[Home]
[Spring Breakup 2008]
[Moosonee 2009]
[Moosonee 2010]
[Moosonee Index]
[Amateur Radio]
[Computers]
[Cree Village Ecolodge]
[Kap Kig Iwan Park]
[Legal]
[Links/Contact]
[Miscellany]
[Moose Factory]
[Moosonee]
[Moosonee 2007]
[Moosonee Buildings]
[Moosonee Trains]
[November Breakups]
[More pictures]
[People]
[Provencher]
[Ravens]
[Spring Breakup 2004]
[Spring Breakup 2005]
[Spring Breakup 2006]
[Video]
[Spring breakup 2012]

Moosonee trains

Waiting for the train to leave, 2008 June 27

Moosonee is the northern terminus of the Ontario Northland railway (fomerly Temiskaming and Northern Ontario) which begins at North Bay, Ontario. The railway is owned by the Government of the Province of Ontario and operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission. Until June 2007 the ONR ran a year round (three days per week) mixed train (Little Bear) which carried both freight and passengers plus the summer time Polar Bear excursion train (six days per week) between Moosonee and Cochrane.

On March 23, 2007, the Ontario Government announced that mixed train operation would be replaced by a freight only train twice a week (419/621)and passenger service (421/622) five times a week in each direction, increasing to six times a week during the summer. The new service began in June 2007. There is no longer be a separate excursion train in the summer. The new train (Polar Bear/Little Bear sometimes called the Super Bear because of the amount of switching it involves) includes chain cars (flatcars) for light vehicles, baggage and express cars, a couple of box cars for larger items such as boxcars as well as passenger cars. Additional passenger cars, including domes, are added in the summer. The separate freight trains has carried double stacked containers, fuel tankers and variety of other cargo. Because it is a "pure" freight train it is not subject to the same length restrictions as the Little Bear was. Some of the freight brought up to Moosonee is transferred to trucks on the winter road, aircraft and barges for shipment further north to Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Attawapiskat and the Victor Diamond Mine west of Attawapiskat.

In Moosonee the tracks run past the station out to the airport and also along the river (beside Revillon Road North) for bringing freight to the barges.

Additional photos (often in higher resolution and with detailed captions) of trains in Moosonee may be found at http://paullantz.com, http://www.pbase.com/paullantz/trains and http://www.pbase.com/paullantz/switching .
 

Boxcar 2808	Locomotives 2010 Dec14	GO Transit 2423 comes to Moosonee for testing 2011 Dec 7th
Polar Bear Express arriving 2010 Dec 3		Locomotives 2010 Dec 3	Express platform by night 2010 December 14th

Polar Bear Express in Cochrane 2010 April 5th
		Northlander arriving in Cochrane 2010 April 4th			Polar Bear April 5th
Northlander in Cochrane on a foggy morning 2010 April 5th					Station Inn Station
Cochrane Museum Train	Polar Bear Express in Moosonee 2010 April 1st
Polar Bear Express in Moosonee 2010 April 1st				Vehicles on Polar Bear Express 2010 March 19th
GP38-2's near Store Creek bridge in Moosonee		Polar Bear Express coaches 2010 March 19th		Moosonee sunset	GP40-2 2201

Freight train operates twice a week between Cochrane and Moosonee. 2010 Jan 15

GP40-2 2200 handling freight near barge docks and crossing Airport Road 2009 November 10th in Moosonee.
Moosonee Station 2009 November 5th New siding for station, new shed beside station
Crossing the Wabi	Scale cars	Northlander in Englehart	Locos at Englehart	Cochrane Station Interior
Exterior renovations at Moosonee station 2009 September 10th
Moosonee Station 2009 September 7th Polar Bear Express arrival
	Polar Bear Express arriving in Cochrane 2009 August 23rd
		Northlander arrives in Cochrane 2009 August 23rd
Polar Bear Express 2009 May 29th
Freight train arriving 2009 May 29th
		Canadian Pacific Track Inspection Train in Moosonee 2009 May 28th
				Cable train Englehart
Northlander in Cochrane	Provisions April 10/09	To Cochrane April 9/09
Polar Bear Express 2009 March 11th
Freight 2009 Feb 6th	Tripleheaded Polar Bear Express 2009 January 9th:  three GP39-2's 1806, 1801 and 1805
Moose River work camp	Englehart yard
Freight 419 just arrived in Moosonee to left of departing passenger 622			Train 622 departing Moosonee
		Northlander arriving in Cochrane at night
Train 622 waits as 419 arrives in Moosonee	Train 419		Most of train 421 being spotted in Cochrane
	Englehart yard from the north		Leaving Englehart	Vehicle traffic
	Temiskaming and Northern Ontario 1912 June 30 timetable.	The Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway was the predecessor of the Ontario Northland.

Tuesdays and Fridays, freight train 419 brings the freight that used to come on the Little Bear mixed train.

Moosonee 2008 January 31 Train stayed overnight previous night.

