CP HAMILTON SUBDIVISION & CP BROOKFIELD SIDING

TRACKSIDE GUIDE & PHOTOS

EX-MC MAINLINE | EX-NYC MONTROSE BRANCH  | EX-PC MAIN LINE | EX-CR MAIN LINE
EX-TH&B WELLAND SUBDIVISION: MILE 26 to HAMILTON
EX-CP NIAGARA FALLS SUBDIVISION: MILE 3 TO 22.2 | EX-CP WELLAND SUBDIVISION: MILE 20.4 TO 60.1
EX-CP FORT ERIE SUBDIVISION: MILE 13.4 TO 55.4  | EX-CSX RUNNING RIGHTS: MILE 0.0 TO 22.2
EX-CN/TR CAYUGA SUBDIVISION: MILE 13.1 TO 19.1
CN RUNNING RIGHTS: MILE 12.2, HAMILTON SUBDIVISION TO 19.1, ON BROOKFIELD SIDING ALSO

Present timetable listing for this line:

CP ~ HAMILTON SUBDIVISION
DECEMBER 3, 2001 - PRESENT

MILE
Brookfield East
(Jct. with CN Robbins Connecting Tracks)
12.2
Jct. with CP Brookfield Siding13.44
Jct. with CP Montrose Subdivision13.5
Brookfield16.1
Jct. with CP Brookfield Siding18.26
Jct. with TR Cayuga Line
(Via Brookfield Siding - Mile 19.1)
18.26
Welland20.4
Boyle29.3
Smithville
(Jct. with CP Dunnville Subdivision)
(Jct. is off limits to Port Maitland - May 9, 2001)
37.3
Vinemount
46.1
Kinnear
(Jct. with CP Hamilton Belt Line)
55.4
Walnut
57.2
Hamilton57.5
Park57.6
Locke58.4
Main
58.9
Desjardin60.1
Waterdown North
66.2
Flamboro71.2
Guelph Jct.
(Jct. with CP Galt Subdivision)
76.1


Hamilton Subdivision Changes.


Traffic movement on this line:

     OCS Territory - Between Brookfield East and Main and between 602-3 and Guelph Jct.
     CTC Territory - Signaled Movement Between Main and signal 602-3.


Points of interest along this line:

     Mile 12.2 (Brookfield East)(Jct. with CN Robbins Connecting Tracks) : South Brookfield Road, Niagara Falls, ON : Mile 12.2 is known as CN (CP) Brookfield East. It is the location of where the CN Cayuga Subdivision connecting track is located. Local CN and CP trains use the connecting track.

     Mile 16.1 (Brookfield) : Townline Road, Welland : At mile 16.1 is Brookfield. Brookfield used to be located at mile 13.4, but is now located at the west end of the Townline Tunnel at the south end of Welland. You can take pictures of the trains here, from the hills on both sides of the tracks.

Mile 20.4 (Welland) : O'reilly's Road, Wainfleet : CP Welland Yard is located here. There is a 15 track yard located with a siding of about 10700 feet in length. You can check out trains along Lambert Road during the day, though they can come at any time. There are three local yard jobs which work out of this yard. One goes to Niagara Falls and CN Southern yard, and another goes to Port Maitland. Both these are in the morning. There is another one in the mid afternoon that does what is required around the yard and may also go out to CN Southern yard. This is also where the east end of the CP Caso Spur. CP uses the former CN/CP Caso Subdivision east of Hewitt Road to store cars so checking out the yard may be difficult at times.

     Mile 29.3 (Boyle) : Boyle Road, Boyle : Station Name Sign Boyle is or was once located here. I haven't seen the sign there in a long time. The only purpose of this location is for OCS clearance purposes when traffic is heavy. SNS Boyle is located just at Boyle Road where the line crosses over Hwy 20.

     Mile 37.3 (Smithville) :Station Street, Smithville : This is Smithville. There is a siding located here which runs between Industrial Park Drive to the south and a crossing north of mile 38.48. You can check out trains here beside the former TH&B Smithville Station on Station Street, or better yet, go back to Industrial Park Drive. The CP Dunnville Spur used to lead off of the CP Hamilton Subdivision just east of the station. Only 3 trains a week used to head down the CP Dunnville Spur from the CP Hamilton Subdivision. This happened on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings around 10 am., and later returning to the CP Hamilton Subdivision a few hours later. headed for CP Welland yard.

