Waves of snow, frozen water and the ragged tree line of the boreal forestscape – the wilderness you will see.
It is Tuesday, February 11 and it is -16 C. when we board the VIA “Budd” car at the 1907, Elgin St. Sudbury train station.
There’s fresh snow on the platform. You step onto the yellow ground safety stool, with a rubber grip mat. There are three steep steps up, gripping the handrails, into the RDC car, and then into the spacious reclinable seats of the passenger car, it is cozy and warm. It is bright and open, not like the confinement of a plane. That’s the beginning description from last week’s story setting the scene for this week’s part two of an epic winter train ride through northern Ontario.
Then there is that initial lurch from the car coupling.
It is not a train tour but since the TVO documentary and the first Back Roads Bill September story more people have taken to riding #185.
Some are called “buffers.” Those that are a railfan, train fan, rail buff or train buff - railway enthusiasts.
There were a number of these types in September, but not this time. There are five and there are four others on the entire train. It was found to be a diverse group.
I engage everyone en route.
Retired to the wilderness Phil Pepin will get off at the Esher stop northwest of Chapleau, that’s his home address. The once-railway mechanic has lived this remote existence since 2012. He was returning from a dental appointment. “I wonder if the foxes and ravens missed me.” He must flag down the train when he ventures into Chapleau.
Taylor McCormick was returning to Chapleau where she lives with her boyfriend who works at the nearby Newmont Goldcorp Borden gold mine.
Dwijen Bhard owns the White River Motel where we stayed on our September trip. Rather than take the roundabout 16-hour bus ride from Toronto, Sudbury-White River cuts back the travelling time. Also a town councillor he has only ridden the train three times in a decade. He realizes “the importance of the train to their community’s tourist sector.”
Originally from Newfoundland Pat Boucher has lived in Chapleau since 1969. She now has some vision challenges and driving is out of the question. The train “is my lifeline as there is no bus service in and out of Chapleau.”
Geared up a two-person CP-KC freight train crew gets on in Cartier, north Sudbury, Hwy. 144, and are “deadheading back” to their homes in Chapleau. They are coming off a mandatory rest period in the bunkhouse, and unfortunately, there was no train scheduled for them. Engineer Mario Demers, 59 has been working as an engineer for 21 years and was born and raised in Chapleau. He alerts me to some photo opp. locations along the way, especially near Biscotasing, where Grey Owl once lived.
Nikitha Shrinvasa has quickly climbed the ranks after only two years with the company. From India, she left for a less populated country. Canada beckoned. From London, Ontario she saw the online posting. She had to Google: Chapleau. She now “loves the north” and the “less hectic way of life.”
Also at the Cartier stop there’s a new train happening, building supplies being loaded into the sliding door baggage car portal. There are two new and young-looking interlopers, but we find out they do belong to this train culture
Cameron McCormick is a 23-year-old machinist from Lambton. He now owns the Shooting Star Camp. With financial assistance, the century-old camp was purchased by his family. He has apprenticed with the previous owner, who owned it for fifty years, for a few years prior to.
Mattagama and Sinker Creek are the stops for the lodge. In the other three seasons, they have seven outpost cabins along the Spanish River.
With his friend, Connor Wright, die-hard Detroit Red Wing fans, they hand bomb sheets of plywood and metal roofing for a cabin refurbishment onto the freight part of the rail car. They repeat the performance at their stop, the large framed, encased window is a heavy item, and they are careful. Connor is energetic, he sells wilderness.
You sense the chi and northern passion of this young man, “I love what I do” and he hopes to do this for a long time. The train is the only way in and out, “except for a sketchy seasonal logging road.” He caters to American fishers and some bear hunters.
The remote cabins are self-contained, and you can have Starlink access for another $50. He has 30 boats and 25 motors. And you can canoe or kayak to your remote cabin, that’s what caught our interest. By the end of this train ride, we have booked for this coming September - another adventure in the offing.
Fast forward, to early morning in White River Dou Badji boards. The French-speaking Senegal immigrant has been in Canada for nine years with previous work stops in Kapuskasing and Timmins.
Presently he works seven-day, 12-hour shifts at the small Freshmart (North Central Co-operative Inc.) in White River. He graduated from Collège Boréal’s electrical engineering program, trying to access the mining sector. But in the interim, he found this employment online, which he has been doing for more than two years. Dou said, “The train is a cost-efficient way to commute to work.” In his downtime, he drives a taxi in Sudbury. “You do what you have to support your family.” He was bringing them some dessert treats from the grocery store.
Also, on the return trip in the middle of nowhere at no designated spot, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Ramer-Clark and her seventeen-year-old brother Steven board the train with their expedition toboggan and winter camping gear.
