The Algoma Central Railway offered a “Snow Train”, departing from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to the famed Agawa Canyon and back.
This brochure advertises the 2003-2004 winter season, with two departures in December 2003 (Dec 27 & 28) and then Saturday departures from January 17 through March 8, with one more Sunday departure on February 15. The train left the Soo at 8 AM, returning at 4:30 PM.
Regrettably, passengers were to stay on the train for the entire journey and were not able to detrain in the Canyon, “due to low temperatures and snow accumulation”. I can just imagine the difficulties the staff would have faced trying to keep passengers from wandering off in the snow, slipping or falling down trails, or ending up in the river.
$59 for an 8 1/2 hour train ride? Not too shabby!
Chris VanderHeide’s page on Trainweb says that the train actually went to Eton, just north of Canyon, and there wasn’t a separate “snow train”, at least not in the 1980s. It was tacked onto the regular northbound #1 train out of Sault Ste. Marie, and the southbound #2 would meet #1 at Eton and exchange the cars for the return trip.
I’m not sure how many years the Snow Train operated, but I have seen photos from March 1986 with the F units leading the Snow Train. CN owned the Algoma Central over the 2003-2004 season, having acquired the ACR when CN purchased the Wisconsin Central Railway in 2001.
Keep saying I am going to ride this one day maybe next fall see what happens
It’s a great ride! The fall colours are spectacular.