Industries Served by the ACRSubmissions welcome. If you have any photos of Algoma Central Subjects, you can send them to me as attachments. Please include your name so I can credit you, as well as any information regarding the subject, date, location, etc.
August 9, 2022
| Link | Description | Locations | Date | Photo Credit |
| St. Marys Paper Co. (formerly Abitibi Paper), Sault Ste. Marie | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mill | 1992 overhead view of the paper mill from the International Highway Bridge. Compare to 2000 view of plant below. Note gondolas with end racks for moving pulpwood within the mill, and paper boxcars seems to be mostly WC. | Sault Ste. Marie | 1992 | Nell VanderHeide |
| Mill
Mill Mill |
Three overhead views, taken from the International Highway Bridge, which crosses above the paper company property. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2000 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Office
Main Entrance |
St. Marys Paper Co. office building. The main plant is to the right in the first photo. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2000 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Mill | View of the mill from across the power canal. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Mill
Mill Mill Mill |
Several recent images of the paper mill, under demolition. The surviving original sandstone structures appear to be deliberately preserved, but the rest of the mill has almost completely been torn down in these views. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2013 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Mill
Mill
|
Remaing original sandstone mill buildings, awaiting preservation/renovation after the rest of the mill structures were demolished. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2022 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Machine Shop
Machine Shop
Machine Shop
Machine Shop
|
Old machine shop building, renovated to contain an arts venue, bar, restaurant, etc. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2022 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Switcher | GE 80-tonner, switching cars at the paper mill. | Sault Ste. Marie | Feb 2001 | Blair Smith |
| Switcher
Switcher |
The paper company's switcher is this yellow General Electric 80-ton locomotive. Here it is sitting beside the paper mill, near where the finished paper is loaded into boxcars for shipment to the states. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2000 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Switcher | Another switcher owned by St Marys Paper. Model is probably a GE 60-tonner. | Sault Ste Marie | 2003 | Brian Switzer |
| Algoma Steel Co., Sault Ste. Marie/Steelton | ||||
| Algoma Steel is the Algoma Central's main shipping customer, and it has been in existance as long as the railway. Both the steel mill and the railway were established by the Lake Superior Co. in 1899 to exploit large discoveries of iron ore near Wawa. As mining operations grew, a diagonal shaft from the works was built to haul the ore directly to the sinter plant at Wawa. The sintered ore is then shipped by rail to the mills in the Sault. Finished steel is shipped from Sault Ste. Marie across the ACR to interchanges with the CPR and CN. | ||||
| Steel Mill | This page gives a good overview of the Algoma steel plant, mostly taken from the International Highway Bridge. All photos taken in 2000. | Chris VanderHeide | ||
| Steel Mill | Portion of the steel mill as viewed from the ACR's shops. | Sault Ste. Marie | 1996 | Blair Smith |
| Basic Oxygen Furnace
Basic Oxygen Furnace |
Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) building at Algoma Steel. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Coke Plant
Coke Plant |
Coke plant at Algoma Steel. The BOF is just to the left in these photos. In the second photo, the entire coke facility is almost obscured by steam, as hot coke out of the ovens is quenched with water for cooling. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| ASC 31 | General Electric 80-ton switcher. Shown here parked in the steel plant, near the sheet steel warehouse. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2000 | Chris VanderHeide |
| ASC 42
ASC 42 |
General Electric 80-ton switcher. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2002 | Nick Masney |
| ASC 50
ASC 50 ASC 50 |
SW8 | Sault Ste. Marie | 1996 | Blair Smith |
| ASC 51 | SW900 | Sault Ste. Marie | 1996 | Blair Smith |
