Toronto has a train wreck

On December 12th, the historic old Belt Line witnessed an accident, which, although not of major import, was extremely peculiar in its setting. Evidently in a normal derailment, seven freight cars of a switching local turned over at the Russell Hill Rd. footpath crossing, Several of the cars were rather badly damaged, particularly an old Boston and Maine vertical-sheathed bo car. Besides it there were tow Pennsylvania hoppers which completely overturned, upsetting their previous loads of coal unceremoniously in a ditch, a Lackawanna hopper, two tank cars and another box car. The accident occurred at a small trestle which was slightly damaged, and the footbridge leading up to Chaplin Crescent was completely obliterated by coal. Next evening, as John Walker and Stuart Westland inspected the scene, the big hook (#50109) was on the job with locomotive 2399; the trestle bridge had been repaired but the rails had not been completely relaid at the spot, and until this was done, no cars could be lifted. All seven pairs of trucks broke loose from the underframe and littered the right-of-way.

This was of course, an upset of no great portent, but it provided a bit of life on the usually little-thought of remnant of the Belt Line, and to add insult to injury, disturbed the peace in Toronto's elite satellite, Forest Hill.

Railways: C.N.Rys.

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