Two 'Kingston Subdivisions', warm days at Queens East & maps and timetables from the 60s and 70s.
With enough traffic to keep the rail shiny, here is the CPR Kingston Subdivision near Kingston in 1980.
One railfan's theory was that a MoW speeder tour, without a derailment, was proof that no maintenance was needed.
The Division Street overpass is on the horizon.
The CNR Kingston Sub is at the right.
The CPR Kingston Sub begins near the distant switch of the interchange tracks.
The CNR 'yard' switch at the west end of the interchange track.
The electric switch lock protecting Track 1 of the CNR Kingston Sub.
Detail of the lock.
The gantry at the east end of Queen's East.
A little more detail.
As with kerosene switch lamps and train order signals, extremely efficient lenses
concentrated the faint light source into a beam which could be seen miles away.
I believe most of these signals also used a parabolic reflector.
Proper maintenance ensured they were aimed directly at approaching trains.
People like Rolly Martin required all signals (even clear signals)
to be called in the cab. He also took great pride in spotting their first appearance
through the trees and across the bays of Lake Superior.
As a midday VIA eastbound rolls by, you can see that there was space for a fifth signal on the gantry.
Given the need to span the four tracks with sufficient clearance,
this does not necessarily mean a fifth signal was ever contemplated.
Conveniently located near Queens East, this was the view from my apartment balcony.
Highway 401 from the Division Street interchange (beyond the right margin) to the west can be seen.
If you were extremely motivated, you could see a little bit of Queens from here, as well.
An extra east at Queens East: 2030, 2339, 9424.
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CNR Smiths Falls Subdivision
For the benefit of railfans, CNR often included maps with their employee timetables ...
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Below:
The CNR Smiths Falls Sub (Yarker to Sydenham)
and the CPR Kingston Sub had a junction at Harrowsmith.
The map below (collected by my father) displays some older data but was printed in the 1960s.
Pulling back a little, here is the railway ecosystem in the Kingston area at that time.
Notice that Highway 401 is shown as incomplete in the area to the west of Kingston.
