ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Canard]

HT to HAL, otherwise I wouldn't have driven down Courtland today on my way back from a bike ride between Cambridge and Paris...

   

   

   

   

[Canard]

   

   

[danbrotherston]

Where is that? That doesn't appear to be a road. I didn't realize they were embedding the track in concrete on the off road portions?

[Markster]

Where is that?  That doesn't appear to be a road.  I didn't realize they were embedding the track in concrete on the off road portions?

It's the crossing of Courtland Ave.

[tomh009]

Rails at Duke and Queen!  (OK, OK, they are not exactly finished, but there are rails there ...)
   

[Canard]

That's really cool - because if they just hammer out the embedded track for the crossing there (which it looks like they are), then maybe Queen can completely open in the next few weeks! Thanks for pointing this out Tom - I thought they were still months away from any track work further along Duke!

It's really awesome that so many people are contributing updates from all different sections of the line. It's like we all have our little "favourite spots" that we always check out and between all of us, we have this thing pretty well covered! Go team!

[timio]

Queen needs to be open before they can choose Frederick.

[Canard]

1/2 - Sunday, July 17


   
Track makes its way down the East side of the Northfield Bridge. It's interesting to note here that while the approaches will be embedded track, the actual deck track will be ballasted track. I can only assume this is because ballasted track must have a lower mass per linear unit of measure, and restrictions on the loading of the bridge deck.

   
Embedded track starts to make its way up the West side.

   
It's Sunday, but that doesn't mean anything to these guys... as I was taking these shots, the crews showed up and started pulling rails across the Northfield Bridge.

   
Pre-rolled rail sections for the tight-radius curve from the Spur onto Northfield await placement.

   
At the OMSF, crews were flooding the track leading into and out-of the car wash facility.

[Canard]

2/2 - Sunday, July 17

   
Lots of specialized trackwork now in the yard!

   
These switches are really interesting. They remind me of the ones on the Halton County Radial Railway, where there are some pretty tight radius turns, too.

   
These new signals have shown up since my last visit.

   

   
Can't get enough of this view.

[rangersfan]

That Last photo looks like a forest of utility poles.

[Canard]

Video Tour - Sunday, July 17, 2016: King/Northfield (near Conestoga Terminus)

[KevinL]

Was up at Waterloo Park today, had a bit of a look around.

First time I'd seen this arrangement for transporting bundles of rail. Looks practical, if inelegant.



From the new pedestrian crossing. Looks properly polished and elegant! I note that only the left-side tracks here, the ones that will carry the freight trains, require those central guidance rails.



Opposite view.



Not so elegant: these old wooden railing pieces that have yet to be removed.



The TPSS is certainly a standout, but it seems offset enough from the tracks that a screen of bushes/trees could go in to obscure it some more.



And finally, some concerned citizen has alerted us to the presence of something classically monstrous within the culverts...

[Canard]

I was wondering what that meant. I thought maybe it was a Pokemon Go reference.

[Canard]

Sunday, July 17, 2016

   
The adorable rails on Duke at Queen.  Just look at 'em!

   
The curve from Duke onto Francis is now fully embedded in concrete.

   

   
Looking down Francis, from Duke (toward Victoria).

   
Looking back up Francis, toward Duke.

[tomh009]

Now that I'm back in town (at least for a bit), I did my usual morning walk.  It seems the focus of activity has switched away from Charles, though, but let's see whether anyone is back to work tomorrow.

Waiting for the platform construction across the street from the Benton-Charles garage.
   

A missing section added just E of Benton.  What are these sections with the pipes?
   

Hmmmm.  Those rails don't look quite ready!  (Just W of Cedar.)
   

LRT signals at Cedar!
   

The EB rails at Madison are in, but not the forms for pouring the concrete.