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Hearst Ontario (Algoma Central Railroad) |
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My wife’s sister Marilyn and her husband Alvin moved up north to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan a number of years ago and we try to visit them at least once a year. We usually drive up and we never tire of the scenery on the way to this northern-most part of Michigan. However, I don’t always like what Alvin and the girls do for enjoyment while we are visiting. Bingo, the casino, and garage sales are not for me. I started taking side trips to various towns around the area and decided to take the train from Sault Ste Marie, Ontario (adjacent to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan) to Hearst Ontario. Since then, I have taken this train trip almost every time we traveled “up north” as we say in Michigan. The Algoma Central Railroad calls this trip “The Tour of the Line.” Phone: toll free 1-800-242-9287. The train station is located at 129 Bay Street, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada. You can buy train tickets at the station before your trip, but you must have motel reservations in Hearst before they will sell you tickets. (Hotels fill up quickly because Hearst is on the Trans Canada Highway and many truckers stop here, also a night outdoors without a hotel room will freeze you solid.) The train to Hearst does not have food service so bring whatever you want for the duration of the trip (almost nine hours one-way). There are restaurants close to the train station for stocking up on sandwiches and snacks. The train starts its journey near downtown Sault Ste Marie and soon passes through the siding of the St Marys Paper Mill, if you look to the left you will see the International Bridge that links Canada to the USA. Passing the Algoma Steel Corporation on the outskirts of the city, we are on our way. Hearst Ontario is about three hundred miles north of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario and the train route passes through some of Canada’s rugged boreal forests of the Canadian Shield, and through many canyons, which includes the beautiful Agawa Canyon. Many lakes and rivers follow the path of the train, which makes for a scenic view. The tracks weave and turn following the easiest path to the north. The route is marked along the way with mile markers – at mile 19 is the 810-foot Bellevue trestle. At mile 50, the Chippewa River meets and follows the tracks for about six miles. At mile 92 is the trestle over the Montreal river (130’x1550’), at mile 195, you cross the transcontintal lines of Canadian Pacific Railway at Franz after which there are very few roads till Hearst. The train starts at Sault Ste Marie at 600 feet above sea level and climbs to 1600 feet above sea level at mile 97. After an up and down ride the train reaches Hawk Junction, Ontario at mile 165 at 1030 feet above sea level. The train arrives at Hearst (827 feet above sea level) at about 6:40 P.M. (winter schedule) and I normally stay at the Companion Hotel/Motel a half a block from the train station. (www.companion-hotel-motel.ca) Hearst is a French Canadian town with French spoken exclusively almost everywhere, but with my French language phrase book I have very little trouble. The restaurant connected to the hotel is French-Canadian and I often see the train crew eating there before the trip back. The food is quite tasty and the perfect start to a long trip back on the same train that brought me up the day before. See schedule below for train departures and arrivals. Take a look at my Hearst adventure. ___________________________________________________________ The train has different fares for different services. The services are: The Tour of the Line, a Canyon Combo Coach, the Snow Train, and the Agawa Canyon Tour. Call 800.242.9287 for information or check out: http://www.agawacanyontourtrain.com/ 2007/2008 Winter Schedule October 31,2007 to May 5, 2008 North bound Wed./Fri./Sun EST
Departure Sault Ste Marie 9:00 am South Bound Thurs./Sat./Mon. EST 2008 Summer Schedule May 6 2008 to November 3, 2008 North bound Wed./Fri./Sun EST South bound Thurs./Sat./Mon. EST 2008 Tour of the Line fares CND Adults and Seniors (19+) $187.00 June 10,11,12 & June 17, 18,19 (Tues., Wed., Thurs,.) and then Daily Tuesday June 24 to Monday October 13,2008. Departs Sault Ste Marie 8:00 a.m. Returns Sault Ste Marie 5:30 p.m. 2008 summer fare June 10 to September 5 CDN 2008 fall fares September 6 to October 13 CDN Adults (19+) $85.00 ___________________________________________________________ 2008 Summer Season June 10 to September 6 CND Adults (19+) $219.50 2008 Fall Season September 6 to October 13 CDN Adult/Senior (19+) $272.00 ________________________________________________________ Saturdays: January 26 th to March 8 th, 2008 2008 fares CDN
Updated 3/27/2008
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