     Mile 46.1 (Vinemount) : Vinemount is located at the top of the Hamilton Escarpment. There is a siding located at Vinemount. Taking pictures is kind of hard to do. You can take a few pictures from the side road south of south siding switch Kinnear. On the north end of the siding is an overpass in which you can either take northbound trains or southbound trains coming over the brow of the escarpment.

Mile 55.4 (Kinnear) : Gage Avenue and Lawrence Road, Hamilton : Here is Kinnear. These days it has two purposes. First, it is the place where all crew changes are done. Second, this is where the CP Hamilton Belt Line connects to the CP Hamilton Subdivision. A local job services the CP Hamilton industries on the CP Hamilton Belt Line, an industry up the escarpment towards CP Guelph Jct. around Flamboro.

     Mile 57.2 (Walnut) : Ferguson Avenue, Hamilton :

     Mile 57.5 (Hamilton) : John Street, Hamilton :

     Mile 57.6 (Park) : James Street, Hamilton :

     Mile 58.4 (Locke) : Locke Street, Hamilton :

     Mile 58.9 (Main) : Main Street, Hamilton :

     Mile 60.1 (Desjardin) : Guelph Line Road, Hamilton : Desjardin is the CP name for Hamilton Jct. At Hamilton Jct., CP trains either continue along the CP Hamilton Subdivision or cross over to the CN Oakville Subdivision. Only a few trains cross over to the CN Oakville Subdivision and head to Canpa.

     Mile 66.2 (Waterdown North) : Parkside Road, Waterdown : Waterdown North

     Mile 71.2 (Flamboro) : Concession 9, Flamboro : Flamboro

     Mile 76.1 (Jct. with CP Galt & GJR Goderich Subdivision) : Guelph Line Road, Campbellville : This is located in Campbellville, ON. It is the Jct. with Galt & Guelph Subdivision.


Operations on this line:

