Algoma Central Railway at Montreal River

The Algoma Central Railway is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on p ...

, Canada, that operates between

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie may refer to: People * Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a Native American tribe in Michigan Places * Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada ** Sault Ste. Marie (federal electoral district), a Canadian federal electora ...

and Hearst. It used to have a branch line to Wawa. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads. The railway is well known for its

Agawa Canyon The Agawa Canyon is a shallow canyon located deep in the sparsely populated Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It was created 1.2 billion years ago by faulting along the Canadian Shield and then enlarged by the erosive action of the ...

tour train. Until 2015, the line also provided passenger train service to canoeists, snowmobilers, cottagers and tourists accessing this wilderness recreation region. The railway connects at its northernmost point with the

Ontario Northland Railway The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a Crown agency (Ontario), provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario. Originally built to develop the Lake Timiskaming ...

and with CN's eastern division to the south. It also intersects with the

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, Trade name, doing business as CPKC (known as Canadian Pacific Railway Limited until 2023), is a Canadian railway holding company. Through its primary operating railroad subsidiaries, Canadian Pacific Railw ...

at Franz and with the

Huron Central Railway The Huron Central Railway is a railway operating in northern Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Genesee & Wyoming Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming. The Huron Central Railway was established in July 1997 to operate a route ...

at its southernmost point in the Sault. Since 2022, the segment between Oba and Sault Ste. Marie is owned by

Watco Watco Companies, L.L.C. (Watco) Watco is an American transportation and logistics company based in Pittsburg, Kansas. The company’s core services are freight transportation, material handling and storage, logistics, railcar repair and maintena ...

and known as the Agawa Canyon Railroad.

History

Early history

] The Algoma Central Railway was first owned by Francis Clergue, Francis H. Clergue, who required a railway to haul resources from the interior of the

Algoma District Algoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The name was created by an American ethnologist, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793–1864), who was appointed Indian agent to the Ojibwe ...

to Clergue's industries in Sault Ste. Marie; specifically, to transport logs to his

pulp mill A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fiber sources into a thick fiber board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical, or ...

and

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

from the Helen Mine, near Wawa, to a proposed

steel mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...

(which was later named

Algoma Steel Algoma Steel Inc. (formerly The Algoma Steel Corporation, Limited; Essar Steel Algoma) is an integrated steel mill, primary steel producer located on the St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario), St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. ...

). The Algoma Central Railway was chartered on August 11, 1899. See also: Duncan McDowall, Steel at the Sault: Francis H. Clergue, Sir James Dunn and the Algoma Steel Corporation, 1899-1956, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, hb 1984 & pb 1988 The railway's Dominion and provincial charters gave it authority to build north from Sault Ste. Marie to a

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (2012 film), an American film * ''Junction'' (2024 film), an American film * ''Jjunction'', a 2002 Indian film * ''Junction'' (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (E ...

with the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

's main line, as well as a branch line to Michipicoten Harbour, on

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

near Wawa. In 1901, Clergue acquired the charter of the Ontario, Hudson Bay and Western Railway, which was intending to build a line between the CPR main line and

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

. He then changed the name of the Algoma Central Railway to The Algoma Central and Hudson Bay Railway Company, anticipating a connection either to

Moose Factory Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River (Ontario), Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English language ...

James Bay James Bay (, ; ) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. It borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and is politically part of Nunavut. Its largest island is Akimiski Island. Numerous waterways of the ...

or to some point on Hudson Bay. The Algoma Central fell victim to the bankruptcy of Clergue's Consolidated Lake Superior Company in 1903. At that time, the line reached north of Sault Ste. Marie, with a segment running east from Michipicoten Harbour that did not yet connect with the main line. Construction was stopped, but it was subsequently resumed in 1909 and the line was extended northward through to junctions with the Michipicoten Harbour branch (at

Hawk Junction Hawk Junction is a community with a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario,

), the Canadian Pacific Railway (at Franz) and the

Canadian Northern Railway The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canada, Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonto ...

(at Oba). In 1914, it finally reached Hearst, a town north of Sault Ste. Marie that was a

divisional point In Canada and also in the United States, a divisional point (or division point) is a local operational headquarters for a railway. Divisional points are significant in railway maintenance of way operations. Especially historically, they could be the ...

on the

National Transcontinental Railway The National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) was a historic railway between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Moncton, New Brunswick, in Canada. Much of the line is now operated by the Canadian National Railway. The Grand Trunk partnership The completion o ...

. By that point, Clergue's dream of building a railway to Hudson Bay or James Bay had long been abandoned, and the railway's northern terminus remained at Hearst, around from James Bay. However, the phrase ''and Hudson Bay'' was not removed from the railway's name until June 30, 1965. The Algoma Central was the first Canadian railway to operate fully with diesel fuel, in 1952. The railway had been in the

shipping Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

business since 1900, when it had purchased four

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

s. Starting during the 1960s, the railway greatly expanded its marine operations and diversified into

trucking Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations ...

, real estate,

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

, and

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

operations. These operations were more profitable than the railway operations, and on April 30, 1990, as part of a corporate reorganization, the name of the company was changed to Algoma Central Corporation, with the Algoma Central Railway becoming one of its subsidiaries. A few years later, the Algoma Central Railway was put up for sale.

