CP Wayfreight on Kingston's Hanley Spur in HO Scale

My HO-scale layout represents Kingston's Hanley Spur - a term I use to refer to CN and CP trackage on Kingston's waterfront. Kingston was served by CP wayfreights that originated on their Belleville Subdivision from Smiths Falls, ON. In the diesel era - usually powered by a single S-3, RS-23 or RS-18. On this day, the power du jour was this Baby Train-Master H16-44 8552. Let's follow the wayfreight from its arrival in Kingston until it's ready to return, having switched the local industries. You'll notice the same trainman in most of the photos. We'll call him 'Dave'. Section forces have some S&C hardware in their truck as the wayfreight arrives. 

In this case, my CP trains originate in the CN-CP interchange on Queens. Technically, this interchange north of the CN was a result of the CP Kingston Subdivision being truncated at the CN Kingston Subdivision realignment in the early 1970's. It's just a handy spot to make up the train and handle some cars to/from the CN. A short run over CN to reach the downtown trackage, here along Montreal Street as 'Dave' flags a crossing:

Stopped along Montreal Street near the CN Outer Station, Gus' Railway Restaurant is in foreground, with a stand-in structure for Presland Iton & Metal in background:

Interestingly, Presland is served by CN and CP joint trackage. Along with Frontenac Wall & Floor Tile, this bit of CP trackage was a remnant of their earlier crossing at grade with the CN. A BN gondola of steel joins a CP gon already spotted there now being removed as an empty. (The V.I.E.W. lettering is also a remnant - of my earlier Vancouver-based layout!) Dave is making the joint:

Moving down the spur, along Division Street, Dave gets ready to cut off two CN hoppers of gravel received in interchange for Gus Marker Cement. The wayfreight, marked by the CP gon from Presland, remains on the spur lead:

Three customers along Railway Street are served by CP: Weston's Bakery, MacCosham Van Lines and Gamble & Robinson. All are modern warehouses, the latter receiving shipments of building materials. Cars of flour are swapped at Weston's, with basic scenicking and stand-in structures still in evidence:

The near-end of the CP Kingston Subdivision is marked by a runaround track. Due to the down-and-back nature of the wayfreight's run, it was essential to have such an arrangement to prepare the train for its return northward journey. Some industries are switched off the runaround, such as Sowards Coal and I. Cohen, which are along the waterfront and south of the runaround. Dave is coupling en empty boxcar from Gamble & Robinson to the train;

Overhead view: cars to be left at the south end of the run are on the siding, with the train ready to return on the lead. Dave prepares to board the power for the final moves:

An empty CP Rail gon is spotted at the I. Cohen scrap metal yard for loading. Once again, Dave is right where he needs to be to complete the set-out:

Dave creatively yet unsafely climbs a concrete support to oversee the lifting of a Boston & Maine empty at Sowards coal trestle, with the CPR hopper of coal about to be spotted. I made those coalpiles out of plasticene on plastic lids, painted and with black sand poured on the wet paint. Do they look like ziggurats to you?? CN's line to the waterfront and eventually Canadian Locomotive Co. is at left, with its Imperial Oil bulk oil facility at the top left:

Two workers at the S. Anglin lumberyard watch as the load is spotted, safely using idler cars:

Newest customer on the CP line: Canadian Dredge & Dock. I'm still deciding whether or not to add a drydock here - I think the answer is going to be a yes.

A peek at the competition. Canadian Dredge & Dock is at left, facing CN's former Grand Trunk freight shed and team track. Serving downtown Kingston's freight needs from 1912 to the late 1960's, this facility dates my Hanley Spur layout to 1970 or earlier, the year it was demolished. But so far, I've resisted the temptation to model a year and/or month. With early diesels and occasional steam power, this layout will represent the 1950's to 1970's. I'm modelling an era.

Here's the current list of customers served by CN and CP with commodities and car types:

CN:
CN Express - express shipments in/out - boxcars/reefers
National Grocers - food/produce in - boxcars/reefers
Imperial Oil - oil in - tankcars, lubricants in - boxcars
Freight Shed/Team Track - merchandise in/out - boxcars/reefers/various
Presland Iron and Metal - steel in - gondolas
Canadian Locomotive Co. - steel/misc. in - gondolas/boxcars, locomotives out -  flatcars

CP:
Presland Iron and Metal - steel in - gondolas
Gus Marker Cement - cement, gravel in - covered hoppers/hoppers
Quattrocchi Specialty Foods - produce in - reefers
Weston's Bakeries - flour in - covered hoppers
MacCosham Van Lines - household effects in/out - boxcars
Gamble & Robinson - lumber in - boxcars
C.E. MacPherson - coal, steel in - hoppers/gondolas
Sowards Coal - coal in - hoppers
Canadian Dredge & Dock - materials in - various
S. Anglin Co. - lumber in - boxcars
I. Cohen Steel - scrap out - gondolas
Shell Oil - oil in - tankcars

Running extra...

Awards season....arrgh. Am I one of the last people to watch these smarmshowstravaganzas? Apparently they're on the wane. People are getting their award shows some other way besides staying up until after 11 p.m. But Kacey Musgraves swept the Grammys (Grammies? Grammees?) with her Tammy Wynette 2.0:

                                      

For one thing, the awards shows start off on the wrong foot. This is not an opening. Host: "Let's see who's here tonight. There's Mahershala Ali! There's George Clooney!", followed by some smarmy, self-serving smirky comments. Gimme a Billy Crystal opener anyday. Gimme Jiminy Glick! Gimme Oprah/Uma, Uma/Oprah. Guess who gets the Grumpy for awards show curmudgeon? Me. And I won't be there to accept the award.

Joni Mitchell's little-known sister Jeni was actually an Amtrak car attendant!