Recent posts about the "Moonlight" got me to thinking about its name, and its various iterations. To my knowledge there was never a formal name for the train - it was just the colloquial name that everyone knew about and used.
My first visits to O'ville were 1968/69 when I got my first car, and I started to chase and photograph the trains out of there. So the following is an evolutionary sequence FROM MY FAILING MEMORY ONLY, that I welcome other people to change/correct/add to - plus possibly put dates on them.
In the late 1960s I remember four CPR Bruce jobs - not counting the passenger train that was taken off I believe in November 1970. These jobs were:
Job 1 - Orangeville to Walkerton (if needed), then north to Markdale, return to Orangeville - daily except Sunday
Job 2 - Owen Sound switching, then south to Markdale (physically swap trains with Job 1), return to Owen Sound - daily except Sunday
Job 3 - the "Roustabout" - Orangeville to Teeswater (Wingham) - OR - Orangeville to Elora (Fergus), all return to Orangeville - each three times per week to each destination, working out to daily except Sunday for the Roustabout crew
Job 4 - the "Moonlight - Orangeville to Agincourt - daily except Saturday - leave Orangeville around 11:00 pm, return in the early hours of the morning - usually in the dark but sometimes in daylight if they were a bit late in the longer days of summer. The Roustabout would be called for 8:00 am, and occassionally the Moonlight hadn't returned yet.
At this time I rode all these trains at some point. Never actually went into Walkerton, on my trips they only went to Hanover. Once to go into a furniture factory there (why didn't I take photos of that!), and another time left the van where the Hanover station would have been, then went across the bridge(s) over the river and CNR line to service an ag/fertilizer company on the other side. Plus the forest/lumber company in Durham, local cars in the Durham yard. My first time nobody told me about swapping the trains in Markdale, and I almost ended up in Owen Sound!!!!! I remember that around Priceville heading back to the main line, they were on the radio with the Owen Sound train, setting up the meet in Markdale. So if one or the other was running late, they may have changed the swap/meet location to Saugeen Jct., etc., etc.
Never rode into Teeswater, always just to Glenannon then to the door factory in Wingham.
Never rode into Elora, always just to GSW in Fergus, plus a couple other switches in Erin and Fergus.
The "Roustabout" was the favourite job, because the work was easiest and crews were home every night. Sometimes the trip into Fergus was only 3 or 4 hours then back home. Probably the Walkerton/Markdale and Owen Sound jobs next favourite - Home each night but longer hours on the road. Least favourite I guess the "Moonlight" - still a good job as home each morning, but over night and a long night.
September 15, 1984 - the LAST train originating from Orangeville. I know this because I photographed the last train, and specially marked the date on the slides. Wish now I had been more organized and done that with all my pics.
From that point on all trains originated in T.O. and went Agincourt to Owen Sound, and return the next day. Walkerton had been abandoned by then and I don't know how they serviced Teeswater Sub - did they still go to Wingham occassionally????? On days when they were heading south, I remember sometimes seeing freight cars and the van left in Cataract, after dark, while the locos had gone up the Elora branch to Fergus. So that's how that line was serviced.
POST 1988 - Teeswater & Elora Subs abandoned. - So just one job, Agincourt - Owen Sound round trip three days per week, staying overnight in Owen Sound,
1995 - abandonment beyond Orangeville.
SO - BOTTOM LINE
I'd love it if folks could fill in specific dates. I admit to not looking at timetables to verify any of this, but then trains were often annulled or extras run as needed anyway.
As to the "Moonlight" - sometimes even today I've heard the train still called this - but this old timer officially considers it gone once it quit originating in Orangeville - and who knows, maybe even before that, if it no longer was a true overnight train not leaving till around 11:00 pm.
COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS WELCOME
Wish Peter Bowers was still around, he'd know all this by heart. Jim Brown, if you're on here, maybe you can add to this?
Cheers,
Ralph
PS - A similar CPR evening job over the CNR, Agincourt to Hamilton/Aberdeen???, I gather was called the "Starlight" - so not to be confused with the Orangeville line's train. I've seen mistakenly called the "Moonlight" in places
www.orangeville.com
