Diez Mil Cantos
New Member
Unfortunately the terrain you ploughing through is super steep(like the start of the niagara escarpment steep), and would definitely drive up the cost of a tunnel in that location. It would also require to start further back for it to not be past the 4% grade.Carried over from the GO Transit Fleet Equipment and other thread:
Fantasy land, but given the better grade handling capabilities of a GO train versus freight, I often wonder if a small trenched and tunneled GO-only diversion to duck under Lock 5 would be possible? You'd have to slow a lot for the curves, but you'd never have to stop:
View attachment 548911
Going under Lock 4 would eliminate the curves, but the train would have to duck too deep to be practical. The bottom of Lock 5 is higher, and makes me wonder if this couldn't work? Of course that rail line running beside the lock is also a complication, but should be solvable with a bit of reconfiguration of the junction by Glendale Ave.
I would actually recommend a "St. Lambert Locks solution", where you have two draw bridges far enough apart for one to remain open during ship movement. If you start at the same spot and head north, to a new glendale road-rail-bike drawbridge, then you would have enough distance, grade, and curvature to do it for both passenger AND freight (giving CN incentive to support the project)