Turcot Yard - Newspaper Clippings Bracketing Its Half Century

Jim Christie found the first newspaper clipping from 1908 about Turcot Yard when the roundhouse was just a year or so old. I have added the clippings kept on file by LC Gagnon regarding the end of Turcot Yard.

Considering the Turcot closing clippings as 'artifacts' you can see that official sources guided some of the content of the articles. Non-railroaders of the day had some familiarity with steam locomotive technology and they could describe the engines' appearance while operating with some accuracy.

Today people use smartphone cameras as they strive to create beautiful images (not necessarily 'documenting reality') using apps which can filter out undesired people and objects. Social media approval is often important to these photographers. Traditional newspaper photographers had different things to worry about ... documenting reality and meeting deadlines.

Newspaper photographers worked to create large black and white negatives. 'First, get the negative right!' Labouring without drones, or even the primitive biplanes of the era, photographers of railways could sometimes invent their own 'bird's eye view' by hiking up from Turcot's artificial plain to Upper Lachine Road (first image). Another climbed up on a trackside structure - to obtain the second image. 

After developing the film in the darkroom, lit with extremely dim red light which wouldn't spoil the exposed film, necessary but limited manual work was done by experienced photo artists to bring out the details of key features or people. Time was limited to prepare the photos in the hours between the printing of daily (or more frequent) newspaper editions. 

How were these images rendered? Dithered black ink on dull-white newsprint was the creative medium for the finished image. This was the forerunner of today's digital coloured pixels which can produce a standard 16,777,216 colours - while we can perceive only about 1,000,000.

As scanned, showing dithering.

To use a professional photography term ... I have 'fiddled' with the newspaper photographs. I have often blurred the coarse dithering to produce objects with continuous lines ... and then sharpened the slightly-blurred images. 

In 1962, everyone had seen an 'old steamer' so there was little artistic demand to bring out details in the photos of discarded engines which were ready for scrapping ... which the railway had inconsiderately painted black in their entirety and covered with black coal dust and soot. Similarly, daylight could only light up a limited area of the cavernous, empty roundhouse stalls. So I've tried to bring out as many historical details as possible in these photos.

The 'Fond Memories' article mentions Operation Canadian National Weekend. This was held on the July 23, 24 weekend in 1962. My father and I attended the Whale Yard static displays on the Saturday. We rode the doubleheader to Garneau on the Sunday. Coloured slides and black and white prints were made of those trips and they may yet appear in another post.

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from: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Researched by Jim Christie.

from: Canada Handbook, circa 1942, LC Gagnon files.

CNR official photo - see credit below.

'This photo can be nicer ... so let's airbrush that loafing hostler out of the 6205 and get rid of those two baggage cars up in Glen Yard!'

This may be from a series of posed CNR publicity photos taken with all available engines fired-up and partly outside their stalls. Once on the roundhouse roof, the photographer could simply walk around to capture different angles of the scene. 

As generalizations ...

I think it would be unusual to have this many engines dispatched for trains and competing for the turntable at the same time. If you look at the smokejack locations in the other images, you could infer that engines would normally advance into the stalls. Often this would be done using the latent steam in their boilers after dropping (or just cleaning) their fires at the ashpit - which was located away from the roundhouse. Depending on many variables, an engine's servicing would take 2 to 6 hours. 

After servicing, their fires would be restarted (or unbanked and stoked) to build up steam pressure - with their stacks under the smokejacks and blowers operating to draft the fires. Then they'd back onto the turntable. However, you'll also notice a few smaller smokejacks at the turntable end of the stalls. 

To manage the turntable/roundhouse congestion ... when ready, the steam locomotives would be run by shop hostlers out of the circular roundhouse area, to designated 'ready tracks'. Crews of regular runs would often find their power conveniently sequenced so they could just perform their necessary preparation and checks, and depart for their trains.

While the image above is deliberately impressive, it is probably not documenting the exact reality of what a busy day looked like ... One would just see a semi-circle of tender ends and none of the actual skilled work and dirty brute force labour being conducted within the relative darkness of the roundhouse. References suggest that Turcot was the busiest roundhouse on the CNR system and it often serviced and dispatched 100-130 engines per day.

