ON THE BRIGHT TRACK
Make new friends and take in the stunning fall colours on northern Ontario's `Budd Car'
A crisp morning breeze carries the genial banter of railroaders and latter-day voyageurs as a fleet of canoes is hauled from the cargo hold of Via Rail's Sudbury-white River passenger service — one of the hardest-working little locos in Canada.
“Have fun, boys!”
With that, and a flurry of friendly waves, the No. 6105 shudders forward, cutting through stark rock faces close enough to touch and bathed in fall foliage popping yellow and red, leaving behind another band of adventurers paddling deep into the northern Ontario hinterland.
What could be more Canadian? Sultan, Cartier, Biscotasing, Nemegos, Metagama, Woman River ... the signs and settlements drift by, largely untroubled by pandemic, politics and people. Where modern roads forsake the 480-kilometre route, soon after Cartier, the White River line gives way to ghost towns without even the ghosts, railway markers and the odd 1900s-era bottle bearing silent witness to those who came and went.
I've joined Daryl Adair, of Winnipeg-based Rail Travel Tours, on his autumn colours excursion between the nickel-belt capital of Sudbury and the Algoma Country township of White River, home of the black bear cub that inspired A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-pooh story.
Normally, Adair's trip would include a ride on The Canadian from Toronto through the Muskokas to Sudbury, but as of early October Via's transcontinental service was still idled.
His love of railroading was kindled as an 11-year-old on a trip with his grandmother to Vancouver — a passion he now shares through the boutique tour firm he launched 18 years ago.
A few years ago he discovered the Sudbury-white River route and fell hard for its raw wilderness and communal atmosphere. Today, he is proud to keep alive the stories and traditions of rail crews, both Canadian Pacific — on whose track the train runs — and the dedicated Via employees who now work the route.
People like former conductor Jimmy Cockburn.
“Jimmy's passion was this train and I like to think I'm in some way continuing his legacy,” Adair says, adding: “It's one of the best-kept secrets for rail passenger journeys in Canada and one of the most remote.”
But make no mistake — though catering to vacationers, hunters and anglers, the “Budd Car,” as it's known in a nod to the manufacturer, is all business.
“It's not a tourist train,” Adair ex
plains. “It's a working passenger train and it's probably one of the hardest working passenger trains in Canada.”
Indeed, the self- propelled rail-diesel car is a lifeline to the scattered hamlets and lodges along the lake-dotted corridor and, though service has been reduced amid the pandemic, it remains the only way in and out for many.
As regulars clamber aboard, appearing out of the woods to flag down the engineer, stories of moose sightings and supply chain snafus roll down the aisles spiked by laughter. It's a neighbourhood pub on wheels.
In Greater Sudbury, tour guests explore the Northern Ontario Railroad Museum in the town of Capreol, which boasts a comprehensive collection of rolling stock including some fearsome mining machines and a charming replica of a “school car” that once brought education to rural Ontarians. At the nearby heritage centre, volunteers lovingly maintain a selection of rare railroading books and texts.
Back in Sudbury, the Dynamic Earth museum sheds light on the city's nickel-mining origins, while the city's storied arena, home of the Ontario Hockey League's Wolves — and a stuffed wolf that swoops down from the rafters — will delight hockey lovers. Sidle up for photos with the Stompin' Tom Connors statue outside. The Canadian music icon, who died in 2013, immortalized the city in his legendary ditty, Sudbury Saturday Night, and you can raise a pint to his memory at the Towne House Tavern, which dishes up great burgers.
Though still a major mining hub, Sudbury has cleaned up the “moonscape” topography that once earned it a dubious place as a training ground for NASA astronauts with an aggressive re-greening strategy.
North of town, R&R Classic Cars opens its doors exclusively to Adair's guests. Owner Roger Morin happily shows off his collection, from a 1924 Star “special touring” car to a 1992 Toyota Supra, amid conversational trips down memory lane.
“It became a hobby, then a passion, then a business,” he says.
The Budd Car stops to refuel at Chapleau, gateway to a 700,000-hectare Crown game reserve, one of the largest of its kind in the world. Adair's guests can alight here for a quick tour of the
CP Rail artifacts, birchbark canoe and Indigenous beadwork at the town museum. A 275-tonne steam engine rests at the adjacent park.
At White River, the Winnie story is, er, laid bear in the town museum, stuffed with hundreds of Pooh-inspired teddy bears and drawing visitors from as far as the U.K. to honour the world's most lovable bruin. Every August, the Winnie's Hometown Festival celebrates the connection.
The Budd is “put to bed” in White River before returning to Sudbury the next morning with the same friendly faces greeting us in the dawn gloom. Group of Seven vistas sparkle as the sun slowly pokes above glassy-smooth lakes giving off tendrils of light mist. Further on, a dusting of snow brings the pines, tamaracks and birch trees into sharp relief.
Now's the chance to appreciate what you missed on the run north, and cameras busily record the rivers, waterfalls, old churches and homesteads unfolding from your comfy seat.
As we drop back into the Sudbury Basin, the mineral-rich crater created by a meteorite strike 1.8 billion years ago, the city's traffic seems Gotham-like after the weekend's splendid isolation.
The only thing missing? A catchy nickname.
Whatever. Thanks for the wonderful memories, Budd.