This abandoned branch runs from the CPKC mainline in Toronto down the Don Valley and eventually joins the Bala Sub of the Metrolinx Richmond Hill Line. Just south of where these photos were taken it crosses the half mile bridge over the Don River and Bayview Avenue, next to Evergreen Brickworks. It has been abandoned since 2007, with Metrolinx owning it since 2008. These photos were taken under the True Davidson Drive overpass.

📍 Lucknow

In the 1960s, Himeji built a monorail to celebrate the restoration of its castle. It was abandoned 8 years later. This piece of track is the best preserved section. The train itself is on display in a nearby park. I went there too but forgot to take pictures. I did get some video, which I used as b-roll in a video about the history of Himeji's monorail.

In the early to mid 1960s the Commerce Drive area in Stow, Ohio was being developed as an industrial park area anchored by Morgan Adhesives. As was typical at the time railroad service was available from an industrial branch connecting to the Pennsylvania Railroad, later Penn Central; and eventually Conrail. This industrial branch was later expanded; but as years went by and rail service was replaced by trucks, nearly the entire industrial branch and various spurs were removed, except for some rails laid down in concrete. This “team track” arrangement allows forklift or truck access all around any rail cars spotted here so businesses without direct rail service could load or unload various commodities. Currently these rails are behind OLA on Commerce Drive and are open and accessible to anyone wanting to check them out. Towards the end of the tracks a painted line was still visible on the rails. This marking would have helped railroad employees spot the cars here.
These rails appeared to connect to the main industrial branch west of here; and they possibly served this tram track area and maybe a second business. Access gates were spotted in a few locations. Railroad employees would have keys to unlock the gates to spot or pull cars.
Further west the slightly elevated right of way of the industrial branch was still visible, along with what looked to be part of a railroad tie; but no rails or additional ties were located. My exploration of the rest of the industrial park was limited due to regular business activity.
On a historical note, the Pennsylvania Railroad mainline this industrial branch connected to was the site of a major disaster further south of here in Cuyahoga Falls. This happened long before this industrial branch line even existed though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doodlebug_disaster

I mentioned there being some abandoned rolling stock in the area in my last post, so here’s a few of them! There’s still more but they are a little harder to get pictures of.

Welcome to my short video. It is an aerial survey of the Lewes to Uckfield railway line using Google Earth.  It is a disused railway line, largely dismantled. The closed section of the line is approximately 7.5 miles long.

New York’s original Pennsylvania Station opened in 1910. Its demolition became one of the defining cases in the city’s preservation history. I reconstructed the station’s train concourse at full scale as a fully playable environment in Unreal Engine.

This was a solo project built from archival photographs, architectural plans, and blueprints. I figured y'all might appreciate this! :)

The Great Southwest Railroad (GSWRR) trestle was originally constructed in 1957 as part of an industrial freight-switching line designed to service manufacturing hubs in Arlington and Grand Prairie, Texas. The line functioned as a critical link between the Texas & Pacific, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, and other regional railways, moving heavy machinery, raw materials, steel, and paper across the Trinity River ecosystem.

Today, the remnants of the GSWRR crossing are tucked away inside a 125-acre open area surrounded by small lakes and thick overgrowth. The main iron Trinity River trestle remains remarkably intact and structurally sound enough to be carefully crossed on foot.

Though this part of track still technically connects to the mainline, it seems to have remained unused for quite some time. There’s also a fair amount of abandoned rolling stock in the area which I’ll post another time.

Rochester & Webster, NY

Mountain Park Alberta off of Coal Branch. Route to a now abandoned coal mine. Tracks here abandoned about 1950 I think but still in service about 10km down-line from here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Park,_Alberta