     The CP Hamilton Subdivision, as of December 2001 runs between CN/(CP) Brookfield East, on the former CN Cayuga Subdivision, which is mile 12.58 to the south and CP Guelph Jct., to the north at Campbellville, ON, being mile 76.1. Prior to this change of alignment of the CP Hamilton Subdivision, the CP Hamilton Subdivision ran down to Station Name Sign Niagara Falls (on what is now trackage of the CP Montrose Spur and on the abandoned portion running through Clifton Hill, in the hear of the tourist area), which was on the United States side of the Niagara River.
     Originally, in 1972, a segment of the CP Hamilton Subdivision was part of the old TH&B line from Church Street in Fenwick to Hamilton and north on the old CP Goderich Subdivision and still is to this day. The CP Goderich Subdivision started at Desjardin by the York Road overpass at Burlington Bay. This was because TH&B owned up to Desjardin and CP owned beyond that. As said, the CP Hamilton Subdivision used to run to Niagara Falls crossing Montrose Road, Dorchester Road, through Clifton Hill and up past Queen Street. This portion of the old CP Hamilton Subdivision, which is now the CP Montrose Spur as far as mile 2.83 once was part of the Canada Southern Line to Niagara Falls, NY. The present day trackage from 1971 to 1999 trackage between Carl Road at mile 8.3 and Welland yard is new due to the Welland Canal Relocation Project. It was built because the old Niagara Brand trackage was abandoned and realigned southward down to Netherby Road and shifted westward through the Townline tunnel.
     All of the CP trains except local jobs run the length of the CP Hamilton Subdivision daily. There are about 6 mainline trains daily. In the mid 1990's CP had upwards of 12 trains a day.
     CP, as of November-December 2001 accesses the U.S.A. via CN Robbins and the east leg of the CN Robbins Connecting track, leading over to the CN Stamford Subdivision and east to Buffalo (BlackRock).
     In regards to the CP Hamilton Subdivision, it used to take approximately 40 minutes to run from Station Name Sign Niagara Falls to CP Welland yard and 40 minutes from Welland Yard to Hamilton at Kinnear. That is if there are no stops or slow orders. These days, it takes about 45 min to go from CP Welland yard on the CP Hamilton Subdivision over to CN Robbins and to Black Rock via CN's Stamford Subdivision, if there aren't any train meets.
     In October of 1997, the City of Niagara Falls approached CP to remove the trackage through Clifton Hill. It had been a problem for years, as trains were not to proceed more than 10 mph through the Clifton Hill area, heading U.S.A. bound. This line has been here since 1872 - 1873.
     In late September 2001, the City of Niagara Falls announced that with their own money plus government money, they were going to purchase the CP Hamilton Subdivision ROW from SNS Niagara Falls through Clifton Hill and I believe any other trackage CP was going to lose, such as the CP Niagara Industrial Lead.
     CP didn't abandon the CP Chippawa Industrial Lead at mile 2.97 or any of the business along old Montrose Yard between miles 4 and 5.5. There is one industry still being serviced on the north side of the former CP Montrose yard, that was abandoned and torn out about 1994.
     Due to abandonment of the CP Hamilton Subdivision in Niagara Falls, CP rearranged the trackage at Brookfield around mile 13.5'ish. In November 2001 CP built a section of rail over to the CN Cayuga Subdivision to access Buffalo. I heard they used a #10 type crossover switch. CP therefore would own both rail lines through the Townline tunnel between Feeder and Brookfield. CP Brookfield was relocated to mile 16.1 which was at the west porthole of the Townline Tunnel. I'm not sure what year, but I had heard CP created a new spot on the tracks by the Townline tunnel called Rusholme. There is a Rusholme Road that leads of of Netherby Road, east of the Townline Tunnel.
     CN still interchanges with Trillium at TR Feeder yard on the TR Feeder Spur via the CP Hamilton Subdivision, operating from CN Robbins West to CN (CP) Brookfield East, obtaining a CP OCS from the CP Hamilton Subdivision dispatcher to operate from CN (CP) Brookfield East to mile 19 then back onto CP Brookfield Siding and proceed over to Feeder Yard on what used to bew CN's but is now Trillium's Feeder Spur trackage. This used to be the CN Cayuga Subdivision through Feeder.
     CP interchanges with CN at CN Southern yard on the CN Stamford Subdivision. by mile 16.6ish. If CP has cars for Trillium, they will occasionally take them over on their own Trillium given permission, to access Feeder yard. They usually do this if there is a long string of grain cars for Port Colborne.
     Now that the CP Hamilton Subdivision has been routed over the CN Cayuga Subdivision, the new updated CP Hamilton Subdivision wasn't numerically remileaged. The line was simply back mileaged to CN (CP) Brookfield East making the south end of the CP Hamilton Subdivision begin at mile 12.2.
