September 1923 | Canadian Railway and Marine World (Toronto) |
Diversion of freight traffic between Toronto and Washago.
Heretofore the bulk of freight traffic north and southbound between Toronto and Gravenhurst and beyond, and between Gravenhurst and beyond to Toronto, handled by the Canadian National Rys. has been moved over the G.T.R. line via Allandale, which is the home terminal for locomotive and train men working on the Newmarket and Huntsville Subdivisions, Allandale Division, Central Region, and is on Lake Simcoe, 62.7 miles from Toronto. Gravenhurst is on the Huntsville Subdivision, 112 miles from Toronto via Allandale. Haulage tests made recently show that locomotives can haul much heavier trains between Toronto and Washago on the Canadian Northern Ry. north from Toronto, which makes ajunction with the G.T.R. line at Washago, at the head of Lake Couchiching, 89 miles from Toronto by the C.N.R. line and 98.5 miles by the G.T.R. line via Allandale, than by the latter line. This Canadian Northern line is part of the Bala Subdivision, Nipissing Division, Northern Ontario District, Central Region. The tests referred to showed that train tonnage could be increased by almost 50 per cent, by routing freight over the Bala Subdivision, due to more favorable gradients, and for this reason the railway management decided to route freight by the Bala Subdivision, Toronto to Washago, and from Washago north by the G.T.R., Huntsville Subdivision, Allandale Division, the northern terminus of which is North Bay. The arrangements to effect the change necessitated transferring some locomtovie and train crews from Allandale to Gravenhurst, the home terminal for the Bala Subdivision men. Some of the men expressed an unwillingness to move from Allandale to Gravenhurst, but this difficulty has been satisfactorily adjusted and four runs bulletined were bid in by Allandale men.
Stations: Gravenhurst, Washago