts, the wayfreight negotiates the crossover just west of the Industrial Spur switch and heads down the top end of the Cataraqui Spur. 3731 shunts empty adipic acid covered hoppers and DOCX and Procor hexamethylene diamine tank cars across a short trestle at the bottom end of the Cataraqui Spur. With Canada Steamship Lines' transfer elevator visible in the background, the train is pictured parallel to Front Road, as it is readied for its trip north up to the Kingston Sub mainline.Kingston-assigned wooden caboose CN 79140 tags along behind two DUPX covered hoppers, three tank cars and a CN covered hopper. These cars will head east on the Kingston Sub to the yard at Kingston's Outer Station on Montreal Street, routed "CNR via Collins Bay". I'm waiting beside the Cat Spur as the afternoon Railiner to Toronto heads west: 6351-6003-6101 (above).

 Colour slide views of the train approaching from the east (above) then nearing the mainline switch:

The train appears. This connection to the mainline was moved east of Gardiners Road when the level crossing was replaced with an underpass. Having regained the mainline, more Alco smoke accompanies 3731's backup push as caboose 79140 reaches the level crossing. Today these cars are taken straight to Belleville yard behind 7000-series chop-nosed GP9's. Earlier in the afternoon at Kingston station, an eastbound VIA train behind 6527 in CN paint, and a westbound with 6765 leading in newly-painted in VIA colours but a CN logo on the nose cleared the way for the wayfreight:
A year before, RS-18's 3704-3742 are hauling a single tank car past the south track station building on February 21, 1976:
Running extra...

The 2012 Ford Focus boasts a new feature, Active Grille Shutters. The radiator grille shutters flap shut to improve mileage. Immediately reminded me of FPA/FPB4's and their extra vents below the radiator intake shutters that would periodically flaack! shut while idling.

Any idea how easy it is to type 678? Covered the last few trains of 1981 for my new VIA Rail book, and throughout the project, I enjoyed typing numbers like 6784, 6780 and others in that series. Of course, 6789 is the easiest of all.

Some have said that Denise Richards is trying to 'railroad' the spiralling Charlie Sheen. I haven't really been 'tracking' all the coverage of his 'railing', so I think I'm "winning!". If he makes it to Oprah, he won't just jump on the couch, he will demolish it "like an F-18 deploying its ordnance to the ground!".