8 March 2010

The Real Ladysmith Diamond

Esquimalt & Nanaimo diesel locomotive CP 8008 passing the interlocking tower at the Diamond - Date unknown Ladysmith Archives 2007 034 1423.

Ladysmith Vancouver Island British Columbia - It's not really anything you can take to the bank, but Ladysmith had its own diamond. Not a jewel, but a functional one. As trains became more essential it naturally brought a large problem when routes crossed.
 
We have crossings on our highways, but that is really easy, just put up a traffic signal. Not so with railways. The way different tracks crossed became a bit of a problem.
 
One of the reasons that Ladysmith came into existence had to do with how trains crossed over other train tracks. When Dunsmuir started to expand his operation south he found it necessary to cross the tracks of a rival. His request was denied. So instead of the coal going directly to the water, it was brought to Ladysmith.
 

The Diamond Crossing located just north of Ladysmith. From left to right is the Comox Logging Company's diesel with a string of loaded log cars on the Ladysmith to Nanaimo Lake railway. Macmillan and Bloedel steam locomotive number 1055 at the entrance to MacMillian and Bloedel marshalling yard. On the right is an E&N diesel locomotive on their mainline - Circa 1060 Ladysmith Archives 2007 034 1383.
 
 
I guess you can say that dispute was indirectly responsible for Ladysmith. It was always a bit of a war with competing companies.
 

Ladysmith tower levers and interlocking rods -
Date/photograher unknown.
 
 
Later in history the same mining company that refused Dunsmuir had to cross his tracks. In the middle of the night they installed their own crossing. Needless to say, that just added fuel to the fire.
 
But, back to the reason for "The Diamond." When two tracks cross, they often form a geometric pattern. The diamond crossing is exactly that.
 
In the middle of a track crossing there is a cast piece of metal called a "frog." The one at the crossing here formed the shape of a perfect diamond. Hence it was nicknamed "The Diamond." It was also a point that miners used to go to for the daily train to the mines, so it became a recognized location.
 
Originally it was only a crossing for the Dunsmuir mine trains over the E&N Railway. Once mining ceased it was greatly expanded. It was the jumping off point for the Comox Logging Company's trains. It became necessary to have some method of control of where the trains would go.
 
That resulted in the construction of the two story tower beside the tracks. Its purpose was to house the "armstrong" switching mechanism that controlled the direction trains went on the tracks.
 
A system of mechanical levers, long steel rods beside the tracks, and track switches changed the direction.
 
The building housed the controls and a modern radio system allowed the operators to talk to the trains and route them in the desired direction.
 
The control of the tower was the responsibility of the Comox Logging Company and it became the hub of all the rail traffic on their operation.
 
As the logging railways were gone and all the tracks taken up, the switch tower and the diamond crossing were removed. The levers that controlled track direction are on display as part of our Artifact Tour, on First Ave and Warren Street.
 
We have the original blue print diagram of the settings for the levers. The tower is now gone, but the whole area lives on as the name.
 
In the early days the Diamond had its own store and an entire small community surrounded it. As well, there was a beer bottling plant there.
 
The area will always be the Diamond.
 
Thomas Wagner.