Transport: Coming and Going

CANDO Contracting's rebuilt GP9u #4009 was captured by James Resor at Lambton Yard in Toronto, Ontario on 27-July-2008; photo used with permission

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I have yet to experience the Orangeville-Brampton Railway (OBRY). The line between Streetsville Junction in Mississauga, Ontario and Orangeville, Ontario operates past the Forks of the Credit River on a line scenic enough to support the Credit Valley Explorer excursion trains. Owned by the town of Orangeville, the line is operated by CANDO, a contractor based in Brandon, Manitoba, well regarded in the railroad industry.

Despite never having seen the railway, I didn't need to leave my own neighbourhood to see the locomotives it has used in recent years. Last summer, the line received "new" motive power. One evening, my fellow Toronto Railway Historical Association volunteer James Resor happened to catch a unit stenciled "CCGX 4009" at Canadian Pacific's Lambton Yard, which is walking distance from my residence. James had to do research, but "CCGX" is registered to CANDO, and the 4009 was discovered to be headed to the OBRY. While the unit might be new to that line and had been rebuilt in 1990, it had originally been constructed in 1959 for the Canadian National. By the time I found out about it, Canadian Pacific had already delivered the locomotive to Streetsville.

The 4009 was headed to the OBRY because the existing power was showing its age. The CCGX 1000 was actually the same GP9 model as the 4009, but it had never been re-manufactured since being built for the Quebec, North Shore and Labrador in 1956. Visually, it looks quite different since it has retained its original high nose.

On 27 October, it hit railfan discussion boards that 1000 was in Streetsville, and soon it was realized that it was being moved to the Canada Cement/Lafarge plant in Bath, Ontario, on the Bath spur off the Canadian National Kingston Sub. Another CANDO operation, the plant would be a less demanding environment for the aging locomotive. I wondered if I would miss the outbound unit just like I had missed the inbound, as reports had the locomotive moving to Leaside Yard in Toronto, then to Toronto (Agincourt) Yard via Streetsville. Finally, when I walked past the now-closed Lambton Yard office yesterday, I found the 1000 there, waiting to be interchanged to the Canadian National.


CANDO Contracting's GP9 #1000 had left the Orangeville-Brampton Railway enroute to Bath, Ontario, and was noted at Lambton Yard in Toronto, Ontario on 6-November-2009

Sometimes the key to railfanning is not going to the right place, but waiting for the right things to come to you. That, and having a good network of friends to catch what you miss.