When the opportunity arises, I like to say I was once a ‘railroader’.
I worked as a CNR telegrapher beginning when I was 18 for three years and as much as I loved trains before then, that cemented my life-long affair with railroading. As you will understand, I am interested in the talk of reestablishing passenger rail service here in northern Ontario.
When I began working at Ferland (north end of Lake Nipigon) in 1957 I took the passenger train from North Bay to the whistle-stop at Ferland, riding the Transcontinental or the ‘baggage’ express that ran ahead of the Transcontinentals. These were the last of the steam engine trains as diesels took over a few years after I began my short career. I would board the train in North Bay before the sun rose in the morning and arrive at Ferland after the sunset that evening. It mattered not to me that most of the scenery was rocks, trees, and lakes because I was interested in the operation of the train: the mileage posts; the stops for coal and water; crew changes with their pink train orders in hand; the newsy with his stale sandwiches, and the sound of the wheels clicking on the rails.
The essence of railroading then was how fast the trains could safely run on the rails that wound through our sometimes rugged landscape. This applied not only to passenger trains but the freight trains, the money-makers of the system.
Complicated by the many lakes, rocky hills, and changing grades was the need for fuel stops and maintenance worker lodgings in the sparce northern country. Sidings for passing or meeting trains needed to be constructed at distances that complimented the calculated speed of trains moving in opposite directions. Add to this the frost heaves in winter, the degradation of steam power in the cold, snow plowing, and then the sun-induced heat-expansion kinks in the summer, along with washouts from rain storms and broken beaver dams.
Further to all these challenges was the wear and tear on the rails, the wheels, and the roadbed.
This was all interesting stuff to a young man who was charged with copying and delivering train orders that governed the safe passage of trains, day or night, 365 days a year. Hooping train orders to a moving train was always exciting especially when some engineers did not believe in slowing enough for picking up the orders. Originally, we used bamboo hoops that we would hold up to the height of either the engineer (usually the front-end brakeman) or lower to the rear-end conductor or brakeman. When we switched to using a Y holder with corded string that was a lot easier on the trainman’s arms, some freight engineers went even faster on the yellow caution lights.
The thing was that the freight trains had to keep moving so as not to block the lines for the passenger trains – or express freight trains.
One morning the 403 express, running East ahead of the Transcontinental, had to stop for coal at Ferland. The coal chute door stuck open and dropped a couple of hopper cars worth of coal onto the freight engine’s tender. The section crew were still at the station and they rushed with their shovels to help the fireman and brakeman clear the coal.
The rear brakeman ran to flag the Continental. The freight train had the siding blocked. The engineer tried backing and forwarding to break free from the coal and finally got the train moving. The engineer whistled to recall the flagman and 403 got under way. We put up the red signal to stop the passenger train, warning the engineer about the coal on the tracks some 300 yards ahead. I did not have a shovel but I did have the other operator’s camera.
Those were the days, but since then riding the rails has changed. In France, years ago, we rode the TGV from Nice to Paris at speeds of around 300 kilometres an hour. We only slowed when we met an opposing TGV on the opposing rail line because of air turbulence! An interesting fact I picked up was that on many lines in France the freight trains only ran at night, leaving passenger service to speed along during the day. In comparison we rode the narrow-gauge Durango to Silverton steam train, complete with open-air photography and coal cinders.
Then a couple of years ago we rode the Copper Canyon train in Mexico – what a thrill.
Back to our northern Ontario rail service. Forget about a Train Grande Vitesse or Bullet express because our infrastructure will never support fast trains. Even in southern Ontario with its flatlands, trains still cannot travel at competitive speeds. If speed of service is key to success, then we need to give passenger service a priority which financially just does not work. Self-propelled units like the Budd car system that runs from Sudbury to White River is comfortable (Stop 88 for fishing camp!) and quick but once again, the right-of-way goes to freight trains and that trip is interminable.
Bus transportation is an alternative to trains but even at highways speeds, a bus does not offer the comfort and steady movement of a train. And do not even mention the washrooms although one still needs to keep one’s balance when using a train comfort room. Food service on a bus is BYOS but a train can offer a lunch service bar and a table on which to eat your snack. Leg room and moving about on the train are a bonus.
Getting to and from either a bus or train station has its limitations in northern communities but some accommodation could be made by getting a ‘transfer’ voucher with your ticket that allows a ‘free’ ride in a contracted shuttle service between the (combined bus and rail) station and your home. Once we have good WIFI service along the train routes all this scheduling could be done electronically. So yes, there can be a future for some kind of self-propelled passenger units to serve the north with comfortable seating, a dining area and baggage compartment for canoes and oversized luggage. Maybe we could even add a car or two for tourists and old train aficionados like me. Shucks, we could even do some refurbishing here in North Bay.
All Aboard!
