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27-729: The Algoma Central Corporation is the result of a reorganization of the Algoma Central Railway in 1990. The company claims assets in excess of $ 400 million and revenue of $ 280 million. Corporate headquarters is located in St. Catharines , Ontario , Canada. The company operates a number of subsidiaries including: In 1980, the Algoma Central was the original owner (as Algocen Realty Holdings Ltd.) of Algo Centre Mall ; Algoma Central Company wrote off over $ 5 million in property value due to 1990's Elliot Lake mine closures and subsequently sold

54-614: A continuance of the Agawa Canyon Tour Train, as well as signing a memorandum of understanding with the Missanabie Cree First Nation regarding a potential partnership. On April 20, the Missanabie Cree First Nation, N1 Strategy Inc. and The Machine Shop also signed a memorandum of understanding around logistics and operations of a resurrected tourist train. In the 1960s, the railway began to promote

81-490: A fleet of tankers: Algoma Central Railway The railway is well known for its Agawa Canyon tour train. Until 2015, the line also provided passenger train service to canoeists, snowmobilers, cottagers and tourists accessing this wilderness recreation region. The railway connects at its northernmost point with the Ontario Northland Railway and with CN's eastern division to the south. It also intersects with

108-539: A new owner. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Hawk Junction had a population of 138 living in 72 of its 109 total private dwellings, a change of -12.7% from its 2016 population of 158. With a land area of 83.35 km (32.18 sq mi), it had a population density of 1.7/km (4.3/sq mi) in 2021. 48°04′59″N 84°33′00″W  /  48.083°N 84.550°W  / 48.083; -84.550  ( Hawk Junction ) This Northern Ontario geographical article

135-467: A proposed steel mill (which was later named Algoma Steel ). The Algoma Central Railway was chartered on August 11, 1899. The railway's Dominion and provincial charters gave it authority to build north from Sault Ste. Marie to a junction with the Canadian Pacific Railway 's main line, as well as a branch line to Michipicoten Harbour, on Lake Superior near Wawa. In 1901, Clergue acquired

162-609: A separate subsidiary , Wisconsin Central Canada Holdings. In 1998, Algoma Steel closed its iron ore mine in Wawa and the branch line between Michipicoten Harbour and Hawk Junction was abandoned. Wisconsin Central Ltd. was acquired by Canadian National on October 9, 2001, whereupon the Algoma Central became part of CN's Eastern Division. In January 2014, CN announced it was cutting the service from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst, blaming

189-409: A working group attempting to save the line hired BDO Canada LLP , an accounting firm, to assess the financial impact to the region when the service is scheduled to end April 29. The working group, composed of municipalities, first nations, and cottager associations, all had a vested interest in the continuation of the service. According to preliminary findings, BDO determined passenger rail service in

216-574: The Canadian Northern Railway (at Oba ). In 1914, it finally reached Hearst, a town 476 km (296 mi) north of Sault Ste. Marie that was a divisional point on the National Transcontinental Railway . By that point, Clergue's dream of building a railway to Hudson Bay or James Bay had long been abandoned, and the railway's northern terminus remained at Hearst, around 240 km (150 mi) from James Bay. However,

243-767: The Canadian Pacific Kansas City at Franz and with the Huron Central Railway at its southernmost point in the Sault. The Algoma Central Railway was first owned by Francis H. Clergue , who required a railway to haul resources from the interior of the Algoma District to Clergue's industries in Sault Ste. Marie; specifically, to transport logs to his pulp mill and iron ore from the Helen Mine, near Wawa , to

270-472: The Canadian federal government for cutting a subsidy necessary to keep the service running. The passenger service, which runs three days per week, provides year-round access to remote tourist camps and resorts. The average annual ridership is estimated to be 10,600 passengers. It has been argued in the past as an essential service ; however, the service has always been deemed financially uneconomic. In February,

297-485: The Algoma district generates between $ 38 million and $ 48 million in annual economic activity. It supports as many as 220 jobs and delivers more than $ 5 million in tax revenues. In April 2014, the federal government extended funding for one year so that CN would continue to provide the passenger service. The $ 2.2-million subsidy was to facilitate the provision of service until 2015. In March 2015, Railmark Canada Ltd assumed

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324-731: The Wisconsin Central system. In December 2021, the sale of the former Algoma Central lines along with CN trackage in Wisconsin and Michigan was approved by the Surface Transportation Board. In March 2021, Watco announced that it would acquire the Algoma Central from Canadian National, along with the Wisconsin lines, sale of the latter being subject to final approval by the United States Surface Transportation Board . Simultaneously, Watco committed to

351-854: The award-winning documentary film Painted Land: in Search of the Group of Seven which was shot along the rail corridor. In 2016 the Moments of Algoma project was launched by the Algoma Kinniwabi Travel Association, inviting tourists to follow the Group of Seven's travels, experiences and expressions of the region. The driving tour begins in Bruce Mines and follows the shoreline of Lake Huron and Lake Superior as far as Nipigon. Rail passengers will find more interpretive Installations in Agawa Canyon and at

