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Hauling FAST Freight on CPKC’s Belleville Subdivision

North Country Trains

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Canadian Pacific Railway's Belleville Subdivision has always fascinated me, from the first time I read Douglas J. Fear's story in the January 2006 issue of Trains. On three occasions between May and September 2026, I visited the Belleville and nearby Winchester Subdivisions to see the CPKC mainline firsthand. The line is different from the nearby CN Kingston Sub: All freight traffic is combined into roughly six trains a day, massive land barges that move tonnage between Montreal and Toronto with little semblance of purpose outside of a broad directive: Move tonnage fast.

Starting near Trenton/Belleville in May, we see 118 with CPKC ET44s, 2-230 with CP 7020 and a maroon & gold heritage unit, and a weed spray train with a CPKC-painted SD60.

In July, we look at the Belleville Sub closer to Smiths Falls, catching CPKC leaders on 132, 112, and 119. Via Rail also makes an appeaance on the Brockville Sub.

In September, we explore some scenic angles and more searchlight signals between Crow Lake including making the thumbnail image (credit to ‪@dilland6948‬) at Mud Creek.

Locations:
Trenton, ON
Quinte-West, ON
Bolingbroke, ON
Perth, ON
Smiths Falls, ON
Elmsly, ON
Crow Lake, ON
Rosedale, ON

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My blog:
https://northcountrytrains.wordpress.com

15 Comments

@moonlight_trains1 2 weeks ago

Great catches! I caught that 118 with 7503 at Lonsdale, also saw the WBE-25 in Belleville, and saw the 230 with the heritage duo at the same spot. A very foamy day that was, I skipped school for it and definitely did not regret it

@Railtography 13 days ago

With me now have spent atleast a day trackside on every class one, the PSR on CPKC is a step above every other class one. I noticed during my time in Dorval by the hotel that I was seeing MASSIVE trains with intermodal and manifest all together. Almost every train had a DPU with the exception of a nicely powered ballast train. When I was in the hotel by Dorval I was seeing about 10 - 13 trains a day so we can only imagine how much busier this line would be without such a horrendous practice...

@TrainBoy651 9 days ago

Very good! Love seeing CPKC fans! I chase and film trains too! CPKC. Great video sir!

@Bubs031 2 weeks ago

Also fast freights in the Winchester east of the falls lol

@stephengeng7971 2 weeks ago

a CPKC loco on the sub passed me just after clicking on this video

@averycook9448 2 weeks ago

Spend multiple times a summer in Crow Lake and the horns are nonstop! Definitely sounds like more than 7 trains a day (and night), but maybe I'm just getting a treat ;) Great content as always, so happy to see more of the Belleville Sub featured like this

@wayneantoniazzi2706 2 weeks ago (edited)

Man, there's some serious tonnage being moved up there!
Some good catches Harrison, and I wonder how long those KCS are going to keep those paint schemes? I imagine it'll be for a while, as a rule railroads don't repaint until they really, REALLY have to.
Great shot at Mud Creek! And I see (Hear?) those lousy electronic bells have made their way up North! 😝
Thanks for bringing us along!

@dundasjunctionmodelr.r-james 2 weeks ago

Great catches I don’t get to see much CPKC in Dundas , but lots of the Dundas sub , going subscribe your channel, cool video

@rickarmstrong4704 2 weeks ago

Yes nowhere to run on the outside of that curve at Mud Creek ( 8.00 ) would have been game over but What a way to Go : ) was expecting to see the Engine rounding the bend in slow motion but that was clipping along twas exhilarating that was ! most were zipping along in this video!

@pault5775 2 weeks ago

Grrr8 video🎉🎉🎉

@mitchtange8029 2 weeks ago (edited)

Starting right off in Trenton huh? Shame I couldn’t get out trackside this summer, I’d probably have seen you

@rickarmstrong4704 2 weeks ago

Favourite Railway Sub? Was the CN Newmarket Sub well obviously but north of Washago as a commuter rail line is all that is left of the Newmarket Sub to Allendale! So as a Freight rail Line well it is the Bala Sub have seen most of that to the end at Capreol were it changes to the Ruel Sub! Cn blew up a mountain of granite up that way for ballast I forget the name perhaps a Giant something? Funny they name it Newmarket Sub as the rail head for a couple of years was at Machells Corners now Aurora Ontario? My Dad was an engineer on CN for 32 years thereabouts after WWII I wanted to be an Engineer but Dad would not have anything to do with that, I see His point now, the industry started disappearing the Trucking industry rose and after that so to did rail wholly and fully start to disappear after it lost the last thing it had the mail delivery, for example the Town of Lindsay once had 50 miles of track in the town limits it was as busy in the Steam era as Smiths falls and I think it had near as many lines running out of it, of the top of My head there was the Midland Sub, the Uxbridge Sub, The Cambellford sub, there was a CP line into from the south and then to Bobcaygeon there was a commuter train from Bobcaygeon to Toronto, a line ran to Halliburton for the record I am 68 sometimes Old and sometimes Young : ) If You are interested in the history of rail in Ontario here are a couple of Authors names, Ian Wilson He has authored many a book and then there is a book with a very sad title it gets Me everytime called the: Last Trains from Lindsay, Also there is still a remnant of the Uxbridge Sub from Uxbridge to Stouffville Ontario were the York–Durham Heritage Railway ran until sometime during the jab scam and last winter past all the motive power and rolling stock made the last journey south from Uxbridge on rail My Dad would have run Steam over in His day Cheers! Rick in Aurora