RAILSCANNING in TORONTO

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This website has been archived from TrainWeb.org/railscan to TrainWeb.US/railscan.

Beginner's Page

Frequencies

Rail Radio Ops

Equip. Reviews

Other Sites

How to Contact

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Welcome!

This site is dedicated to railscanning in the Toronto area. Scanning the railroad frequencies is an interesting and useful hobby. It can be used by photographers to set up shots and prepare for oncoming trains, railfans use it to get a 'feel' for traffic patterns on the line and obtain train numbers - its a whole other aspect to an already fascinating hobby! Owing to the large concentration of rail lines in the Toronto area, your radio won't be quiet for long!

Some people have been asking me "Why just Toronto? Why not broaden your scope?" Well, I live in the Toronto area, so Toronto-area railroads is what I know. I've never ventured anywhere else, so I know nothing about anywhere else. There are many other resources for people looking for information outside of Toronto. Grab a copy of The Canadian Trackside Guide - its an excellent resource and covers all of Canada. Or check out some of the sites on my Links Page (menu bar to the left).

This site covers track in the cities of Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Milton, Caledon, Orangeville, Oakville, Halton Hills/Georgetown, Burlington, Hamilton, Oshawa, Richmond Hill, Vaughan and any smaller communities in between and in the vicinity, including Canadian National, Canadian Pacific (St. Lawrence & Hudson Railway), Goderich & Exeter Railway and the Kawartha Lakes Railway.

Background

The Toronto area is one of the busiest rail centers in Canada, if not North America. The Greater Toronto Area hosts the 1st (CN Oakville subdivision), 2nd (CP Galt subdivision), and 4th (CN Halton subdivision) busiest rail lines in Canada. Toronto is part of the Canadian National Railways Great Lakes operating district, as well as Canadian Pacific's
St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway region.

As you can imagine, Toronto's home to a lot of busy track. So of course, i cannot stress this enough: be careful. I know that you've all heard this since grade school ("These are the Mean Machines" - remember that?), but, as always, there are idiots who insist on trespassing on the tracks, climbing signal towers, dicking around with the equipment, etc. Just remember that railfans don't have any sort of divine right to be trackside - the rail authorities have every right to ask you to move along. As of now, both the CN and CP railway police have a very positive view of railfans. They don't mind us being trackside, as they appreciate the fact that railfans report vandalism, criminal activities, unsafe conditions, etc.

But remember, all it takes is one idiot to get a little cocky and ruin it for the rest of us. So if unless you want barbed wire to go up along every right of way in Canada, remember to play it safe, and respect the fact that railway property is private property. Those trains might look pretty, but they pack a wallop at 75 MPh.

If you are new to railscanning, try the beginner's page. If you want to jump right to the frequencies, click on the Frequencies link. If you have any questions or comments, click on the How to Contact tag on the left menu. I am by no means an expert on the topic, and I accept all submissions, criticism, comments, praise, etc.

Thanks for visiting!

Support this website by joining the Silver Rails TrainWeb Club for as little as $1 per month. Click here for info.