     The former CP Hamilton Subdivision between the former Brookfield SNS at mile 13.4 and End Of Steel at mile 2.83 at Niagara Falls became what is now the CP Montrose Spur, but was once the CP Montrose Subdivision. Only CP Welland yard's Job operates on the CP Montrose Subdivision these days on occasion, with a work clearance to leave Station Name Sign in the Normal Position.
     During August of 2002, CN put up new CTC signals up at CN (CP) Brookfield East on the Robbins Connecting Tracks for CP movement on and off of the CP Hamilton Subdivision. CP ran OCS for a while right off of the CN Stamford Subdivision, but the signals moved it back to mile 12.2, where CN and CP ownership changes. The signals were put into operation at 2pm on October 22, 2002. CP train 242 was the first train to operate past the new lit up signals. CP 242 would be the equivalent to CP 244 today (2020).
     When a southbound CP train leaves CP Welland on the CP Hamilton Subdivision, the CP trains now call the CN NI dispatcher on channel 3 to let them know they are approaching 'Brookfield East'. At th time, when changed took effect in 2001, the CN NI dispatcher would inform the CP train to hold back if needed, due to CN trains in the area or to 'come on down' - to the CN Stamford Subdivision. The NI dispatcher later got amalgamated into another RTC desk and NI was abolished. This I think happened in 2009. CP operations have been told to contact CN before leaving CP Welland yard because CN doesn't like CP showing up unexpectedly. They like fair warning. This reduces the need to leave the trains out on the main or if needed, back onto CP Brookfield Siding, if CP crews would run out of time before CN can take them. This immediate comment was written during the times when CP had crew changes at CP Kinnear, which is at Gage and Lawrence in Hamilton... mile 55.4. These days Toronto crews run right down to Buffalo. There is no one left who was in the crew pool from their Kinnear interchange days, left.
     Northbound CP trains will, after leaving Fort Erie for Welland, call the CP Hamilton Subdivision RTC for a clearance onto the CP Hamilton Subdivision. Once the CP train has the OCS clearance onto the CP Hamilton Subdivision at CN Robbins (CN/CP Brookfield East up the track), the CP train will call the CN NI dispatcher and let the NI dispatcher know that they hold a clearance onto the CP Hamilton Subdivision. The CN NI dispatcher will only at that time set the CTC signals for CP to leave CN Stamford Subdivision at CN Robbins.
     The same CTC and or OCS call routine for CP Welland yard job to and from the CN Stamford Subdivision to go to CN Southern yard is applied, along with the CN local to TR Feeder yard.
     With mainline trains on the CP Hamilton Subdivision, they usually will do a S/o or p/u at Welland yard. I don't know exactly which train or trains do the same kind of s/o or p/u at CP Kinnear in Hamilton, due to there being the CP Hamilton Belt Line, that heads to the Burlington Harbor area of Hamilton, around Burlington Street.
     I believe there is a CP Ham turn that moves railcars between CP Kinnear in Hamilton and does work north of of CP Kinnear or that is done by the CP Kinnear job, but last I knew the CP Ham turn switched on the CP Galt Subdivision at Ayr.
     At one tine for instance in the 1990's CP used to have I believe 3 or 4 industries to service. I forget the names of the places, but one was called Skyway. CP Welland yard job 2 used to switch there at Smithville. They did this I believe when they went north to get onto the CP Dunnville Spur. Once a Subdivision and once the TH&B Dunnville Subdivision headed south from where these industries were, just north of Industrial Park Drive, there at Smithville. The CP Dunnville Spur as it was known near the end of its life leading out of Smithville left off of the track on the west side, to curve south. These days, there may only be one industry left that receives rail, service. It is the industry located on the southeast side of the crossing at Industrial Park Drive.
     Also to mention CP used to have a siding at Vinemount. The siding was just south of Ridge Road at the top of the escarpment. I don't know what year it was torn out, but sometime I would guess after 2010. I think it was chosen to be taken out because trains were able to get from one place to another without having to meet another train and the fact that there was also a siding at Smithville, where the industries were, along with the south end of the siding where their CP Dunnville Spur departed.
     One thing of history to note. In the 1990s I was told that in the 1970s and 1980's, a CP yard job out of CP Kinnear used to do the switching at Port Maitland, but that north leg of the wye at Smithville was removed, and CP Welland yard was given the switching duties. I'n not sure if there was a wye here or the north leg was removed and a south leg was put in to replace the directional connection to Port Maitland.