They have been camping for five days. We find out that they are not part of any outdoor ed. program, just a group of avid winter campers who have remained on for more days of solitude and enjoyment near the Spanish River.
They built and slept in a real block-style igloo and showed off their photos, nighttime shots with the translucent look with headlamps highlighting the distinctive shape. Other nights were spent in “hot tents.” They have attained the Scouts Canada Venturers designation and are now on their way to Montreal for a Canadian speed wall climbing championship (I looked it up - Climbing Escalade Canada).
They have that fragrant smell of wood smoke about them. Their energy returned me to another time of life. They are to be on the Back Roads Bill podcast.
You meet all kinds of people on the train.
Good fortune
Robin Robichaud is once again our affable conductor for the repeat.
The 23-year VIA employee, a resident of Alban, has been on the train for six- and one-half years. He is a “railroader” alright part of a time-honoured working culture. He retires from VIA this coming December 31. People bring him baked goods for his beyond the call of duty, kindness and helpfulness.
The train is his responsibility, including the passenger “manifest” and within this prose description the pronoun “he” can’t be used enough in a complimentary way.
Robin has tried to convince VIA to retail “swag” type of merchandise (there’s none) and “make this a tour train.” To no avail just yet. You wonder about the future of this train, the nearby ACR (CN-operated) train from the “Soo” to Hearst was shuttered in 2014.
Again, this run has roughly 7,000 yearly passengers divided by 52…that’s about 134 patrons…divided by three runs per week – not many. Revenue is from tickets and baggage. He says the passenger count drastically declines from the summer and often there are only a few people on the train to keep him company.
There’s also the concept of the VIA’s ‘The Canadian’ (Toronto-Vancouver 4,466 km) – be routed through White River to Thunder Bay along the scenic Lake Superior shoreline.
He says “have patience for this trip.”
On day one there is broken-down freight ahead. Freight trains always take priority, so we pull into sidings and wait. We arrive in White River about ninety minutes late. But that’s alright plenty of time to get to know your new neighbours.
As for the winter, Robin says the landscape “is clean and fresh.” At a cascading waterfall, he has the two-person engineer crew (two are needed for passenger trains) stop for a moment for a photo opp. We were in no hurry as the train had to pull into a siding for quite some time because of a mechanical failure on a freight train in front of us. We have an encounter with Wiley Fox. Canada does not yet have a double rail line crossing the country.
Winnie
White River has the iconic Winnie the Pooh https://www.sootoday.com/columns/back-roads-bill/the-bear-and-the-place-winnie-the-pooh-and-white-river-4749380 monument on Highway 17 and you will want some pics taken here, it is about a one minute from any of the accommodators. It looks different in winter…Winnie seems to be hibernating.
Angelo Bazzoni is the former long-standing Mayor of White River, (he can’t remember but it is more than 30 years) the recipient of a 25-year Long-standing Service Award from the Province of Ontario, a driving force behind the Winnie the Pooh attraction. He is also an action-oriented person. As the owner of the Continental Motel and several other businesses, he picks you up at the station, and back.
“Throughout the year the train is an asset to the community and the remote tourism industry for four seasons.” He said it has never been marketed properly but with media attention is slowly becoming a tour train. He added, “It remains a lifeline for medical appointments and for college and university students in Sudbury.”
Arriving in the evening, a nighttime shot of Winnie was desired to complement this story.
Surprise, it is total darkness. How can that be? En route to the motel, Angelo was queried. I didn’t mean to poke the bear.
Angelo said he was going to an economic development committee that very evening where it was suggested by Back Roads Bill to have lighting for this tourism icon all year long. By morning, shuttling us back to the train he said “this has been brought forward.” Stay tuned.
Winter reflection
Day two, -22 C in White River, dawn is still ninety minutes away but the train is aglow in its silhouette. It has been idling all night. As first light approaches the landscape looks a little forlorn, the range of greys will be the order of the day.
I have been on The Polar Bear Express Passenger Train and the Agawa Canyon Tour Train. One is a journey through the boreal forest, with the Moose River crossing as a highlight along with Moosonee and Moose Factory. The other mesmerizes you with the fall colours, dramatic relief and the canyon.
In the first story, I said, “It is, though, the sheer quantity of water that takes you aback. The countless creeks and rivers, the small lakes and larger water bodies and the diverse nature of the wetlands. As it passes by it often shimmers, and presents a spectrum of colour phases as it passes by. You may close your eyes for a moment, but the next view has something to do with water. We have a generous water endowment that we seem to take for granted."
Now, this winter escapade has again awakened my senses.
