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Tag Archives: McCollums Reflection Lake

Feature Friday January 26, 2024

Then and now photos featuring the southern end of Orient Bay of Lake Nipigon, one of the most scenic places in the area. The first photo, taken likely in the early 1950s, shows a westbound train headed by an unidentified locomotive passing McCollum’s Reflection Lake Resort (out of frame to the right). This area was home to a small logging spur in the late 1930s and early 1940s before the resort was established. Photo courtesy of CJ Firebrand.

The second photo, taken by drone in October 2023, shows the area today (I forgot to take one on the ground). This spot was located at Milepost 44 of the Canadian Northern Railway Nipigon Subdivision and later Canadian National Railways Dorion Subdivision. In 1960, it became Milepost 93.7 of the Canadian National Railway Kinghorn Subdivision. The line was decommissioned in 2005 and the rails were removed a few years later.

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2024 in History, Railway

 

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Feature Friday February 10, 2023

Then and now photos featuring McCollum’s Reflection Lake Resort and the former Canadian Northern Railway Nipigon Subdivision/Canadian National Railways Dorion-Kinghorn Subdivision. This picturesque location is nestled at the southern end of Orient Bay, Ontario and amongst the towering cliffs of the Pijitawabik Palisades (pronounced PEE-GEE-TUH-WAW-BIK). McCollum’s was established in the 1940s and is the last remaining resort on Orient Bay.

Situated at Milepost 44/93.7, the rail line was constructed through the area between 1911 and 1914 and opened for traffic in 1915. One of the most scenic locations in the entire district, its rugged terrain was beautiful but also an enormous challenge to build through. It is at this point where the line, which was discontinued in 2005, once crossed from the east to the west side of the bay (the bridge is visible on the right of the photos).

The first photo, a postcard, was likely taken in the 1960s. The second, an attempt to replicate the original by drone, was taken in August 2022.

 
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Posted by on February 10, 2023 in History, Railway

 

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