Below, is the profile for the Nipigon Subdivision from 1915,
showing the altitude above sea level in feet. As you can see, most
of the line lies just above the level of Lake Superior (602 feet - variable).
Westbound, the biggest challenge of grade and curvature (the ruling
grade) will be between Pearl and Loon.
For eastbounds, it's the last little part of the trip between Rossport and Schreiber which is the hardest. During the steam days, it was routine to assign a "pusher" locomotive at the bottom of the hill to economically provide the extra power to get a train into Schreiber. By the way, in Schreiber a "pusher" went on the headend of a train. In other places "helper" would describe an extra locomotive at the headend.
For eastbounds, it's the last little part of the trip between Rossport and Schreiber which is the hardest. During the steam days, it was routine to assign a "pusher" locomotive at the bottom of the hill to economically provide the extra power to get a train into Schreiber. By the way, in Schreiber a "pusher" went on the headend of a train. In other places "helper" would describe an extra locomotive at the headend.
Traffic Control - Two different methods
CTC (Centralized traffic control) - In the 1953 timetable, the Selim (Winston area on the profile) to Schreiber section was shown to have CTC, meaning that a human electrically monitored the positions of trains and changed important trackside signals by remote control to direct the trains and helper engines between these two locations. This was a good idea on this busy piece of track where helpers often returned "light" (not coupled to a train) to wait for the next train needing help. There were no radios on the trains, but there was likely a trackside phone at Selim which was connected to the dispatcher.ABS (Automatic block signals) - In contrast, in 1953 over the rest of the 555 mile division, simple protective signal circuits connected to coloured trackside signal lights (or sometimes semaphore arms) helped protect against collisions. However, in this case it was the rules, the timetable, and written train orders from the Schreiber dispatcher which "directed traffic" - not the coloured lights. These "dumb" signals were not connected to a traffic controller and they just told train crews to slow down or stop because "something" was on the track ahead of them.
Eric's westbound trip begins - the camera is facing east, out of the tailend window
The train above was photographed at around 09hr. The shadows
appear to indicate that it is travelling northwest.
In the timetable, it is a westbound (odd-numbered ) train going to Vancouver.
It is moving northwest but travelling "timetable west".
Below, is an intriguing little spot just four miles west of Schreiber.
On the headend, it is very clear that the first ten miles or so are downhill
and constantly curving. The maximum speed for a freight would be
about 40 mph at any point. I think the embankment at mile 3.5 to mile 4
was originally the site of a wooden "horseshoe trestle". Civil engineers
used the trestle to artificially suspend the line in the air to smooth the
descent and curvature to reasonable limits. Later, just like many other
spots on the line, the temporary wooden trestle would have been filled
in with earth and rock. On a flat spot at mileage 5.1, where the track parallels
the contour lines, was once the siding named "Horn" - just 27 cars long.
In the timetable, it is a westbound (odd-numbered ) train going to Vancouver.
It is moving northwest but travelling "timetable west".
Imagine the railway line is invisible on the map, and that
it is your assignment as a civil engineer to locate the line as economically
as possible ...
Here is my brother's first picture west of Schreiber, looking out the back of The Canadian's dome car. It is pretty clear that the train is descending down the "pusher grade" from Schreiber to Selim.
Next is the east switch at Selim. If you like word games, see if you can obtain a common family name by rearranging the letters in "Selim". Don't mix them up too much.
OK, now try "Navilus", another station on this subdivision.
So this end of Selim siding is where eastbound (to Schreiber) trains would take on an extra "pusher" steam locomotive which would help them climb that grade with all its curves. In the distance the main line, siding and "back track" converge at two CTC signals which control the traffic up the hill.
There was once a telegraph operator at the station at our next stop, Rossport. Automotive experts would probably confirm my guess that this postcard was photographed in the 1950s. The sawmill parking lot is jammed because this is probably the time of the Rossport Fishing Derby - its heyday was between 1937 and 1966. A local history says that people slept in their cars and in tents to be able to participate. Like Coldwell on the Heron Bay Sub, this town was famous for its lake trout and the commercial harvest from 20 fishing boats sometimes topped 375 tons in a year. There are numerous accounts of lake trout being furnished directly to passing CPR dining cars. At one time, both the fish packing plant here and at Coldwell were owned by the Nicol family.
You can easily see the railway line, and a rail car, at the right edge of the photograph and the line passes behind most of the village as it continues west. Before the modern Trans-Canada Highway, the road you see was the main road through this area. Some postcards refer to it as "The Schreiber Highway".
