CN MacMillan Yard
Encyclopedia
The MacMillan Yard is the largest rail classification yard
in Canada
. It is operated by Canadian National Railway
(CN) and is located 20 kilometers north of downtown Toronto
in Vaughan, Ontario
. It is named after former CN president Norman John MacMillan
.
MacMillan Yard is located at the junction of the CN York Subdivision and CN Halton Subdivision
. The yard measures 4 miles in length and 1 mile in width with a north-south orientation. The property is bordered by four main roads:
There are five road entrances into the yard which are designated as: S Yard, Jane Street, CargoFlo, Bowes, and Administration.
Much of the yard is composed of side-by-side track, switches, humps, and control tower buildings. The yard is designed to take incoming trains and reorganize and rejoin the individual cars based on destination to create new departing trains. The yard operates 24 hours a day and handles over 1 million cars (loads and empties) per year. It has flat switching capability as well as both dual and single humps. In addition to car handling, other yard facilities include locomotive repair, car washing, and car repair. In one part of the yard, a CargoFlo terminal is used for transferring flowable bulk, dry bulk (plastics) commodities between rail cars to tanker trucks, as well as a small intermodal and RoadRailer
operation.
The yard was developed in the late 1950s as part of CN's redesign of its Toronto trackage network. At the time of construction, Vaughan was a largely rural community, however, subsequent development on adjacent properties has created an industrial area surrounded by a variety of industrial consignors, distributors, and suppliers. Some commercial establishments (e.g., restaurants, retail and wholesale outlets) are located along the perimeter of the yard.
The closest residential population to a track that carries dangerous goods is located approximately 150 meters from the northernmost extension of the yard near Jane Street. At the southern end of the yard, where several rail lines merge, Highway 7 provides a road bridge. Toll Highway 407 also bridges the southern entry point to MacMillan Yard; all trains enter and exit by way of southern end.
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is operated by Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
(CN) and is located 20 kilometers north of downtown Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
. It is named after former CN president Norman John MacMillan
Norman John MacMillan
Norman John MacMillan, CC, QC was a president of Canadian National Railway.MacMillan was born in Bracebridge, Ontario. He would study at the University of Manitoba where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1930...
.
MacMillan Yard is located at the junction of the CN York Subdivision and CN Halton Subdivision
CN Halton Subdivision
The CN Halton Subdivision is a major railway line in Southern Ontario.The Halton Subdivision is owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway , and was first constructed in the 1860s....
. The yard measures 4 miles in length and 1 mile in width with a north-south orientation. The property is bordered by four main roads:
- Highway 7 (York Regional Road 7) to the south
- Keele Street to the east
- Route 73 (Rutherford Road) to the north
- Jane Street to the west
There are five road entrances into the yard which are designated as: S Yard, Jane Street, CargoFlo, Bowes, and Administration.
Much of the yard is composed of side-by-side track, switches, humps, and control tower buildings. The yard is designed to take incoming trains and reorganize and rejoin the individual cars based on destination to create new departing trains. The yard operates 24 hours a day and handles over 1 million cars (loads and empties) per year. It has flat switching capability as well as both dual and single humps. In addition to car handling, other yard facilities include locomotive repair, car washing, and car repair. In one part of the yard, a CargoFlo terminal is used for transferring flowable bulk, dry bulk (plastics) commodities between rail cars to tanker trucks, as well as a small intermodal and RoadRailer
Roadrailer
In railroad terminology a Roadrailer or RoadRailer is a highway trailer, or semi-trailer, that is specially equipped for use in railroad intermodal service.- Overview :...
operation.
The yard was developed in the late 1950s as part of CN's redesign of its Toronto trackage network. At the time of construction, Vaughan was a largely rural community, however, subsequent development on adjacent properties has created an industrial area surrounded by a variety of industrial consignors, distributors, and suppliers. Some commercial establishments (e.g., restaurants, retail and wholesale outlets) are located along the perimeter of the yard.
The closest residential population to a track that carries dangerous goods is located approximately 150 meters from the northernmost extension of the yard near Jane Street. At the southern end of the yard, where several rail lines merge, Highway 7 provides a road bridge. Toll Highway 407 also bridges the southern entry point to MacMillan Yard; all trains enter and exit by way of southern end.