Mimco's railway yards.

Town property receives impetus from G.T.R. move.

Plans for shunting yards and roundhouse on two hundred and fifty acre tract being prepared—Will relieve congestion here.

The plans for the Grand Trunk Railway's yards at Mimico, as outlined in The Globe a fortnight ago, will greatly relieve the congestion in the local yards, and will probably considerably relieve the company from making as large demands for property along the Esplanade as would otherwise be necessary. The railway company is about completing the purchase of the 250 acres of land required by it, and the laying of the tracks for the shunting yard and the construction of the roundhouse will be proceeded with as soon as the real estate deal is would up. When the yards are completed this city will cease to be the distributing centre for freight, and only the through trains from west will be sent on through the city yards. The freight blockade which has caused such annoyance and loss last winter will be avoided by the placing of the roundhouse and turntable at the Mimico yards, where all of the eastbound freight will be centred, just as the westbound traffic is handled, at Little York.

The plans for the new yards show a number of shunting tracks on either side of the main lines of the railway in the square between Mimico avenue and Church street, and New Toronto and Main street, Mimico. The trains of cars which have to be sorted for delivery will be brought on to one of these tracks by a regular engine and left there for sorting by a shunting engine. Other tracks, running at an angle from the main line to the shunting tracks, for the connection between the two. When a train of cars destined for different points enters the shunting yard it is moved from track to track, dropping cars as it goes. They are then picked up in order, so that the car to be delivered first, as the newly-arranged train proceeds on its journey, will be at the end of the row. The engines, after entering by the line of tracks, are distributed to the various sidings by means of a turntable in the centre of the house.

When we first considered going to Mimico, said Mr. Somerville, the Grand Trunk engineer, for the construction of new yards, we thought that the property was merely farm land, but it turned out that there were all sorts of titles and equities which had to be arranged. We have bought some pieces of land which we do not altogether require, as the parties would sell only when they could dispose of their whole property. Then parts of this land which we have not needed we have traded off for property which we did require. Of course, the 250 acres is more than we require just a present, but our intention is to buy enough to be able to extend our tracks when occasion required. We do not want to be in the position of being locked in with rows of houses when we wish to extend our works to meet the development of the next few years.

Railways: G.T.Ry.

Stations: Mimico Yard

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