This postcard cost me $25.
You're welcome.
Rolly and Dave Speer (his "mate" in the cab of The Canadian
) once took us on a fishing expedition through the nearby islands
on Lake Superior at Rossport. The fishing was great. As we travelled
among the islands, the changes of temperature, weather, and wave height
on this large inland sea were remarkable.
Eric's trip continues as we look out the tailend of the westbound Canadian near mileage 17. He's spent about the last 2.5 miles making a 180 degree turn around the end of Rossport Point. We're looking out at islands in Lake Superior. This is 1880s railway line location at its most elegant - a little rock cut on the left, a little rock fill on the right, and high enough so that we don't get flooded or blocked with lake ice during extreme water/ice movements.
Below is 1880s railway line location at its most difficult. We are still close to the shore, but to maintain the gradient, it was necessary to drill and blast through the rock.
From the photo location above, we have travelled 8 miles by rail along the shore (compared to 4.5 miles straight across the water). Notice the rock slide fence at the left and above the track: falling rock or ice breaks the wires and sets the signals to "stop". After stopping, trains may proceed, but ready to stop for obstructions on the track.
Almost immediately, we are at Pays Plat Tunnel at mile 26. You can have a little tunnel or you can move all that rock. More rock slide fence, too. If you are communicating on the radio, forget your high school French - it's "Payz Platt".
For the next 25 miles, the train is mainly travelling a "water-level route" and continuing to curve around large bays.
Below, almost at Firehill siding at mile 54, Eric's train just went over the Jackfish River with Fire Hill in the background.
The Nipigon station still existed in the late 1970s. On one westbound trip, I was riding the van because the senior trainman was being trained in locomotive operation on the headend. True to Nipigon Sub tradition, the conductor was riding on the left side of the cupola to inspect his train around the many large bays (real reason: the scenery is nicer on that side). When we were near Nipigon, we spotted some loose "band iron" - those straps of steel which hold lumber loads on cars. Sometimes they break and flap in the breeze. As trainmen were required to detrain at sidings and stand fairly close to the track in deep snow to inspect passing trains, it was generally beneficial to avoid having loose 3 inch steel straps randomly whistling their song of death through the air. We made an unscheduled evening stop at the old Nipigon station and at sunset used a brand new fire axe from the van to chop off the offending length of steel strap.
Below, in a postcard by Harry R. Oakman of Peterborough, we see Nipigon years earlier. We are looking roughly north-northeast. Halfway down the right side, you can see that the CNR Kinghorn Sub (formerly the Canadian Northern Railway) has just passed under both the Trans-Canada and the CPR where the latter two crossed the Nipigon River. Here, the CNoR was built much closer to the level of the Nipigon River and it will be between the CPR and Lake Superior until we arrive at Thunder Bay. The Nipigon River flows left to right into Lake Superior. You can also see the old Nipigon station, the curving "east leg of the wye", and a black water tower for the benefit of steam locomotives. A main street "shopping district" is right behind the station.
Below, you can see how (deep breath) Mackenzie and Mann's, Canadian Northern, transcontinental mainline, to Thunder Bay ... was built by filling along the shore which had been solely occupied by the CPR. We are just outside of Red Rock at mile 67.5 along the mouth of the Nipigon River. On the Canadian National line, down and to the right, you can see an orange gasoline-powered "speeder". A CNR track foreman is out tightening bolts or tapping loose spikes back in. The track branching off the CPR line swings over to the CN side because both railways served the waterfront Domtar plant at Red Rock.
Fun, eh? ...
For even more fun, try this puzzle when standing in the middle of a
forest, in the 1880s, without a map made from RCAF aerial "stereo pair"
photography.
Here is my brother's first picture west of Schreiber, looking out the back of The Canadian's dome car. It is pretty clear that the train is descending down the "pusher grade" from Schreiber to Selim.
Next is the east switch at Selim. If you like word games, see if you can obtain a common family name by rearranging the letters in "Selim". Don't mix them up too much.
OK, now try "Navilus", another station on this subdivision.
So this end of Selim siding is where eastbound (to Schreiber) trains would take on an extra "pusher" steam locomotive which would help them climb that grade with all its curves. In the distance the main line, siding and "back track" converge at two CTC signals which control the traffic up the hill.
