CN Kingston Subdivision's Knuckle Alley

There are a few sections of CN's Kingston Subdivision that are challenging for engineers. West of Kingston station, several miles of curving grades make train-handling an adventure at times. Trackside treasure such as knuckles and the occasional drawbar (!) give mute testimony to this. Here's your humble blogger showing the fresh metal of a snapped knuckle just west of Mi 182  in the spring of 1979 (below - L.C. Gagnon photo):

East of Lake Ontario, once the Kingston Sub parallels the St. Lawrence, it's relatively easy going. To the west around Cobourg, there are 'the Troubles' - another nightmarish stretch. CN's profile of the area from Mi 176-Mi 184 (below) includes an upgrade from Kingston station at Mi 176 up to Gardiners Road at Mi 178. Then it's downgrade to Collins Bay, sometimes described by crews as "coming down into the bay" at lake level. Thereafter, a series of three hogsbacks take trains west past Amherstview to County Road 6. Constant gradients up and down, up to 1%, and curves of 1-2 degrees.

Because of the resistance produced by curves, they pose an added difficulty when located on grades. Curves are often used to avoid undesirably heavy grades. By stretching out a given rise in elevation over a longer distance of track, loops and horseshoe curves (among other, less extreme, examples) keep grades manageable. Telephoto lenses best show Knuckle Alley photographically. This post on my brother's Rolly Martin Country blog shows CN and VIA trains negotiating curves and grades at Mi.183. Even an intermodal train has to dig in at Coronation Boulevard westbound!

Over the years, we've gone out to a few break-aparts to try to speed the crews on their way. "Do you need a lift to the head-end?", usually works. Though derailments make the news, it's the break-aparts that affect CN and VIA operations more regularly. Some common locations are around Mi. 182, slack action in Collins Bay at Mi. 180 and at the top of the grade at Mi. 178. That grade has stalled at least one train, this one during the 1998 Ice Storm!

Besides the CN profile, for purposes of this post I got a little creative at floor-level. I was endeavouring to show the up-and-down topography with the curves following the topography but seemingly unable to straighten out or flatten out! I got a few sections of 9-inch snap-track, each representing one mile of prototype trackage. Then, using the CN profile, I positioned the rail to the left or right, relative to the prototype curves. Using our grandson's wooden blocks, I reproduced the grades in each mile-span. Here are the somewhat-successful results:

You'll notice there are actually two grades within one mile at 180-181 through Elmwood, at 182 through Amherstview and 183-184 down to County Road 6! I'm sure someone more adept with 3D CAD software can reproduce this much better than me! However, I shot photos from a couple of angles to give some idea of the prototype. Floor-level photos would have done better, but living-room furniture would have got in the way. Regardless, it's obvious that it is far from straight and flat!

Here are a few responses to emails and online discussions, from those who've been there, about Knuckle Alley:

• Heading through there eastbound, always had the seat belts fastened and loose objects put away in the caboose when we still had them. Master Mechanic used to issue modified train handling instructions twice yearly. - James Blunt

• A 1928 Employee Timetable gives special train handling instructions to prevent trains parting at Collin's Bay. - engineer Steve Lucas

• There's always been that good slack run-out as the caboose passes eastbound at Manitou Crescent West and Amherst Drive. They've probably been breaking trains apart in that area's 2 miles of topography since the first Grand Trunk runs! A 1931 instruction to limit speed to 25 mph at Collins Bay eastbound and to cut off the steam 2.5 miles before that. Who knows what kind of Grand Trunk practices there were about link and pin or vacuum/steam brakes to deal with that spot! I guess they didn't try to do much with the profile when they doubled it - as they did elsewhere. - David Gagnon

• That stretch of the Kingston Subdivision had been affectionately tagged as knuckle alley by many of the steam era engineers I worked with in the 70’s and 80’s. To point where CN issued specific train handling instructions requiring reduced throttle settings through that area eastbound.  It emphatically illustrated how slack action could morph a freight train into a musical instrument. Suddenly it became an accordion. - Ken Wadden

• Usually a marshalling issue - too much weight on the rear. I had one myself there many years ago. Five cars off that blocked both tracks. They had it open again in less than 12 hours. - engineer David Ogden

• As for Mile 182, I knew it well. - dispatcher Tim Ball

• Mile 245-250 “the Dangers” are way worse. I’ve never got a knuckle between queens and Ernestown but I have in the Dangers. Two actually - I don’t know any hoggers that haven’t had one in the Dangers -  engineer Andy Venn

• Still the worst place for me eastbound. - Claude Langlois

Since this was the original alignment built by the Grand Trunk in the 1850's, its longevity and lack of realignments show its worth. Granted, the Grand Trunk could not have envisioned 200-car, 30,000-ton potash trains with triple distributed power. Or two-person crews! Or knuckles and drawbars for that matter!

Running extra...

After this past Tuesday's monthly Associated Railroaders of Kingston Zoom meeting, I've added a feature blog by our presenter, Stephen Gardiner. Stephen's Liberty Village HO layout and some of his other projects are definitely worthy of featuring. Look for it in Trackside Treasure's right sidebar.

AmtrakGuy365 (not his real name) included some of my Incentive Per Diem shots in his video and produced a nice finished product. We freight car fans have to stick together!

VIA's new Siemens trainset is not only testing between Montreal and Ottawa. Here's a reason to go to Cornwall!

The Next Ghost Train - written by a local healthcare compatriot, this was an enjoyable listen, especially for those involved in healthcare or any other difficult field during this pandemic.

Earlier this autumn, this former CP minibox Service car arrived from the former Memory Junction collection at Brighton. It's located between Sydenham and Harrowsmith on Rutledge Road: