[SaugeenJunction]

That's exactly the reason, and actually the only reason for them. The one set of tracks goes straight through, right next to the platform (this is the track the LRV's will use), while an alternate track shifted out a bit less than half a metre will give some extra clearance for the larger freight trains, so they don't wipe out overhead canopies or contact the platform edge. There are 4 stops along the line that will have Gauntlets;

• Northfield
• R&T Park
• University of Waterloo
• Seagram (Waterloo Park)

Only the Southbound tracks will have the gauntlets, as that is the only track that freight traffic will be using in the off-hours.

Thanks for the clarification - It will sure be weird/cool to see freights running on the line at night

 

[Duck]

It's just one train, as far as I know, that makes one return trip; in my 15 years of living in Waterloo Region, I've actually never seen "the train"! So good luck

 

[nfitz]

It's just one train, as far as I know, that makes one return trip; in my 15 years of living in Waterloo Region, I've actually never seen "the train"! So good luck

About 10 years ago playing baseball at the old NCR fields, it used to pass us heading northbound every game around 7 pm or so, carrying cars heading to the Uniroyal facility in Elmira.

 

[timio]

I've seen it cross Erb around 7-8pm and also Northfield around 11pm. It's not a long train and it goes quite slowly, but it does run. I think the timing varies.

Once the LRT is in service, it will be limited to travelling between 1 AM and 5 AM.

 

[BMO]

It's just one train, as far as I know, that makes one return trip; in my 15 years of living in Waterloo Region, I've actually never seen "the train"! So good luck

One night when I was at UW and going out with friends we walked across the tracks near the Douglas Centre to get to a bar, not 50 metres later we heard a train passing on those tracks. We were all shocked as we had assumed the tracks were just never used we jokingly said we dodged a bullet but the reality is that the train moves so slow through here it's almost moving backwards.

 

[smably]

My favourite part of the daily freight run is when it crosses King Street in Uptown. Since there are no crossing gates, one of the operators gets out of the train, walks out into the road to make sure traffic has stopped, then ushers the train across and hops back in. So cute.

 

[dowlingm]

If the track has been upgraded, is the freight likely to move faster (at least away from unsignalled crossings)?

 

[Duck]

Yes; I read somewhere (in one of the project agreement documents) what the speed was supposed to increase to, and while I can't remember it exactly, it's something like 20-40 km/h (instead of sub-walking speed now).

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

My favourite part of the daily freight run is when it crosses King Street in Uptown. Since there are no crossing gates, one of the operators gets out of the train, walks out into the road to make sure traffic has stopped, then ushers the train across and hops back in. So cute.

The railroad term for that is called flagging they also do that if a crossing is malfunctioning or temporarily out of service.

 

[Duck]

Detail concrete work after the latest pour for embedded track at Charles/Benton.

 

[Duck]

About 10 m away from the photo above, a water main ruptured this afternoon, causing significant erosion to the worksite.

Water main break floods Ion construction site

 

[Duck]

Cleanup work at Charles/Benton from the flood:

Embedded track at Charles/Benton:

Temporary staircases installed at the OMSF since the fire:

All the old track has been removed from the Waterloo Spur now, so it shouldn't be long before the NB track is laid:

Crews working on preping the ground at the R&T Park station:

Seagram crossing and Waterloo Park station:

Couple of shots of the tie-clip machine:

Detail of the groundwork for the gauntlet track which runs through the intersection at Seagram. This is for the SB track, so they're just paving it. The NB track (which is just regular 2-rails) gets the standard concrete drop-plates.

 

[Duck]

Future Waterloo Town Square station:

Rails going in on Caroline:

Future Caroline/Willis Way station. This one is unique because the track (only one, SB) goes by on the right, but buses will be able to dock on the left side of it, allowing for very easy transfers.

 

[nfitz]

Floods? Fires? What next, locusts?

 

[gweed123]

Floods? Fires? What next, locusts?

I wonder if the ladybugs there are as bad as they are here... Those may be close enough...