By Rick
Brown
Courtesy of the
CPR Archives
Environmental Engineering Group
.
In 1871, exploratory surveys for a trans continental rail line had been
undertaken south of lake Nipissing to Ste. Marie from Mattawa. The Canadian
Pacific Railway was committed by the articles of incorporation in 1881 to build
an all Canadian route to the pacific coast. However, until a feasible route
could be determined north of lake Superior, water transportation between Sault
Ste. Marie and the lake-head was employed as stop gap measure.
In 1881, a line was located westward to near the mouth of the Spanish River or
Algoma Mills and as matter of expediency, temporary port facilities were begun
there instead of at S.S. Marie. This routing was considered a portion of the
main line until the all Canadian route was fixed as diverging from Sudbury
junction.
In 1882, a rail line (later called the SOO branch) was begun between Algoma
Mills and the main line at Sudbury. The Soo branch. completed in 1884, wasn't
needed and remained languid until 1888 at which time it was brought up to
standard and extended eighty four miles to S.S. Marie, Ontario, where an
intermediary on behalf of the CPR had just acquired the rights to a financially
troubled American line, the Minneapolis, St. Paul and S.S. Marie who had a track
constructed to S.S. Marie, Michigan. A bridge jointly constructed by the CPR and
the American railway company across the St. Mary's river, was completed and
opened to traffic in 1889.
Consequently, what was once presupposed to be the CPR's way to the west
coast of
Canada, became their route to acquiring a major share of the eastbound traffic
emanating south of the 49"' parallel. CPR took over the Soo line in 1890 when
the intermediary ran into. financial difficulties.
About the same time, in 1888, the Manitoulin and North Shore Railway Co. (M&NSR)
was empowered to build from a connection to the CPR at Sudbury, along the north
shore of Georgian Bay to Manitoulin Island. In 1900, they were authorized to
extend the line via Little Current to Owen Sound. The idea of course was to
obtain a southern outlet to Toronto independent of the CPR from Sudbury. At the
same time, the railway was projected from near what is now known as McKerrow on
the CPR Sault Ste. Marie branch (Webbwood Subdivision) to a connection with the
Algoma Central Railway, north of S.S. Marie.
To serve the INCO (formerly known as the Canadian Copper Co.) smelters at Copper
Cliff. the M&NSR began construction in 1900 from a connection to the CPR at
Sudbury. The junction with the railway of the INCO and the M&NS was called
Clarabelle. The line was pushed beyond Clarabelle to the Elsie and Gertrude
mines comprising a total of fourteen miles of railway.
A large pulp and paper mill was erected at Espanola on the Spanish river and in
order to provide rail services to this facility, a two mile spur was built under
the M&NS charter from Espanola to the CPR at Mckerrow and leased to the CPR.
Although financial problems in 1903 forced the closure of the two aforementioned
mines and halted construction of the M&NS railway, by 1907, conditions had
improved and the M&NS railway and Algoma Central Railway extended their lines.
Due to the fact that both railways (although separated by 170 miles) were under
the same management, in 1911 the M&NSR became the Algoma Eastern Railway (AER).
The rails were subsequently extended to join up with the Espanola spur at
mileage 47.6. Although a repair shop was maintained at Sudbury, all heavy
repairs were done by the Algoma Central at S.S. Marie, reaching that point by
way of the CPR.
The railway was extended another thirty nine miles by 1913 from Espanola to a
point on the mainland across the channel from Little Current where a yard and
docking facilities were constructed (Turner Yard). This was the end of the line,
and though conceived as hauler of ore and ore by-products in the beginning, the
Algoma Eastern was to do a lucrative business hauling coal to the smelters at
Sudbury in the ensuing years.
In 1930, the AER became a part of the Sault Ste. Marie branch of the CPR when it
was leased to the latter for 999 years. Due to the duplication of trackage
between Sudbury and Espanola, the abandonment of the Algoma line was imminent.
The AER shop and yard at Sudbury were closed down and in 193 1, the trackage
between Espanola and Turbine was abandoned. The following year, an additional
19.6 miles from Turbine easterly was taken out of service. In 1935, the track
had been lifted to 17.5 miles from Sudbury. Today, this stub is known as the
Nickel Subdivision (spur) running 11.8 miles from Creighton to Sudbury. The
remainder of the AER from McKerrow to just before the bridge to Goat Island 3
7.8 miles is known as the Little Current Subdivision. Presently, railroad
operations use only the first three miles of track.
If you have a story, photo or historical fact about Willisville or the
La Cloche
area please let us know by sending an email to
info@willisville.ca .
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