A trip on the Agawa Canyon Tour Train

[Hiawatha Pete]

Good Morning DU'ers,

Hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe.

I thought it might be time to post some pics from another train route, this time from my home province of Ontario, Canada.

Back in 2015 my wife and I had the pleasure of riding the Agawa Canyon Tour Train, which runs on a day trip from from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (just across the border from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan) to the Agawa Canyon in Ontario's northern hinterland and thought we might share some pics.

The Agawa Canyon Tour Train began operation in 1964, carrying tourists to the scenic & popular Agawa Canyon. The train operates on the tracks of the Algoma Central Railway (ACR), now owned by Canadian National Railways (CN). The Algoma Central was a regional railway operating in Northern Ontario and when CN took over the line, it inherited the ACR's passenger service.

The pics are from our website at https://northamericabyrail.info/

Hope you enjoy!

Cheers, Pete

AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN AT THE STATION IN SAULT STE MARIE, ON. THE STATION AND PLATFORM ARE LOCATED IN THE PARKING LOT OF A SHOPPING MALL IN DOWNTOWN SAULT STE MARIE


ONBOARD THE AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN, DEPARTING SAULT STE MARIE, ON


TICKET TO RIDE. IN A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE, CN (WHICH SOLD OFF ITS PASSENGER SERVICES TO VIA RAIL CANADA IN 1976) IS ONCE AGAIN CARRYING FARE-PAYING PASSENGERS.


PASSING THE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE TO SAULT STE MARIE, MICHIGAN


ALGOMA CENTRAL YARDS & SHOPS, STEELTON, ON


SOMETHING MUCH-NEEDED FOR NORTHERN ONTARIO WINTERS. ALGOMA CENTRAL PLOW #10105 AT STEELTON, ON


SOMETHING YOU DON'T SEE VERY OFTEN (ANYMORE). ALGOMA CENTRAL EXTENDED-VISION CABOOSE #9609 ON THE PLOW TRAIN AT STEELTON, ON


CROSSING THE TRESTLE AT BELLVUE, ON


OLD RAILROAD BUNKHOUSE AT ACHIGAN, ON


ACHIGAN LAKE


AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN SKIRTS ACHIGAN LAKE


VIEW FROM REAR OF TRAIN NEAR SEARCHMONT, ON


AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN SKIRTS TROUT LAKE


CABINS AT TROUT LAKE, ON


SPRUCE LAKE


CN MAINTENANCE-OF-WAY CREW AT SUMMIT, ON


MONGOOSE LAKE


BATCHEWANA RIVER


CABINS ALONG THE BATCHEWANA RIVER


AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN SKIRTING RAND LAKE


DINING CAR ON THE AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN


AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN DINING CAR MENU


HOT BEEF SANDWICH WITH GRAVY, MASHED POTATO, & VEGETABLES


CAFE CAR ON THE AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN


AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN CROSSING MONTREAL RIVER TRESTLE & DAM


AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN CROSSING MONTREAL RIVER TRESTLE & DAM


VIEW OF GENERATING STATION FROM MONTREAL RIVER TRESTLE


LAKE NEAR HUBERT, ON


ALONG THE NORTH SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR


HIGHLANDS OUTSIDE AGAWA CANYON PARK


ENTERING THE AGAWA CANYON


TRAVELLING THROUGH THE AGAWA CANYON


BRIDAL VEIL FALLS


TRAVELLING THROUGH THE AGAWA CANYON


ARRIVING AT AGAWA CANYON PARK, PASSING OLD RAILWAY CARRIAGE NOW PART OF A GIFT SHOP


CN F40PH #106 ON THE POINT OF THE AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN, AGAWA CANYON PARK, ON


PLAQUE COMMEMORATING CANADA'S 'GROUP OF SEVEN' ARTISTS WHO FREQUENTED THE PARK


AGAWA CANYON PARK

[CrispyQ]

1. Absolutely wonderful!

I loved each photo! The train, the plow & caboose, the colors of the countryside. What a marvelous trip! Thanks for sharing!

