Sudbury Division Train Number of the 1970s

Trains of the Sudbury Division in the 1970s

 

Passenger

Symbol Origin Destination Notes
1 Montreal, QC Vancouver, BC “The Canadian”
2 Vancouver, BC Montreal, QC “The Canadian”
11 Toronto, ON Sudbury, ON “The Canadian” – Toronto Section
12 Sudbury, ON Toronto, ON “The Canadian” – Toronto Section
417 Sudbury, ON White River, ON White River Budd RDC run
418 White River, ON Sudbury, ON White River Budd RDC run
427 Sudbury, ON Sault Ste Marie, ON S.S.Marie Budd RDC run
428 Sault Ste Marie, ON Sudbury, ON S.S.Marie Budd RDC run
 

Inter-Division Freights

Symbol Origin Destination Notes
901 Toronto, ON (Parkdale) Vancouver, BC (Coquitlam) Intermodal, express & Autorack train
902 Vancouver, BC (Coquitlam) Toronto, ON (Parkdale) Intermodal, express & Autorack train
911 Montreal, QC (St Luc) Sault Ste Marie, ON Manifest – Connects with SOO #911 to Schiller Park,IL (Chicago)
912 Sault Ste Marie, ON North Bay, ON Manifest – Traffic east of North Bay lifted by # 952
921 Toronto, ON (Agincourt) Winnipeg, MB Pool (l.c.l.), Intermodal & Manifest traffic
925 Montreal, QC (St Luc) Thunder Bay, ON Manifest. Replaced 951 in 1975.
946 Winnipeg, MB Toronto, ON (Agincourt) Stock (in season) & Manifest (paper loads and eastern empties). Replaced in 1975 by 956.
949 St.John, NB (Bayshore) Calgary, AB (Alyth) Intermodal/Pool/Perishables – via Chalk River line from Montreal
951 Montreal, QC (St Luc) Vancouver, BC (Coquitlam) Pool/Intermodal/Manifest – lifts west of Winnipeg traffic off 921 & 953. Replaced by 925 in 1975.
952 Calgary, AB (Alyth) St.John, NB (Lancaster) Intermodal/Perishables/Autorack train – via Chalk River line to Montreal
953 Toronto, ON (Agincourt) Winnipeg, MB Pool (l.c.l.), Autorack & Manifest. Runs as required with overflow from 921 and 965. Extended to Calgary in 1975.
954 Calgary, AB (Alyth) Toronto, ON (Agincourt) Pool (l.c.l.), Stock & Manifest. Handles overflow from 902 and 952; sets off Montreal/East and Sudbury traffic at Cartier for #974
955 Toronto, ON (Agincourt) Sudbury, ON Manifest (local cars for Sudbury & North Bay area)
956 Winnipeg, MB Toronto, ON (Agincourt) Pool (l.c.l.) & Manifest. Replaced 946 in 1975.
965 Toronto, ON (Agincourt) Vancouver, BC (Coquitlam) Intermodal, Autorack & Pool (l.c.l.) traffic
967 / P.A.T. Toronto, ON (Agincourt) Vancouver, BC (Coquitlam) “Pacific Auto Train” semi-daily unit autorack train
974 Cartier, ON Montreal, QC (St.Luc) Manifest (Montreal set-off from # 954)
 

Local Freights & Turn Jobs

Symbol Origin Destination Notes
50 Sudbury, ON Toronto, ON (Agincourt) Counterpart to # 955, mainly hauled empties, listed within CP freight procedures book as ’50’ but was operated under any timetable schedule
73 Sudbury, ON Little Current, ON Recovered INCO iron ore in coal hoppers to Turner docks
74 Little Current, ON Sudbury, ON Coal from Turner docks, trains 73/74 were also called the ‘Little Current Turn’ or ‘The Coal Train’ by crews
 96 Webbwood, ON Sudbury, ON Extension of Thessalon Sub locals # 88/89 – a SOO/Sudbury swing job serving local industries
Espanola Turn Sudbury, ON Espanola, ON (E.B.Eddy) Turn job exclusively for E.B.Eddy paper mill in Espanola
North Bay Turn Sudbury, ON North Bay, ON A Cartier Sub east-end turn job, traffic was mainly for Abitibi-Price paper mill in Sturgeon Falls and ONR interchange at North Bay
Phelans Turn Sudbury, ON Phelans, ON As required turn job for aggregate pit at Phelans, crews also called it ‘The Stone Train’
INCO Job#1 Sudbury, ON Creighton Mine (INCO) INCO Clarabelle-Creighton nickel/copper ore shuttle
INCO Job#2 Sudbury, ON Crean Hill Mine (INCO) INCO Clarabelle-Crean Hill nickel/copper ore shuttle
INCO Job#3 Sudbury, ON Levack Mine (INCO) INCO Levack-Sprecher nickel/copper ore shuttle
The “Falcon” Sudbury, ON Falconbridge, ON Turn job exclusively for Falconbridge Ltd, mainly handled matte hoppers and dolomite (a flux used in the smelter)
Strathcona Turn Sudbury, ON Strathcona Mine – Falconbridge Falconbridge nickel concentrate hoppers, crews and railfans often called it ‘The Slurry Train’
 

