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Category Archives: History

CNoR/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision MP 126.9-130.4 III

Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision (MP 26.1-29.6) west of Kenwell, ON. Features the grade west of Kenwell Siding as it begins to pass through a series of small lakes with cuttings, telegraph poles, long rock causeways, unidentified objects and the remains of a large ballast pit.

Part 3 of 6.

Active, 1914-2005.

 
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Posted by on November 22, 2023 in Hiking, History, Railway, Video

 

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CNoR/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision MP 126.9-130.4 II (Dionne Creek Trestle)

Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision (MP 26.1-29.6) near Kenwell, ON. Features the grade west of Kenwell Siding past the damaged 62-foot trestle over a branch of Dionne Creek with telegraph poles and signage.

Part 2 of 6.

Active, 1914-2005.

 
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Posted by on November 21, 2023 in Hiking, History, Railway, Video

 

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CNoR/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision MP 126.9-130.4 I (Kenwell Station)

Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision (MP 26.1-29.6) at Kenwell, ON. Features the grade at Kenwell Siding as it heads west toward a trestle over a branch of Dionne Creek with telegraph poles and signage. **Apologies for the camera shake/glitch at the start of the video. Not sure what happened.

Part 1 of 6.

Active, 1914-2005.

 
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Posted by on November 20, 2023 in Hiking, History, Railway, Video

 

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Feature Friday November 17, 2023

Then and now photos featuring Geraldton, Ontario. This is community was not an original stop when Canadian Northern Railway opened the line for traffic in 1915. In fact, it did not exist until the 1930s. Gold was discovered in the area at that time and the first railway stop was created in 1933 and a station was constructed two years later. The first photo, courtesy of Bill Magee, shows supplies for the gold mines being unloaded at the future town site.

The next two photos show how the community has grown by 1940. There are a large number of homes and the new station rests on the north side of the tracks. The third photo provides a close up of the station, with passenger coaches halted alongside.

The fourth photo shows the progress by the 1960s, with a new CN logo box car visible on the extreme left. The station, while partially obscured, is still prominent beside the grade, though it no longer saw any passengers after that service was discontinued in 1956.

The final photo shows the railway grade and the station grounds as they were in May 2023. The station is long gone, while the rail line, which became the Canadian National Railways Kinghorn Subdivision in 1924, was decommissioned in 2005. The rails were removed a few years later and all that remains is the ballasted roadbed and a few scattered remnants.

 
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Posted by on November 17, 2023 in Hiking, History, Railway

 

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CNoR/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision MP 120.7-122 III (Geraldton Station)

Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision (MP 19.9-21.2) at Geraldton, ON. Features the grade through the community with the remains of the spurs, signage and a culvert over Hardrock Creek.

Part 3 of 3.

Active, 1914-2005.

 
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Posted by on November 15, 2023 in Hiking, History, Railway, Video

 

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CNoR/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision MP 120.7-122 II (Geraldton Station)

Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision (MP 19.9-21.2) at Geraldton, ON. Features the grade through the community with the remains of the siding, spur, signage and station.

Part 2 of 3.

Active, 1914-2005.

 
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Posted by on November 14, 2023 in Hiking, History, Railway, Video

 

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CNoR/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision MP 120.7-122 I (Geraldton Station)

Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision (MP 19.9-21.2) at Geraldton, ON. Features the grade as it enters the community from the east and includes the remains of the siding, signage and telegraph poles.

Part 1 of 3.

Active, 1914-2005.

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2023 in Hiking, History, Railway, Video

 

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Extra Credit XXVII “The Kinghorn, Part V (East McKirdy, Ontario)”

Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.

This episode , the fifth in sub-series on the former Kinghorn Subdivision, takes us to the area north of Nipigon near Hogarth Station and the Cash Creek Trestle. As you will hear me describe in the video, this was an impromptu video as I was not planning on visiting this area until maybe next year. In any case, you will get to see this very scenic stretch of the grade with its very sandy and unique geography. The first part of the hike is dotted with high embankments which later give way to large cuts. You will see a unique sight, which is the remains of a small section house located near Milepost 107. The highlight however is the Cash Creek Trestle, which is the second highest bridge on the entire subdivision and was built back in 1924. Along the way you’ll witness some of the issues that have arisen on the line this year after heavy snowfall has caused the grade to become blocked with vegetation.

Enjoy!

 
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Posted by on September 24, 2023 in Hiking, History, Railway, Video

 

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Extra Credit XXVI “Hiking n’ Biking, Part III”

Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.

This episode, the third in the Hiking n’ Biking sub-series, dives into my latest piece of biking equipment, which is a trailer. I bought this after an incident in July 2022 in which Luna’s paws were badly injured during a hike east of Geraldton (you can hear more about it in the link below). Going forward, I needed a way to take some of the stress off her paws on long hikes and also prevent her from over-exerting herself physically.

You’ll get a close up view of the collapsable trailer as I unfold it and attach it to my bike. I also relay my experiences using it with Luna, particularly the challenges of getting her to stay in it and towing a heavy dog behind my bike. I’ve only used it a half dozen times so far, but so far my impressions are positive and it seems to be working well.

Enjoy!

 
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Posted by on August 26, 2023 in Hiking, History, Railway, Video

 

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Predjama Castle (Predjamski Grad) July 2023

The Predjama Castle (Predjamski Grad) is a Renaissance castle located near Postojna, Slovenia. It is the best surviving example of a cave castle in the world and dates back to 1274.

The castle was visited as part of a tour of the Postojna Cave (Postojnska Jama), which is 9 kilometres away. My apologies for the poor camera work at times; the crowds were a challenge and I was also trying to take photographs at times.

 
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Posted by on August 12, 2023 in History, Travel, Video

 

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