ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[GtwoK]

IIRC, there was some super complex schedule for that crossing being closed over the course of a few months. Something like X days every Y weeks it would be closed with pedestrian crossings elsewhere, and A days every B weeks it would be closed with different pedestrian crossings entirely. It was on the most recent update. Could still be a while before the new alignment is in.

[Canard]

Remember, at Erb/Caroline, they'd remove the old track... do some work, then plop the old track back on top. They kept teasing us! Like every time I saw them pull up the old track I thought "This is it! New track going in!" and then they'd just throw the old track back on top.

I wonder if that's what's going to happen here. At first I was thinking that they'd be transitioning over to the new alignment this weekend... but after thinking about it some more, I bet they're just going to do some work and put the old track back on top.

[KevinL]

Meanwhile, down at Charles and Stirling, a crew was out this evening activating the new traffic signals and deactivating the temporary, wire-strung ones. Steady progress!

[JoeKW]

So the guy who threatened a construction worker with a knife couldn't even respect his bail conditions and he got sentenced to time served (54 days). I'm not a fan of harsh jail sentences but this seems on the low side.

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6770...kitchener/

[Canard]

Holy crap!!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The tracks start across Courtland <a href="https://twitter.com/WRConnected">@WRConnected</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rideIONrt">@rideIONrt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wrLRT?src=hash">#wrLRT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Grandlinq?src=hash">#Grandlinq</a> <a href="https://t.co/6hJ9s7dn1a">pic.twitter.com/6hJ9s7dn1a</a></p>&mdash; HAL8950 (@HAL8950) <a href="https://twitter.com/HAL8950/status/754293898672009216">July 16, 2016</a></blockquote>

[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.