Moosonee by Motorcar

In September of 2006, Ontario Northland Railway hosted a track motorcar excursion trip from North Bay to Moosonee and return.  The group being hosted was the North American Rail Car Operators Association (NARCOA), a fringe group dedicated to the preservation and safe legal operation of railroad equipment historically used for maintenance-of-way.  NARCOA consists of members from all over North America and from all walks of life, individuals who for whatever reason have taken an interest in acquiring, restoring and operating railway track motor cars (sometimes otherwise known as speeders) on excursion trips hosted by whatever railway can be convinced to let them run on their tracks.  The Town of Moosonee is located on the Moose River, 12 miles south of James Bay at a latitude of 51° N 07' in the wilds of Northern Ontario.  Originally settled as a fur trading post by Revillion Freres of Paris in 1903, the town grew in importance with the arrival of the Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway in 1932, after which it became a transportation hub for the James Bay coastal communities.  A trip to Moosonee makes for an interesting journey, and over the years thousands have made this trip on Ontario Northland’s Polar Bear Express.  A trip to Moosonee by track motor car makes for an adventure, and this excursion, or at least a portion of it, was one that I couldn’t pass up.  Fortunately my position with Ontario Northland at the time allowed me to participate, and it would be a great opportunity to give my young son an experience of a lifetime before he would succumb to the inevitable temptations of hockey, skiing, and girls.  But before we get into the trip to Moosonee, let’s step back a few years.  

As a kid, I had some exposure to track motorcars.  My Dad used to make an annual spring inspection trip on the rail lines through Northern Manitoba, and each year he would set aside a weekend on one end of the trip for fishing.  My brother and I would join him for that portion of the trip and we would fish at a particularly good fishing hole at milepost 44 on the Chisel Lake Subdivision (which is now long gone).

That particular spot on the shore of the Grassy River would produce a pickerel almost every cast and we would always return to Winnipeg with enough fish to last until the following spring.  Our accommodation on those trips was in the section house at Chisel Lake and each morning we would make the trip to mile 44 on an old Fairmont M-19 track motorcar.  The M-19 was a one lunger that was started using a hand crank.  It had a belt drive and it was operated backwards by reversing the rotation of the engine by changing the timing of the ignition.  Reversing the engine was an art that took an experienced hand.  It involved shutting off the ignition on the running engine and waiting for the momentum of the flywheel to subside, then just at the right moment before the engine died one had to switch the ignition back on and reverse the timer.  Without perfect coordination, the engine would stop and one would then have to restart the engine using the hand crank.  Anyone who couldn’t do this trick hadn’t paid his dues on a railway track gang!

Later in life, working on the section at Red Pass Junction in the mountains of B.C., I would periodically get assigned to the patrolman’s position at Mt. Robson.  This job entailed using a similar old M-19 motorcar to patrol a tough stretch of the Albreda Subdivision to ensure that no rocks had fallen onto the track between trains.  It was then that I mastered the art of reversing the old one lunger without letting it die.

Fast forward a few more years to 1997 and I was appointed to the position of General Manager of the Ottawa Valley Railway.  In one of my first trips across that territory, I found a derelict old M-19 track motorcar languishing in the station in Mattawa.  It used to be the Signal Maintainer’s car, but by this time, hi-rails were in vogue and no one had any use for old motorcars.  No one except for me that is.  In short order I had that motorcar running and made a few inspection trips with it on the North Bay Sub., one with my Dad accompanying me in the fall of 1998.  In 1999, I loaded up the motorcar and took it home to start a major restoration process.  I stripped off the cab, disassembled the entire car, and rebuilt everything.  Instead of restoring it back to its former glory as a CP maintainer’s car, I restored it as an open motorcar, similar to the one that had transported us to mile 44 on the Chisel Lake Subdivision all those years ago. 

The first trip after restoration was up the Temiscaming Subdivision with my son.  Being both General Manager and rules qualified, I did not have to grovel with the management of a railway or fork out exorbitant fees to find tracks to run on, and this made for great weekend fun, sometimes running with other Ontario NARCOA members.

In 2005, I made the move to Ontario Northland Railway and the Temiscaming Subdivision was no longer accessible to me.  So when the opportunity came up to join the NARCOA group on the excursion to Moosonee, I was in.

The trip from North Bay to Moosonee is 438.6 miles, no small distance.  Even for an enthusiast, that is a long trip in an open motorcar.  Then there is the risk of weather.  The difference between sunshine and rain in an open motorcar is the contrast between pleasure and pain.  In addition, although the excursion was on the railway that I was working for, I could hardly justify 5 days of gallivanting around in a motorcar as honest work.  So I decided to trailer my motorcar half way up the route to Cochrane where my son and I would join the group up to Island Falls, a distance of 43.1 miles.  From there I could have someone pick us up with my vehicle and trailer, and we could call it a day.  A nice manageable trip that wouldn't take too much of my time, but would get us out in the motorcar for a short run with the NARCOA group.

