Here are some images from the the 30s and 40s.
The image on the right was
taken shortly after a major part of the warehouse that separated the
store from the train platform was torn down.
I have no interior
pictures of the coach but recall that the seats ran lengthways and on
one side was a potbelly stove for heat. |
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The train at Fraserdale - waiting for the T&NO from Cochrane. |
Note the open vestibule. Can you identify any of the
people in this picture? This picture was taken
at Fraserdale. You can see the T&NO train on the left and the flat
area on the right where the track Y was located.
It was not unusual for a group of us
to ride the train out to Fraserdale. The T&NO train included a coach
with a snack bar. Sometimes ice-cream was available. |
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Here are a group of people getting
ready to leave for Fraserdale. Can you identify any of them?
Note the large lamp on the corner of the
coach. There was no electricity in the coach so operation in the dark
required lighting the large kerosene lamps.
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This is another view of the coach,
partially blocked by the speeder.
There is an interesting story behind
this picture. Do you know what it is? Do you know what is in the
crate?
Send me an email and I will tell you
what I know.
rhframpton@yahoo.com
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At times the speeder met the T&NO
train at Fraserdale.
The car behind the speeder was also
used as an ambulance.
It was not always possible to get an
emergency flight into the colony, so this little train went all the
way to Cochrane when an emergency required that someone got medical
attention in a hurry. |
The
Temiskaming and Northern Ontario RR - now the Ontario Northland RR - used
mainly Pacific type 4-6-2 steam locomotives on the Cochrane to Moosonee
run. During the time we lived in the colony, the one thing you could count
on about the T&NO was it would never be on time. People called it the "Time
No Object" railway.
The picture above left
shows engine 701 during a very rare event. It was pulling a special
passenger train with VIPs and backed down to the powerhouse for some
special event - I don't recall what it was. It would be 1946 or '47.
That's my cousin Bert Frampton leaning on me beside the engine. Bert
was a summer student who worked in the canyon for a couple years (just
summers)
Engine 701 was built in 1921
and retired in 1957. It is currently on display close to the old ONR
Englehart Station. Apparently it is in very good condition.
I'm not sure about the location
of the engine on the right - number 700. It was also used on the Moosonee
run. Like 701, it was built in 1921, but retired in 1956. There is no
record of what happened to it.
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The train from
Cochrane to Moosonee was always a mixed train. There were lots of
freight cars and several coaches on the back end - followed by a
caboose. Riding in the caboose was a rare privilege - and my turn came
when I broke my leg skiing and went to Cochrane for medical attention.
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The "train" near the end of its
service. Soon the road will replace it. When I first saw the train in
1939, the Plymouth gasoline powered engine was dark green with red "H.E.P.C."
painted on the side of the cab. The coach was light brown.
Someone has repainted everything
Hydro yellow and somehow this diminishes the train's appearance.
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I am currently going through old
photographs to find pictures from the days when I lived in the Canyon.
(1939 to 1948) My father was a serious photographer and did most of
his own developing and printing Unfortunately, many of the pictures he
created have deteriorated over the years, but I believe I can salvage some
of them. Eventually I will post them all on the web.
Richard (Dick) Frampton Jr. (Richie)
Vancouver Island, British Columbia
rhframpton@yahoo.com