Ontario Southland Railway train turning around at the Guelph GEXR and OSR interchange

On July 26, 2018. We spot an Ontario Southland Railway (OSR) train on the south end crossing on Dawson Road in Guelph, Ontario.
We then proceed in following the OSR train heading towards the old GEXR / OSR interchange, but has since reverted back to CN / OSR interchange since November 15, 2018.
After a few moments the OSR train reappears reversing back on the wye with a few tank cars onto the north end spur crossing on Dawson Road.
In another minute or so the OSR crew switch track direction and is ready to proceed toward the south end spur.
We follow the OSR train back near traxxside. Catching one more glimpse of the OSR train crossing Dawson Road on the south end.
If you like this video then you may these other videos at the interchange or traxxside:
GEXR and OSR working the interchange at Guelph Industrial Park • Trains Interchange at ...
GEXR 582 train drops off railcars for Traxxside and Smurfit MBI in Guelph, Ontario • Trains switching Traxx...
Thanks for watching!

[@DiamondMaster20]

Great catch!

[@Trains4Fun]

Thank you sir!!

[@bikerdude3r]

Great catch

[@Trains4Fun]

Thank you!

[@kylsrcshow3838]

Cool video

[@Trains4Fun]

Thank you!

[@mandcsdad1]

Love those old MLW/Alcos. Just chugging & a smoking

[@Trains4Fun]

Metoo. So they're was an article in the Guelph Today internet new web site a couple days ago that apparently Guelph Junction railway is looking for bids for a different operator and OSR is not invited to bid on a new contract in april 2020. I know right. That means these locomotives are going to disappear pretty soon. I don't know why Guelph has decided to switch operators now. OSR i thought was doing a good job.🤷‍♂️

[@mandcsdad1]

@@Trains4Fun I am very surprised to hear this. I have never heard anything but praise for the service provided by OSR on any of there lines. They have added customers in most places because of the great service. It might be a mistake for Guelph to do this

[@CrazyCanuck91]

@@Trains4Fun this is their last week on the St Thomas job as well

[@schnuurtchke]

Today I saw 647 switching at Woodlawn Road today

[@Trains4Fun]

Cool. Somebody had mentioned 644 is in the shop. For what i am not sure.

[@schnuurtchke]

Thanks to CN and OSR railway’s during these tough times

[@Trains4Fun]

No doubt!

[@TheActualKingOfRailfanning]

Nice

[@Trains4Fun]

Thanks

[@goviacn1]

644 on the shop track mar 27/20 being repaired

[@Trains4Fun]

This is a rather old video. Not sure how the 644 is doing atm moment. What was the need for repair?

[@thebrantfordrailfan]

I feel bad i never got to see the M420s in action, i missed em! :( But luckily i've got a few trains on the GJR recently, with their other MLW's :) Did you ever get to see anything on the Cayuga Subdivision?

[@Trains4Fun]

Never got to see anything on Payne or Cayuga. I had long term plans to include them, but I could never be there in a time period when they ran. I still have plans to film the trackage in an around the Formet plant. I am hoping to be around when the PSTR reconnection with mainline will hopefully happen, but i suspect things with covid-19 it will take even longer. The next big thing I guess will when GEXR starts running on the Guelph Junction. It be interesting to see what power they will bring in for that.

[@thebrantfordrailfan]

@@Trains4Fun Luckily they are still gonna run to the Formet plant and up to New Sarum. I caught them pretty much by chance one day and i was lucky to be off work from the quarantine to be able to catch the last runs on the Cayuga. It will be neat to see that PSTR reconnection, it's rare to see railway tracks actually coming back after being torn up! I'm gonna miss the GJR MLW's but at least the tracks will be here a long time to come, i just feel bad for the OSR people whose livelihoods depend on the GJR

[@Trains4Fun]

@TheBrantfordRailfan I am curious if GEXR just doesn't hire the guys from OSR to continue working GJR. I think that is what CN did when it took the Guelph sub back from GEXR. I'm pretty sure it must be the same crew. I don't think they are different people actually.

[@streetcarmuseum9793]

RFP issued by GJR

[@Trains4Fun]

Yeah that is powerful stuff. I can't believe OSR contract is up in December 2020 and they are not renewing. I guess all the locomotive will be moved back down to Salford shops to start a museum or perhaps maybe they'll have to pass them off to the next GJR operator.

[@DiamondMaster20]

Isn't it true that osr lost the guelph junction railway?

[@Trains4Fun]

There was a news article in the GuelphToday on March 31, 2020 that GJR was looking for a new operator. I don't know the specific of why. However their contract is terminated in December of 2020 as it written in the article. Six operators are bidding on the contract. Not sure who are the bidders, but OSR is not one of them.

[@randomrailfan151]

What time does GJR run on saturdays?

[@Trains4Fun]

AFAIK its rare to find an OSR train operating on the weekend, although not unheard of. The best time is during the week from Monday-Friday. I haven't spent much time recently observing rail movements, but generally I think they head to Guelph industrial Park around 10 am. The spend quite abit time around traxxside and PDI up there. They typically come back around 2pm-4pm to PDI plant on York spending quite a bit of there switching. I presume they start at Guelph Junction in Campbellville around 7am-8am then head into Guelph and pickup there train in the morning. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful with the details.

[@RailPreserver2K]

Somebody oughta get Drayton from delay in Block Productions down there before it's all of these unit to replace with the conventional Motive Power you see on the short lines now a days because as far as I know this is the only one that still gives you an idea of what Short Line railroad being back in the 80s and 90s looked like

[@Trains4Fun]

It would be fantastic to have a big name youtuber come here, lots of classic locomotive still work around our area. I've tried to get Jawtooth or MillenniumForce to tour through this area at one time, but now the boarder is close due to the covid-19 pandemic. The second problem is if the pandemic doesn't end in time. This shortline operator contract ends in December 2020 and it will likely be these locomotives will be moved elsewhere. Somebody like Delay in Block Productions won't have the chance to cover it.

[@RailPreserver2K]

@@Trains4Fun are all the locomotives owned by the same company or are they going to be retired and sold Once the lease expires

[@Trains4Fun]

The company Ontario Southland Railway (OSR) owns all the locomotives on it's roster. They have purchased many old second hand locomotives from various operators and some gone out of business. This is why you can see and old TH&B, Classic CP with Pacman logo and BCOL locomotive all in one train and sometimes a ex-CP caboose almost unchanged. It quite a fantastic site really.

[@Trains4Fun]

I can't say for certain what will happen with the locomotives. There are other areas OSR operates from, but they might have to liquidate some of them, because they'll just have too many not operating unless they can acquire some more running right / contracts jobs elsewhere to move them too.

[@RailPreserver2K]

@@Trains4Fun or they can give say 3 or 4 of the units to any museums that would be intrested in some of them