There was once a telegraph operator at the station at our next stop, Rossport. Automotive experts would probably confirm my guess that this postcard was photographed in the 1950s. The sawmill parking lot is jammed because this is probably the time of the Rossport Fishing Derby - its heyday was between 1937 and 1966. A local history says that people slept in their cars and in tents to be able to participate. Like Coldwell on the Heron Bay Sub, this town was famous for its lake trout and the commercial harvest from 20 fishing boats sometimes topped 375 tons in a year. There are numerous accounts of lake trout being furnished directly to passing CPR dining cars. At one time, both the fish packing plant here and at Coldwell were owned by the Nicol family.
You can easily see the railway line, and a rail car, at the right edge of the photograph and the line passes behind most of the village as it continues west. Before the modern Trans-Canada Highway, the road you see was the main road through this area. Some postcards refer to it as "The Schreiber Highway".
This postcard cost me $25.
You're welcome.
Eric's trip continues as we look out the tailend of the westbound Canadian near mileage 17. He's spent about the last 2.5 miles making a 180 degree turn around the end of Rossport Point. We're looking out at islands in Lake Superior. This is 1880s railway line location at its most elegant - a little rock cut on the left, a little rock fill on the right, and high enough so that we don't get flooded or blocked with lake ice during extreme water/ice movements.
Below is 1880s railway line location at its most difficult. We are still close to the shore, but to maintain the gradient, it was necessary to drill and blast through the rock.
From the photo location above, we have travelled 8 miles by rail along the shore (compared to 4.5 miles straight across the water). Notice the rock slide fence at the left and above the track: falling rock or ice breaks the wires and sets the signals to "stop". After stopping, trains may proceed, but ready to stop for obstructions on the track.
Almost immediately, we are at Pays Plat Tunnel at mile 26. You can have a little tunnel or you can move all that rock. More rock slide fence, too. If you are communicating on the radio, forget your high school French - it's "Payz Platt".
The next photograph from a CP Rail publication was taken
at mile 27, just a few years before my brief stint as a trainman. The
cars and power (5538 is leading the eastbound freight)
are exactly correct for "my era".
Power fanatics might notice the "old cow" (obviously hoggers had great affection for them) B-unit at the trailing end of the power consist. These were the technological killers of steam locomotives on the line in the 1950s. There were some of these old B-units still in service on freight when I worked in the late 1970s. The original steam locomotive replacements were often mated pairs of one A-unit (with locomotive controls and a cab for a road crew) and one B-unit (locomotive with no cab). Without external walkways like the more modern SDs ahead of it, you walked inside a malfunctioning B-unit beside the diesel motor and electrical generator to fiddle with things - a warm and intimate experience with thundering steel and hot fluids.
Power fanatics might notice the "old cow" (obviously hoggers had great affection for them) B-unit at the trailing end of the power consist. These were the technological killers of steam locomotives on the line in the 1950s. There were some of these old B-units still in service on freight when I worked in the late 1970s. The original steam locomotive replacements were often mated pairs of one A-unit (with locomotive controls and a cab for a road crew) and one B-unit (locomotive with no cab). Without external walkways like the more modern SDs ahead of it, you walked inside a malfunctioning B-unit beside the diesel motor and electrical generator to fiddle with things - a warm and intimate experience with thundering steel and hot fluids.
Below is a map showing this mile 27, Cavers area. If you
attend "railway shows" in eastern Canada, you may know that Larry Leach
was born at Cavers and that his father was a telegraph operator at this
location. Larry sells high quality railway memorabilia.
The photo above was taken from atop the tunnel at mile 27 on the map, looking north (timetable west). While the CPR "negotiated" with nature in locating on a rocky ledge, the Trans-Canada just blasted across country. On "Cavers Hill" the road cuts through quite a few contour lines - it is a long, steep hill.
The photo above was taken from atop the tunnel at mile 27 on the map, looking north (timetable west). While the CPR "negotiated" with nature in locating on a rocky ledge, the Trans-Canada just blasted across country. On "Cavers Hill" the road cuts through quite a few contour lines - it is a long, steep hill.
(By the way, I clumsily numbered all of these
maps years ago, before websites were even dreamt of.)
For the next 25 miles, the train is mainly travelling a "water-level route" and continuing to curve around large bays.
Below, almost at Firehill siding at mile 54, Eric's train just went over the Jackfish River with Fire Hill in the background.
