Sask. town welcomes 98 Via passengers on Christmas morning

With wind chill of -43, train stalls at a siding in Spy Hill

SPY HILL, Sask. — A small Saskatchewan town opened its doors on Christmas morning to a Via Rail train with almost 100 passengers that suffered mechanical problems due to extremely cold weather.

Company spokeswoman Mariam Diaby said in an email that the train travelling between Vancouver and Toronto had to stop at Spy Hill, and the passengers were sheltered in the local community centre where they received food, drinks and warmth.

Calvin Petracek, Spy Hill’s deputy fire chief, said he was doing chores on his farm when texts went out to firefighters asking volunteers to help.

Petracek said there’s no railway station in Spy Hill, which has a population of about 300 people, so the train was stopped at a siding in the community. Spy Hill is in eastern Saskatchewan, not far from the Manitoba boundary.

Petracek said it’s only about 100 metres from the train to the hall and most of the passengers were able to walk there with some guidance, but the temperature was -43 C with wind chill.

Petracek said the stranded passengers were served pancakes cooked by people in the town, with help from the cooks on the train.

“The population of Spy Hill increased 25 per cent through Christmas due to this,” Petracek said.

Diaby said the passengers — 98 in total — were to be taken to Winnipeg by bus later in the day. She said Via was looking at alternative transportation for the passengers from Winnipeg onward.

Fire Chief Jim Larocque said the town hall had been decorated for Christmas by a local family who booked it for a large holiday celebration.

A musical duo that had been performing on the train led everyone in Christmas carols, after townspeople helped to hook up the sound system.

The family who had booked the hall graciously moved their celebration to the curling rink.

“It was a really joyous Christmas,” Larocque said.