1965 return train trip Ottawa to Brockville from inside the engine!
The Kitchissippi Museum presents: A series of rare home video recordings - Riding the Rails in the NCR (Ottawa) in the 1960s.
All recordings by and courtesy of Bruce Chapman.
Please see my other videos for more videos recorded by Bruce Chapman in the 1960s.
This video is from the Autumn of 1965 (the notes I had on this file originally indicated October 1967, but I was since corrected that it is indeed Autumn of 1965!)
The footage shows a train ride from inside the cab of the engine (of the RDC of #261), riding from Ottawa to Brockville, and then the return trip (in RDC of #262). In Bruce's notes, he has marked some of the points:
0:37 - passing the switch of Zagerman's spur and the west switch of Ottawa West siding (14 car lengths of 40-foot cars)
0:44 - crossing Carruthers Avenue
1:10 - crossing Holland Avenue
1:14 - passing the switch to Beach Foundry/Holland Avenue team track
1:32 - crossing Ross Avenue
1:44 - crossing Western Avenue
1:51 - crossing Carleton Avenue
2:10 - crossing Island Park Drive
2:27 - crossing Churchill Avenue, then jumps to Woodroffre Avenue, going 80 mph by this time
2:43 - crossing McEwen Avenue
3:17 - passing the east switch of Britannia siding, then the west switch
4:11 - crossing Carling Avenue
4:28 - crossing Acres Road
4:34 - passing the remains of the J.R. Booth Canada Atlantic overpass; bridge removed. Line last used about 1952.
4:47 - jumps to arriving at the Carleton Place station interlocking
4:59 - taking the south Carleton Place wye to get to the Chalk River Subdivision east/southbound
5:30 - after getting passengers, #261 leaves the station and crosses Franktown Road crossing
5:56 - joining the Chalk River Subdivision. The tracks to the right are the siding at Carleton Place, and the track to the left was called 'Paul' siding, later became known as the North Track'
6:05 - jumps to the Brockville Subdivision south of Smiths Falls
6:40 - passing the switch leading to the Hershey Chocolate plant
6:48 - crossing the bridges over Hwy #43, Rideau Canal and Rideau River in Smiths Falls
7:05 - passing the village of Jasper Ontario at 80 mph
8:13 - Bellamy north siding switch
8:35 - Approach signal to Brockville
9:03 - Going under Hwy 401 at Brockville
9:23 - We have turned the RDC on the Brockville wye, part of the old Brockville and Westport, and are heading back to the station in Brockville
9:31 - CNR #5, #261's CNR pool connection, leaves Brockville overhead as we go under the CNR Kingston Subdivision
10:08 - as we head back to the station in Brockville, 3 vehicles drive right across the crossing in front of us
11:05 - backing into the station from the wye connection. This track is now gone
11:42 - #262 heading north from Brockville to Smiths Falls, Carleton Place and Ottawa
13:53 - passing through Bellamy Ontario
14:05 - passing through Jasper Ontario
14:59 - crossing the RIdeau River, Rideau Canal and Hwy #43 in Smiths Falls south
15:14 - passing the Hershey switch leading to their plant from the Brockville Subdivision
15:50 - arriving at Smiths Falls
16:16 - passing the north switch of the siding at Welsh, 4 miles north of Smiths Falls
16:26 - passing the south switch of the siding at Franktown, another 5 miles north
16:43 - passing the station at Franktown
17:13 - passing the south siding switch at Beckwith, 5 miles north
17:34 - arriving at Carleton Place
17:58 - leaving Carleton Place
18:12 - passing Ashton shelter, and the west switch of Ashton siding
18:33 - passing under Hwy 7 at Ashton
19:02 - passing the west switch of Stittsville siding
19:08 - passing the station and east switch at Stittsville
19:55 - crossing Eagleson Road in Kanata
20:04 - at Bells Junction/Moodie Drive in Nepean, we are going about 60 mph
21:03 - crossing Carling Avenue
21:46 - crossing the Britannia pedestrian crossing
22:03 - crossing Britannia Road, then jumps to Scott Street
22:25 - crossing Island Park Drive
22:30 - passing the switch to Beach Foundry/Holland Avenue team track
22:52 - crossing Parkdale Avenue
23:07 - crossing Hinchey Avenue
23:16 - passing over the west switch to the Ottawa West siding; and Zagerman's spur
23:36 - crossing over Bayview Road and stopping at Ottawa West station
Note there is no audio on any of the videos, this is consistent with all of the footage filmed by Bruce. Any jumps/gaps in the filming are on the original recordings (Bruce told me that reels would only be a certain length - maybe 30 or 60 seconds, and once used up, he would need to stop and put on a new reel).