The slow process of starting a coal-fired steam locomotive fire can be seen at time 23:43 in the NFB film, End of the Line.

End of the Line, NFB

Reverse side of the photo above.

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... probably 'assistant to the general foreman of motive power'. 

CNR 1961 Third Visit to Turcot Yard, Montreal, 17 August 1961

It's time to pay our final visit to Turcot Yard. 

A month has gone by and it's a nice day, so we'll take the bus to Upper Lachine Road 

and make our way down the escarpment one last time.

First Visit to Turcot Yard, Montreal, 17 July 1961

Second Visit to Turcot Yard, Montreal, 19 July 1961

Having just turned four, I will be taking neither photos nor notes.

However, I'll respond to every request of my father to get on the pilot of each engine and wave at the camera 

... so my apologies in advance.

I do not wander around in railway yards and I do not recommend that you do so either.

1521 - Built by MLW for CNoR in 1905, numbered as 1274. Renumbered in 1957.
Preserved at Middleton Railway Museum, Middleton, Nova Scotia.

Notice that the bell and glass number plates have been removed. An impressive amount of piping is shown here on the fireman's side of the boiler. This engine was originally sold to Andrew Maclean of Gravenhurst to attract attention to his antique shop. 

Most of my data comes from Canadian National Steam Power; Tony Clegg & Ray Corley; 1969; Railfare.

Through the miracle of the internet, the museum corresponded with me about this image a number of years ago and subsequently posted it on their Facebook page. LC Gagnon would be pleased to see his photos spreading out over the internet. 

You can get an idea of some of the scale of the scrapping process as you look down the deadline. One wonders if the CNR would have undergone a partial steam renumbering process in 1957 if they had known how quickly the new diesels could take over operations. They did need to open up blocks of roster numbers for the new diesels, but still ...

5061 - Built by MLW for GTR in 1913, numbered as 181.
Scrapped Sep 1961.

3345 - Built by CLC for Canadian Government Railways in 1918, numbered as 2945.
Scrapped Sep 1961.

5268 - Built by MLW for CGR in 1918, numbered as 496.
Scrapped Nov 1961.

4193 - Built by Alco-Brooks for Boston & Albany in 1919, numbered as 1107. 
To CNR in 1928, numbered as 4207. Renumbered Nov 1957.
Scrapped Dec 1961.

6189 - Built by CLC in 1940.
Scrapped Oct 1961.

6212 - Built by MLW in 1942. 
Scrapped Dec 1961.

At the left, you can see the bottom of the ramp ... up which engines and hopper cars of coal ran to load the coaling dock. 

Right behind the tender, in the distance, you can see the roundhouse.

6212 - Built by MLW in 1942. 
Scrapped Dec 1961.

As I/we remember events, it was at this point in our visit when a CNR Constable cordially invited us to leave the property. In early 1962, a couple of fires happened (were set) in the roundhouse. So in retrospect, 'we' understood that visitors didn't belong here. 

The roundhouse was scheduled for demolition and part of the infamous Échangeur Turcot would be built squarely over its former location. In the 1990s, my father and I returned and determined the spot where it had stood.

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Here is the article which precipitated our visits.

If you look at the date of our first visit, it is the following Monday. 

Two days after the article appeared.

Our planning department must have been in overdrive to organize three generations of us for that first visit.

My father was excited about the fact that 'people can go and take pictures of them'.

(The previous April, the two of us had visited the CPR's Angus Shops 

where he had photographed the dead locomotives through their chain-link fence.)

It isn't clear that the CNR intended that image of a photographer to be an invitation to all.

The elements of the article are enlarged below.

This may be J Norman Lowe, the CNR historian.

"It's dirty work."

Dozens of white bricks of asbestos boiler lagging 

can be seen falling off the boilers of the two engines.