This Jackfish is in no way affiliated with the station "Jackfish" at mile 98 on the CPR Heron Bay sub, and the views presented here are not intended to represent the views of "the other Jackfish". By accessing this Jackfish you agree to hold me, my heirs, and successors, blameless for the unlawful or inappropriate use of any and all Jackfish, whether they are of the genus ferrovia canadensis pacificus , or formally gazetteered "Jackfish", or just some old Northern Pike you happened to fish out of Lake Superior.
Below, my brother's train is pulling out of Nipigon. Beyond
the maintenance of way sheds was once the Nipigon station. To the extreme
left, you can see the "west leg of the wye". (Wyes are triangular sidings
which are used to turn rolling stock and were discussed at little at "Struthers"
on the Heron Bay Sub page.) Back in the steam days, this wye and a wye at
Heron Bay station were used to turn helper steam locomotives which sometimes
provided extra power to a train over part of the subdivision.
- Unless you were hanging out the window, it was pretty hard to see where you were going when running a steam locomotive backwards. They seldom had proper rear-facing headlights for night operation in reverse.
- While diesel locomotives coupled together are operated by one engineer, each steam locomotive required its own engineer and fireman. It was cheaper to use extra steam power only where absolutely necessary.
The Nipigon station still existed in the late 1970s. On one westbound trip, I was riding the van because the senior trainman was being trained in locomotive operation on the headend. True to Nipigon Sub tradition, the conductor was riding on the left side of the cupola to inspect his train around the many large bays (real reason: the scenery is nicer on that side). When we were near Nipigon, we spotted some loose "band iron" - those straps of steel which hold lumber loads on cars. Sometimes they break and flap in the breeze. As trainmen were required to detrain at sidings and stand fairly close to the track in deep snow to inspect passing trains, it was generally beneficial to avoid having loose 3 inch steel straps randomly whistling their song of death through the air. We made an unscheduled evening stop at the old Nipigon station and at sunset used a brand new fire axe from the van to chop off the offending length of steel strap.
Below, in a postcard by Harry R. Oakman of Peterborough, we see Nipigon years earlier. We are looking roughly north-northeast. Halfway down the right side, you can see that the CNR Kinghorn Sub (formerly the Canadian Northern Railway) has just passed under both the Trans-Canada and the CPR where the latter two crossed the Nipigon River. Here, the CNoR was built much closer to the level of the Nipigon River and it will be between the CPR and Lake Superior until we arrive at Thunder Bay. The Nipigon River flows left to right into Lake Superior. You can also see the old Nipigon station, the curving "east leg of the wye", and a black water tower for the benefit of steam locomotives. A main street "shopping district" is right behind the station.
Below, you can see how (deep breath) Mackenzie and Mann's, Canadian Northern, transcontinental mainline, to Thunder Bay ... was built by filling along the shore which had been solely occupied by the CPR. We are just outside of Red Rock at mile 67.5 along the mouth of the Nipigon River. On the Canadian National line, down and to the right, you can see an orange gasoline-powered "speeder". A CNR track foreman is out tightening bolts or tapping loose spikes back in. The track branching off the CPR line swings over to the CN side because both railways served the waterfront Domtar plant at Red Rock.
Say good-bye to the lake for a while.
That's the iron-tinged limestone of Red Rock Hill ten
miles down the track as my brother's train speeds through Hurkett siding
and village at mile 81. Train Number 1 is good for 75 mph through here.
Vans - CP name in the older British railway tradition
Cabooses - CN name in a more modern American railroad tradition - or "cabs" in western Canada
Protection - Using prescribed safety procedures to prevent collision
These crew cars were taken off the tailends of freight trains in 1990. They were originally put there so a flagman could quickly "protect" the tailend a stalled train. Vans carried the conductor (the train's boss) and tailend (senior) trainman and plenty of flagging gear to provide protection - night and day.
Pretend the far right track above is a "foreign" railway - like our buddies on the CNR - and we have just derailed the middle of a long freight train all over all the tracks you see.
On our single track railway, our long freight train mess won't get hit:
Getting the dispatcher's attention immediately when trains may have derailed and may be fouling neighbouring tracks is done by:
This was just one of many new safety processes which had to be worked out at the time of the 1990 operating rules change and the elimination of vans/cabooses on CP Rail and Canadian National Railways.
There are many, many places in northern Ontario where my brother's photograph at mile 120 could have been taken. Because it doesn't have the Lake Superior scenery, the farther-north CNR route over which today's Canadian runs looks like this for about 24 hours. Of course there are lots of little lakes and rock cuts to see, too.
You certainly get an idea of the vastness of northern Ontario on that route.
