Old Time Trains

CPR Train Register June 24th. 1953.

James A. Brown

The Leaside register was in very large page format, and would -- in main line train order territory -- be the document train crews would use when their duties required signing and/or examining the Train Register. Not so much at Leaside, where the only orders were bulletins, Form Ws, and clearances, and movements were made under signal authority (a local interlocking panel in the station). The left hand page recorded arrivals, the right hand, departures. So careful examination will show many trains entered twice (arriving and departing). Helper engines (pushes) had their own crews, obviously, so their movements were dutifully entered in the register by the operator.

Eastbound and Westbound trains operated between Lambton and Agincourt on the North Toronto and Oshawa Subs; this traffic was all freight, and most trains required pushes east to Agincourt. The pushes would then run light back to Leaside for other assignments. Any entries marked "North" or "South" operated between Leaside and the TTR trackage via the "Don Branch" (Union Station, pushes running light engine, occasional transfers, or merchandise traffic to/from Parkdale Yard), passing Don Station en route. Of course, all passenger trains operated via the Don Branch, and many of these required pushes up the hill from Union Station; only in rare cases did the pushes on passenger trains carry on east to Agincourt, and a night's viewing at Leaside always culminated with the nightly parade of eastbound overnighters, all shedding their pushes at Leaside.

You'll see the odd "CN Extra". These were CN transfers between Oriole and CP, exercising old trackage rights of the Canadian Northern, between the CN connecting track at Donlands (a mile or so east of Leaside Station) and CN's Leaside industrial trackage (which was pretty extensive in 1953!), and even wandering west on CP's North Toronto Sub, where CN enjoyed switching rights.

Mostly steam in 1953. Only diesels were the occasional yard engine and a few F-units in freight. All of the passenger trains were still steam....and of course that included the K1 Northerns on 21 and 22.

Heady times. JAB

Note: Link to the pdf is in the title of this page.

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Old Time Trains © 2016 2018

CPR Train Register June 24th. 1953.

James A. Brown

The Leaside register was in very large page format, and would -- in main line train order territory -- be the document train crews would use when their duties required signing and/or examining the Train Register. Not so much at Leaside, where the only orders were bulletins, Form Ws, and clearances, and movements were made under signal authority (a local interlocking panel in the station). The left hand page recorded arrivals, the right hand, departures. So careful examination will show many trains entered twice (arriving and departing). Helper engines (pushes) had their own crews, obviously, so their movements were dutifully entered in the register by the operator.

Eastbound and Westbound trains operated between Lambton and Agincourt on the North Toronto and Oshawa Subs; this traffic was all freight, and most trains required pushes east to Agincourt. The pushes would then run light back to Leaside for other assignments. Any entries marked "North" or "South" operated between Leaside and the TTR trackage via the "Don Branch" (Union Station, pushes running light engine, occasional transfers, or merchandise traffic to/from Parkdale Yard), passing Don Station en route. Of course, all passenger trains operated via the Don Branch, and many of these required pushes up the hill from Union Station; only in rare cases did the pushes on passenger trains carry on east to Agincourt, and a night's viewing at Leaside always culminated with the nightly parade of eastbound overnighters, all shedding their pushes at Leaside.

You'll see the odd "CN Extra". These were CN transfers between Oriole and CP, exercising old trackage rights of the Canadian Northern, between the CN connecting track at Donlands (a mile or so east of Leaside Station) and CN's Leaside industrial trackage (which was pretty extensive in 1953!), and even wandering west on CP's North Toronto Sub, where CN enjoyed switching rights.

Mostly steam in 1953. Only diesels were the occasional yard engine and a few F-units in freight. All of the passenger trains were still steam....and of course that included the K1 Northerns on 21 and 22.

Heady times. JAB

Note: Link to the pdf is in the title of this page.