[Hiawatha Pete]

2. No problem, my pleasure!

Thanks for checking out my pics!

[2naSalit]

3. Very nice!

Thank you for sharing these! It sure makes the morning more pleasant!

I love that it was in the Fall, I grew up in New England, mostly, and I miss the autumn foliage. I live in the US Northern Rockies and we have foliage but it's mostly Cottonwood and Aspen which are mostly yellow with more colorful understory, just not the same. The incredible mountains risin up from the forests make up for it, though.

I will have to look into touring Ontario if we ever get out of this horrible mess we're in right now. I might be too old to travel by then too, hope not.

Thanks for the tour!

[Hiawatha Pete]

7. Thanks for the compliment!

Yes, fingers crossed we all will get out of this horrible mess soon, it's extremely unfortunate that in the U.S. you are stuck, for the moment, with an administration that is compounding the problem.

I'm envious of you as we had plans to go out West again before the pandemic hit. Hopefully we will be able to go in the future under better circumstances.

FYI, not sure if you might find this beneficial, but Amtrak has public transportation connections by train and connecting Amtrak Thruway bus to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. It's then just a short taxi hop across the border to Canada and there's a Day's Inn and a Casino with a restaurant all within walking distance of the train station.

I actually looked into this as we'd also like to travel to the area again sometime, possibly detouring through the U.S., and thought it would be good to have a car-free plan if we were unable to drive when we got older.

[2naSalit]

12. Thanks, great tips.

I don't travel much now so there are many rude awakenings I hadn't considered when the time comes to go somewhere. I have learned to consult family and friends who do travel a lot. They are always very helpful.

Hope we all get to travel again before too terribly long.

[DonaldsRump]

4. Just fantastic!

It makes me long for October 2015, which I guess is when you took the trip?

I would love to take my family on something like this, but I wonder when that will ever be. Until that blessed day, I'll be content at looking at your wonderful pix!

[Hiawatha Pete]

8. Thanks for the compliment & for checking out my post!

That's correct, as you can see in the pic of the ticket it was in October of 2015.

The trip comes highly recommended. I also think it's a good way, for people who haven't been on a train before, to get the traditional railroad and dining car experience on a one day trip that would fit most budgets.

Hopefully things will take a turn for the better and you and everyone here at DU will be able to safely travel again!

[Thekaspervote]

5. Nice!

[Hiawatha Pete]

9. Thanks!

[dhill926]

6. great shots...

I can almost smell the crisp, fall air...

[Hiawatha Pete]

10. Thanks for the generous compliment!

If it makes viewers think of the crisp fall air then mission accomplished!

[hermetic]

11. Beautiful

Love those colors.

And the Sault Ste Marie bridge! I've spent a few hours sitting up there. Sometimes the traffic would be stopped the entire length of the bridge. You could actually get out of your car and look over the edge into the river. Ah, the good old days.

[Hiawatha Pete]

14. Thanks!

The view from the bridge sounds awesome, I've never driven over it before. Maybe something for the bucket list, with any luck I'll get stuck in traffic like you did, allowing me to get out and have a look...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. What wonderful photos, my dear Hiawatha Pete!

I just love the fall colors and the train's views over the countryside! The menu looked mighty tasty too.

Thank you so much for taking us along on these great trips. It's a great way to see other parts of the world and to be distracted from the horror show at home.

Thank you so much!

[Hiawatha Pete]

15. Thanks CaliforniaPeggy!

It's been my pleasure to share our experience with such a great audience!

My wife and I soooo miss travelling to the U.S. and find it absolutely heartbreaking what is happening there, with an administration not only exacerbating the pandemic but also dabbling in fascism in its response to the Portland, OR, protests.

The pendulum will swing back, hopefully sooner rather than later and hopefully we'll be able to visit the U.S. again in the not too distant future, as well as travel safely on this side of the border under better circumstances as well.

Keep safe (along with your family, friends and fellow DU'ers) - and thanks again for checking out my pics!