| December 1923, No. 310 | Canadian Railway and Marine World (Toronto) | Page 592, col. 2 |
Canadian National Railways construction, betterments, etc.
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Longlac-Nakina cutoff.—The cutoff between Longlac and Nakina, Ont., 29.4 miles, described in Canadian Railway and Marine World for February, pg. 71, is practically completed, only a few miles of ballasting and surfacing, and some train filling, remaining to be done. At the time of writing (Nov. 20), the railway management is employing 600 men on ballasting and track lifting. The greatest number of men employed at any one time by the contractors for the grading, Foley Bros. & Hervey, was about 1,200. Tracklaying was completed early in November, about five-sixths of it having been laid southward from Nakina. Untreated ties and 85 lbs. steel were used. The track laying was done, and the ballasting and surfacing are being done, by railway forces, and at the time of writing the contractors have taken out a large part of their outfit, although they still have some men employed trimming the grade. Ballast is being drawn from three pits, two between Longlac and Nackina, one of which is supplying material for train filling only, and from a pit on the Longlac Subdivision. Ballasting will be completed and the track placed in condition for operation before the end of year. As stated in a preceding issue, the intention is to remove the terminal facilities from Grant, 15.9 miles east of Nakina, to Nakina, and the yard at Nakina is nearing completion, as is also a 12-stall locomotive house there. Following the completion of these facilities, the yard at Grant will be taken up and terminal operation transferred to Nakina. At Longlac, a small locomotive house and a few yard tracks will be provided. The construction of this cutoff, which connects Longlac, 480.7 miles northwest of North Bay, on the former Canadian Northern Ontario Ry., with Nakina, 272.25 miles west of Cochrane on the former National Transcontinental Ry., was carried on under the supervision of R. A. Baldwin, District Engineer of Construction, C.N.R., with Capt. K. G. Polyblank, as Division Engineer of Construction, in direct charge. The resident engineers were: C. H. N. Spafford, H. L. Benson, W. B. Redman, and Hector Macneil. O. W. Swenson, Secretary-Treasurer, Foley Bros., was in charge of the work for the contractors.
Railways: C.N.O.Ry., C.N.Rys., N.T.Ry.