Beside the track, railway ties await disposal by burning. A machine
has pulled the spikes, sawed the ties through in the middle, and yanked
each half outward from under the rails. The old process was manually pulling
the spikes, digging underneath and wiggling the whole tie out with "tie
tongs" by hand.
Since our last look outside at Hurkett, we have climbed the ruling grade through forest and passed by Loon Lake. Then we descended along the course of the Mackenzie River. During that time, we have been travelling around many little curves like the one above, following the route the surveyors managed to find through all low, rounded hills. The CNR Kinghorn Sub to Thunder Bay is still between us and Lake Superior.
In the vestibule to photograph all the concrete terminal elevators, Eric got this view of his approach to "Port Arthur" or "Thunder Bay North" to use the CP Rail timetable name. Here the double-tracked Canadian Pacific ABS-signalled line through Thunder Bay and the "newcomer" CNR line mix and match for a little while.
Until a few minutes ago, we had been on single track CTC all the way from Schreiber.
The partly hidden building at the left with the pointed top is the beautiful Canadian Northern Port Arthur railway station. It is preserved, but is no longer used as a railway station. The tallest building visible is the Prince Arthur Hotel. Previously the city was named "Prince Arthur's Landing".
The city name "Thunder Bay" comes from the neighbouring body of water.
Below is a timetable showing the numerous passenger trains running on the Nipigon Sub in the early 1950s. The Trans-Canada wasn't completed, but the post-war boom had many people travelling.
Perhaps taken from a grain elevator and maybe taken in the 1930s (based on the scarcity and models of cars) the cropped CPR postcard view below shows the Prince Arthur Hotel and the now demolished CPR Port Arthur station. The curving tracks are lining up with grain elevators and other facilities which are perpendicular to the mainline and lake shore.
An interesting aspect of the CPR station is the tower which probably controlled an interlocking plant between the CNR, CPR, and the numerous grain elevator tracks. Similar in function to the glassed-in tower at an airport, an interlocking would generally control local movements within the range of sight - remember that this was before radios. Trackside telephones might have been one method used by a grain elevator switching crew to communicate the desire to get somewhere via the main line. If the noise was not prohibited by city bylaw at the time, following the railway rules, the engineer could also "call for signals" by making 4 short sounds on the locomotive whistle.
Of course, in this era, the "on-time" or "late" status of westbound scheduled trains would be communicated to the tower in advance by the Schreiber dispatcher before they came into this zone. In anticipation of their arrival, the interlocking switches and signals would be lined up (by mechanical or electrical control) and lower priority grain elevator switching moves would have to wait.
Here's a little tangent about vans and "protection" because the scenery is so boring:
Until a couple of miles ago, the train was parallel, and close to, the CN line on low, flat terrain.Vans - CP name in the older British railway tradition
Cabooses - CN name in a more modern American railroad tradition - or "cabs" in western Canada
Protection - Using prescribed safety procedures to prevent collision
These crew cars were taken off the tailends of freight trains in 1990. They were originally put there so a flagman could quickly "protect" the tailend a stalled train. Vans carried the conductor (the train's boss) and tailend (senior) trainman and plenty of flagging gear to provide protection - night and day.
Failsafe electric block signals made flagging duty rare.
However, rarely it was absolutely critical.
Pretend the far right track above is a "foreign" railway - like our buddies on the CNR - and we have just derailed the middle of a long freight train all over all the tracks you see.
On our single track railway, our long freight train mess won't get hit:
- Block signals are keeping trains behind and in front of us from coming into our block (our section of track).
- We can immediately radio the Schreiber dispatcher to warn of our "affair" and traffic will be stopped before it bunches up into a 50,000 ton traffic jam.
- Even if we don't call in to report, the dispatcher will worry
about us because the block occupancy light representing our train isn't
moving left across his CTC (traffic control) board any more.
- We could never assume that their block signals would be activated by our wreckage (if they even have block signals).
- The simple (back then) crystal radios were set up only for our railway's licensed frequencies - so we can't warn them.
- If there is no van on the tailend, and something is close behind us travelling at 60 mph on the parallel foreign railway, the conductor will never be able to run back the length of our mess, plus run back a safe stopping distance for the 60 mph foreign train, and get the necessary emergency stop signals set up in time to stop the foreign train. With no more vans, the conductor and engineer are on the headend and there is no one "back there".