On Friday morning Sept 1, the sky dawned clear in Cochrane.  It was a cool morning and all of the owners and their motorcars assembled in front of the station for the mandatory safety briefing.  Then it was off to Island Falls for the first leg of the journey that day.  And what a day it turned out to be.  It started cold, and Douglas and I had to borrow a few extra jackets from some of the other participants to keep the chill from cutting right through us.  As part of the safety briefing, we were instructed not to stop by an old shack on the west side of the track around Clute, where a recluse lives with his 40 or 50 dogs.  Sure enough, when we passed that location, old Johnny was out there to wave us on with the dogs snarling and chasing track motorcars with reckless abandon.  Also en route, we passed a picturesque small lake graced by the presence of a classic Canadian floatplane tied up on the shoreline, a pretty deHavilland Beaver.

This made for a post card shot and I snapped the photo as we admired the scene.  When we reached Island Falls, we took to the siding to let the northbound Polar Bear Express scoop us.  This was supposed to be the end of the journey for Douglas and me, but the sun was now warming things up, we were having a terrific time, and all of the NARCOA members were urging us to stay on for the remainder of the trip.  
As we visited with all of these interesting people and checked out their motorcars, I contemplated what do.  Douglas was having no part of going home.  Although I was tempted to continue on to Moosonee, the thought of turning around the next day and making the 186 mile trip back was a bit more than I had bargained for.  Then, the idea of returning to Cochrane on the Little Bear Express came to mind as a possibility.
Now that would be fun if I could just figure out what to do with the motorcar.  Sure enough, as soon as I mentioned the thought, one of the NARCOA members gladly volunteered to tow our motorcar back to Cochrane which would free us up to take the train.  Case closed, it was on to Moosonee.
After a bit more visiting, the headlights of the Polar Bear appeared and we all enjoyed the first of three encounters with ONR's unique northern passenger trains of the day.  With the Polar Bear gone, it was off to the next stop on our journey, Otter Rapids.

Otter Rapids is the site of a major hydro-electric generating station on the shore of the Abitibi River.  It is a pretty spot, and again we visited and traded stories as we waited for the second train of the day to scoop us, the northbound Little Bear Express.  The Little Bear was a true mixed train, probably the last of its type in North America.  

Where else could you find a train such as this, one that consisted of double stack containers, reefer cars, fuel cars, canoe car, auto carriers, baggage car, dining car, and other assorted passenger and freight cars, a train that would stop at flag stops for passengers needing transport in and out of the wilds?  This was a form of railroading seldom seen anymore, and it was nice to have been part of it for a few years while I was at the ONR.

With the Little Bear gone, we continued on to Onakawana where the outfit cars for an ONR tie gang were conveniently located.  We had been invited to stop in, and the cook and cookee were happy to host the group serving up refreshments and pastries.  

The old ONR dining car was far from eating in the Waldorf Astoria, but the food certainly hit the spot and this made for another rich experience in a wonderful day.  After leaving Onakawana fully refreshed, we were in for one of the biggest highlights of the day, the crossing of the Moose River Bridge at mile 142.7.  

This is a big river and a big bridge, and the scenery was spectacular.  There was still not a cloud in the sky and by now it was unseasonably warm.  We passed over the bridge at slow speed, enjoying every moment.  What a great experience, and what a great way to see the north.  

As we continued on, it became obvious that we would not make Moosonee before the southbound departure of the Polar Bear, which meant another meet, the last of the day.  At Galeton, it was into the siding again where we all waved as the southbound Polar Bear rifled by us on its way back to Cochrane.  
This train also had some interesting equipment, most notably a full length dome car originally built for the Milwaukee Road and used on the Olympian Hiawatha running between Chicago and the Twin Cities.  The car was a long way from Chicago, but likely happy just to be in service after all those years.

Finally, in the early evening we pulled into Moosonee.  This had been a long day and the thought of a bed by this time was pretty enticing.  Douglas and I checked into the Polar Bear Lodge, enjoyed a quick supper, then hit the sack.

The following day, we walked over to the station and watched as the Little Bear was readied for the trip south.  Canoes and supplies were loaded and it was obvious by the activity around the station that train time was still a big event in Moosonee.  Just prior to departure, we climbed aboard the baggage car for the trip south to Cochrane.   

Douglas perched himself on a cooler and through the open baggage car door, we enjoyed the breeze, views, and activities along the line as we made our way south.  These were a couple of great days, the circumstances and conditions which probably won’t be repeated for me anytime soon.  My old motorcar is now stored in an aircraft hangar in North Bay, and even if I had it here in Vancouver, I would have a tough time trying to operate it on the Canada Line mixing in with light rail transit trains running at 3 minute headways.  Whether I get a chance to use the motorcar again doesn't really matter.  I had some great trips with it and the journey to Moosonee will always be a highlight.  Who knows, perhaps some day Douglas will dig it out of the hangar and consider joining NARCOA. 

Click here to see the sights and hear the sound of an M-19.

Click here to see the crossing of the Moose River Bridge.