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 Day 1 - 20th April 2003

After flying Heathrow - Toronto and then Toronto - Winnipeg we have to find Winnpeg station to catch our train to The Pas.

A slight mistake as to where exactly Winnipeg station is leads us to a bridge from which we view CP1622 + CP8213 shunting a freight.
After a lot of walking (occasionally in the right direction) we found Winnipeg station and boarded our first train the "Hudson Bay" with VIA Rail's GP40s 6456 + 6445
 Day 2 - 21st April 2003

Arrived The Pas and continued on to Lynn Lake.

After a slightly late arrival in The Pas 6456 + 6445 took on fuel and then headed north.
Former Central Kansas Railway 1006 then arrived to shunt the stock for the Lynn Lake train out of the bay platform.
Hudson Bay Railway's locos 3530 + 6586 then took over for the run up the branch.
The Lynn Lake branch is about 240 miles and takes 12 hours - it redefines the word "slow" at times.  One brief period of interest occurred at Pukatawagon where we had to shunt an additional wagon into the consist
 Day 3 - 22nd April 2003

Back from Lynn Lake to The Pas.

Lynn Lake station - a hive of inactivity.
Same engines but the train has grown a bit.
And then it grew some more !!
We may have been some way from the engines but at least they had to work a bit harder this time.
There's some very straight track here.
Almost back to The Pas and the locos pop off to drop the logs off at the local paper plant.
 Day 4 - 23rd April 2003

Go North young man - Churchill bound.

But first a quick visit to The Pas depot - CN2657 + HBR3550.
Another view of 1006.
HBR3548 in house livery with stickers advertising the Pan American Games in Winnipeg in 1999.
3787 + 3788 gently rusting away.
2509 looks like a close cousin of 1006.
Anyone know who OMLX are (or were)?
ALCO power unit anyone?
Oh yes, and I had a train to catch didn't I - VIA Rail's 6458 + 6455 at the sharp end running into The Pas.
 Day 5 - 24th April 2003

Churchill.

Just after arrival at Churchill, it's 08:30, it's -10C and it's gently snowing - quite mild really.
By 11:30 it's brightened up nicely.
Churchill's original raison d'etre - the grain elevator that fed the shipping route.
Nowadays most people come to see the big white guy on the right, although they come to see the live ones not the one in the Eskimo Museum.
16:30 and it's really nice now, if you stay out of the wind.
Sometimes you can get anything in these small town communities...
Almost time for the off, just some shunting to do.
 Day 6 - 25th April 2003

En route back to Winnipeg.

Having kept to the busy schedule we get about an hour to wander around Thompson.
 Day 7 - 24th April 2003

Winnipeg.

Journey's end after the marathon 1000 mile plus trip from Churchill.
In the Winnipeg Railway Museum there is this old steam engine.
It's a Baldwin in case you're interested.
Also in there is CN1900.
And an extremely dodgy car.
Spent the rest of the afternoon at Branigan's in the Forks listening to the freights pass and drinking Fort Garry Dark.
 Day 8 - 27th April 2003

Heading towards Oba.

The Canadian arrives at Winnipeg with 6407 + 6439.
Sioux Landing was wet but it offered the chance to stretch the legs and get a couple of phots during the fuel stop.
You'll notice that this is a rather larger train than the Hudson Bay was.
 Day 9 - 28th April 2003

Oba - Sault-Sainte-Marie - the Algoma Central Railway.

An hour or so late thankfully (cut down the fester) 6407 and 6439 leave Oba en route to Toronto.
Two and a half hours later the Algoma Central train arrives with CN9450 - also late.
9450 again at Hawk Junction.
Some old uncabbed F-units on Sault-Saint-Marie depot.
Journey's end.
And some sun at last.
 Day 10 - 29th April 2003

After flying Sault-Sainte-Marie - Toronto, trains up to Montreal.

Between Ottawa and Montreal lies Alexandria where I found 914 stabled when I arrived with 6417.
Allowed for a nice comparison of front and back ends of the Genesis units when 919 rolled in heading for Ottawa.
919 on arrival at Ottawa.
 Day 11 - 30th April 2003

Heading towards Gaspe.

After a day looking round Montreal (and a leap to Saint-Lambert with an AMT train), we caught the evening departure for Halifax and Gaspe with 6425 + 6408.
 Day 12 - 1st May 2003

Gaspe and back towards Saint Hyacinthe.

The following lunchtime we arried at Gaspe with 6415, the pair go to Halifax.
After a quick trot over the bridge for some lunch and a beer in the Cafe des Artistes, we're ready for the off again with 6415 having been turned.
The dome cars on these trains can offer some interesting perspectives.
Then at about 20:45 it's time for some shunting at Matapedia as the Gaspe is attached to the Halifax by 6420 + 6418.
 Day 13 - 2nd May 2003

Saint Hyacinthe - Quebec - Toronto.

After a short wait at Saint Hyacinthe it's a chance to sample the stock we should be able to traverse the Channel Tunnel in if our government weren't so utterly spineless.  As it is the Nightstar stock has moved to VIA Rail where it is forming the "Renaissance" trains, seen here with 905.
After a quick look around Quebec we returned to Montreal with 905 again, but this time we took the alternative route over the river as the bridge was up at Saint-Lambert.
As you approach Montreal there is an impressive line up of withdrawn engines outside the Alsthom works - reminds me of Swindon in the '80s.
The only half decent picture I managed to get of an AMT engine - give me droplight windows any day.
 Day 14 - 3rd May 2003

Toronto - Niagara Falls and back.

Amtrak Genesis 816 on the Maple Leaf heading to New York makes a nice way to get to Niagara Falls.
Makes a nice picture on the bridge too.
If he's going to Streatham High Road he's lost!!
Now this just had to be done.
Then back to the station in plenty of time for the Maple Leaf back to Toronto - just as well, it left 30 minutes early !!
 Day 15 - 4th May 2003

Sightseeing in Toronto.

GO Transit - something to look at next time.
And another Amtrak Genesis, 33 this time, on the International to Chicago.
We even found a reason to have a look at the old Toronto roundhouse, now the home of the Steamwhistle brewery.

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