Moosonee 2008 January 30 Blizzard

Cochrane 2007 December 27

	Waiting for evening departure of train 622 as freight service 1801 waits to left
Christmas in July 2007				First new train
				Last mixed train

December 24-27, 2006 ONR in Cochrane and Englehart		SD75i	Northlander departs Englehart
Englehart Station	Northlander arrival	Freight 214		Efficient crew change
Northlander departs Cochrane	Northlander crosses Englehart River		No baggage car on Northlander	ONR six axle units
Cochrane Station	Northlander waits to depart from Cochrane	Northlander arrives in Cochrane	Platform activity in Cochrane	Switching in Cochrane

December 19, 2006	View from end of platform	Fueling auxiliary power	Farewell at station
November 18, 2006	Freight section	Rear end of passenger section in station	Containers ready to go up north

Little Bear Mixed November 13, 2006

Swastika ONR station Oct 9, 2006	Longer consist for Thanksgiving Northlander	Street side of station	Platform view of station
			Looking to platform	Waiting room

Little Bear at Cochrane	Moose at Moose River	Looking forward	Waiting at mileage 174
Break at Moose River	Baggage at Cochrane	Northlander at Cochrane
		Special train for Boreal Conference 2006
North American Railcar Operators Association visit Moosonee September 1, 2006
	Little Bear baggage		Last Polar Bear of 2006
Double stacked containers on Little Bear mixed		Last Polar Bear Express of 2006 heads south
Three axle truck on old baggage car now used as museum
Polar Bear beside rear of special train		Second unit in special for National Cree Gathering
1805 and 1603 lead Mixed Train into Moosonee		Mixed train seen from rear
Watching switching
Along the river	Work equipment at Moosonee yard	Off to work	Butler Creek bridge
Track evaluation vehicle	On Store Creek bridge		Sperry Rail Services 815
Polar Bear Express departs Moosonee	GP38-2 1801 heads up Polar Bear Express	Canoe car	Track equipment

Moosonee 2006 July 7 Polar Bear Express on second track for arrival of Little Bear mixed train

Cochrane 2006 July 5	Bears like plants	Northlander
Cochrane Station	Polar Bear Express	2202 switching

			Store Creek rail bridge
	Gravel cars derailed on airport spur 2006 June 8

2006 Apr 22

Meeting the train 2006 March 20th
		Mixed train arrives
Waiting for train	Actually arrived at 7:45	Freight platform
	Snowmobile car
1804 at Moosonee Stn.

DeBeers Moosonee Yard where supplies are offloaded for travel north
A couple of larger shots (1600 pixels) for the benefit of modellers

Mixed train arrival 2005 December 14
Tracks heading south	Playing around museum car	Unloading baggage

View from wye towards station showing north end of new siding, September 22, 2005	Trailers, prefabs and containers for diamond mine arriving in Moosonee 2005 December 2005
	Train bridge
	Tracks south of Store Creek	Wye from Southwest
Tracks into Moosonee	Work area near station
	Moosonee station	Moosonee station from road
New siding (on right), view south towards station	New siding (on left), view north towards airport.

Polar Bear Express 2005 August 6

Polar Bear Express 2005 August 5
Railroad display	Inside museum car	Lead engine

Cochrane August 3rd 2005

Northlander leaves for Toronto

GP38-2 waits to lead Northlander south

Passengers watch Polar Bear Express

First excursion train of 2005 June 24th
Sidings along the Moose River	Just one trailer this morning	Auxiliary power unit 203 just before dawn
Early morning yard	Starting switching	Pulling away from ramp
GP38-2's	Track to airport	Trailers on flatcars
		Remnants of former siding
Contrast paint schemes	Mixed train
Yard at sunrise	Mixed train about 1982	GP40-2 2200 crosses Bay Rd
Crossing Store Creek bridge	Hunters loading
1800 crossing Bay Road	View from the south end of the winter road	Trailers stacked three high
Switching in Moosonee yard	Making up mixed train at Moosonee for more pictures click here
Trucks departing south as winter road season ends.	Coming off the wye
Vehicles at train station	End of track bumper	Turnout to wye
Snowmobile car at front of passenger section of mixed train.	Passengers wait by end of mixed train. The freight section, seen at right, will be pulled forward and added at the front of the passenger section.	End of freight section.

This is not a great railfan photo. It shows two Ontario Northland engines switching along the Moose River. In the left part of the picture is part of a "tractor train" that is used on the winter road going north from Moosonee. Tractor trains have been the means by which large quantities of goods have been transported on temporary winter roads. The trains include various units for accommodation, merchandise as well as fuel tanks, all on skis and pulled by tractors or bulldozers. In recent years the quality of the winter roads has increased to the point where tractor trailers, pickup trucks and even cars can sometimes use them.

Tank cars along Ferguson Road North. Moosonee is a transshipment point for many commodities including fuels.

Switching oil tanks	Transport waiting for train		GP38-2 1800	Butler Creek bridge

Polar Bear Express excursion train at Moosonee July 10, 2004 (large file).

All that is left of siding to fuel depot at former base.	canoe car	farewell to excursion train as it heads north
southbound regular mixed meets excursion Aug 21 2003	Moose River bridge Aug 25 2003	Regular train Aug 21 2003
Excursion and regular train July 4 2003	Switching along Ferguson Road North	Switching onto Revillon Road North
Regular train parked Sept 10 2003	Power unit, ex B unit	Switching along the Moose River Sept 10 2003
Santa Train November 29, 1998	Tank cars alongside Ferguson Road North Apr 16 2004	Track heads towards former base and airport April 23 2004
Towards Revillon Road North offloading.	Towards Revillon Rd N offloading showing Ferguson Rd and Revillon Rd sidings.	Moosonee station from north.
Derail.	Moosonee station from south	South from Store Creek rail bridge
Moosonee station from south	Atim Road bridge from rail bridge over Store Creek	Special train for Attawapiskat evacuation May 21 2004
Attawapiskat Evacuation train	Attawapiskat Evacuation train	Due to flooding, Attawapiskat residents flown to Moosonee by Canadian Forces and on to Timmins by rail.
GP 38-2 1801 running along Ferguson Rd N