I’m headed to Toronto (Brampton) on business for a few weeks. Are there any railfanning hotspots or rail-related must see attractions / items in the Toronto area?
Thanks in advance for any tips!
A fair bit of stuff around the CN union station to check out. The Union Station also has the TTC subway and GO transit there as well…
There is also Google Maps that will give you a general idea of where you can look as well…all lines are there to follow along…
Actually, not that far from Toronto is Bayview Jtn…there the CN/CP lines go around the west end of Lake Ontario and begins the climb out of the area via the Niagara Escarpment at Dundas…Sydenham Bridge flies up over the CN tracks on the escarpment…quite the view there…
Other good spots are Milton, ON which is about 30 miles west of Toronto and very easy to get to. You can watch action on the CP’s double track line up close with a view of CN’s line in the distance as well.
Another good spot is Campbellville, ON. Go west on 401, get off at Guelph Line exit…and head south for 2 minutes and you’re there!! Also very easy to get to and only 10 minutes west of Milton. What makes Campellville great is that the CP’s double track line is on a grade…and you watch trains climb west out of Toronto up close and personal from a small park that straddles the tracks…
I also like Bayview Junction… the best place to watch from Bayview is from a little walkway bridge that crosses over the CN triple track mainline Oakville Div. … If you enjoy walking…you can walk through the Botanical Gardens that straddle Bayview…there are actually quite a few really good spots that are less well known to most fans… One spot is a great bird’s eye view of CN’s “cowpath” and CP’s line through Bayview…
If you don’t want to venture too far from Toronto…then may I suggest the GO station in Mississauga. Very easy to get to…drive west on 401 and get off at Winston Churchill. Go south and you’re there!!!.. Watch CP trains from the comfort of a commuter train station…
If you want to leave the car at the hotel…let me suggest Islington subway station. simply take the subway to islington…get off and enjoy CP’s triple track mainline that runs through Toronto.
Lots and lots of other good train viewing locations…but the above are my personal favorites.
I’ll chime in on the Bayview Jct. area, about 25 - 30 miles SW of Toronto, and on the northern edge of Hamilton, at about these Lat./ Long. coords.: N 43.28714 W 79.89095
WIthin an easy day trip (100 miles / 2 hours one-way) is the Muskoka Lakes/ “Lakes and Bays” summer cottage region, which is a very pretty area - long the summer ‘get-away spot’ for the city dwellers. More to the point, on a side road just south of the town of Parry Sound is the eastern end of one of the CN-CP paired directional running track arrangements, at about these Lat./ Long. coords.: N 45.32053 W 79.99043
Could always just hop a train from Toronto to either Detroit, Montreal/ Quebec, or Ottawa, out-and-back in 1 day.
Let us know what you think !
- Paul North.
Thank You.
Thanks much to all for the tips. I recall seeing photos at Bayview Jct online, but couldn’t recall the name. I really appreciate the help,
“In 24 hours, 76 trains (not counting extras) - Bayview Junction, near Hamilton, Ontario”
by Roach, Greg, from Trains, July 1980, p. 29
( “Magazine Index” keywords: canada trainwatching )
“Hot spots: Bayview, Ontario - freight, intercity passenger, and commuter”
by Mross, Greg, from Trains, September 1991, p. 64
( “Magazine Index” keywords: canada CNR GOT ontario railfanning VIA )
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“On location: Canadian crossroads - Bayview, Ontario” |
Strange Coincidence / Trivia question Dept.: Why is the name