Updated: End of the line for Beachburg Subdivision

Well, it's finally happening. The last remnants of CN's former transcontinental main line through Ottawa are being taken up in the city's northwest end. The Beachburg Subdivision north of Nepean Junction will be history in a few weeks. A couple of readers have alerted me to the presence of the continuous welded rail work train in the region. I had the chance to go and see this train on Sunday, Nov. 9.

Over the weekend, work had halted. Thanks to information from a local rail watcher (thanks Ray), I was told the work train was parked at the rural Stonecrest Road level crossing near milepost 30.0, northwest of Dunrobin. I made my way out to this secluded spot and was immediately struck by the rugged character of the the area. The path to the crossing was hilly, twisty and generally hemmed in by trees. This was about as rural as you can get within the city limits.

When I arrived at the crossing, there was a bit of a clearing and the sun was shining. You could immediately see the end of the work train by the crossing, being guarded by a lone CN employee. I spoke to him briefly and he told me I was allowed to take photos from the road. He also told me that work was to recommence on Tuesday morning. Given how much progress has been made to date, I would not be surprised if the rest of this stretch of track was gone in a few weeks.

Given the area where the work train is parked is heavily wooded, getting a shot of the entire string of cars was impossible, so I had to try and capture the consist with some condensed vertical shots. Luckily, the afternoon sun was in the perfect spot for me to get some of these shots. You can see in the shot above that there is some rail still in the process of being fed into the CWR cars.

I managed to capture some shots of the yellow work cars at the end of the train (above), but that was about all I could capture in terms of long horizontals. You can see the rail being fed into the CWR cars in this shot as well.

The above shot was taken from the crossing. The road was very quiet when I arrived, so taking shots from the middle of the crossing was pretty easy. You can see that this line has been left to its own devices for a number of years, as the ballast is largely lost in overgrowth.

Above, the dreaded CWR cars, especially for a train-starved railfan in Ottawa.

This shot gives you an idea of the immediate surroundings at this level crossing. Two CN trucks had been parked at the side of the road since the train had halted its work. Both had Quebec licence plates, so I'm guessing the railway sent work crews in from Montreal to take apart this line.

 



 

This final shot pretty much sums up the sad end for this once vital piece of CN's network. A threader was left locked in place, with a small stretch of rail yet to be fed onto the train. Beyond the loose rail, you can see the abandoned right-of-way, which will no doubt soon become a snowmobile trail. This shot gives you an idea of the types of grade crews would have had to manage on this line, when it was a transcontinental line and then part of the Ottawa Central Railway.

 

And with that, another piece of the Ottawa Valley's railway history is removed. I can't help but wonder what might have happened to this line, if Ottawa Central hadn't been purchased by CN. Many rail watchers here have grumbled over the years that CN only purchased OCR to get its hands on the actual rails, so it could use them elsewhere in its network.

 

I also wonder what might have happened if efforts to establish the Transport Pontiac Renfrew shortline railway had been successful. I recall the former president of the OCR James Allen telling me a wood pellet plant in the Pontiac wanted rail service on this line, a prospect that promised (in his words) hundreds of car loads a year. But sadly, too much industry has been lost in the valley to support a railway line in this area.

 

The city did mention earlier this year that it would be interested in purchasing the old line for a possible recreational trail. Considering how remote this part of the city is, I doubt a trail in these parts would get much use for anything other than snowmobiles and ATVs.

 

This brings me to my final question. Given the level of interest in light rail in the city, you can't help but wonder if retaining this line for future regional rail use should have been seriously considered. This approach to rail is very common in the United States, but sadly not here.

 

And, as another line fades away, the city continues to wrangle over the next phases of its light rail dreams, which require expensive new rights-of-way in areas where rail once served.

 

For those looking to capture some of this work along Beachburg, the work will continue through this week into the weekend (from Nov. 11-16 or so). I invite readers in the Ottawa area to get out there and capture some of this before it's too late. On Tuesday, the train was nearing Torbolton Ridge Road. Wednesday will likely see the train nearing the Kinburn Side Road crossing. At this rate, it should be nearing Dunrobin in the coming days.

Revisiting a tragedy

The Transportation Safety Board released some of its findings regarding the tragic bus-train collision in Ottawa last year. The initial findings show that the crash was likely caused, in part, by distracted driving. To briefly recap what happened, last Sept. 18, an OC Transpo double-decker bus collided with a Via train during the morning rush hour, killing five passengers as well as the bus's driver. The collision has led to a year of questions about the safety of level rail crossings in Ottawa. This accident occurred in the Barrhaven neighbourhood at the Woodroffe Avenue crossing. Via Rail's Smiths Falls Subdivision passes through this neighbourhood and has been the site of numerous signal malfunctions in the recent past. Thankfully, those issues appear to have been addressed.

