Snapshot - July 2022

The CP WB waits for the signal into the yard on the Ridout St. bridge. Note all the signs and striping that warns driver of trucks of the low clearance.

I took this shot Friday on my way home from the mother-in-law of a CP local EB waiting to get into London yard. Note all the signs and stripping which tells one that trucks do not fit under the Ridout St. bridge. Even with all this it keeps getting hit regularly. 

I learned later in the day Friday a similar bridge on the CN just west of London on the Chatham sub was struck by a large truck even though it has all the signage and strips. VIA was disrupted from early morning on for the day.

Years ago when I worked CN 434-435 the London to Toronto and return job, I was on my way back to London on WB 435 when we went over the CN underpass east of London in the Putnam area which has a low clearance bridge. To my surprise there was a truck stuck under the bridge. Well I put the brakes on bringing the train to a crawl over the bridge although the engines hit it as 60mph. All was well but the dispatcher sent out a crew and police to check things out. We were lucky...if the bridge had moved we probably would have derailed....George Dutka