Algoma Central Track Conditions

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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I saw a recent Trains news item about the Algoma Central that track conditions resulted in the Ontario government slapping a speed restriction on the northern 1/3 of the line. from Hawk Junction north to Hearst, freight trains will be restricted to 10 mph and passenger to 15 mph. That’s a really long speed restriction, so I’m curious if others know more about this?

I also ask because I rode the train from the Soo to Hearst on honeymoon with my wife on May 18 & 19. Admittedly, there are a couple of spots that do require a top speed of 10 mph on the passenger. One particularly bad stretch was a brief section that would feel really adventurous at 15 mph. There’s some pretty significant rolling back and forth there.

On the other hand, much of this stretch is hardly call for 15, where it was quite passable for large stretches at 30 mph. Other parts of it call for lesser speeds, but more than 15 mph is quite doable. There are several lengthy stretches over lakes that are part causeway, part trestle, but the train rode through these smoothly at a good clip. The crew seems to know well what they need to do, so they must have some specific track orders.

Perhaps this is the government’s way to tell CN that the stretch needs work. Perhaps putting the slow order in place is meant to raise the priority of maintenance for CN?

Now to the good stuff…

The crew is very accommodating to railfans. Our conductor was a gracious host, the radio was right there in the coach with us, and everything was clean and inviting. There’s lots of good photo ops. The multiple stops at cabins and lakes are scenes to take in, along with interesting conversation with passengers.

Going to – or from – Hearst? You’ll be one of the few. The closest hotel has an entrance on the track side and to the road side. You’ll be close by, there a nice little pub/restaurant in it. But it was Victoria Day, so no food service, although drinks were available. We ordered pizza – i

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Has CN been practicing “deferred maintenance” since they acquired the line?

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I think the answer to that one is rather obvious–if speed is going down because of deteriorating track conditions, the track is being undermaintained. The question then becomes, is the maintenance being deferred or withheld? I think the scenario is possibly that things will get so bad that the track can’t be improved without starting over from the ballast (or lower) up, Then, of course, it will not be worth the expense, and will be left to rot, particularly after passenger movements are banned.

Just because the entire track has been slapped with this limit doesn’t mean that there aren’t some stretches that would be all right for higher speeds–they’re just so few and far between that it wouldn’t be practical to single them out. When I first hired out on the C&NW, timetable speed for freight trains on our line to Clinton was 50 m.p.h.–with a train order further restricting freights to 40 over the entire subdivision (compare to mostly 70 nowadays). On my first road trip, we were headed west (40 seemed smooth enough, but it was monotonous), and we got to one stretch not far from Sterling, where the conductor said to me, “Feel how smooth that ride is–it all used to be this way, and the streamliners could take this track at 100.” Within a couple of miles, though, it was back to the swing and sway. And, of course, there were slower spots singled out by train orders–and usually one could see disturbed earth near those spots where wrecks had been cleared. And this was at a time when C&NW still had passenger service of its own to Clinton (Trains 1 and 2–vestiges of the Kate Shelley 400).