Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 71.8-75.4) south of Beardmore, ON. Features the grade as it parallels the Blackwater River with rock cuts, a milepost marker, a concrete culvert, the sites of logging spurs/flags stops and the remnants of a massive 1999 forest fire.
Part 2 of 8.
Active, 1914-2005.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 71.8-75.4) south of Beardmore, ON. Features the grade as it parallels Highway 11 and the Blackwater River with rock cuts, telegraph poles, a milepost marker, a concrete culvert and the remains of logging spurs.
Part 1 of 8.
Active, 1914-2005.
Happy New Year! Welcome to a very special Feature Friday.
On this day 110 years ago, the last spike was driven on the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) line between Sudbury and Port Arthur (Thunder Bay), Ontario. CNoR President William Mackenzie did the honours at 8am near the Little White Otter River, some 250 miles east of Port Arthur. The completion of these 550 miles of track between the end of steel at Ruel outside of Sudbury and Port Arthur was one of the final pieces in the building of Canadian Northern’s transcontinental network. It would take until October of 1915 for it to be fully opened to passenger traffic.
Unfortunately, only about two-thirds of this line is still active. The Canadian Northern company became insolvent not long after its transcontinental route was completed and was eventually taken over by the Canadian government and merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR). In 1923, CNR completed the Nakina Cut-off, a 30-mile connection which joined the former CNoR line at Longuelac/Longlac with the more northerly National Transcontinental Railway at Nakina. This cut-off shortened the route between Toronto and Winnipeg by nearly 100 miles.
Everything on the old Canadian Northern line west of Longlac was no longer on the mainline and became a secondary line. From 1924 to 1960, it operated as two separate subdivisions, the Kinghorn and the Dorion. In 1960, CN merged the two into one subdivision, the Kinghorn, running 195 miles from Longlac to Port Arthur. The Kinghorn was decommissioned in 2005 and the rails were removed a few years later.
Did you know that 100 years ago the railway landscape of northern Ontario was dramatically changed by the construction of a single 30-mile piece of track?
In 1919, Canadian National Railways (CNR) came into existence through the government ordered merger of Canadian Northern Railway, the Canadian Government Railways and other bankrupt lines (the nationalization process would take until 1923 to complete). One of the immediate tasks for the new company under the direction of D.B. Hanna was the rationalization of the often-duplicated lines in its new network. One such area was north of Lake Superior. Challenging geography, namely a large body of water aptly named Long Lake, had brought the former Canadian Northern Railway and National Transcontinental Railway within 30 miles of each other near the railway stations of Longuelac/Longlac (CNoR) and Nakina (NTR).
Studies as early as 1917 had suggested that linking the two lines would reduce travel distances between Toronto and Winnipeg by 100 miles. Additionally, the grades would be better as it would eliminate the decent to Lake Superior at Port Arthur and subsequent ascent westward. Surveys were conducted in 1919 and 1922 and construction was authorized in December 1922. The contract was awarded to the Foley Brothers and Hervey (the Foleys built the Canadian Northern line through the area in 1911-1914) and the work was completed by December 1923.
The impact of the cut-off was immediate and profound. Mainline trains would now follow the old Canadian Northern route to Longlac, thence to Nakina and on the old National Transcontinental route to Winnipeg. The annual savings to the railway were estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. There were casualties with this decision, however. The NTR line from Nakina eastward to Hearst now lost much of its traffic. Eventually renamed the CNR Pagwa Subdivison, most of the line was abandoned in 1986. Likewise, traffic diminished greatly on the former CNoR line west of Longlac to Port Arthur. Renamed the Kinghorn and Dorion Subdivisions respectively, they were merged into one line, the Kinghorn, in 1960. It managed to sustain traffic until 2005 when it was decommissioned by CN.
Images from Canadian Railway and Marine World, January 1924 and Lake Nipigon Sheet, Department of the Interior Map 1927.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 52.7-57.5) west of Nezah, ON. Features the grade as it parallels the Blackwater River with milepost markers, cuttings, crossing and old spurs.
Part 7 of 7.
Active, 1914-2005.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 52.7-57.5) west of Nezah, ON. Features the grade as it parallels Nezah Lake and the Blackwater River with telegraph poles, milepost markers and a very rare, well preserved wooden box culvert.
Part 6 of 7.
Active, 1914-2005.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 52.7-57.5) at Nezah, ON. Features the remains of the station and siding at Nezah with crossings, ties and milepost markers. There is also information on the origins of the name of Nezah.
Part 5 of 7.
Active, 1914-2005.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 52.7-57.5) east of and at Nezah, ON. Features the grade as it parallels and then crosses the the Backwater River on a 100-foot pile and through plate girder trestle. **The unusual appearance of the trestle was the result of a 1954 alteration to allow logs to be rafted down the Blackwater River.
Part 4 of 7.
Active, 1914-2005.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 52.7-57.5) east of Nezah, ON. Features the grade as it parallels the Backwater River and Westman Lake with cuttings, telegraph poles and milepost markers.
Part 3 of 7.
Active, 1914-2005.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 52.7-57.5) east of Nezah, ON. Features the grade as it passes through cuts, old spurs and then over the Blackwater River on a 100-foot pile and through plate girder trestle. **The unusual appearance of the trestle was the result of a 1954 alteration to allow logs to be rafted down the Blackwater River.
Part 2 of 7.
Active, 1914-2005.
Poverty, Agony, Distress & Want! 