Algoma Central Railway

Steam era operations.

by Wayne V. Brittain

In the steam era of its operations Algoma Central relied on a roster of 4-6-0's, 2-8-0's and 2-10-2's plus several secondhand 2-8-2's from American railroads.

The profile of the road dictated locomotive assignments just as on any other railway. Starting in Sault Ste. Marie the Soo Subdivision is a saw-toothed, S-curve section running 165 miles to Hawk Junction. It rated the 4-6-0's for passenger and the 2-8-2's for freight. The Northern Subdivision running a further 131 miles, is just the opposite, almost flat and with only one northbound and two southbound short grades, rated the 2-8-0's and some 2-8-2's.

The Soo Subdivision was divided into three tonnage districts: Soo to Goulais; Goulais to Frater; Frater to Hawk Junction. Wayfreights ran daylight hours north on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and southbound Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, single loco tonnage. Through freights ran usually night hours in 1 to 3 sections using doubleheaded 2-8-2's or a single 2-10-2. Passenger service rated 4-6-0's on a tri-weekly basis.

The ACR at one time ran a complicated turnaround operation that went as follows:

1. The Hawk Jct. yard engine made a short trip southbound to Tabor, 25 miles, with a single locomotive tonnage train, set it off, turned on the wye and returned to Hawk Jct. as a caboose hop.

2. Since the section from Tabor to Canyon is level or downhill souhward, trains could haul extra tonnage on this section. So all southward trains picked up tonnage at Tabor and set it off at Canyon.

3. Canyon is at the start of severe grades and sharp curvature. When enough tonnage had accumulated at Canyon, a one locomotive train was started northbound from Sault Ste. Marie. He set off his train at Frater, turned on the wye and backed down to Canyon, caboose hop.

4. This crew then picked up a train at Canyon and returned southward to Goulais and set off, turned on the wye and returned to Canyon caboose hop for a second train.

5. Returning southward with a second train, he stopped at Goulais to pick up some of the first train and continued to Sault Ste. Marie. The next soubound train picked up the rest.

This operation wasn't exactly profitable because the crew was running caboose hop for half the time, but it did move the tonnage. This operation lasted until 1956 when it was dropped for all through trains. There were five assigned freight crews plus 6 to 8 spare crews on the Soo Subdivision.

On the Northern Subdivision its all day work. There is only one tonnage district. The two interchange points dictated the freight train movements. Crews worked as follows:

1. Monday to Saturday, two crews were called to handle tonnage northward from Hawk Junction, scheduled to leave at approximately 07.00 and 09.00.

2. The 07.00 crew as Train #9, handled a straight train for the CNR at Oba. It was a hotshot run, no stops.

3. He set off his train, turned on the wye and returned as #10 southward to Hawk Jct. with a tonnage train for Sault Ste. Marie.

4. The 09.00 crew, ordered as Train #11, handled the remaining northward tonage for the CPR at Franz, CNR at Hearst as well as pulpwood empties for the pulp spurs. He did not switch the spurs themselves.

5. He returned the next day as Train #12 from Hearst to Hawk Junction.

6. One swing crew was based at Hearst. When #11 arrived, the swing crew took the engine and started southward, caboose hop, for Oba. It was this crew that switchedall the pulp spurs. He set off all the accumulated pulp loads at Oba, turned on the wye and returned to Hearst by 07.00 so the engine was available for #12's crew.

The three crews assigned to Trains #9, #10, #11 and #12 worked on a first in, first out basis at Hawk Jct.
Monday: Crew 1 called for 07.00 as Train #9 to Oba and return as #10. Crew 2 called for 09.00 to Hearst as Train #11. Crew 3 returning from Hearst as Train #12. If crew 1 returned to Hawk before crew 3, then crew 1 would remain first out and go to Oba the next day. If crew 3 arrived at Hawk before crew 1, then crew 3 would be first out and go to Oba the next day and so on. Crews would get alternate Sundays off when only the Hearst crew would go north because of light tonnage.

On the Michipicoten Subdivision operations were geared to the requirements of the iron ore mine at Wawa. Two crews were assigned to work as follows: Crew 1 was called for 05.00 for Wawa to arrive at Helen Mine by 07.00, with a single engine. He handled available iron ore empties and spotted them at Wawa for loading. He then made 2 thirteen car car and 1 fourteen car car trips from Wawa to Helen mine for iron ore, hereafter called green ore. This service was necessary because the one ton buckets on the cable tramway from the mine to the concentrator didn't have the capacity to keep the concentrator supplied with iron ore. When the buckets were increased to three ton size, then service was stopped and track from Helen to Helen Mine, 1.9 miles, was torn up. The crew returned to Hawk Jct. with a train of processed iron ore, hereafter called sinter ore, for Sault Ste. Marie. Crew 2 was called for about 07.00 for Michipicoten Harbour and return, with one locomotive. He handled iron ore empties, merchandise for Wawa, and filled out on pulpwood for Michipicoten Harbour. He spotted the ore empties at Wawa, did the freight shed work there and filled out tonnage on iron ore (sinter ore) for Michipicoten Harbour. On arrival at Brient (yard for Michipicoten) he yarded his train, turned on the wye and crew usually ate dinner in the Company bunk house. He picked up a train of coal and/or iron ore empties and returned to Hawk Junction, setting off and picking up at Wawa. These crews worked on a first in, first out basis also and got a day off on alternate Sundays when only the 05.00 crew worked.

At Brient, there were two yard crews assigned. One worked 06.00 to 18.00 and the other 18.00 to 06.00. They changed around on Sundays. They would pull and and spot the pulpwood dock and spot iron ore for unloading. It took 225 car loads of iron ore for a boat load. Originally a trestle holding 7 cars was used for unloading. An endless belt ran out from the bottom of the pile and into the boat for loading. Later, the track was removed from the trestle and replaced with an endless belt and a hopper was installed in the yard lead and used for unloading, thus eliminating the need for engine service. Cars were spotted with a cable pull-up system.

The track from Brient to Michipicoten (1.1 miles) is on a heavy downgrade. A safety spur at the western end of the yard at Brient protects against runaways. Before train movements are made, the engineman pumps up the air, tests the brakes, and if the brakes are satisfactory, blows four short whistles and the trainman lines the switch for the main. Retainers are used on all train movements. Before crews started up from Michipicoten to Brient, they telephoned to make sure no one was coming down. This situation was eliminated when the route was double tracked. Locomotives 70 and 71, (ex Virginian Railway 2-8-2's 462 and 455) were usually assigned to Brient. Their small drivers and big fireboxes were ideal for this service.

Occasionally, if coal traffic was heavy, a Brient crew would take a train of coal from Brient to a doubling spur at Mile 3 (just west of Hawk Junction). They wouldn't go right into Hawk Jct. because if a Hawk crew had their required eight hours rest between assignments, the the Hawk crew would put in a runaround for wages made by the Brient crew. They did this because the Hawk crew felt that it was their work instead of the Brient crews work. The next eastbound freight would take the coal into Hawk Junction.

Compared to the freight operations, passenger service was relatively simple. On the Soo Subdivision, passenger service was on a tri-weekly basis. Starting as a mixed train in the early days, 1 baggage car plus two coaches plus OCS coal for Frater were its consist. Power was a 100 class 4-6-0. The crew from Sault Ste. Marie continued on to Brient to tie up.

On the Northern Subdivision, passenger service was the same except the crews were based at Hawk Junction.

There were four locations that required yard service. At Sault Ste. Marie, until diesels came in early 1951, only 2 yard crews worked: 07.00 to 15.00 and 15.00 to 23.00. The 07.00 crew broke up the incoming trains, delivered the interchange cars to CPR; switched the freight shed; delivered all cars to Algoma Steel. The 15.00 crew switched the outgoing cars from Algoma Steel; made up outgoing trains; delivered one drag of empty gondolas to Algoma Steel; switched the car shops and made up the passenger train. He usually worked overtime.

At Hawk Junction, one crew worked six days a week from 05.00 to 13.00. He made up all trains, (Sault Ste. Marie crews pre-blocked them) and made runs to Tabor if he had time. Any crews ordered after 13.00 made up their own train.

At Hearst, CN crews made up all the ACR trains and the Brient operations are described in detail above.

In addition to the regular passenger, freight and yard operations, a ballast train was operated every summer from a Company pit at Perry, Mile 150 on the Soo Sub. Extra board men liked to get the assignment to relieve the regular men on this job because of the high mileage made every day. Regular men usually made their miles in 14-15 days. then had the rest of the month off. A ditcher train usually worked from May to December, installing new culverts, cleaning ditches and repairing the high fills on the right-of-way. He picked up the accumulated scrap rails and switch material on his way in during the fall.

The ACR had modified automobiles and pick-up trucks for service on rails. These vehicles are not Hi-Rail equipped but do have a steel flange fastened on the inside of the tires. Everything from a Model A Ford, a 1932 Nash, Chev pick-ups, to the present American Motors Rambler and Pontiac station wagons were used. This modification does not allow the vehicles to run on a highway.

The principal area for the cutting of pulpwood north of Hawk Junction is very swampy and will not support a regular gravel road. So the majority of the pulpwood was always cut in summer and hauled to railhead during the winter months. Winter roads were constructed over the frozen muskeg and small crawler tractors hauling four or five sleighs hauled the wood from the bush. The Newago Timber Co. at Meade, solved the summer transportation problem by laying their own light railroad through the bush. Mine sized rail (15-20 lbs. per yard) was laid on ties to standard gauge width. A Fairmont track motor was used for power, with trailers (some had seats and roof for passengers) used for hauling merchandise. The Kimberly-Clark Corp., at Boon accomplished the same thing by laying spruce poles to standard gauge and running a GM pickup truck on the rims on the poles. A small turntable at each end of the line was used for turning the equipment.

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