Our 1989 western vacation was well-organized and packed with railway-related activities.
With Rolly we visited Jackfish and he and Theresa showed us the sights of Thunder Bay.
On September 6, first thing in the morning, we visited Fort William Historical Park.
This shows our party just after we enjoyed some fresh bannock, prepared on a wood fire by a museum interpreter.
Then it was off to my aunt and uncle's at Portage ...
We found ourselves trackside in Portage on September 8 at around 09hr.
My guess was that this first vacation photo at Portage was Train No 4.
Three months later, Rolly would retire after running this particular engine from Thunder Bay on No 2.
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| from: Historical Atlas of Manitoba; Warkentin & Ruggles; 1970; Manitoba Historical Society. |
The map above shows grain elevator capacity in bushels in 1909.
Notice all the railway lines which ran through Portage at this point in history.
Here is the Google Earth view looking east circa 2023 with the CPR on the left and the CNR on the right.
The former CNR (ex-Grand Trunk Pacific) station is seen at the bottom edge of the image.
I think you can see the abandoned embankment of the GTP as it extends the CNR's yard's tangent
and disappears under the Trans-Canada Highway as we look toward Winnipeg.
To the right is the surviving right of way of the former Canadian Northern.
These met at an interlocking at East Tower.
Looking west using Google Earth circa 1923, the former CNR station is again at the lower edge of the photo.
Moving the view a little farther west ... above the location traditionally referred to as West Tower.
You can spot two old roadbeds from some of the lines which once radiated from the west of Portage.
The CPR (from the right) crosses two CNR tracks.
From more recent history, you can see a now-bare section of roadbed (effectively creating a short siding between the two railways) so Train No 1/2 could 'interchange itself'. Westbound, VIA's Canadian moved from the CNR (foreground, left) to the CPR (background left) ... and vice versa when it was eastbound.
I'll check my photos of the area, but I think our eastbound train was once conveniently 'stored' on this track as traffic moved around us.
After this was posted, from Eric.
Here are a couple of photos of the Canadian being on the connector:
Between Winnipeg Union Station and Portage, all VIA trains used CNR tracks ... and the CNR Portage station.
Above and below are images of various maintenance of way cars west of the CNR station.
The early morning sun provided the opportunity to record some of the detail of the former Grand Trunk Pacific station, above and below.
Three racehorses which were well-known to those of us from the Kingston Subdivision appear near 'West Tower' (above) around 1030hr ...
and near 'East Tower' (below) after a little bit of switching.
A little earlier this scene was recorded as an eastbound passed the station.