How Far Do You Think To The Next Gas Station?

Day 8 : 28th September 1996

“Could be worse. could be raining”

To get some bearing on this Canadian wander it’s best to understand the line. The Algoma Central is basically a North-South route. Starting in Sault san Marie, where it essentially serves the vast Steelton steel mills the line drives North all the way, crossing both Trans-continental main lines before reaching the town of Hearst at the cold end of Canada. Apart from a branch to an iron ore plant at Mitchiposomewhere on Lake Superior, that’s it. Passenger operations consisted of one local train each way a day over the whole line and the tour trains which ONLY do a 228 mile round trip on the bottom end of the line to Aguwa Canyon.

Day had still to appear when morning arrived and having parked the car and collected our pre-booked ticket we wandered onto the platform to be confronted by a massive rake of stock. Having found our coach somewhere toward the front Barry and I found our seats while a slightly sleepy Smurf wandered off into the dark in search of the front and locomotives. His return was swift and in a now more animated state he asked “dreadful! Guess how many locos on?”. “three” ventured Barry, “four” I said hopefully. “FIVE!” bellowed Smurf and performed a sort of cross between a flail and a jig. Well, our thoughts on how we were going to get all seven of Algoma’s Fs in two days started to appear a bit academic. Only two to go already!

Departure and dawn came about the same time and as day light came it revealed the true wonder of this line. This has to be one of the must do train journeys in the world. The line weaves through forest from lake to hill side and back again and with the trees in their autumn colours, even on a dull day, it is a sight to behold.

Apparently, some people come here for the scenery!

The on-train staff showed no nanny pretensions about opening up the top half of the coach doors to take in the whole experience. A bizarre combination leaning out, tourists photing forest, us photing F units. The whole run is magnificent but there are a couple of high lights.

Firstly the Montreal Falls Trestle. A massive bridge; probably twice the length of Ribblehead, at least twice as high, straight in the middle, curved at each end and built into a hydro-electric dam. Who says there isn’t a prototype for every model railway.

Oh! And you still couldn’t see both ends of the train at once. Turns out it was load 29!

Montreal Falls Trestle. So that’s where railway modellers get their inspiration from.

A second highlight is the climb to the highest point on the line, imaginatively named “SUMMIT”

Any thought that “five Fs must be overkill” were scotched by this as we crawled up at no more than 20. The noise was incredible, all five locos absolutely full bore with great columns of clag going skywards as one or other of them slipped or tried to make transition then fell back. If anyone had carried the idea that these were simply quick re-paints from the scrap yard VIA units they had recently been it was gone by now. A true credit to Wisconsin’s North Fondu Lac shops and AC s Steelton engine shops!

From Summit the only way is down, a long, snaking drop with views over Lake Superior to the trains destination. Aguwa Canyon.

Arrival at the canyon was unfortunately met by a grey gloom, the kind that could be mist or low cloud, which clung to the trees and rock faces. While some of the better prepared tourist types headed of up some of the hill walking routes, we contented ourselves photing the train and what could be seen of the scenery. All was well until someone uttered that phrase “could be worse, could be raining”. And so of course, it then was!

3 men, 5 locos, 29 cars and 114 miles back to the bar.

The Canyon. Nuff said.

Sheltering beneath an old passenger car that formed a kind of shop cum visitor orientation centre; I pondered the sense in coming so far to such a place so badly prepared. It was rapidly becoming apparent that this was much more than a train trip. Assuming of course you came dressed for the occasion, which we weren’t!

Still at least we could come back tomorrow, everyone else there would probably be on the next bus of their “world tour of everywhere”.

With time marching on the staff were soon rounding up stragglers. With everyone back aboard we set off and enjoyed a repeat performance by the scenery back to Sault san Marie. By the time we arrived the weather had cleared up considerably so we decided to take the car back to a road we’d seen from the train and try and phot the local running in behind the tour train. Fortunately for us we caught it lakeside a few miles North of town lead by 1753 on the last few miles of it’s trip down from the edge of the Arctic circle.

1753 runs it’s last few miles of the day down to Sault San Marie.

From here it was back to town for a look at the Canadian Nation yard to see if there was anything about. With the exception of two stabled switchers to phot there wasn’t, so back to the hotel and into town. Dinner was found in a restaurant cum pub (with some good dark beer) before Barry and I decided to see what else town had to offer; Smurf opted for an early night. A short wander and we came across a suitable venue which had evidently once been a shop but was now a kind of bar/amusement arcade called “Top Hat” (!!!). this was not as bad as it sounds and was sociably busy. It had beer, Southern Comfort and air hockey, what more do you need? Several drinks and many defeats on the hockey table (for me at least) we attempted to return quietly to the hotel. Of course, as always when you’ve had a few, someone had turned up the volume on our room! Much muttering from Smurf and so to bed.

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