A Via Rail corridor train crosses Woodroffe Avenue, as seen from the platform of Via Rail's Fallowfield railway station in May 2012.

The TSB found that the bus was approaching the crossing at 67 km/h along the bus-only Transitway lane. The posted limit for buses at the time was 60 km/h. That has since been reduced to 50km/h. The board also found that the driver was likely looking at a monitor above his sun visor at the time, which may have distracted him from braking the bus. These double-decker buses are equipped with a monitor screen that allows the driver to see what is happening on the second level of the bus. Witnesses say someone was standing on the second level, which is not allowed on these buses.

These findings are heartbreaking for several reasons. Although they have given grieving families some answers, they also shine a light on the driver's error, which will no doubt haunt his family for some time. Also, the findings pointed out that, if the bus had been travelling at the posted limit at the time, the driver would have been able to stop the bus before colliding with the Via train. Again, these findings would be tough to hear, given that they lead to a number of what if questions.

OC Transpo has posted its special constables in the area to enforce the new speed limit.

Good news for the Renfrew Spur?

A planning committee meeting this week shed some light on what might happen to the Renfrew Spur, in Ottawa's west end. The meeting was focused on a retail development in Kanata along the Renfrew Spur. The committee discussed a proposed 15-metre buffer between the development and the rail line.

The line, formerly the CN Renfrew Subdivision, serves the Nylene Canada industrial polymer plant in Arnprior, just outside Ottawa's western border. The rail line is owned by the city and maintained by Nylene Canada.

I found an interesting line in an Ottawa Sun story, which has me wondering if there may actually be a forward-thinking rail advocate in this region. The sentence in the story, which greatly interested me, reads as follows:

"Nylene is interested in possibly expanding the use of the track since lines connecting to the larger rail network are so rare west of Ottawa."

More like nonexistent, but I digress.

The story is behind a paywall, so I won't link to it, although you can find the story doing a Google search by typing in Nylene and railway. To be honest, I'm not sure what the reporter meant to convey by saying "expanding the use of the track." There is very little in the way of industry along this line, especially west of Kanata.

At the very least, it suggests to me that this rail line appears to safe for now. Now, all I have to do is catch Local 589 out to Arnprior on a Wednesday.

 

Above: The Renfrew Spur (seen at left in the spring this year) appears to be in good hands.

 

Finally, I thought I would share another piece of interesting local rail news. A mayoral candidate, Mike Maguire, has proposed something The Beachburg Sub has been advocating since the beginning. Instead of spending billions on a deeply flawed light rail plan, Maguire is proposing something radical. Running commuter trains on existing (and underused) rails in the capital. Do you think Mr. Maguire read last week's post?

 



Catch me while you can: Nepean Junction

I went on a short hike this past weekend to take a look at a key point along the CN Beachburg Subdivision. I figured I should take a look now, since the 38-km stretch through Ottawa and the remaining rail in the Pontiac Region is more than likely to be lifted this spring.

My destination was a key junction, Nepean Junction, where CN's Renfrew spur (itself formerly a subdivision) branches off from the Beachburg Sub just north of Corkstown Road in Ottawa's west end.

The junction is accessible from a nearby stretch of the Trans Canada Trail, otherwise it is a tough spot to see unless you are motivated. When I arrived there this past Saturday, it was easy to see that nothing has been done to the Beachburg Sub since last fall when officials in the Pontiac Region stopped CN crews from ripping up track in their municipality. As you see below, the Beachburg Sub beyond Nepean Junction has not been maintained this winter, as snow covered much of the line past the switch. The track to the left is the Renfrew spur, which is still in use as CN serves Nylene Canada in Arnprior, at the end of the spur.

I saw some interesting relics as I made my way to Nepean Junction. Some old rail still lay trackside, covered in weeds. I made sure to look at the rail, since I was told a big reason why Beachburg was being torn up last year was the fact that it had continuous welded rail, which some blog readers reminded me was a precious commodity for CN. The rail where I walked was not CWR. Quite the opposite, in fact. This rail, I would imagine, would not be terribly valuable. Beyond the junction, the rail on the Beachburg Sub was also jointed rail. Still, I can imagine CN wants to rid itself of the burden of this inactive line, even if it doesn't have specific plans for the less valuable jointed rail still in place.

As I neared Nepean Junction, I noticed vestiges of better times, much like I did when I explored Bells Junction and the end of the old CP Ellwood Subdivision last spring. The site of disconnected signalling towers on Ottawa's remaining railway network is sadly pervasive. This is one of many such towers that have been gutted, but left to stand as a reminder of days gone by.

