Who knows what about Tshiuetin Rail?

[dibber25]

I fancy going off the beaten track in Canada on my next visit. Does anyone have experience of Tshiuetin Rail that operates a passenger service in a remote part of northern Quebec? Is it totally inaccessible? Do they not welcome outsiders? There's also another line from The Pas, Manitoba, that is shown in the VIA timetable but operated by a local native-owned railway. Unfortunately, even VIA's Sudbury-White River operation seems inaccessible without spending a week getting to and from the area in order to do a one-day rail trip. Any thoughts? (CJL)

[Parthia27]

Isn't this the service that operates over the Quebec, Northshore and Labrador for the first part of it's journey then goes north to Labrador City. As far as I have read it operates like any normal passenger railway. This happens to be one of my bucket list journeys. Pentrex do DVDs on the QS&L and the Cartier Railway. This line is remote to say the least. The landscape it goes through is apparently breathtaking and if you know French then you will feel right at home.

 

Cheers

 

Chris

[jsp3970]

While moving from Kingston, Ontario to Calgary, Alberta back in November 2010 I stopped for the night at White River. I soon found the station but sadly the train didn't arrive on time, or any time after that.

 

Finally in the morning, after checking out, I headed back to the station and sure enough there were two VIA RDC's, including unrebuilt 6250 which is the only active RDC4 I have ever seen.

 

I got some good shots as it left on its return trip to Sudbury and had the bonus of seeing two SD90MAC's there. I wouldn't really say that getting to the line is out of the way, but as the problem I had was that its scheduled seems to be a suggestion!

[Supaned]

I believe Tshiuetin Rail has 2 former Amtrak F40PH units to operate their passenger train. To be able to travel on it , I reckon you'd need to fly into and out of Sept Isles and Schefferville.

[dibber25]

Thanks for that. A bit more scrolling round the internet and I now know how to pronounce it - Soo-ett-in - and that its 14 hours on a bus from Montreal. I doubt that it's do-able by someone of my age but it's one of those 'proper rail services' that always fascinate me. A train doing what it's meant to and providing a vital service to communities. Yes, it does have two ex-Amtrak F40PHs. I have a spare undecorated Walthers model which I weas going to convert to a VIA unit, but now they are readily available from Rapido, the Walthers loco is available for something different, and the Tshiuetin Rail blue and white looks nice - and quite easy to do. (CJL)