Unit Trains *

Train Origin Destination Notes
Pulp Train Cartier (Ramsey), ON Nairn, ON (E.B.Eddy) Turn job – tree length pulpwood for Eddy plant at Nairn Centre
Kidd Creek Acid North Bay, ON Various Unit sulphuric acid off ONR to various destinations
Copper Cliff Acid Sudbury, ON Various Unit sulphuric acid from INCO to various destinations
Grain Extras Thunder Bay, ON Quebec,QC (or) St.John, NB Winter Only – during St.Lawrence Seaway shutdown
Potash Extras Various (Western Canada) Various (Southern Ontario) Seasonal movements from various mines to farm co-ops in Ontario
* Note: Symbols were given to these trains, but they were often unused by crews or dispatchers

 

Recent Posts

Begin/End CTC Romford

Our big push for the Doubleheaders Tour this past March was to finally fill in the scene at Romford ON, the junction where the Parry Sound Sub from Toronto joins in to the Cartier Sub. This finally enclosed and hid the helix we had built in this corner of the layout that carried the tracks from the Parry Sound Sub staging yard to the upper level deck where Romford is situated. But really the scenery was just roughed in at the time, and many more details were required to finish the area. Our upcoming Fall Open House has provided us with a cause to continue the scenic efforts from here further down towards Coniston ON (diamond crossing with the CN Bala Sub), and to populate Romford with more details.

Romford cabride CP train 12 - 06 October 1971

Approaching Romford junction in the cab of the Toronto Section of the ‘Canadian’ at Sudbury, ON on 06 October 1971 (Roger Puta photo – Marty Bernard collection)

Being a mainline junction, Romford was a controlled interlocking. In the 1970s Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) governed train movements over the Cartier Sub from this point (mileage 72.4) eastward to North Bay ON (mileage 0). Westward for the six miles between here and Sudbury, the Cartier Sub was double-tracked with Automatic Block System (ABS) signals protecting movements in one direction only (right-hand running). The Parry Sound Sub travelling south was single-track ABS territory. Because the CTC section began, or ended (depending on which way you were going) at this interlocking, dispatchers would refer to this spot as ‘Begin/End CTC Romford’.

Beyond the obvious signals, real life interlockings are filled with all sorts of trackside details such as large signal bungalows, relay cabinets, battery vaults, electric switch motors, and if you’re railroading in Canada; switch heaters, and associated fuel tanks. With this in mind, we felt further enhancement of this scene should be done before our next open house.

RomfordCTC001

Looking east from signal 724 – Romford. From this point east to North Bay, the CP Cartier Sub was CTC territory.

RomfordCTC002

Signal 724 and its companion dwarf signal, along with a GRS model 5H dual-control switch motor, an oil-fired switch heater (it gets very cold here in winter), and signal relay cabinet. The old-school switch stand here guards a storage track, which is obviously controlled manually by crews.

We are still waiting for the actual station to be completed, along with a custom-built cantilever signal bridge that is required to elevate signal 1217 over the Parry Sound Sub (both are in development). But in the mean time with telephone poles added, more vegetation and ground cover, and all these interlocking details, we are at a level where Romford can almost be called complete.

RomfordCTC003

Guarded by signal 723 (westward signals are odd-numbered, and eastward even) this area of the junction is full of assorted CTC details. The Parry Sound Sub to Toronto is the line curving to the south here. A cantilever signal bridge that governs this line will be added in the future.

RomfordCTC004

Signal 723 with associated relay cabinet and a battery vault. The manual switch stand here controls the Romford set-off track.

RomfordCTC005

Not just CTC details, we’ve also finished off the swamps surrounding the Parry Sound Sub’s approach into Romford. Oh, incidentally, don’t drink the water here.

We’re starting to get excited about the open house, and wanted to share these photos of our progress. There are many other additions and improvements we’ve made since the Doubleheaders Tours this past spring, let alone last year’s open house. All of this will be here for you to explore this Saturday October 14th. Hope to see you there.

 

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