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TORONTO - WINNIPEG
SATURDAY
26th JULY 1997
The route of the "Canadian" from Toronto to Vancouver
Map courtesy of VIA
The tail car of the "Canadian" seen beneath the roof of Toronto union station with the CN Tower behind
I went
down to the waterfront by LRT again and looked at the ships and pleasure steamers. After
that I had a walk
around part
of the
central business district. It’s strange to walk by grills in the pavement and feel
a blast of hot air
from the
air-conditioning
The "Canadian" stands in Toronto Union station before departure for Vancouver
The train departed late at 11.07 with 19 cars, including a baggage, 4 coach class cars, 4 dome cars and 10 sleepers. The route was out via CN to Snider. As the route from here is now closed we backed up on a spur onto the main CN east-west freight route before heading off to Doncaster and then onto the Bala sub-division towards Washago. At 13.00 running along the shores of Lake Simcoe. The train stopped at Washago at 13.30 and then crossed over the swing bridge over the Severn River- this flows up to Hudson Bay.
Two views taken as the train headed west through Western Ontario and into the Canadian Shield
The train entered the
Canadian Shield a vast area of bare rock, low drumlins and trees. At 15.25 we
passed the holiday resort of Parry Sound with the CP line running
The view from the rear dome-car as the train heads across western Ontario
At 17.30 crossed two vvide rivers., the Pickerel and French
River one after the other. At 18.10 the train entered a very rocky area which is
believed to have been caused by either a meteorite or volcanic activity. The
area around Sudbury is notorious for its nickel mining and slag heaps . The
train stood at Sudbury Junction for a few minutes, a really appallingly
god-forsaken spot.
At
Capreol, where there was a 20 minute stop, I was having dinner so
couldn’t get out. There was a preserved CNR 4-8-2 on the platform. The station
is a division
point with loco depot and yards and several freights were
waiting to follow
or cross us. The countryside continued to be rocky with bogs and beaver lakes in
the forests.
SUNDAY 27th JULY 1997
I woke at 6.00 with the train still running through the Canadian Shield but now two hours late. Apparently an old lady had died during the night and the train had been delayed waiting an ambulance. At Longlac we passed the eastbound “Canadian” running two and a half hours late. The town is apparently multi-lingual and there is a long lake . A freight only branch line diverges here to run to Lake Superior.
The train was
travelling faster and the sun was out. At Armstrong there is a railway division
point and the train was watered here. To do this the train vas moved forward no
less than eight
The "Canadian" stands at Sioux Lookout during its refuelling stop
At Sioux Lookout there was a scheduled 20 minute stop for loco refuelling
but this was considerable extended due to waiting an eastbound freight. The town
here is a real one-horse affair, dust roads, lots of Indians and no phone at the
station so no chance to phone home as planned. West of Sioux country changes to lake country with a floatplane seen
landing on one. The line then climbs into a more rocky and
Concerns
Crossing the Red River on the approach to Winnipeg
After Elna comes the changes to the prairies. The line runs straight and the countryside opens up with the occasional farm and road, although it is still heavily wooded. On the approach to Winnipeg the line crosses over one of the flood channels for the Red River.
The "Canadian" approaches the Winnipeg skyline
The buildings of Winnipeg are visible although
it is still 15 miles away.
The "Canadian" pulls into Winnipeg station
All the passengers were required to leave the train for the crew change and cleaning of the train. I went to see the locos being refuelled and to see the first of many long grain trains I would see in the next few days. The station has four platforms with the main concourse being in the subway.
The "Canadian" is fuelled and washed as its stands at Winnipeg station
Winnipeg station exterior
There
are two services from Winnipeg each running three times a week - the The
"Canadian” and
the “Hudson Bay” to Churchill. The empty stock of the "Hudson Bay"
passes through on the
avoiding lines behind the station. I went out into the street to look at
Winnipeg close up. Unfortunately time didn't allow me to wander very far. Despite large buildings it has more of a frontier feel to it
than the eastern cities.
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