Railfanning Greater Montreal and area without a car

Hello,
In August, I'm going to take a trip to Montreal and Toronto. I'm interested in railfanning in and around those cities. I WON'T have a car, so public transportation to the places is a a must. I'm also going to be in Quebec City and Ottawa. I heard Dorval is a very good spot. Thanks.

It's going to be tough without a car. Rental ? One thing that I highly suggest is the museum in Dorval - a great place !

No, the Exporail museum is in Saint-Constant, on the south shore. It is accessible by train : the Saint-Constant train station is within walking distance. The train line is only operational during weekdays (6 departures in each direction), though. However, AMT sometimes organises train trips to the museum (train and museum tickets are included in the deal). Here is the link to AMT's "Bucolic Getaways". The Museum express is at the bottom of the page :
http://amt.qc.ca/corp_template.aspx?id= ... gType=1033

Travelling within Montreal is't a problem. The subway system is fast and reliable and the bus service is frequent. The Dorval train station is indeed a good spot for railfanning and is accessible by commuter train, even on weekends. There is also a bus terminus at this train station, so getting there from downtown shoudn't be a problem.

I suggest you also visit Lucien-L'Allier train station during rush hour. There is a lot of acivity going, with many types of rolling stock (NJT units, ex-Amtraks, ex-GO Transit, etc).

AMT also received it's first dual mode ALP-45DP recently. You might get a chance to see it in testing!

Yes. I wrote Dorval and I was thinking Delson. Is that the same place as St. Constant ?

3rdrail wrote:Yes. I wrote Dorval and I was thinking Delson. Is that the same place as St. Constant ?

Yes, Delson is a small town next to Saint-Constant. But the museum is near Saint-Constant train station, Delson station is further away (near the beginning of CP's Rouses Point sub) and the commuter train line goes up to Candiac also.

thanks for the rundown guys. The museum sounds interesting, but I will most likely not have time. Lucien-L'-L'Allier seems very nice, and I probably will fan there in the morning.
In the city of Montreal itself, what areas are good for railfanning? Outside of the city, I'm probably going to go to Dorval, St. Catherines, Deux-Montagnes.
As far as AMT train riding goes, I'm going to ride to Deux-Montagnes, and either one of the diesel lines that VIA rail doesn't run on or along. Maybe go to Cantic, or up to St. Jerome, and then a bus to the Metro.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote: In the city of Montreal itself, what areas are good for railfanning? Outside of the city, I'm probably going to go to Dorval, St. Catherines, Deux-Montagnes.

Montréal-Ouest station is also a good spot for railfanning. Three lines converge at this station (Vaudreuil-Hudson, Blainville-Saint-Jérôme and Candiac). Easily accessible by train and not very far from downtown.

Saint-Lambert station (near Victoria bridge) in Longueuil on the south shore is also a good spot for CN, VIA, Amtrak and AMT trains.

Near downtown, there is the Wellingtion street bridge, over the Lachine canal, where you can see a lot of VIA and AMT trains.

As far as AMT train riding goes, I'm going to ride to Deux-Montagnes, and either one of the diesel lines that VIA rail doesn't run on or along. Maybe go to Cantic, or up to St. Jerome, and then a bus to the Metro.

I think you mean Candiac. There is no AMT line named "Cantic". I would suggest the Blainville-Saint-Jérôme line, because it's easier to do a round trip by train. Also, there is a frequent express bus service between Montmorency metro station and Saint-Jérôme train station, via Blainville and Sainte-Thérèse stations (CIT Laurentides route 9). I don't think there is a similar bus service along the Candiac line.

I checked the St. Jerome Line, and saw that it's a "one way rush hour" service line to St. Jerome. I would take AMT one way and then take a bus to the Metro back. How's the photography situation at St. Jerome? Regarding Candiac, I saw that I can do a midday roundtrip on that line.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:I checked the St. Jerome Line, and saw that it's a "one way rush hour" service line to St. Jerome. I would take AMT one way and then take a bus to the Metro back. How's the photography situation at St. Jerome? Regarding Candiac, I saw that I can do a midday roundtrip on that line.

I never went all the way up to Saint-Jérôme, but the train station is known to be very nice looking.

Dorval - great spot and they won't bother you on the VIA side. You can stay out of the rain if you need to as well. Hobby Junction Express is right down the street about a 10 minute walk. You can ride VIA from Gare Centrale to Dorval/return using the airport direct service or you can ride AMT. If you do ride AMT, I think the Pine Beach AMT stop is closer to Hobby Jct. than Dorval VIA station.

AMT - we have been told by several Montreal locals that the AMT doesn't allow you to stand on their platforms without a ticket. The tickets are cheap though.

The old Wellington Tower location on Lachine Canal is great, the bike paths there make it easy to walk around and try shots from different locations. Look for the bus company, the old tower is at the back of their parking lot.

Thanks for the heads up about the no photo policy wthout a ticket, on AMT property. Where are the AMT platforms in Dorval, in relation to the VIA ones, directionwise? Of course, I'll be using AMT to go to Dorval.

The two tracks by the Dorval station (closest) are CN-VIA. The two farthest away are CP-AMT. You can walk under the street bridge or walk to the bus station next door and take the tunnel under all 4 tracks to switch sides.

It's not a no photo policy.......AMT Platforms are considered a "Fare Paid Zone" so if you have a ticket, you should be fine. I've never been stopped but you can get good shots from the adjacent platforms at the VIA Dorval Station.






And if you've looking for a room with a view.....I'll suggest the Fairfield Inn (here......to the left of the P42)

Very nice shots! I may look into that Fairfield Inn, especially since it's on the way to Toronto.

Where is the old Wellington Tower in relation to Downtown Montreal? Thanks.

Where Rue Wellington crosses Lachine Canal. http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=rkfn57 ... orm=LMLTCC