Steam at the Connaught Tunnel Postcards x4 +1

Oh, let's see, this is probably a freight because three refrigerator cars would be really heavy headend traffic for a passenger train. It seems to be displaying signals as an extra or as a section. Notice the low 'sweat line' from the cold water in the tender. As you'll observe, both postcards depict oil-burners. Oil burning was adopted to reduce the risk of coal embers causing fires in the forests out west. Other possible sources of fire: sparks from steel brake shoes and journal box fires. 

I was 'kind of' able to extract the road number of the engine from over the headlight.

And the image is also handy for confirming that you are not a robot!

The message sides of these cards are quite plain.

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As the double-headed power brings the eastbound passenger train into the tunnel, the stacks look to be appropriately clean - given that there may be open windows or vents in the consist. The grade in the tunnel descends to the east. 

Squinting at my original scans on a big monitor: 

The switch points are normalled at the crossover switch and also at the short stub track (closest to the camera) which I believe was used mainly for spotting oil cars ... to fuel the tunnel ventilation plant. 

It seems likely we are at the ABS period of traffic control history. The eastbound blade on the south track is absolute. The westbound blade on the south track is permissive.

And notice the little yard - handy in case tonnage needs to be adjusted enroute or freights need to be doubled.

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The photo below shows a westbound with a smaller, older engine at the east portal and it is not a postcard. 

It seems to show two 'unusual' conditions when compared to the newer images above.

(My own guesses are below.)

[intentional blank space]

1. It shows 'right-hand running'. 

Left-hand running was generally used in the Tunnel ... so the engineers could be cheered up by the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel ... and also so they could observe opposing traffic, or signals given by other railroaders inside the tunnel (trackwalkers, maintenance of way, train crew members who were out flagging their train, etc).

2. The stack seems to have a spark arrestor (a metal mesh cap), indicating the fuel is probably coal.

*  *  *

Using the usual calculation for inflation, it seems unlikely that they could build this tunnel for $132 million in 2023! (It would be unfair to compare the high costs of particular urban public transit tunnel projects today ... but it might be fun.) Historical accounts suggest there were significant monetary incentives for contractors to complete the work quickly ... and that worker safety kind of got lost in the shuffle ... There was a big war going on at the same time, too.

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from: Atlas of Canada; Dr Henry Castner; 1981; Reader's Digest Association.

On the 1981 map above, the Connaught Tunnel is bracketed between the Glacier National Park labels.

The railway line is represented by a grey line.

The place Glacier marks the beginning of the Tunnel tangent - which runs north-east from there.

*  *  *

The Wild Card ...

*  *  *

from: 1928 Handy Railroad Atlas of the United States; Rand McNally & Co (Kalmbach reprint).

In the reprinted 1928 railroad atlas above, you can see Columbus in the middle of the state. 

One thing which is historically significant on the map above is the extensive network of electric interurban railways (dashed lines). 

... First, came the miracles of urban electrification, telephones and streetcars. The countryside was next to receive its own copper networks. 

Rural electrification replaced human muscle power with electric motors to perform demanding repetitive tasks such as pumping water, and running compressors to mechanize dairy cow milking. The ability to have flameless nighttime illumination using electric lightbulbs greatly improved safety in wooden barns filled with hay, and using straw for animal bedding.

Interurban electric railways significantly enhanced business and travel between small towns and rural areas ... and the larger cities. Their light tracks and overhead wires were relatively cheap to build. They were often faster than animal-powered transportation. They generally offered more frequent service than conventional passenger trains in the same rural areas.

However, the development of all-weather public roads and widespread ownership of automobiles ensured that most interurban lines only existed (profitably) for a couple of decades.

*  *  *

On the use of electric beacons in aviation ...

Section 655, below, elaborates on the system of beacons used to guide American pilots at night in the 1940s. 

Although the Great Depression held back the development and acquisition of new military aircraft in many western countries, the increasing certainty of another European war renewed interest in strengthening national air forces as the 1930s came to an end. 

In the North American used book market, one can find numerous well-written books from the late 1930s and 1940s intended to interest and train young people in aviation. The excerpt below comes from an 830-page book. On the title page, 'for High Schools' is added to the official title.