Wisconsin Central and Canadian National eras

On February 1, 1995, Wisconsin Central Ltd. purchased Algoma Central Railway Incorporated, operating the railway as a separate

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

, Wisconsin Central Canada Holdings. In 1998, Algoma Steel closed its iron ore mine in Wawa and the branch line between Michipicoten Harbour and Hawk Junction was abandoned. Wisconsin Central Ltd. was acquired by Canadian National on October 9, 2001, whereupon the Algoma Central became part of CN's Eastern Division. In January 2014, CN announced it was cutting the service from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst, blaming the

Canadian federal government The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ...

for cutting a subsidy necessary to keep the service running. The passenger service, which runs three days per week, provides year-round access to remote tourist camps and resorts. The average annual ridership is estimated to be 10,600 passengers. It has been argued in the past as an essential service; however, the service has always been deemed financially uneconomic. In February, a working group attempting to save the line hired BDO Canada LLP, an accounting firm, to assess the financial impact to the region when the service is scheduled to end April 29. The working group, composed of municipalities, first nations, and cottager associations, all had a vested interest in the continuation of the service. According to preliminary findings, BDO determined passenger rail service in the Algoma district generates between $38 million and $48 million in annual economic activity. It supports as many as 220 jobs and delivers more than $5 million in tax revenues. In April 2014, the federal government extended funding for one year so that CN would continue to provide the passenger service. The $2.2-million subsidy was to facilitate the provision of service until 2015. In March 2015, Railmark Canada Ltd assumed the passenger service with the intention to increase services and marketing. In March 2015, the Canadian government guaranteed funding of the service for an additional three years. In June of the same year, Canadian National said it would stop the service on July 15 after it was unable to make a deal with Railmark Canada. The government subsidy still stood, but a new rail operator needed to be sought by the regional stakeholders group. Railmark was unable to secure a line of credit from a lending group, which hindered its ability to take over services. In 2017, the

Missanabie Cree First Nation Missanabie Cree First Nation () is a "Treaty 9" Nation. The nation is named after Missinaibi River and Lake, around which the traditional territory of the nation is located. The name "Missanabie" means "Pictured Water", referring to pictographs fo ...

started investigating taking operational control of the line. Canadian National announced its intent in July 2020 to sell off non-core lines in the Upper Midwest as part of a rationalization programme, all of which were previously part of the Wisconsin Central system. In December 2021, the sale of the former Algoma Central lines along with CN trackage in Wisconsin and Michigan was approved by the Surface Transportation Board.

Watco purchase

In March 2021,

announced that it would acquire the Algoma Central from Canadian National, along with the Wisconsin lines, sale of the latter being subject to final approval by the United States

Surface Transportation Board The Surface Transportation Board (STB) of the United States is an independent federal agency that serves as an adjudicatory board. The board was created in 1996 following the abolition of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and absorbed regula ...

. Simultaneously, Watco committed to a continuance of the Agawa Canyon Tour Train, as well as signing a memorandum of understanding with the

regarding a potential partnership. On April 20, the Missanabie Cree First Nation, N1 Strategy Inc. and The Machine Shop also signed a memorandum of understanding around logistics and operations of a resurrected tourist train. The purchase closed in 2022, with Watco operating under the name Agawa Canyon Railroad up to Oba, with Canadian National retaining the line from Oba to Hearst.

Tourism

Agawa Canyon Tour Train

In the 1960s, the railway began to promote the natural beauty of the District of Algoma to

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

s, especially the

, a canyon carved by the

Agawa River The Agawa River is a river in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada which empties into Agawa Bay on Lake Superior at the community of Agawa Bay, south of Wawa, Ontario. Economy The Algoma Central Railway runs an excursion train which leaves Sault Ste ...

, located 114 rail miles (183 km) north of Sault Ste. Marie, and not accessible by road. The Algoma Central developed a tourist stopover here and it proved to be a great success for the railway. Owing to the popularity of the Agawa Canyon excursions, the Algoma Central ran the longest

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

s in North America, often up to 20 to 24 cars long. During the 1970s and 1980s, around 100,000 people per year visited Agawa Canyon. The Agawa Canyon Tour Train has continued to operate as a separate entity since 2015. The 2020 season of the Agawa Canyon tour train was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During 2023 the tour train runs from early August to mid-October.

Moments of Algoma Group of Seven

In 2015, White Pine Pictures released the award-winning documentary film ''Painted Land: in Search of the Group of Seven'' which was shot along the rail corridor. In 2016 the Moments of Algoma project was launched by the Algoma Kinniwabi Travel Association, inviting tourists to follow the Group of Seven's travels, experiences and expressions of the region. The driving tour begins in Bruce Mines and follows the shoreline of Lake Huron and Lake Superior as far as Nipigon. Rail passengers will find more interpretive Installations in Agawa Canyon and at the train station in Sault Ste. Marie.

In popular culture

The railway is the subject of the song "Algoma Central 69" by

Stompin' Tom Connors Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, Order of Canada, OC (February 9, 1936 – March 6, 2013) was a Canadian country music, country and folk music, folk singer-songwriter. Focusing his career exclusively on his native Canada, he is credited wi ...

. The Agawa Canyon Tour Train has continued to operate as a separate entity since 2015.

Railway points and sidings

Named railway points and sidings are listed from south to north.

References

External links

Agawa Canyon Tour Train

Algoma Central Corporation

Moments of Algoma

Watco
{{DEFAULTSORT:Algoma Central Railway Canadian National Railway subsidiaries Defunct Ontario railways Rail transport in Algoma District Rail transport in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario 1899 establishments in Ontario Canadian companies established in 1899 Standard-gauge railways in Canada