     Pertaining to CP Brookfield Siding, this is the former CN Cayuga Subdivision that was also built at the same time as the CP Hamilton Subdivision. In November 2001, CP took possession (well at least started replacing ties) on the line out by Feeder. They had installed only a switch at mile 18.2ish off of the CP Hamilton Subdivision. The track headed eastward to connect to the old CN Cayuga Subdivision. At this point in time there was no switch yet installed at CN Brookfield, as CP trains were still going down the CP Hamilton Subdivision... then to become the CP Montrose Subdivision, in December 2001. The #10 switch built to connect the CP Hamilton Subdivision over to the CN Cayuga Subdivision also tied in right where the CN Cayuga Subdivision second track that once headed east over to CN Robbins and beyond, but that second track was removed in 1998. That's why you see the old CN track take a curve and back the other way.
     CP Brookfield Siding is usually only used to store ETTX/TTGX style railcars. They are kept far enough away from the west end of the line so that CN and CP can access the same line, to back or pull over into Trillium's Feeder Spur to interchange at Trillium's Feeder yard. You will usually always see the cars stored on CP Brookfield Siding sitting balance in and out of the Townline tunnel because it is sitting at the bottom of the bowl of the hill. It keeps the runaway effect from happening.


Pictorial view of this line:

599 photos in gallery

Select a mileage to display
| 12 - 15 | 15 - 18 | 18 - 21 | 21 - 24 | 24 - 27 | 27 - 30 | 30 - 33 | 33 - 36 | 36 - 39 | 39 - 42 | 42 - 45 | 45 - 48 | 48 - 51 | 51 - 54 | 54 - 57 | 57 - 60 | 60 - 63 | 63 - 66 | 66 - 69 | 69 - 72 | 72 - 75 | 75 - 77 |


Mile 72.52
Looking Northwest
(1999)

Mile 72.52
Looking Northwest
(2003)

Mile 72.52
Looking Southeast
(1999)

Mile 72.52
Looking Southeast
(2003)

Mile 73.94
Looking Northwest
(1999)

Mile 73.94
Looking Southeast
(1999)

Select a mileage to display
| 12 - 15 | 15 - 18 | 18 - 21 | 21 - 24 | 24 - 27 | 27 - 30 | 30 - 33 | 33 - 36 | 36 - 39 | 39 - 42 | 42 - 45 | 45 - 48 | 48 - 51 | 51 - 54 | 54 - 57 | 57 - 60 | 60 - 63 | 63 - 66 | 66 - 69 | 69 - 72 | 72 - 75 | 75 - 77 |


     These photos are of CP Brookfield Siding, located along the CP Hamilton Subdivision, through the Townline Tunnel south of Welland. This trackage is the former CN Cayuga Subdivision.

39 photos in gallery


Mile 14.20
Looking East
(2002)

Mile 14.20
Looking East
(2002)

Mile 14.20
Looking East
(2008)

Mile 14.20
Looking East
(2013)

Mile 14.20
Looking East
(2013)

Mile 14.20
Looking East
(Early 1990's)

Mile 14.20
Looking West
(2013)

Mile 14.30
Looking East
(2002)

Mile 14.35
Looking East
(2013)

Mile 14.35
Looking West
(2013)

Mile 14.50
Looking East
(2003)

Mile 14.60
Looking East
(2003)

Mile 14.60
Looking East
(2013)

Mile 14.60
Looking West
(2003)

Mile 14.60
Looking West
(2013)

Mile 15.90
Looking West
(2003)

Mile 16.70
Looking East
(2003)

Mile 16.70
Looking Southeast
(2014)

Mile 16.70
Looking West
(1996)

Mile 16.70
Looking West
(2003)

Mile 16.70
Looking West
(2014)

Mile 16.75
Looking Southwest
(2003)

Mile 16.80
Looking West
(2003)

Mile 17.20
Looking East
(2003)

Mile 17.20
Looking East
(2003)

Mile 17.20
Looking East
(2010)

Mile 17.20
Looking West
(2003)

Mile 17.20
Looking West
(2003)

Mile 17.20
Looking West
(2003)

Mile 17.20
Looking West
(2010)

Mile 17.36
Looking East
(2003)

Mile 17.36
Looking West
(2003)

Mile 17.36
Looking West
(2011)

Mile 17.36
Looking West
(2015)

Mile 17.60
Looking West
(1996)

Mile 18.52
Looking West
(2013)

Mile 19.00
Looking East
(2001)

Mile 19.00
Looking West
(2001)

Mile 19.00
Looking West
(2012)


     These photos are of old wye that used to be located just north off the siding just north of CP Welland yard, beside the line of trees. The wye was removed around 1994.

3 photos in gallery


Looking North
(1997)

Looking Southeast
(1997)

Looking South
(1997)


     These photos are of CP Welland yard on the CP Hamilton Subdivision.

12 photos in gallery


Looking Northwest

Looking Northwest

Looking Northwest
(1996)

Looking Northwest
(1997)

Looking Northeast
(1995)

Looking East
(1996)

Looking East
(1997)

Looking East
(1997)

Looking East
(1997)

Looking East
(1997)

Looking East
(1999)

Looking Southwest
(1996)


     This photo is of the former StL&H sign located at the entrance into CP Welland yard, in the 1990's.

1 photos in gallery


Looking East
(1996)