| ASC 51 | SW900 - One of Algoma Steel's switcher's working cars at the coil (sheet) steel warehouse. This unit is a GMD SW1200 with a unique low-clearance roof. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2000 | Chris VanderHeide |
| ASC 51 | SW900 | Sault Ste. Marie | 2013 | Chris vanderHeide |
| ASC 52 | SW1200RS - ex-CN. Switching interchange cars from CN (Algoma Central). | Steelton Yard | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| ASCX 114
ASCX 122 ASCX 124 ASCX 128 |
Algoma Steel owned gondolas at the tube mill. These gondolas are former Algoma Central cars. These cars are for internal plant service, and it is unlikely that they ever leave Algoma Steel's property. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| TD 42 | Algoma Steel flatcar at the tube mill, with strange markings. Possibly the TD marks stand for "Tube Division". This car likely never leaves Algoma Steel Property. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Hot Metal Cars | A string of hot metal "bottle" or "torpedo" cars, used for moving molten steel between furnaces. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2002 | Nick Masney |
| ASC 1166 | Home-built covered gondola. (Scale test car?) | Sault Ste. Marie | 2002 | Nick Masney |
| Scale Test Car | Unique scale test car. | Sault Ste. Marie | Feb 2001 | Blair Smith |
| Scale Test Car | Unique scale test car. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2002 | Nick Masney |
| ESAX 010
ESAX 025 |
Bulkhead Flatcar - new (acquired in 2014) bulkhead flatcars owned by Essar Steel Algoma, in the Huron Central yard at Sault Ste. Marie | Sault Ste. Marie | 2015 | Chris vanderHeide |
| ESAX 038
ESAX 038 ESAX 038 |
Bulkhead Flatcar - new (acquired in 2014) bulkhead flatcars owned by Essar Steel Algoma, on CP at White River | White River, ON | 2015 | Chris vanderHeide |
| IARX 002
IARX 038
IARX 171
IARX 175
GAEX 63057
|
Bulkhead Flatcars in service to Algoma Steel, in the Huron Central yard at Sault Ste. Marie. The first two IARX cars (002 and 038) are former ESAX cars (above). | Sault Ste. Marie | 2022 | Chris vanderHeide |
| Besse Forest Products/Columbia Forest Products, Sault Ste. Marie | ||||
| Loading Yard
Signs |
Pulpwood loading yard set up on ACR property next to the now vacant ACR car shops. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| BFPX 1010 | Pulpwood flatcar. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| BFPX 1121 | Pulpwood flatcar. | Milton, ON. | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| BFPX 1122 | Pulpwood flatcar. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| BFPX 1131 | Pulpwood flatcar. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Algoma Steel, Welded Beam Division, Sault Ste. Marie | ||||
|
The welded beam shop was just north of the main yard. Formerly known as
Dominion Bridge, it was later purchased by Algoma Steel.
There were several sets of 3 car units made up of a 48 ft. gon with a 40ft.
flat at either end with a large frame built on the middle car to hold a 70 to
80 ft. slab of flat steel which was then cut and welded to order. Some was
shipped out by truck but mostly by rail due to the size of the finished product.
|
||||
| Mill | West end of mill building, seen from intersection of Conmee Ave. and Huron St. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris vanderHeide |
| Mill
Mill Mill Mill Mill Mill Mill |
Mill building, photos going from north-west side/end to east end. | Sault Ste. Marie | 1996 | Ryan Willobee |
| Mill | East end of mill building. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris vanderHeide |
| Crane | Overhead travelling crane at west end of building. | Sault Ste. Marie | 1996 | Ryan Willobee |
| Crane | Overhead travelling crane at east end of building. | Sault Ste. Marie | 1996 | Ryan Willobee |
| Crane | Overhead travelling crane at east end of building. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris vanderHeide |
| Yard | Track layout behind the beam mill. Taken from underneath the west overhead crane. | Sault Ste. Marie | 1996 | Ryan Willobee |
| Spur | The spur at right leads to the welded beam mill. This view looks north along the Algoma Central main line. Ahead is Manitoulin Transport. | Sault Ste. Marie | 1996 | Ryan Willobee |
| AC 3903 - B
AC 3903 - C |
These unique 3-unit cars were put together from old Algoma Central equipment. The cars are
provided by the ACR, and carry AC marks, but are in dedicated service for Algoma Steel and Dominion Bridge,
carrying raw steel plate and slab from the Algoma Steel main mill, to the Welded Beam Mill.
