Video of the former railway grade and station at North Lake, ON. North Lake was one of the original stations on the PAD&W line when it opened in 1893. It later saw the additions of a section house, turning wye and coal bunker. The turning wye and coal bunker were constructed prior to 1902 and the station was added in 1907.
Video of the former railway grade and station at North Lake, ON. North Lake was one of the original stations on the PAD&W line when it opened in 1893. It later saw the additions of a section house, turning wye and coal bunker. The station remains shown in the video was built by Canadian Northern Railway in 1907 and was one of their Third-Class stations. It was abandoned in 1923 and was still standing into the 1970s.
See the 1997 video for comparison (links in the video).
Third part of three videos featuring High Track, the old Canadian Northern grade between Stanley Junction and Kakabeka Falls. This 3.7-mile section along the Kaministiquia River was once part of the mainline from Port Arthur (Thunder Bay) to Winnipeg that was built from 1899 to 1902 (modern CN-Kashabowie Sub). Because of grade issues, it was abandoned in 1911 when the line was re-routed.
This part of High Track, located midway between the two stations, features several washed out embankments and a spot with ties still in their place.
Second part of three videos featuring High Track, the old Canadian Northern grade between Stanley Junction and Kakabeka Falls. This 3.7-mile section along the Kaministiquia River was once part of the mainline from Port Arthur (Thunder Bay) to Winnipeg that was built from 1899 to 1902 (modern CN-Kashabowie Sub). Because of grade issues, it was abandoned in 1911 when the line was re-routed.
This part of High Track, located 1.5 miles from Stanley, features the first of several long embankments. This one is in remarkable shape and is over 350 feet long.
I hope you’ve been enjoying the live presentations on YouTube. If you have, or haven’t taken them in, the next one is ready to go!
Please join me tonight (Tuesday, May 5) at 7pm EST for Leeblain: The Ghost Town of Gunflint. It is an intriguing story of optimism and failure that revolves around the PAD&W Railway and the Paulson Mine in the pre-1900 Boundary Waters. There are many twists and “what ifs” in this obscure piece of area history.
Please click on the link below for more information.
First part of three videos featuring High Track, the old Canadian Northern grade between Stanley Junction and Kakabeka Falls. This 3.7-mile section along the Kaministiquia River was once part of the mainline from Port Arthur (Thunder Bay) to Winnipeg that was built from 1899 to 1902 (modern CN-Kashabowie Sub). Because of grade issues, it was abandoned in 1911 when the line was re-routed.
This part of High Track, located near the PAD&W bridge over the Kaministiquia, features a very interesting spot known as “The Oaks.” Watch and learn more.
Video of the former railway grade at Stanley, ON. Stanley was a major station on the PAD&W from 1889 to 1899. When Canadian Northern began construction on their line to Winnipeg, it became the junction point between the two lines. However, in 1912, a new route was opened from Twin City (MP 11.8) to Kakabeka which bypassed Stanley. Its importance declined, though it remained a station until 1938 when the PAD&W was abandoned.
A little sad posting this, but here it goes.
Unfortunately, the last piece of the PAD&W Railway has disappeared after 131 years. When the line was abandoned in 1938, all but 1.74 miles of the rails were removed. Those were left to service the brick plant in Rosslyn, but almost all them were torn-up in 1989. All that remained was a 2000-foot spur near Twin City Junction. They managed to hang on for another 30 years, but sadly lost their battle to time as well.
There is a small section still in the ground, but it is likely that they too will be taken up soon enough. This means that the bridge at Stanley/Harstone and the Silver Mountain Station are the last physical traces of the PAD&W left.
https://padwrr.com/info/chronology/
Available in 4K (though it might not be available due to YouTube lowering bandwidth worldwide).
Still looking for things to do during the COVID-19 situation? Why not join me for my next live presentation?
On Tuesday, April 21 at 7pm EST I’ll be presenting Rails into the Wilderness: The Port Arthur, Duluth & Western Railway. Hear where the story all starts with in this classic presentation. Learn about the early history of the PAD&W, the struggle to get the line constructed and how it all fell apart so quickly. This talk will feature a number of period and modern photographs.
Please click on the link below for more details.
Looking for something to do during the COVID-19 situation? Why not join me for a talk on a fascinating piece of area history?
Tonight, April 7th, I’ll be presenting Gunflint & Lake Superior: Ontario’s Private American Railroad live on YouTube. This is a very unique and obscure story that spans the two countries that share the Boundary Waters. The presentation contains some great information, as well as numerous period and modern photos. Click on the link below for more details.
Please join me if you can and feel feel to share this link with anyone who may be interested. The live stream starts at 7pm Eastern time.
Poverty, Agony, Distress & Want! 