The frozen lakes now look more expansive. There’s a winter stillness that comes with rivers and creeks, especially at bridge abutment crossings. But they all know winter. From the train, you can virtually hear the sound of their running water. Without the chorus of birdsong and frogs, it’s easy to picture wetlands as empty.
But they are not. You can see the many tracks on the edges, particularly the moose and the wolves. The lodges of the beaver and muskrat pushups dot the ponds they are home here. These are quiet but moving scenes to behold, far from vacant.
Truly, in all seasons, you never want to take your gaze away from the window. There is something about riding the train, you see everything, way different from airlines or the bus. Your senses have a workout.
TVO documentary
If you can’t make it to the train this winter there is the ‘TVO Original TRIPPING Train 185.’ It is the fourth installment of the hugely successful TRIPPING series.
It is a three-hour immersive documentary https://www.tvo.org/video/documentaries/tripping-train-185-full-documentary that first aired on April 7, 2023.
The documentary contains no narration and no music. The only audio is from the journey itself.
The winter footage is about ten minutes in length and starts at 2:01 59 and runs to 2:10:45.
From the summer story I again contacted Executive Producer Mitch Azaria about the winter train run.
“Terrific story (Village Media), you really capture the spirit and the practicalities of the Budd. Reading your piece made me want to go back and ride the train again.”
He recalls the winter shooting of footage. “The winter challenges are numerous for filming and for the train. For us, it was dealing with camera issues in the cold. Your hands are cold and the adjustments to the camera require no gloves and a delicate touch. Luckily we only needed a couple of fixes.”
He said, “A few more delays on the run because of the cold and filming the people at the stops was challenging- at one point I got out to film and ended up in snow to my waist and couldn't walk to follow the action.
“Really love the Budd and the people that run it- I envy you going up for a winter ride.”
His production company is just finishing a 6th instalment, it is ‘Tripping The Muskoka Lakes’ with a Greavette like vintage boat. Mitch asked me for the next idea. I said a vintage car ride on the longest street in the world (1,896 km -1,178 mi) – Yonge St. – from the foot of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Kenora would be a project.
Train tips
Back to reality. Some tips. There are limited snacks on the train, coffee (no hot chocolate and marshmallows) and chips and chocolate bars. Consider taking a small cooler and a thermos. You do not get off the train until White River. Your own pillow may help.
When you arrive in White River you have to get to your hotel, there’s no taxi service. The walk with baggage can be a short challenge. The train crew stays at the Continental Hotel in White River and it has a shuttle service. And it has a good restaurant. There is also the White River Motel across Hwy. 17. Make sure your hotel of choice will pick you up at the station. (It is an early start back on the train the next day, check to see what is open at 6 AM or go back into that portable cooler for the day two return. Yes, Angelo will greet you.
Liz Mulholland and Theresa Taillefer have been family friends for 27 years when they met at their children’s swimming lessons in the City with the Heart of Gold.
With their husbands they were together on the September 2024 excursion, it is a chance to reminisce. They said this time around the winter trip “is about the train, the people and the landscape.
“The train is calming as it gently moves along. Some people are old friends and some are new ones from the last trip. The landscape is a painter’s dream of blue skies, and amazing shadows and the snow is a white quilt with patterns created by fox, moose and partridge tracks. The trip is a wonderful escape. Time to rest, reflect and explore.”
What do I think? In the first story, it was stated, “Looking forward to returning and taking in the contrast of the moments of the winter landscape.” Another hidden gem we have in our northern Ontario backyard.
(Good news about the Soo northward train, (Bear Train) which ceased operation 2015 from rail advocate Linda Savory Gordon who contacted me. “The Mask-wa Transportation Association Board has been working diligently to reinstate the passenger train service from Sault Ste. Marie to the south-end of Oba Lake.” A Memorandum of Understanding between the Missanabie Cree First Nation and Watco (which operates the Agawa Canyon Tour Train) has been signed, and MTA Inc. has developed a new business case to take to funders for operating subsidies. Stay tuned.)
Returning here there’s a winter appreciation of the views that this train ride offers. Riding along you are lulled by the soothing sounds of that distinctive rhythmic clacking of the wheels on the tracks. This creates a soothing backdrop as the northern landscape blurs past the windows, it is indeed a vast and magnificent land to behold.
There’s no “all aboard,” but “enjoy the train ride on one of northern Ontario’s unique experiences.” See the map for the route.
There is a solitude feeling of space and stillness as nature is at rest. Winter is in slumber mode for a while maybe within its REM. This ride is a moving art gallery, with masterpieces to discover. The repeat was so worth it on the back roads.