378-636: The charter of the Ontario, Hudson Bay and Western Railway , which was intending to build a line between the CPR main line and Hudson Bay . He then changed the name of the Algoma Central Railway to The Algoma Central and Hudson Bay Railway Company , anticipating a connection either to Moose Factory on James Bay or to some point on Hudson Bay. The Algoma Central fell victim to the bankruptcy of Clergue's Consolidated Lake Superior Company in 1903. At that time,

405-454: The lead ship, Algoma Equinox . The redesigned fleet incorporated engineering and technology improvements to reduce fuel consumption, create a safer workplace, and reduce emissions and other environmental impact. The company installed Buffalo Automation 's "AutoMate" system of sensors, cameras, and software on select Equinox series vessels, to evaluate autonomous navigation. Algoma also operates several gearless bulk carriers: Algoma operates

432-548: The line reached 90 km (56 mi) north of Sault Ste. Marie, with a 32 km (20 mi) segment running east from Michipicoten Harbour that did not yet connect with the main line. Construction was stopped, but it was subsequently resumed in 1909 and the line was extended northward through to junctions with the Michipicoten Harbour branch (at Hawk Junction ), the Canadian Pacific Railway (at Franz ) and

459-514: The longest passenger trains in North America, often up to 20 to 24 cars long. During the 1970s and 1980s, around 100,000 people per year visited Agawa Canyon. The Agawa Canyon Tour Train has continued to operate as a separate entity since 2015. The 2020 season of the Agawa Canyon tour train was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . During 2023 the tour train runs from early August to mid-October. In 2015, White Pine Pictures released

486-564: The natural beauty of the District of Algoma to tourists , especially the Agawa Canyon , a canyon carved by the Agawa River , located 114 rail miles (183 km) north of Sault Ste. Marie, and not accessible by road. The Algoma Central developed a tourist stopover here and it proved to be a great success for the railway. Owing to the popularity of the Agawa Canyon excursions, the Algoma Central ran

513-480: The nearby town of Wawa for any services. The Big Bear has reopened and is serving lunch and dinner regularly. The Big Bear Hotel is now the site of the Hawk Junction Winter Craft Sale held in late November. Hawk Junction is a popular starting point for wilderness hunting and fishing trips. During the winter Hawk Junction is a major snowmobile drop off point. The Big Bear has reopened its doors under

540-464: The passenger service with the intention to increase services and marketing. In March 2015, the Canadian government guaranteed funding of the service for an additional three years. In June of the same year, Canadian National said it would stop the service on July 15 after it was unable to make a deal with Railmark Canada. The government subsidy still stood, but a new rail operator needed to be sought by

567-494: The phrase and Hudson Bay was not removed from the railway's name until June 30, 1965. The Algoma Central was the first Canadian railway to operate fully with diesel fuel, in 1952. The railway had been in the shipping business since 1900, when it had purchased four steamships . Starting during the 1960s, the railway greatly expanded its marine operations and diversified into trucking , real estate , forestry , and mining operations. These operations were more profitable than

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594-562: The property. The mall, renamed in 2005 by a subsequent owner, collapsed in a June 23, 2012, structural failure and has since been demolished. An Algoma Central Corp. subsidiary, Algoma Central Marine , operates a fleet of self unloaders on the Great Lakes . In 2000, Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. and Algoma Central began a partnership to coordinate the transportation of goods along the St. Lawrence Seaway, called Seaway Marine Transport . In 2011 upon

621-455: The purchase of Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. and buying out the partnership, the company re-emerged as Algoma Central Marine. Upon completion of the purchase, the entire fleet was then renamed, with the exception of the John D. Leitch , the ship that was named in honor of the company's then owner. Beginning in 2013, the corporation initiated construction of a series of new bulk carriers to be named after

648-406: The railway operations, and on April 30, 1990, as part of a corporate reorganization, the name of the company was changed to Algoma Central Corporation , with the Algoma Central Railway becoming one of its subsidiaries. A few years later, the Algoma Central Railway was put up for sale. On February 1, 1995, Wisconsin Central Ltd. purchased Algoma Central Railway Incorporated, operating the railway as

675-544: The regional stakeholders group. Railmark was unable to secure a line of credit from a lending group, which hindered its ability to take over services. In 2017, the Missanabie Cree First Nation started investigating taking operational control of the line. Canadian National announced its intent in July 2020 to sell off non-core lines in the Upper Midwest as part of a rationalization programme, all of which were previously part of

702-524: The train station in Sault Ste. Marie. The railway is the subject of the song "Algoma Central 69" by Stompin' Tom Connors . The Agawa Canyon Tour Train has continued to operate as a separate entity since 2015. Named railway points and sidings are listed from south to north. Hawk Junction, Ontario Hawk Junction is a community with a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario , located just north of Highway 101 , about 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of Wawa . The community

729-471: Was established by people of Italian, Scottish and French descent in 1909 when the Algoma Central Railway was built through the area. In 1923-1924 it was destroyed by fire. The community was rebuilt and is now a terminal for the Algoma Central Railway. In September 2017, the last operating business, the Big Bear Hotel, closed, leaving Hawk Junction without any stores or services. Residents had to drive to

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