Getting the dispatcher's attention immediately when trains may have derailed and may be fouling neighbouring tracks is done by:
- special flashing lights and emergency sounds set off by an emergency radio transmission
- electrified seat pads in their office chairs
- buckets of ice water dropped from the ceiling
This was just one of many new safety processes which had to be worked out at the time of the 1990 operating rules change and the elimination of vans/cabooses on CP Rail and Canadian National Railways.
Let's get some cool fresh air with a hint of warm brakes and creosote
There are many, many places in northern Ontario where my brother's photograph at mile 120 could have been taken. Because it doesn't have the Lake Superior scenery, the farther-north CNR route over which today's Canadian runs looks like this for about 24 hours. Of course there are lots of little lakes and rock cuts to see, too.
24 hours!
Trees, rocks, muskeg!
Trees, rocks, muskeg! You certainly get an idea of the vastness of northern Ontario on that route.
Since our last look outside at Hurkett, we have climbed the ruling grade through forest and passed by Loon Lake. Then we descended along the course of the Mackenzie River. During that time, we have been travelling around many little curves like the one above, following the route the surveyors managed to find through all low, rounded hills. The CNR Kinghorn Sub to Thunder Bay is still between us and Lake Superior.
In the vestibule to photograph all the concrete terminal elevators, Eric got this view of his approach to "Port Arthur" or "Thunder Bay North" to use the CP Rail timetable name. Here the double-tracked Canadian Pacific ABS-signalled line through Thunder Bay and the "newcomer" CNR line mix and match for a little while.
Until a few minutes ago, we had been on single track CTC all the way from Schreiber.
The partly hidden building at the left with the pointed top is the beautiful Canadian Northern Port Arthur railway station. It is preserved, but is no longer used as a railway station. The tallest building visible is the Prince Arthur Hotel. Previously the city was named "Prince Arthur's Landing".
The city name "Thunder Bay" comes from the neighbouring body of water.
In 1969, a plebiscite was held, to choose a name for
the united (and formerly rival) cities of Fort William and Port Arthur.
The results:
The results:
- 15,302 Lakehead
- 8,377 The Lakehead
- 15,870 Thunder Bay
Whatever. So here we are at Port Arthur
on our way "west" to Fort William.
Below is a timetable showing the numerous passenger trains running on the Nipigon Sub in the early 1950s. The Trans-Canada wasn't completed, but the post-war boom had many people travelling.
- With connections to Montreal, Toronto, Fort Frances, and Winnipeg, CNR Longlac/Port Arthur trains 79/80 briefly use a two mile stretch of the CPR main line in the dead of night.
- The centralized traffic control between Selim and Schreiber is noted as "movement by signal indication". Selim is the location where pushers helped heavy trains up the hill to Schreiber.
- At the bottom, just right of "Current River", you
can see the double track we are travelling on belongs to the Manitoba District
in 1953. This is logical administratively because western grain is transported
to elevators in this little area east of Fort William.
Perhaps taken from a grain elevator and maybe taken in the 1930s (based on the scarcity and models of cars) the cropped CPR postcard view below shows the Prince Arthur Hotel and the now demolished CPR Port Arthur station. The curving tracks are lining up with grain elevators and other facilities which are perpendicular to the mainline and lake shore.
An interesting aspect of the CPR station is the tower which probably controlled an interlocking plant between the CNR, CPR, and the numerous grain elevator tracks. Similar in function to the glassed-in tower at an airport, an interlocking would generally control local movements within the range of sight - remember that this was before radios. Trackside telephones might have been one method used by a grain elevator switching crew to communicate the desire to get somewhere via the main line. If the noise was not prohibited by city bylaw at the time, following the railway rules, the engineer could also "call for signals" by making 4 short sounds on the locomotive whistle.
Of course, in this era, the "on-time" or "late" status of westbound scheduled trains would be communicated to the tower in advance by the Schreiber dispatcher before they came into this zone. In anticipation of their arrival, the interlocking switches and signals would be lined up (by mechanical or electrical control) and lower priority grain elevator switching moves would have to wait.
Notice the little round building at the left
side of the photograph. In 1909, a local newspaper asked, "Without
going to the expense of erecting an Arch of Triumph or a Statue of Liberty
is it possible that a few dollars might be expended in improving these
surroundings to the benefit of the city?" The little round building
was the result of that and similar efforts.
Ideally located near the two Port Arthur railway stations (the CPR postcard does not show the newer and more impressive CNoR station farther to the left), that round building was built to promote the city and provide tourist information. If a 1910 plebiscite had been held in Port Arthur to decide on its name, the choices offered probably would have been ...
