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Caption: Mixed train 273 moves about the yard at Hearst while preparing to board passengers for it's westbound run. The nose of another SW1200RS can be seen just beyond the combine. Situated along the original National Transcontinental Railway line, built through the area in 1913, Hearst lies at the west end of the Kapuskasing Subdivision (Coachrane, mile 0 - Hearst, mile 129.1) and the east end of the Pagwa Subdivision (Hearst, mile 0 - Nakina, mile 144.1). Situated away from CN's mainline, the Kapuskasing and Pagwa Subs saw few upgrades and deferred maintenance over the years resulting in equipment restrictions on both lines. The Pagwa Sub specifically was still largely comprised of rails smaller than 80lb resulting in SW1200RS units being the heaviest permitted on the line, giving us the interesting scene here.
Officially mixed trains 272/273 in the timetable, and operated by VIA Rail by the time of this photo, the trains no longer operated with freight in the consist as only one customer remained on the 144.1 mile line, Arthur Lecours Limber Mill at Calstock (mile 22.7). It would typically be serviced by a job from Hearst. There is not long left for trains 272/273. With virtually no traffic on the line, attributed to the mainline further south, and deferred maintenance restricting load capacity, CN's request to abandon the Pagwa Sub west of Calstock would be approved, with the rails lifted in 1986. In August 1993, the Kapuskasing Sub and Pagwa Sub to Lecour's mill would be sold to the Ontario Northland Railway. Information per Chris van der Heide and his website, Algoma Central in HO Scale (more info on Hearst here).
By this time, the original Hearst station had been retired but still stood with it's smaller replacement a few feet to the west (a seen in Arnold's linked image, and soon in a part 2 of this image).
CN 1392, built by GMD in 1960, would meet an untimely end on November 9, 1997 while assigned to the to the Shawinigan Falls Terminal Railway after being destroyed by a landslide. It would be chopped up onsite.
More 1392
Pups through Bayview, Dave Burroughs, 1967
Departing Toronto Yard, First954, 1969
Don Jilson Photo, Jacob Patterson Collection slide.
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Very interesting Jacob, the combine is very similar to the VIA combine 7210 I photo’d at Egremont, AB in 1986.
@Brundle, I didn’t realize that was 7210 you shot out west. Per Mr. Van der Heide this combine is the 7210!
Now that’s too cool and pretty neat.
Wow….great history both about the original NTL, Hearst and surrounding area as well as 1392! Great job.
Great photo Jason. Thanks for sharing. While working on a CN Regional tie renewal gang in the summer of 1976 I snapped CN 7210 sitting in Hearst, ON. I’ll offer the photo up to the site and see if it makes the cut.
Brundle’s shot of 7210: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=46705