Some people object to the rumble and whistle of a train. The noise can interrupt their beauty naps. Rail crossings make them late for golf. And diesel fumes stink.
Some of the anti-rail folks get so uptight they sign petitions, hold demonstration and phone the radio call-in talk shows. Ironically, in my area, the anti-rail folks are led by retired trainmen.
As for me? I love trains. When rolling stock is really rolling, it means potash and other minerals are being mined, crops are being grown and shipped, timber is being harvested and milled, oil wells are pumping and factories are working two shifts. It means the economy is working.
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But it’s bad news when rolling stock isn’t rolling.
I live on an acreage near Winnipeg. My little corner of Earth extends about 200 metres back to the old Canadian National Railway Pine Falls subdivision, which began a gradual shut down about the time I moved here in 1997. Up until about 15 years ago, the 108-kilometre-long line was still fairly busy. Here are a few of the numerous goods moved along the line.
- Coal to the Manitoba Hydro generating station at East Selkirk
- Pulp wood to the Abitibi paper plant at Pine Falls
- Millions of newsprint rolls from Abitibi to newspapers like The Western Producer
- Millions of bushels from the Manitoba Pool Elevator at Libau to mills everywhere
- From the Roaring 1920s until the 1950s, the summer weekend train carried thousands of party-goers from downtown Winnipeg to Saturday night dances at pavilions up in Grand Beach, Victoria Beach and Beconia. The Sunday afternoon train hauled hangovers home to Winnipeg
- Chemicals to the CIL explosives factory at East Selkirk
I can’t say I was happy with the idea of chemical cars rolling down the twisted old track in my backyard hauling ballistic ingredients. But as a kid, I had always wanted a big trainset, and I figured this was as close as it would ever get.
I’ve sometimes taken walks along the track, great in winter when a slow-moving train came rumbling along. My imagination transplanted me directly into Dr. Zhivago’s train scene.
Today the Pine Falls subdivision is a parking lot for miles and miles of rail cars. The line is owned by Manitoba Central Railway. CEMR is based in Transcona, Man., and operates 16 engines, a fabrication shop and performs custom track maintenance in Manitoba. They’re helping to keep our economy rolling.
