Canadian Railroads > Algoma Easter weekend, trains, no scanner and a camera.

Like Train 611 I decided to take a little trip on Friday and Saturday of Easter weekend. My trip from Ottawa, was to Sault Ste Marie, ON to photograph the Algoma Central trains 631 and 632. When I decided to make the 500 mile trip to the Sault these trains were to be discontinued, first at the end of March, then an extension to the end of April was granted. This gave me an opportunity to see the ACR passenger train service one last time.

Note:(On April 14th, Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, announced that the Government of Canada will extend its $2.2-million federal subsidy to CN for the operation of the Algoma Central Railway (ACR) passenger rail service between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, Ontario until March 31, 2015.)

Good Friday April 18,2014

Photo:1

Mattawa, ON. Former CPR station now used the by the Genesee & Wyoming's Ottawa Valley Railway. The tracks in the foreground is belong to the now defunct North Bay sub Chalk River and Smith Falls, ON. the track be fine the station are still in use today and head north to Temiscaming, QC.

Photo:2

Ontario Northland shops, North Bay, ON. Another piece of G&W's empire, Goderich-Exeter Rly GP40-2L 3030 (ex-CN 9431)and a GO Transit bi-level coach and behind it the top of the ONR's super dome Otter Rapids.

Photo:3

Steelton Yard, Sault Ste Marie, ON. I just learnt earlier this year that ACR trains 631 and 632 use Steelton Yard as the Sault station stop. Only the tour trains continue to use the downtown site at Station Mall. The ACR will call a taxi for anyone who has to go the downtown station/ticket office. CN 104 started life as Amtrak 242, then Denver Ski train 242 before coming to Canada.

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa ON

Part 2 after Easter dinner.

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Nice time to be out with the camera.

Looks like you will see some history taking place.

Thanks for the photos.

611

Nice photos, that's a heck of a place for the gun camera on 104

Its a camera that hooks up to monitors in the back of coach seats, similar to airline monitiors.

Allows people to see the train out front as you go along. Theres lots of moose-bears etc the you see from the engine but run away before the coach passengers see them. This way the passengers see them as well-kinda neat!

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

Nice selection of photographs. I almost picked some really crappy work last week just to have Friday and a four day weekend to drive up and ride the train to Hearst and back and drive back home. I just couldn't see spending that much money for such a short trip and am glad I decided not to do it, especially after the funding was extended. It is still on my to do list but hopefully with a couple extra days to do more stuff.

So did the crews seem happy about the extension or could they care less?

Jim

algoma11 Wrote:
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> Its a camera that hooks up to monitors in the back
> of coach seats, similar to airline monitiors.
>
> Allows people to see the train out front as you go
> along. Theres lots of moose-bears etc the you see
> from the engine but run away before the coach
> passengers see them. This way the passengers see
> them as well-kinda neat!

Is there any way to shut it off? The passengers don't need to see a car or a moose get hit.
Might spoil their dinner.

tq-07fan Wrote:
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> So did the crews seem happy about the extension or
> could they care less?
>
> Jim


Everyone I spoke to seemed genuine pleased that the service has been extended. I chatted with the crew, the ticket agent and five or six locals over the weekend.

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa ON

The animals virtually never get hit,they look up and away they go, but the passengers get a kick out of even a glipmse of wildlife.Trains only average 35-40 mph.

As far as ruining your dinner.Theres no food service on the train so you bring what you want to eat.

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

algoma11 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The animals virtually never get hit,they look up
> and away they go, but the passengers get a kick
> out of even a glipmse of wildlife.Trains only
> average 35-40 mph.
>
> As far as ruining your dinner.Theres no food
> service on the train so you bring what you want to
> eat.


Still don't think Grandma needs to see the village idiot when he races the train to the crossing, and loses...

this being the ACR, doubt there are many active crossings to start with !

This train is total wilderness-few village idiots-few villages and very very few grade crossings.

Not even the kind of country for grandmas! Mostly hunters,fisherman,people going to their camps and lets not forget the beaver man. A colorful fellow sort of a cross between crocodile dundee and davey crocket who is hired by the railroad to trap beavers and blow up ( yes dynmite) dams that threaten the culverts and right of way.

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON