This video was originally published by Trains as part of the Locomotive 2017 DVD.
Canadian Pacific’s transcontinental mainline across Canada traverses a wide range of terrain, from the Rocky mountains in the west, across the plains in its midsection to the Canadian Shield in the east. One of the most beautiful and inaccessible locations is the 130 miles of CP mainline that skirts the north shore of Lake Superior in southern Ontario.
Completed in 1885, the tracks were carved into the rugged Canadian Shield, featuring numerous tunnels, trestles, and rock cuts as the line twists both along and near the shoreline for much of the distance.
Two Canadian Pacific subdivisions run along the lake, with each meeting at the crew change point in Schreiber. East of town lies the Heron Bay Subdivision, stretching 118 miles east to White River, while the Nipigon Subdivision heads west 133 miles to Thunder Bay.
Traffic levels on this segment of CP’s transcontinental route is relatively low. On average, only eight to ten trains a day travel the line. While sparse, the upside is that most traverse this scenic section in daylight.
Many trains utilize distributed power, which places remote controlled locomotives in the middle and/or rear of the train. Distributed power allows greater train length, better train handling and improves air flow through the trainline during the cold winter months.
While access is limited due to the rugged nature of the mainline, Highway 17 roughly parallels the tracks through the area. This coupled with the relative slow speed of trains, thanks in part to numerous speed restrictions as low as 30mph, and grades exceeding one percent, allows an observer time to access multiple locations as a train moves across the line.
