Barrie Collingwood Railway (BCRY)

[Nomad_87]

I was reading some documents from the city (I live in Barrie) and it appears that the BCRY is getting at least one new customer. They're rezoning a lot of land around the line for more industrial use, and it appears they're using it as an incentive to attract new businesses to the city.

 

[Allandale25]

^ Able to post a link?

 

[Nomad_87]

^ Able to post a link?

https://www.barrie.ca/City Hall/Pla...ockhart/1. 140 Lockhart _ PJR - Final (2).pdf

Page 16: "Block 1 abuts the rail line and is intended to be used by Ram Iron to transport materials to and from the site. Spur lines will come into the site off the main rail line to provide access. Two potential locations have been shown on the Site Plan. The location of these spur lines will be further refined through the Site Plan process as the detailed design of the site takes place."

Happy to see the line getting new customers, the city appears to be dead set on keeping it alive so the more use it gets the better. Maybe they could eventually even make the line profitable

 

[Nomad_87]

Also was looking at the City of Barrie's "Transportation Master Plan" and they identified the Beeton Spur (the line to Innisfil industrial park from Allandale) as "Protection for Active Transportation and / or Transit Corridor". Granted that could mean a lot of things. But it seems they want to keep that section alive regardless of if the BCRY shuts down. (Which as I mentioned I doubt it will, the city is trying hard to keep it alive. Now if only we can get Collingwood to save their stretch of track)

 

[lenaitch]

Now if only we can get Collingwood to save their stretch of track)

I believe the ROW from Utopia to Collingwood has been purchased by the County. It, or a portion of it, would have to be protected in some manner anyway because it contains a large watermain supplying New Tecumseth from Collingwood.

 

[RedMelon]

Hey guys, I noticed BCRY did a lot of upgrades this summer, I guess Barrie really wants to keep it going, and I must say the track condition is better then ever

Burton Ave.

Added a new signal shanty (Maybe adding gates in future?)

Old:

New Box:

Also added new ballast to tracks:

Also added New tracks on the Meaford sub

Old:

New:

Also added LED Lights are the county rd 27 crossing:

Old:

New:

 

[Bordercollie]

Hey guys, I noticed BCRY did a lot of upgrades this summer, I guess Barrie really wants to keep it going, and I must say the track condition is better then ever

Burton Ave.

Added a new signal shanty (Maybe adding gates in future?)

Old:
View attachment 348071

New Box:
View attachment 348072

Also added new ballast to tracks:
View attachment 348073

Also added New tracks on the Meaford sub

Old:
View attachment 348075

New:
View attachment 348076

Also added LED Lights are the county rd 27 crossing:

Old:
View attachment 348078
New:

View attachment 348077

It's likely just maintenance. They have to keep the track in good enough condition that it's safe. Plus it's hard to do maintenance in the winter.

 

[Nomad_87]

Hey guys, I noticed BCRY did a lot of upgrades this summer, I guess Barrie really wants to keep it going, and I must say the track condition is better then ever

Burton Ave.

Added a new signal shanty (Maybe adding gates in future?)

Old:
View attachment 348071

New Box:
View attachment 348072

Also added new ballast to tracks:
View attachment 348073

Also added New tracks on the Meaford sub

Old:
View attachment 348075

New:
View attachment 348076

Also added LED Lights are the county rd 27 crossing:

Old:
View attachment 348078
New:

View attachment 348077

Tbf, this infrastructure is OLD (by old I mean almost 100 years old on some instances) so some maintenance is very much warranted. There’s also some stupid things like how there’s no crossing gates nor lights on Essa Road. Just the old bell

 

[lenaitch]

Tbf, this infrastructure is OLD (by old I mean almost 100 years old on some instances) so some maintenance is very much warranted. There’s also some stupid things like how there’s no crossing gates nor lights on Essa Road. Just the old bell

I thought that crossing was tied into the traffic lights.

 

[ShonTron]

I thought that crossing was tied into the traffic lights.

They definitely are. There’s a “no right turn” sign facing Gowan Street that lights up when a train is approaching, and the stop line (and an auxiliary traffic signal) are on the far side of the tracks at the southbound direction.

The crossbucks are obligatory, as I suspect the bell, given that it is a signalled crossing.

While the recent works on the BCRY in Barrie are good to see, as they indicate the railway’s future, they are simply state-of-good-repair.

OBRY is looking quite pitiful right now and the tracks almost overgrown, given it probably has just a few months left of active service.

 

[Nomad_87]

They definitely are. There’s a “no right turn” sign facing Gowan Street that lights up when a train is approaching, and the stop line (and an auxiliary traffic signal) are on the far side of the tracks at the southbound direction.

The crossbucks are obligatory, as I suspect the bell, given that it is a signalled crossing.

While the recent works on the BCRY in Barrie are good to see, as they indicate the railway’s future, they are simply state-of-good-repair.

OBRY is looking quite pitiful right now and the tracks almost overgrown, given it probably has just a few months left of active service.

Considering the lengths the City of Barrie has gone to try and lower the subsidy the city spends on the railway (which is already decently low considering the number of customers) I do not think we’ll see the decommissioning of the line anytime soon. I believe we’ll see the Innisfil-Barrie-Utopia section of the line operational for years to come.

 

[Nomad_87]

I was around the area the other day and it appears the Meaford sub tunnel with Highway 400 is built to allow double tracking of the corridor. Idk what they could really do with it, but it’s nice that it’s there I suppose

 

[lenaitch]

It might be future-proofing. I always thought it curious that they didn't extend GO to the Ferndale area. It's a fairly significant growth area and lots of land for a station. Maybe it's in the long-range cards.

 

[Nomad_87]

It might be future-proofing. I always thought it curious that they didn't extend GO to the Ferndale area. It's a fairly significant growth area and lots of land for a station. Maybe it's in the long-range cards.

could be, it could also be because Metrolinx is planning to have a wire run from Allandale to a transformer station around Tiffin and Patterson for GO expansion along the Meaford sub. Would definitely love a 'Barrie West' station though.

 

[micheal_can]

It might be future-proofing. I always thought it curious that they didn't extend GO to the Ferndale area. It's a fairly significant growth area and lots of land for a station. Maybe it's in the long-range cards.

Maybe it is to put a bike path there.

could be, it could also be because Metrolinx is planning to have a wire run from Allandale to a transformer station around Tiffin and Patterson for GO expansion along the Meaford sub. Would definitely love a 'Barrie West' station though.

Is there any public information on this?