Another relic closer to the junction is this rusted snow plow indicator sign, which looks like it needs to be replaced. You can also make out the broken hydro pole in the background. I saw many such poles on my walk. Some of the poles were supporting fallen tree trunks. I saw a few logs trackside, which had been removed after having fallen on the right-of-way.

This is what the junction looks like today facing southeast. The snow-covered track is Beachburg while the clear section is the Renfrew spur. Notice the switch alignment. The spur has become the main line while Beachburg has become the turnout, so to speak.

 

Here's one final look at the two lines after they head their separate ways. Beachburg curves in a northwest direction, headed for the Fitzroy Harbour area near the Ottawa River. The Renfrew spur, at a lower elevation, heads in a more westerly direction as it heads toward Kanata and Arnprior beyond.  Note the difference in the roadbed and the colour of the rails. It makes it hard to believe that Beachburg was once part of a transcontinental main line.

This junction might soon become nothing more than a name on a map, much like Bells Junction in Bells Corners, which once separated the Beachburg Sub from the old CP Carleton Place Subdivision. This junction once separated CN's main line from John Booth's Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound railway. It was once the site of an overpass where the two lines met. Over the years, it has housed track maintenance buildings and other railways trappings. Today, it stands as possibly one of the final reminders of CN's former transcontinental operations in the Ottawa Valley.

MYSTERY SOLVED: You may recall that I was musing about the North American logo I spotted on a CN hopper in a previous post, A few surprises from the last year. A reader was able to clear up the mystery for me, which was greatly appreciated. To read about the North American logo, please check out the post in the link above. Special thanks to blog reader Nicholas for pointing me in the right direction.

Beachburg Subdivision Update

It's a good news/bad news scenario for this rail line.

First the bad news. Canadian National has continued to rip up the tracks in Renfrew County, northwest of Ottawa, despite efforts to stop the track from being lifted. I emailed James Allen, former general manager of the Ottawa Central Railway, who confirmed to me that efforts to save the sub have failed. Allen was involved with Transport Pontiac Renfrew, a working group that was aiming to revive the line. Allen said CN has lifted the rails in Renfrew County, despite a petition against the move that was circulating and an attempt to have that region's MP Cheryl Gallant intervene. It's a tough blow for Renfrew County, no doubt, since the county has already lost its Canadian Pacific connection from Smiths Falls.

So, the good news. The remainder of the sub might not share the fate of the right-of-way in Renfrew County. That's because municipal officials in the Pontiac region in Quebec have a bylaw that prevents rails from being lifted in the municipality.

Allen said the rail from Quebec to Ottawa is safe for now. Allen also told me that he was mystified as to why Renfrew County did not enact a similar bylaw to preserve its rail line, but it's a moot point now as the line is gone.

A reader told me that a CN freight train with rail transporter cars has arrived in Ottawa, which to me suggests more line is to be lifted. I saw the first train with those orange rail transporter cars a while back, but I didn't think anything of it, since I was unaware of the fate of the Beachburg sub until recently. I wish I would have taken a quick snap. If you want to see an example of these cars that carry rail, go to Eric Gagnon's Trackside Treasure blog, since he has a photo of these cars from a past post.

So you may ask why CN is doing this, if there are local backers who seem to think they can make a go of it on this line? One main reason, according to one of this blog's readers, is that Beachburg line is composed of continuous welded rail, which is extremely valuable, particularly in other regions where CN is doing brisk business and needs to upgrade older rights-of-way. Allen said the rail from the Beachburg sub is headed west, no doubt to areas where CN is busy transporting oil and frac sand.

I didn't realize that the Beachburg sub was once part of CN's national freight route, which a reader pointed out to me. That explains why this sub has such valuable rail. I was told that, if the sub had jointed rail, efforts to save it would likely be successful.

Make no mistake, CN is in business to make money. It has obviously done its due diligence and figured that it is not worthwhile to operate on the sub. I don't mean to come across as being hard on CN. As a railway fan and industry observer, the move to scrap the line seems driven by immediate business demands, which is understandable. However, it still seems like a short-sited move to me.

The bigger issue here may be why there is no provincial or national policy on old railway lines. As I have mentioned before, rail lines are becoming increasingly important as a way to alleviate stress on overcrowded highways and to move goods in an environmentally friendly way. People and businesses are beginning to realize the value that trains bring to a national transportation system. Railways have not enjoyed this type of goodwill in decades. So why do these old lines get ripped up with nary a word? 

If there are any other updates on Beachburg, I will pass them along.