Lantic Sugar in Mimico

A stroll around Mimico in April  2017 combined two favourite subjects - VIA Rail and spot 'n' spur freight activity. An earlier post featured CGMX/LATX covered hoppers as seen on CN's Kingston Sub, carrying sugar from the Lantic Sugar facility in Montreal East to the blending facility in Mimico, located at 230 New Toronto Road.

I managed a well-lit photo of the unloading tracks, even though no LATX covered hoppers were visible. These newer WFRX (Wells Fargo Rail Corporation) and EAMX cars, and in 2023 TILX cars, are slowly replacing the LATX cars. A view of the Lantic logo:

Check out this model railroady trackwork with Lantic's spur (left to right in photo) crossing Mimico wye tracks, complete with stop signs leading to Lantic, taken from the Islington Avenue overpass. VIA uses the wye regularly. The tail track approaching New Toronto Street can accommodate one engine and five cars. The crossing was rehabilitated in May, 2022 and can now accommodate one engine and six cars once derail is removed and crossing occupied.

Also from the Islington overpass, the unloading shed at Lantic, with two LATX cars now visible! Two cars can be unloaded in four hours. Two cars are usually here at one time, with another nine on a spur west of Islington Ave. which Lantic's Trackmobile can access.

Just around the corner, several LATX cars were being held off-spot. There is space on this track for nine cars. Notice the unique Salco hatch covers and plastic lining, which flap fancily while heading along the Kingston Sub!

Ground view of the other end of the string of LATX covered hoppers taken from Eighth Street. Notice wheel stops on track, and GO locomotive at VIA's nearby Toronto Maintenance Centre:

A closeup view of the Salco covers and walkways atop the LATX cars:

Here's a video capture from Rapido Trains' video of their RDC-1 RPDX 6133 stretching its legs near the TMC. It's February 2018, and the Lantic operation is visible in the background including their parked orange Trackmobile:

Satellite view shows the Lantic spurs, the diamond with the wye, stored LATX cylindrical covered hoppers and Trackmobile driveway!

Just last month, here's LATX 7010 westbound for Toronto on March 17, 2018. In the company of former NAHX 455xxx-series, now LATX cylindricals, plus WFRX's like 849636! (Heck, even today CN No 376 had several cylindricals and two WFRX's. Those LATX's are getting tons of graffiti now.)

Running extra...

Book update! TRAINS being graphically designed. GRAINS being captioned. Worked my way through 1986 (hello Saskatoon C - below!) and soon it will be 1985 and I'll be....wallowing in nostalgia even more. Even with all the wallowing, the spring 2018 publication date is still intact! And thanks to the at-least ten people who are expressing interest in this exciting and unique project!

And now for a verdant Vermont moment. I'm doing some prototype research on the dollar-barn for my HO scale Green Mountain Lines. Years ago, barns in Vermont (below) were used for messy things like cows, hay bales, and manure. Now, a Google search reveals that nearly every barn is used for shabby chic, denim apparel, exposed lightbulbs and weddings! Well, marriage can be messy, too.

This week's April meeting of the Associated Railroaders of Kingston included a member-update section during which attendees brought a few photos on a memory stick. The Green Mountain Lines brought their update and for a few minutes it was all green and 1970's. Also - Michael, Bob, Greg, Len, Fred and Paul brought their neat photos and videos. And Denny's brought the slams!