 

from: Science of Pre-Flight Aeronautics; Aviation Education Research Group, Columbia University; 1942-44; Macmillan.

from: Science of Pre-Flight Aeronautics; Aviation Education Research Group, Columbia University; 1942-44; Macmillan.

On the internet, there are a number of examples of US electric aviation beacons in various states of restoration. As well, some efforts are being made to preserve the few remaining concrete arrows.

Canada's early beacon system was fashioned after that used in the US. Given the sparse population in some areas and the vast distances, electrification was often not a feasible option. Instead, Canada's beacons - generally spaced at intervals of about 10 miles - were often powered by acetylene. (source: Voyageurs of the Air; JRK Main; 1967; Government of Canada.  > A number of unique and valuable Canadian history books were written for Canada's Centennial of Confederation.)

CPR Power Control and Car Control articles: 1970s

Here are four articles, in chronological order, describing the creation and evolution of the centralized power and car control systems used by the CPR in the 1970s.

You can imagine that this kind of live, graphic representation of the entire railway had been a dream of railroaders since the CPR was completed. Out of technological necessity, the railways had been segmented into Divisions with a Superintendent overseeing the local physical plant, staff and the rolling stock. 

The early supervisory 'range' of the division superintendent had been determined by the limitations of the early steam locomotives. Every 125 miles or so (a Subdivision), they had to be re-coaled and have their fires cleaned at an ashpit. These dirty operations were incompatible with the clean station waiting rooms, passenger platforms and the travelling public. Over by the roundhouse ('the shop') was where the coal dust and ashes flew. 

Once a fresh, clean engine from the roundhouse Ready Track was coupled to the headend, the train could depart. After it had travelled 125 miles away, the former fresh clean engine was uncoupled, the dust and ashes flew, it was turned on a turntable, and returned to its home roundhouse at the headend of the next appropriately-sized train travelling in that direction.

You can see on the 'planning stage' map, below, that the railway's segmented structure was determined by the range (and speed) of the steam locomotives of the 1880s. Each circle along the top of the map connects with the projected location where a steam locomotive would begin or end its run. At the end of the 125 mile run would be a roundhouse with locomotive maintenance staff, a coaling facility and a plentiful supply of 'good' water which was free of mineral impurities.

A superintendent would reign over the track 125 miles to the east and 125 miles to the west.* 

His 'subjects' would be his: 

• locomotives
• the roundhouses and roundhouse staff
• the running trades crews (engineers, firemen, conductors, trainmen)
• the dispatchers and (their remotely-located hands and eyes) the telegraph operators
• the maintenance of way staff - with the staff sub-divided into handcar-range 'sections'
• yard clerks to document and bill for the railway cars in the various yards and industrial tracks
• personnel and payroll staff
• And experienced, specialized management staff to supervise all these specialized groups of workers

* Note: Divisions often exceeded 250 miles in length (or 2 subdivisions) and there were many other specialties of railway workers. 

This is just a simplified explanation. 

from: Van Horne's Road; Omer Lavallee; 1974; Railfare.

Considering the original technology used by a Canadian wilderness railway, the only method of communicating with Headquarters was by paper (travelling at the speed of the fastest passenger train) ... or by telegraph.

Locomotives became more powerful and dependable and some were operated through/beyond the usual 125 mile change-off points - particularly on fast passenger trains where retaining the same locomotive saved time. The track and roadbed evolved to support faster, heavier trains. Operating rules and signalling improved to accelerate train movements - for example, when a train had to slow down and stop as it cleared the main line for an opposing train. 

The system-wide implementation of telephone communication 1900-1930 (it was probably phased in - based on traffic density) enabled more immediate and more detailed reporting on the location of trains, locomotives and cars ... and on the general condition of the railway. 

Reporting could have been done by telegraph from the earliest times. However, with telephones ... any person without telegraphic skills could pick up the phone and immediately speak to any other person. This facilitated the timely reporting of information (without telegraphic 'translators' on each end) and it allowed for a dialogue when a company officer wanted to direct subordinates toward a particular outcome or to assess their needs for special resources. As Canadian railways were generally conservative in their adoption of new technology, routine reporting of car control information was still largely done by paper.

