"Now you may wonder why we drove to Cochrane to board a train? Well, the excursion train makes up at Cochrane. As J.W. said, we were only two out of 800 'suckers'. But we were hardly that. It was an experience I would not have missed, also one I do not care to make again soon. Fun! We let Cochrane Friday morning at 8:15 A.M. August 8th. The advertisements read, "All Aboard The Polar Bear Express to Moosonee. An exciting train ride down north from Cochrane to Ontario's Fabled Northland." Or it might read "welcome Aboard The Polar Bear Express. From Cochrane, Ontario to the Arctic Tidewater." The train had huge white Polar Bears painted on each side of the big diesel engines. The train carried three freight cars, three baggage cars, and twelve passenger cars, including a diner and luncheon car. One car was occupied by a six piece band that furnished music all day.
Cochrane is the end of the highway north. All other means of travel is by train or plane in summer and dog-sled in the winter. Of course there are highways going east and west from there and south but nothing north except a few dirt roads that suddenly end in the bush. Along about October the long freight trains start hauling food and supplies to Moosonee to last the people until after the spring "Break-up."
Although there were no highways, all along the 198 miles of railroad, there were crude tar-paper shacks in which the Indians lived and nearly always there was a car on the little dirt roads that lead to "nowhere". If the Baggageman had freight or a package for the inhabitants along the route, he would blow the whistle and you could see them coming out of the bush to pick it up. The same was true if they wanted to ride to the next station or all the way to the end. They would flage the train and it would stop to pick them up. On the train with us was a lttle wizened old Indian, with a face like a dried apple doll I saw, toothless. At every stop he got off the train. At one, e spied an old friend evidently. You never saw such a smile on both faces, such hugging, kissing and back-slapping as went on. We thought this must be where he was headed for but when we got the end of the line, he was very much present.
Pg 9
We were truly travelling into a new world. Every 40th telephone pole (oh yes there are telephones and electricity) along the track carried a mile board marker to indicate the number of miles we were north of Cochrane. At Otter Rapids, 93 miles north of Cochrane the track run very high along the river bank giving us a clear view of the Hydro (electric power) dam and the power house far below. This dam is only one of several that are being built by the Ontario Hydro Co. to furnish power to the far corners of the northland. The train stopped here for ten minutes to allow camera fans a chance for pictures."
Note: the black and white picture is of Otter Rapids that I found online. js
Cochrane is the end of the highway north. All other means of travel is by train or plane in summer and dog-sled in the winter. Of course there are highways going east and west from there and south but nothing north except a few dirt roads that suddenly end in the bush. Along about October the long freight trains start hauling food and supplies to Moosonee to last the people until after the spring "Break-up."
Although there were no highways, all along the 198 miles of railroad, there were crude tar-paper shacks in which the Indians lived and nearly always there was a car on the little dirt roads that lead to "nowhere". If the Baggageman had freight or a package for the inhabitants along the route, he would blow the whistle and you could see them coming out of the bush to pick it up. The same was true if they wanted to ride to the next station or all the way to the end. They would flage the train and it would stop to pick them up. On the train with us was a lttle wizened old Indian, with a face like a dried apple doll I saw, toothless. At every stop he got off the train. At one, e spied an old friend evidently. You never saw such a smile on both faces, such hugging, kissing and back-slapping as went on. We thought this must be where he was headed for but when we got the end of the line, he was very much present.
Pg 9
We were truly travelling into a new world. Every 40th telephone pole (oh yes there are telephones and electricity) along the track carried a mile board marker to indicate the number of miles we were north of Cochrane. At Otter Rapids, 93 miles north of Cochrane the track run very high along the river bank giving us a clear view of the Hydro (electric power) dam and the power house far below. This dam is only one of several that are being built by the Ontario Hydro Co. to furnish power to the far corners of the northland. The train stopped here for ten minutes to allow camera fans a chance for pictures."
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