Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 48.8-50.2) at Jellicoe, ON. Features the yard at Jellicoe with the modern bunkhouse as well as the original boarding house/hotel and western section house. The small trailer I indicated was the more modern “station” or office may or may not have been.
Part 5 of 9.
Active, 1914-2005.
Now and then photos featuring Jellicoe, ON. Originally named Hector, Jellicoe was one of the divisional points on the Canadian Northern Railway mainline when it opened for traffic in 1915. It lost its status as divisional point in 1960 when Canadian National merged the lines around it to become the Kinghorn Subdivision, though it remained a crew change location until the operations were discontinued in 2005.
The first photo, courtesy of Murray Pat Wilson, shows the large station later in its life. There was originally an anticipation of large volumes of traffic, but Jellicoe lost much of its importance when the Nakina Cut-off was opened in 1924 and it was no longer part of the CNR mainline. Today there are few traces of the station, marked by an “X” on the drone photo, other than some pieces of the concrete foundation.
The third photo, again courtesy of Murray Pat Wilson, was taken in 1947 and features the coal tower and water tank looming behind stack logs. These structures were eliminated in the late 1950s with the introduction of diesel locomotives. Unlike the station, remains of both can still be found in the encroaching vegetation.
The final historic photo, from the Bruce Franklin Collection, features the turntable and 6-stall roundhouse in the 1940s. Important facilities for any divisional point, their use likely ended in 1960. The remains of the turntable pit are quite prominent in the area, while those of the roundhouse, which can still be found, are much less visible.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 48.8-50.2) at Jellicoe, ON. Features the east portion of the yard at Jellicoe with signage and the remains of the numerous sidings and large station.
Part 4 of 9.
Active, 1914-2005.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 48.8-50.2) at Jellicoe, ON. Features the eastern portion of the yard, including the eastern section house and the grade as it skirts Coleman Lake.
Part 3 of 9.
Active, 1914-2005.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 48.8-50.2) at Jellicoe, ON. Features the large turning wye on eastern side of the Jellicoe yard which was in use from 1915 to possibly the 1960s.
Part 2 of 9.
Active, 1914-2005.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 48.8-50.2) at Jellicoe, ON. Features the start of the siding as well as a drone overview of the yard and facilities at this one time divisional point which will be explored in more detail in later segments.
Part 1 of 9.
Active, 1914-2005.
Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.
This episode is a follow up to our first video on the Kinghorn Subdivision. We venture outdoors to visit remains of the railway at Pass Lake, ON. This area was my first experience with the Kinghorn line and one of the first places I began making videos of it. We start at an area I call “The Cliff” (Milepost 118.7/168.4) and bike 2 miles west to the former site of Pass Lake Station. Along the way I highlight key areas of interest, including rock cuts, culverts and milepost markers.
Enjoy!
Some are familiar with the Macdiarmid or Jumbo’s Cove Tunnel, which lies north of Nipigon, ON near the communities of Macdiarmid/Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek. At 1058 feet long, the former railway tunnel is one of the largest in eastern Canada and was in use from 1915 to 2005. The tunnel unfortunately has a very tragic history, the details of which have only recently been pieced together.
It is unknown when construction of the tunnel began, but the latter part of 1911 seems logical as work was underway in January 1912. At least two separate subcontractors were involved; Nimmo & Flatt and Chambers, McColman & Harrison. During the second half of January, accidents claimed the lives of three labourers sadly.
The first incident occurred on January 16th. A group of men led by John Ranta (Juho Kiviranta) were setting additional blasting charges after several previous ones did not ignite properly. Unfortunately, one of the earlier explosives detonated; Ranta and Oscar Hendrickson (Oskari Suosalo) took the full brunt of the blast. Their injuries can be described as nothing less than horrific. With no nearby relatives claim the bodies, the men were interred nearby in a common grave with a single headstone.
Two weeks tragedy befell the construction again. In an era before proper protective equipment, a loose piece of rock fell and struck 35-year-old Peter Rice in the head, killing him instantly. His body had to be held at the camp hospital while next of kin were notified, so it took until the end of February before his remains could be moved to Duluth, Minnesota for burial.
Many thanks to all those who helped with this important piece of local history.
Gordon Laird
Karen Johnson-Sheppard
Jerry Adams
Harold Alanen
Nipigon Museum
Michael deJong & Thunder Bay Museum
For more information on the tunnel and the incidents, please the follow page: Macdiarmid Tunnel
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 173.1-175.1) at Pass Lake, ON. Features the grade west of the Blende River Viaduct/Pass Lake Trestle with a very large rock cut, stone culvert and beautiful views.
Active, 1914-2005.
Part 2 of 2.
Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn (Dorion) Subdivision (MP 173.1-175.1) at Pass Lake, ON. Features western side of the Blende River Viaduct/Pass Lake Trestle where several rails are still in place. The grade then proceeds west into a large rock cut.
Active, 1914-2005.
Part 1 of 2.
Poverty, Agony, Distress & Want! 