Day 31: Algoma Central Railway

 

Early this morning we drove over the International Bridge into Sault St. Marie, Ontario, to ride the Agawa Canyon tourist train 114 miles north into the wilderness of Ontario. Shortly after departure we had breakfast in the dining car. The Algoma Central was originally built to haul iron ore to the Algoma steel mill in Sault  Marie, Ontario. It is now owned by the Canadian National Railway. In addition to the tourist train that goes only as far as the Agawa Canyon Provincial Park, the CN operates a passenger train all the way to the French Canadian city of Hearst, some 296 to the north.  

The route goes through the Canadian shield, an area of dense rock, making the construction of the line very difficult, especially so before modern construction equipment. We saw many ponds and lakes in the conifer forests along with a few cabins and tourist camps. These places are only accessible via the train. The train passed over an impressive trestle on top of a hydro plant on the Montreal river

At the canyon we hiked up 300 stairs to a lookout platform that gave us a grand view of the valley and train. It was a nice day marred only by nearly leaving Irene in the canyon for the night. She had independently decided to hike to Bridal Veil Falls.  George had advised her when to start back, but her hike took longer and she persisted. The train was scheduled to depart at 2:30 pm. At 2:29 George headed to an adjacent car to notify the crew of Irene’s absence when the train started to roll. The crew person radioed “safety” notifying them of a missing passenger. Safety radioed back, “Is she wearing a red striped top?” George did not know the answer, but stated that she had dark brown hair. George then learned that she had been taken back on board with some other truants. George had expected to have to detrain and look for Irene as the train headed back south. He figured they would then spend a cold night on the porch of the station waiting for the next day’s train. That was not a happy prospect especially knowing that Tina would be left locked in her crate for 36 hours.