However, in spite of these significant technological advances ... the steam locomotives still required constant, specialized maintenance by their local divisional roundhouse workers. These engines generally had useful lives of 30-40 years - with regular but conservative rebuilding. The firebox, the high-pressure vessel (the boiler), the pistons, valves and linkages (the transmission), the countless simple curved metal-on-metal bearings greased with different specialty petroleum products ... demanded expert attention. 

... There were many different designs of steam locomotives and some were better suited to particular work in particular geographical territories more than others. So it was still beneficial for the Superintendent and 'his regional roundhouses' to generally have 'their own engines' to control the maintenance challenges and complexity as much as possible. 

In the 1950s, teletype equipment was set up at large freight yards of the CPR so that train consist information (listing every car on a train) could be relayed to a centralized database in Montreal. This was much faster than paper.

Also in the 1950s, diesel-electric locomotives were well on the way to completely displacing steam locomotives. Diesels required much less frequent maintenance. A single engineer could operate an integrated (multiple unit) locomotive consist of almost any power. Motive power could be coupled to a through train and run over distances of 500 to 1000 miles without a change. This was far beyond the practical range of the steam locomotives of the 1880s. The roundhouses and the coaling plants were doomed.

With dieselization, telephones, and 'long distance' computer-facilitated car control it was finally possible to centrally supervise, almost in 'real time', what was happening out on the transcontinental railway. The necessity of entirely delegating the operation of segments of the railway to distant superintendents and their armies of workers was coming to an end. 

... If a train left a yard with 3 locomotives and 80 cars, central supervisory staff at Headquarters knew the identities of each piece of equipment. 

If cars were set off or lifted, or a locomotive was replaced or 'isolated' because of a defect, those details were centrally known no later than the next crew change point ... because the crew going off duty reported these events on paper to the yard office staff. In most cases, however, the motive power information had already been communicated to the dispatcher via a trackside telephone box, or by radio. This information was available to those making decisions about motive power at Headquarters so power problems could be dealt with at the next possible opportunity.

The Operations Centre of the 1970s (articles)

The business of a railway is safely moving railcars for a paying customer, between two points, based on promises of a certain consistent level of service.

The cars are transported by locomotives costing millions of dollars.

In order to meet those service guarantees and to make best use of the new, dependable diesel motive power ... centralized decision makers were finally able to receive timely information on all rolling stock and to quickly communicate their plans, or necessary adaptations when faced with problems.

*  *  *

For the sake of getting things right ...

I think they mixed up the captions for the first two groups of people (one group of 4, one group of 5). Paul Cavanagh appears in the third article (for confirmation) and he resembles the man in the middle of the second photo (a group of 5).

From 25 April 1973:

From 27 June 1973:

From 27 March 1974:

From: 18 April 1979

1950 Steam Locomotives: Mechanical Stokers, Firebox Grates, Ashpans

 

The sections below, published in 1952, look at the coal-powered steam locomotive as it reached the practical limits of its design in Canada and the US. Locomotives usually had what one could call a 'traditional company range' (enshrined in collective agreements with labour) ... limited by the coal its tender could carry. It is interesting to learn that ashpan capacity was another factor which affected range - when certain types and grades of coal (eg. cheap bituminous) were used. 

It is probably hard for most people today to imagine how filthy the world of steam locomotives was - from all the dust and impurities in its burning 'rock-form petroleum' and from all the externally applied or bearing-exuded lubricants necessary to keep all the heavy duty reciprocating and spinning metal parts from seizing up. One would not wear one's best white shorts when working as a fireman, coal tower operator, or ashpitman. Rolly Martin worked in two of these jobs during the steam era.

While diesel fuel is not particularly clean when burned, it is kept within a usually-sealed system and propelled along to detonation by mechanical or electrical fuel pumps. Today, vehicle bearings are carefully sealed away from the road dirt. 

 

Following the text below I have included diagrams and advertisements for mechanical stokers from the 1950 Locomotive Cyclopedia.