Skip to main content

Gregg posted:

http://www.arcticmini.com/fortsevern.htm 

Hey DOMINIC... I'm not sure there even  are Ice roads to Churchill...

I'm curious whether work has started on the repair so I fired off a e-mail to the town asking a few questions . I 'hoping  they can answer my questions and  may be able to put me in contact with another retired railway worker to get his thoughts on the  rail line

Who knows if I'll get a reply but you do bring up an interesting quest about the ice road?. I don't think so. stay tuned.

I was referring to ice roads in some other parts of Canada.

  Here's the latest....   12/09/ 2017

Good morning Greg,
 
There have been no repairs done to the line as of today, and there is no set plan of action as to when repairs will begin.
We are hopeful that repairs will be started prior to winter setting in, but time goes quickly and winter will be here in just a few weeks! So we are keeping our fingers crossed.
The waters began receding at the beginning of June. The beds have been completely dry since July.
Last edited by Gregg

I am reminded of a true story of a Northern Michigan RR ran by Cornelius "Con" Culhane  in the late 1800s-1903 when he died under one of his logging trains. He waited till the ground had froze and moved his whole operation right across the cedar swamps by felling trees for stringers and ties, picking up track from the rear and moving it forward. East from the lake that bares his name, till he hit Superior again South of the point would be similar ground I think. Maybe worse; sandy too.

Not a flat out solution, but may inspire some.

(Always looking for "Con" info as it's mostly all "word of mouth" from the 60s. I'm thinking I might be among the few that heard his stories from those "kids" that were around back then. "A character" )

I do not think they should do anything to the line unless there is a commitment from shippers to use it.

During Harvey there were over 10K each at the two major convention centers.  Churchill is only 900?

The Harris County Judge wants to pay people to get out of flood prone places.

The handwriting for Churchill is one the wall, I think unless major users show up.

 

Dominic Mazoch posted:

I do not think they should do anything to the line unless there is a commitment from shippers to use it.

During Harvey there were over 10K each at the two major convention centers.  Churchill is only 900?

The Harris County Judge wants to pay people to get out of flood prone places.

The handwriting for Churchill is one the wall, I think unless major users show up.

 

I think those comments really capture the problem here. The numbers come out to nearly $48,000 per person. It does smack a bit of the "tail wagging the dog" OTOH, maybe it isn't that much to ask. The other question is, what happens next time the area floods? How many times can they rebuild?

This is an interesting discussion and it hinges upon something we have seen and may see a lot more of in the future, at what point does it make sense to cut your losses and move on? For example, with major weather events, does it make sense to rebuild towns and homes in flood prone areas, even if obviously the people living there likely have roots there and may not want to leave, especially if their family has lived their for many years. We don't always make decisions based on pure economics (for example, Amtrak service to places where it makes little economic sense), and there is a lot to be said for that, but where do you draw the line? To the people living in Churchill, that is their home and I assume someplace they have ties to, to someone living elsewhere it looks like a group of people clinging on rather than facing reality, and there is no real 'right' answer there IMO (though I personally might think one is better than the other). Even companies make decisions not based on economics (though that has changed a lot), the UP rebuilding a big boy or other steam programs are not necessarily going to be economic decisions (I am sure the paper pushers would like nothing more than to get rid of it), companies donating to charitable causes likely doesn't pan out economically directly (ie, for every dollar they donate, they can say "I get back 5 in good will economic activity"), but they still do it for a variety of reasons.

 

The decisions are never cut and dried, and with something like this, apparently there are other reasons other than economics to rebuild the line, whether it is political (though 900 people in a remote community doesn't seem to be generating much political capital) or nostalgia or based in the idea of helping people live where they wish. Kind of funny, really, that rebuilding the line to Churchill is probably similar to our hobby with trains, especially when looked at from the viewpoint of our spouses/loved ones/friends/family, economically doesn't make much sense to buy stuff that likely won't be worth much not long after we purchase it, but our 'others' put up with that knowing it makes us happy (or keeps us in our basement and train rooms and not bothering them *lol* [said tongue in cheek]), lots of things in life make no sense logically

Dominic Mazoch posted:
Tommy posted:

2017-09-09-22-53-25-584069738Nanbu_Jukan_RailbusThe report suggested potential operation in 60 days with light loads and low speeds. Japan railbeds in some areas cannot take high axel loadings. They have a class of freight car "MU" limited to 14-16 tons. It might pay to import some for use till the line comes to standard.

How about Roadrailers?

Since you asked.... By the looks of the trucks it's  probably  going to be a very rough ride ,  I can't imagine riding it  for hours and hours in -40 F  degrees in snowing conditions... Help we're stuck and running out of fuel..  Nope! not riding it in the summer either.

There are no ice roads to Churchill.  It's too far.  I've ridden the line twice:  once from Thompson and once from Winnipeg.  It is an epic ride!  I recall that on the final leg heading straight north the track speed was already 10 mph.  The train swayed back and forth.  There were telephone (or telegraph) poles along the east side of the tracks.  Instead of a single pole, which would likely fall over when the tundra turned to oatmeal in the summer, the poles were set up as a tripod.  The railroad was originally built to haul wheat from the plains of Manitoba and Alberta to a port on Hudson Bay, as it was the closest port for shipping to Europe.  As it turned out, Hudson Bay was frozen over for much of the year.  Later, much wheat was actually being shipped west to Asia.  The cars full of wheat were dumped using some kind of fancy rotary rig something like how they dump coal, if I remember right.  There are other even smaller villages on Hudson Bay.  Most are supplied either by air or by small freight boats in summer.  Churchill is mostly famous as a tourist destination.  They come in the fall to go see the polar bears that gather on the delta just before freeze up.  There is also the oldest stone fort in North America there, and beluga whales in the bay.  It is a true frontier town.  On my last trip there, I lay awake in my Pullman bunk and gazed up at the Northern Lights as the train slowly picked its way through the darkness.  During the day Cree Indians would have the conductor stop the train in the boreal forest.  They would get off and quickly disappear into the vastness.  The train would also pick up canoe adventurers when they stuck a pole with a red rag tied to the top in the center of the track.  The train reminded me of stories I read of travel 100+ years ago.  I hope they do fix it.  I'd like to ride it again.  Someone seemed to compare it to a railroad in NJ, but actually I compare it to riding the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1870s.  Most of the track goes through vast wilderness, and you can ride all day without hearing the horn blow for a crossing.  It's a completely different feel from riding VIA 1 from Winnipeg to Vancouver.  Don't miss out--ride it while you can.

 

Kent in SD,

adventure traveler

Last edited by Two23
Dominic Mazoch posted:

I do not think they should do anything to the line unless there is a commitment from shippers to use it.

During Harvey there were over 10K each at the two major convention centers.  Churchill is only 900?

The Harris County Judge wants to pay people to get out of flood prone places.

The handwriting for Churchill is one the wall, I think unless major users show up.

 

1.  I don't see shippers using the port much.  It's too shallow for modern ocean going ships, and it's only ice free a couple of months a year.

 

2. The people there are mostly Cree Indian and Inuit.  I don't see them ever leaving--they've been there for over a thousand years.  Churchill sits on the Churchill River delta on Hudson Bay, and is a prime fishing spot.  There are very, very few villages in the interior, almost all are either on a major river or on Hudson Bay.

 

Kent in SD

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×