The middle car is an ex 3501-3850 series 48' gondola, the B-end flatcar is an ex 2300-2373 series flatcar, with the end racks cut down, and the A-end flatcar is an ex-2200-2250 series 40' flatcar. |
Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| AC 3907
AC 3907 - A AC 3907 - B AC 3907 - C |
These unique 3-unit cars were put together from old Algoma Central equipment. The cars are
provided by the ACR, and carry AC marks, but are in dedicated service for Algoma Steel and Dominion Bridge,
carrying raw steel plate and slab from the Algoma Steel main mill, to the Welded Beam Mill.
The middle car is an ex 3501-3850 series 48' gondola, the B-end flatcar is an ex 2300-2373 series flatcar, with the end racks cut down, and the A-end flatcar is an ex-2200-2250 series 40' flatcar. |
Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| AC 3908 - A AC 3908 - A |
These unique 3-unit cars were put together from old Algoma Central equipment. The cars are
provided by the ACR, and carry AC marks, but are in dedicated service for Algoma Steel and Dominion Bridge,
carrying raw steel plate and slab from the Algoma Steel main mill, to the Welded Beam Mill.
The middle car is an ex 3501-3850 series 48' gondola, the B-end flatcar is an ex 2300-2373 series flatcar, with the end racks cut down, and the A-end flatcar is an ex-2200-2250 series 40' flatcar. |
Sault Ste. Marie | Aug 1997 | Blair Smith |
| Manitoulin Transport, Sault Ste. Marie | ||||
| Warehouse -
North East South NorthWest |
Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide | |
| Switch | Main switch off the main, looking south. Curved track at pair of switches heading away from photographer heads to the Welded Beam mill. The track closest to the main is a switching lead; the switcher can back into the lead in order to push cars into the beam mill. This switching lead dead-ends next to the Manitoulin warehouse (see above). | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| View 1
View 2 View 3 View 4 View 5 |
Panoramic sequence, from the switch off the main to the warehouse. | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide |
| Lyons Building Supplies, Sault Ste. Marie | ||||
| Cement Plant | Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris VanderHeide | |
| Bonniferro Mill Works, Sault Ste. Marie | ||||
| This mill, located approximately mile 4 in Sault Ste. Marie, produced hardwood lumber and veneers. Established in 1948 as Roddis Lumber & Veneer, in the early 1980s it was owned and operated by Weyerhaeuser Canada. In the mid 1980s Weyerhaeuser sold the mill to G.W. Martin (which also purchased the former Weldwood of Canada veneer mill at Searchmont near the same time). Later ownership changes saw the mill owned by Lajambe Forest Products and later E.B. Eddy and Domtar, with the mill being last sold by Domtar in 2003 to Boniferro Mill Works, which appears to still operate the facility today. | ||||
| Lumber Mill
Lumber Mill Lumber Mill |
Sault Ste. Marie | 2004 | Chris vanderHeide | |
| Spur | Sault Ste. Marie | 2017 | Chris vanderHeide | |
| Dubreuil Forest Products, Dubreuilville | ||||
| Lumber Mill | Dubreuil Bros. Forest Products mill at Dubreuilville. | Dubreuilville | 1994 | Dan S. Dawdy |
| Lumber Mill Lumber Mill Lumber Mill Lumber Mill Lumber Mill |
This sequence of photos travels from south to north, facing west. Taken from the regular passenger train to Hearst. | Dubreuilville | 1997 | Ryan Willobee |
| South Switch Spur Spur Lumber Mill Lumber Mill Lumber Mill House Track North Switch |
Sequence from south to north. The mill appears inactive now. The side track at Dubreuilville was listed as a house track rather than a passing siding and only had a capacity of about 10 cars. | Dubreuilville | 2013 | Chris vanderHeide |
All photos on this page are copyright their respective owners and used with permission.
