JUNE 1999

    It is safe to say that just about every branchline railway station in Southern Ontario in the 1950s, with status greater than a flag stop, had a team track.   Deriving from the connotation of the word "team" associated with horses and drays, the railway team track was simply a siding where any company which did not have a private siding, and wished to ship or receive a carload of goods, could do so using its own facilities (usually a truck and manpower).  At many stations, several industries such as coal dealers, lumber yards, feed mills and fuel oil distributors were located alongside a team track.  At some locations, a passing siding could be pressed into service as a team track on occasion, with train orders or bulletins advising crews of its status. 

    From a railway standpoint, the 1950s was a fascinating era in southern Ontario.  The massive post-war building boom was in full force.  Highways were being expanded, factories were being constructed, and cities were growing rapidly.   Although all these elements were to contribute to the demise of the branchlines, for a brief time they brought new business to the railways.  The very shipments consigned to and from team tracks told a story of the local economy, the time of the year, and the events of the decade. 

    With the building boom, many new lumber dealers unable to locate near a railway siding unloaded cut lumber by hand into their own trucks from team tracks in the 1950s.  These included many companies which did not actually reside in the immediate town.  Gondola car loads of gravel for local road construction projects came in to team tracks, to be unloaded by men with shovels.  Hydro and telephone poles, loads of pipe for pipeline and drainage projects, and tank car loads of road tar were consigned to team tracks.  Springtime brought seed shipments and loads of seed potatoes from Northern Ontario to other growing regions in the province.  Appliances, wool, and alfalfa came in on team tracks.  With the mechanization of the 1950s, every Southern Ontario community in farming areas received agricultural machinery by team track, unloaded on timber ramps or makeshift earth fill ramps.  In November and December, timber cattle ramps on hundreds of branchline team tracks received calves from Western Canada.

    In late summer and early autumn, farmers pooled their produce (such as turnips, sugar beets, potatoes or apples) and loaded refrigerator cars on team tracks.   In winter months, hundreds of Christmas trees, loaded by hand, were shipped out of places such as Penetang and Wyevale.  Fresh cut chickens were consigned to express refrigerator cars on team tracks, and expedited to markets overnight.  Logs and lumber from local cutting operations were shipped from team tracks on flat cars and gondola cars and in boxcars.

    For the modeller of the fascinating railway transition era in Southern Ontario, a study of the neighbouring economy and local industries of the time should provide clues as to the numerous types of carloading which can be generated by a team track.  Be sure to study traffic cycles with respect to time of year.  For commentaries on team track operations at specific points on the CNR Allandale Division, please refer to Steam at Allandale.

Ian Wilson
June 3, 1999

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