Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Harbourview Park & Train Viewing

Greetings all,

For those of you North shore parents looking for a good afternoon walk and, of course, a venue for your children to view some live trains up close, you should check out Harbourview Park. Tucked in behind the Lynnterm port terminal, this little out of the way park is adjacent to the cargo terminal where the CN trains regularly come in and out for loading. Unlike the areas on the Lower Road E. where the trains run alongside the road, but there are few spots to stop and observe up close, this park provides a handy little parking lot where you can hop out and watch the trains roll by with little difficulty. The trains aren't always moving of course, but they're regularly starting and stopping during the loading process.

As a bonus, the park also sports a nice trail that snakes its way along the river all the way out to the container loading facility. Nothwithstanding the nice walk (approx 500-700m I'd guess), you'll also get a chance to see several large cranes (see photo) that are much akin to "Cranky the Crane" from Sodor, and usually a supersize freighter that you can observe getting loaded up.



One note: It is a difficult little park to find. You need to head under the tracks via Mountain Highway, take your first right, then follow the signs for the park. See below for some landmark signs to guide you there.....note the Harbourview Park sign is a little bent out of shape. Very easy to miss as a result.



Anyhow, check it out. I hope you and your kids enjoy.

Cheers, Steve

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