Here are buildings labelled Canadian Pacific Elevator. My best guess is that they were south (timetable west) of Port Arthur in Fort William where the CPR had its main yards. Probably coal was burned in powerhouses near these early elevators to produce steam, to run the machinery, to move the grain.
At prairie elevators, ordinary 40 foot long wood or steel boxcars were fitted with "grain doors" - that is, the door opening would be boarded up to an appropriate level. The grain would be loaded through the open space above this "boarded up area" by the prairie elevator. Then the regular door would be closed to protect the contents from the weather.
At the Fort William elevator in the earliest times:
And so we finally reach our destination of Fort William - now Thunder Bay - with a view of Mount McKay to the south. The same red brick station building in this postcard (from the late 1920s?) was still in use when my brother arrived there on his trip in 1986. Passenger train crews booked in and out there. This was originally known as "Fort William Union Station" because more than one railway used it - like an airport with multiple airlines today.
In addition to the CPR, the Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk Pacific were also here. Moving grain was the big attraction. Difficult economic times caught up with the newer railways. Between 1917 and 1923, the CNoR and GTP, among others, were nationalized into Canadian National Railways.
Ideally located near the two Port Arthur railway stations (the CPR postcard does not show the newer and more impressive CNoR station farther to the left), that round building was built to promote the city and provide tourist information. If a 1910 plebiscite had been held in Port Arthur to decide on its name, the choices offered probably would have been ...
- Pagoda
- The Pagoda
- Thunder Pagoda
Here are buildings labelled Canadian Pacific Elevator. My best guess is that they were south (timetable west) of Port Arthur in Fort William where the CPR had its main yards. Probably coal was burned in powerhouses near these early elevators to produce steam, to run the machinery, to move the grain.
At prairie elevators, ordinary 40 foot long wood or steel boxcars were fitted with "grain doors" - that is, the door opening would be boarded up to an appropriate level. The grain would be loaded through the open space above this "boarded up area" by the prairie elevator. Then the regular door would be closed to protect the contents from the weather.
At the Fort William elevator in the earliest times:
- The wood of the grain door would be removed or broken to allow the grain to fall through a steel grate into collector bins below track level.
- The remainder would be shovelled out by hand.
- Buckets on a conveyor belt would scoop the grain from the collector bins.
- The buckets would elevate the grain it to the top of the elevator.
- The grain would flow into an appropriate storage bin within the elevator - based on type of grain, quality, destination ...
- When the time came, the contents of the storage bins would be loaded into ships.
- Uncoupling, and mechanically tipping and shaking the whole 40 ton boxcar to remove all the grain.
- Finally, 100+ ton hopper cars which unloaded completely by gravity through hatches on the underside of the car.
- Grain 69%
- Coal 18% - from western Canada mainly for electrical generating plants near Toronto
- Potash 6%
- Increased railway efficiency (including lower costs)
- Increased Seaway shipping costs
- Changing foreign markets, e.g. Asia (via Vancouver or Prince Rupert) instead of Europe
And so we finally reach our destination of Fort William - now Thunder Bay - with a view of Mount McKay to the south. The same red brick station building in this postcard (from the late 1920s?) was still in use when my brother arrived there on his trip in 1986. Passenger train crews booked in and out there. This was originally known as "Fort William Union Station" because more than one railway used it - like an airport with multiple airlines today.
In addition to the CPR, the Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk Pacific were also here. Moving grain was the big attraction. Difficult economic times caught up with the newer railways. Between 1917 and 1923, the CNoR and GTP, among others, were nationalized into Canadian National Railways.
In the late 1970s, it
frequently didn't matter how quickly you got your freight from Schreiber
to Thunder Bay because you often had "terminal detention". As you approached,
you'd call up CHB-29 (the radio name of the office that ran the CP Rail
Thunder Bay terminal) on the radio and they would tell you "where and when".
Back then, the old, scattered yards and the double track main line connecting everything were so busy and congested - with long trains or cuts of cars being switched - that you might sit on your train for an hour or more before you were able to yard it, or spot it for the outgoing crew, and be released from duty. For most of our work, we were paid by the mile, not the hour. Obviously, it was better to get a "day's pay" for 6 hours work rather than 8 hours work, especially if you were attentively watching a red dwarf signal for the last two hours. That was before the Sony Walkman and books on tape.
