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I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Bruce Chapman. I never met him, but I felt I knew him (somewhat) through his many contributions to Branchline magazine.

I had the pleasure of riding the Agawa Canyon Tour Train recently. I was working with Rail Travel Tours as a co-guide for almost 50 guests touring railway and other attractions in northern and western Ontario. For me, and I think many of our guests, the Agawa Canyon train was the highlight of the trip.

Sometimes I feel words stirring below the surface of my mind, little word minnows darting about, seeking to join together into sentences and paragraphs. Now and then a phrase jumps out, flashing silvery in the wan mind-light, before splashing down and wriggling under the surface again, leaving rippling rings of thought and inspiration. Over time, … Read more

VIA Rail provides passenger service between Sudbury and White River, Ontario using two or three self-propelled rail diesel cars (“RDCs”). This is classified as “remote service” and is intended to serve communities in this remote area with passenger service, since road access is sparse to non-existent.

James Brown was singing about an old man trying something new – maybe a dance move – but I’m writing about an actual bag, a new camera bag.

The Agawa Canyon Tour Train in northern Ontario is a long-running tourist attraction that brings thousands of visitors to the remote and beautiful Agawa Canyon. Canada’s famed Group of Seven painters traveled this route and painted several gorgeous views of the area. Today artists and tourists alike enjoy the views.

I was very sorry to hear that Ed Bowes died on September 12. He was a big part of the Salem & Hillsborough Railroad and he will be missed.

Manitoba is perhaps Canada’s most forgotten province. Most of our 10 provinces have something unique about them – Nova Scotia, the ocean; Newfoundland, the accents and screech; Quebec, French and poutine; and so forth. Manitoba has polar bears, I suppose, but otherwise we are pretty dull.

Author Terry Gainer recently published The Soo Line’s Famous Trains to Canada and shared a few Soo Line timetables from his research. I’m happy to be able to share them here for reference.