Throwback Thursday - It's All in the Details

CP 5606 South is passing the old station at Britt, Ontario on August 21, 1991.

By Peter Mumby.

When I took this photograph almost three decades ago, it was probably just another train picture.  In this case the train was CP 5606 South.  Nothing unusual in this - another train led by an SD40-2 on what was basically an SD40-2 railroad.  The location was Britt, Ontario, on the mainline between Sudbury and Toronto.

What I see when I look at this picture today is a scene that could really appeal to a modeller of the late 1980s/early 1990s era.  Here is an opportunity to include an older passenger station on a layout representative of a time when local passenger service was a thing of the past.  The structure has been given a new lease on life by being converted to company service use.  At the far north end of the structure can be seen a motor car shed and set-off track.  The tall pole close to the station appears to be topped by some type of antenna.  The south end of the baggage/freight annex has been rebuilt with roll-up doors.  Next to the building is a fenced compound housing vehicles and track supplies.  To the left side of the photo can be seen the main sliding gate for the entire facility.

In the foreground of the scene we can see organized stacks of track supplies.  To the left of the high level switch stand, the vertical silver unit is a block occupancy indicator.  At the rear right side of the photo, near the box cars, we can see a mile marker attached to the line pole.  At the extreme front right edge of the image an old telephone call box is visible.

So, take another look at the photo.  You might see a train, you might see a station - or, you might see a little modelling inspiration!