When you were finally released, you would radio for a crew cab (a crew pickup van) to find the headend and tailend crews - hidden somewhere in the darkness of industrial Thunder Bay - and you would be taken to the bunkhouse for rest before being called for duty again.
For a new trainman, coming back on duty in the middle of the night, picking the power up at the shop with your engineer, and finding and putting a train together alone within the maze of freight yard tracks and other movements, was quite an adventure. The tailend crew would often depart by crew cab directly for the unoccupied tailend van, get organized, and wait there for you to get the power from the shop and the train together for a brake test.
This postcard shows an earlier CPR Fort William station. You can see a steam locomotive switching in the yard. Imagine the fun they had at night with only kerosene lanterns for signalling while switching. Before radios, trainmen would stand on the roofwalks to relay lantern signals to the locomotive when the person making the couplings or throwing switches was out of the locomotive crew's line of sight. The fireman would shout instructions across the cab when only he could see the signals or relayed signals. The roofwalks on the moving boxcars would have the "precipitation of the day" on them.
... there is a long-standing practice of listing the doctors (medical officers) along the railway line in the employee timetables.
As you recall, my brother was taking the photographs used on this Nipigon Sub page and the Heron Bay Sub page on a morning in 1986. He was travelling west on The Canadian to document traditional wooden prairie grain elevators in Saskatchewan before they all disappeared.
Since my time in Schreiber, he had heard a number of stories about Lake Superior railroading. He and I had stayed overnight in Schreiber when I drove the two of us out to visit our aunt and uncle in Portage la Prairie in late 1970s. I hadn't kept in touch with anyone in Schreiber after my brief time as a trainman.
At Thunder Bay, there was usually a 20 minute stop for a crew change and to service The Canadian.
After photographing the track for 200 miles, Eric hiked up to the headend, stopped the engineer of Number 1 as he was going to the station to book in, and asked:
Back then, the old, scattered yards and the double track main line connecting everything were so busy and congested - with long trains or cuts of cars being switched - that you might sit on your train for an hour or more before you were able to yard it, or spot it for the outgoing crew, and be released from duty. For most of our work, we were paid by the mile, not the hour. Obviously, it was better to get a "day's pay" for 6 hours work rather than 8 hours work, especially if you were attentively watching a red dwarf signal for the last two hours. That was before the Sony Walkman and books on tape.
When you were finally released, you would radio for a crew cab (a crew pickup van) to find the headend and tailend crews - hidden somewhere in the darkness of industrial Thunder Bay - and you would be taken to the bunkhouse for rest before being called for duty again.
For a new trainman, coming back on duty in the middle of the night, picking the power up at the shop with your engineer, and finding and putting a train together alone within the maze of freight yard tracks and other movements, was quite an adventure. The tailend crew would often depart by crew cab directly for the unoccupied tailend van, get organized, and wait there for you to get the power from the shop and the train together for a brake test.
This postcard shows an earlier CPR Fort William station. You can see a steam locomotive switching in the yard. Imagine the fun they had at night with only kerosene lanterns for signalling while switching. Before radios, trainmen would stand on the roofwalks to relay lantern signals to the locomotive when the person making the couplings or throwing switches was out of the locomotive crew's line of sight. The fireman would shout instructions across the cab when only he could see the signals or relayed signals. The roofwalks on the moving boxcars would have the "precipitation of the day" on them.
... there is a long-standing practice of listing the doctors (medical officers) along the railway line in the employee timetables.
As you recall, my brother was taking the photographs used on this Nipigon Sub page and the Heron Bay Sub page on a morning in 1986. He was travelling west on The Canadian to document traditional wooden prairie grain elevators in Saskatchewan before they all disappeared.
Since my time in Schreiber, he had heard a number of stories about Lake Superior railroading. He and I had stayed overnight in Schreiber when I drove the two of us out to visit our aunt and uncle in Portage la Prairie in late 1970s. I hadn't kept in touch with anyone in Schreiber after my brief time as a trainman.
At Thunder Bay, there was usually a 20 minute stop for a crew change and to service The Canadian.
After photographing the track for 200 miles, Eric hiked up to the headend, stopped the engineer of Number 1 as he was going to the station to book in, and asked:
"Are you Rolly Martin?"
As the result of my brother's question, a long-distance, 20-year
friendship developed with Rolly and Thérèse. Many visits
have been made to the Schreiber area by Susan and me on vacation to see Lake
Superior and talk about Schreiber railroading. From those happy experiences
came an even greater interest in Schreiber ... and eventually this website.