This is what my caboose looked like about 28 years ago!

100 Years of Rail History
The Algoma Central Railway Company was incorporated August 11, 1899 and was known as such until May 23, 1901 when, with plans to push the line to Hudson Bay, the name was changed to the Algoma Central and Hudson Bay Railway Company. By 1914 track was laid as far north as Hearst, Ontario and shortly after plans to reach Hudson Bay were abandoned. The name was changed on June 30, 1965 to the Algoma Central Railway and then, with the purchase of the Railway by Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation on February 1st, 1995, its name was changed to Algoma Central Railway Inc.

STARTED IN 1899
Francis H. Clergue was a U.S. industrialist who first visited our region in 1892 and foresaw the opportunities for growth as an industrial centre and it was his vision that laid the foundation for the present day city of Sault Ste. Marie. Clergue's persuasive style and boundless optimism attracted investment dollars which enabled him to develop twelve major enterprises including a steel mill, a pulp mill, two railways, two power and light utilities, a street car system and a fleet of steamships.

The discovery of the iron ore deposit at Wawa by a prospector named Boyer, was the catalyst for the steel industry in Sault Ste. Marie and a driving force of the Railway's construction.

Construction of the railway commenced in 1899 and by the time of the Clergue empire's industrial crash in 1903, rail had been laid to Mile 56 on the main line north from Sault Ste. Marie and from the Michipicoten Harbour to Josephine, six miles from the intended main line connection at Hawk Junction.

Construction of the line did not resume until 1909 and the main line north of Sault Ste. Marie connected with the Michipicoten branch line at Hawk Junction in 1911. The main line crossed the Canadian Pacific rail line at Franz (Mile 194.9) by mid-1912 and then crossed the Canadian Nationals line at Oba (Mile 244.7) six months later. The line reached its northern terminus in Hearst, Ontario in 1914. The Railway has 322 miles of main line track - 296 miles from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst and 26 miles from Hawk Junction to Michipicoten Harbour on Lake Superior.

TOUGH GOING
The location and construction of the railway through dense forests, rugged hills, across rivers and deep ravines was a vastly different job at the turn of the century compared with present day construction and would even challenge today's railway builders. The 10 mile stretch between Mile 68 and Mile 78 was one of the most difficult sections to construct. Records indicate that it took over 2000 men, working an entire summer to complete this 10 mile stretch. After the dealing with the rock, the brush fires, blackflies and booze were the other obstacles the railway had to overcome. The stories say that the labourer's enthusiasm for work was often dampened by an abundance of whiskey.

To build the section of track from Michipicoten Harbour, all construction material, including locomotives, freight cars etc. had to be transported north from Sault Ste. Marie on the steamships, Manitou and Caribou. The Canadian Pacific Railway, whose line crosses the Algoma Central line at Franz, also made use of this transportation route.

The section from Frater to Agawa Canyon was an engineering feat in itself with the track dropping 500ft/152.3m over 12 miles to the bottom of the canyon floor. As the track exits the canyon at mile 116 the track hugs the Agawa River and the canyon walls are only 50ft/15.2m apart.

DIESELIZED IN 1952
Algoma Central Railway was the first Canadian steam railway to completely switch over to diesel operations. Dieselization had an impact on operating efficiencies and the companies bottom line and in 1959, 60 years after start-up, shareholders received their first dividend cheque.

END OF AN ERA
In late 1997, Algoma Steel Inc. announced that it would be shutting down its low grade ore mining operations in Wawa, the same ore body discovered by Boyer, in favour of higher grade ore from the Tilden Mine outside of Marquette, Michigan. With the closing of the Algoma Ore Division, a final ore train consisting of 18 cars, rumbled along the branch line to Hawk Junction and then down to the Sault on June 25, 1998 and with it an important chapter in the Railway's 100 year history came to a close.

Historical Information Courtesy of Algoma Central Railway, Incorporated