Just past the summer solstice. It would be another 12 months before the sun would set directly down the train tracks again at the Orangeville, Ontario train station. Of course, it’s not the real train station. That one was moved to a spot downtown and converted to a restaurant years ago. The other main building at the rail yards went down in a blaze of glory not long after. The station that exists now is a replica, built to house the Credit Valley Explorer.
Yes, it was about trying to catch a unique sunset but first it should also be noted that the Credit Valley Explorer left town earlier in 2018, just like regular passenger service vacated back in 1970. But, more on Orangeville’s rail history (and present situation) further down in this article.
The sky did turn some pretty grand colours on that evening but it came a little too late and a little too far down on the horizon. So, what we got were some kind of cool HDR images of trains that may or may not be around too far into the future. We recently did capture some great sunset shots at nearby Island Lake Conservation Area on the other side of town.
Orangeville, Ontario Rail Image Gallery
Some like. Some hate. It’s HDR. High dynamic range imaging or HDR photography can transform a bland and unbalanced scene into an eye-popping sight. The process is quite simple. With modern DSLR cameras, you just bracket a ‘properly’ exposed photo with one or more overexposed and underexposed. Then, using post processing software, you blend the three (or more) images to create one. The software I use is Photomatix Essentials as an extension of Photoshop Elements.
What we’ve captured here is the tracks heading northwest into Orangeville and going past the train station. With no tour train and no scheduled passenger service, the station now serves as a locked up backdrop to the GO bus stop and parking lot. The CanDo diesel engine may or may not be around going into July, 2018. The company has ceased service to the town but is supposedly helping to find a new operator. The freight service provides raw product to several businesses in town.
For full-size, high resolution versions for any of the photos in the image gallery, simply click on the individual pictures.
Orangeville, Ontario Rail History
The present Orangeville Brampton Railway runs a 55 kilometre path between Orangeville and Streetsville (part of Mississauga, Ontario). The railway follows a line that was mostly built in the 1870’s as the Credit Valley Railway. The track was initially completed to Orangeville in 1879, just five years after the place was incorporated as a town. The 349 metre, or 1,145 feet, long trestle over the Credit River and Forks of the Credit Road near Belfountain remain the photogenic gem of the railway.
At the time, a branch was also completed to Elora, Ontario, breaking away to the west at the hamlet of Cataract. That branch was abandoned in 1987 but the rail bed remains as the Elora Cataract Trailway. Beyond Orangeville, the tracks continued as the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway to Owen Sound. that track was abandoned in 1995, some 25 years after regular passenger service from Toronto to Orangeville was halted.
The municipal government has owned the tracks from Mississauga for several years. Prior to 2000, it was operated by CP Rail. CanDo Rail Services says it will cease operations as of June 30, 2018. Although an alternative is supposedly in place, not much information about the potential new operators has been disclosed.
