Tuesday, July 13, 2021

CN Steam Fantrips 1960-1973

Steam fantrips began during the waning years of the steam era. The end of steam power was in sight and diesel-electric locomotives were the light at the end of the tunnel. While steam was still in use, there were excursions on rare mileage, revenue runs, fall foliage or winter carnival runs, official and unofficial runs using in-service steam power, before the advent of  'restored steam' or 'steam programs'. CN advertised its own excursions, or excursions were organized in conjunction with volunteer railway organizations: Toronto's Upper Canada Railway Society and Ontario Rail Association, and chapters of the Canadian Railway Historical Association. A flyer for a July, 1958 steam-era excursion led by a CN 5700:

An online listing of fantrips - steam, diesel, electric and transit - operated by the Upper Canada Railway Society out of Toronto is on Charles Cooper's Railway Pages in pdf form. It's issue 404 of June, 1983. There were over 60 UCRS steam fantrips, led by CN 6167 from 1960 - September 1964 and CN 6218 thereafter until 1971. (The UCRS also operated trips led by Temiskaming & Northern Ontario 137, not shown.) 

The terms fantrip and excursion are used here interchangeably. Somewhat less professional was the term 'daisy-pickers' or 'day-trippers', signifying less rabid rail enthusiasts who enjoyed the ride just as much as the unique motive power. Baggage cars with power outlets for plug-in, bulky tape recorders and open doors, as well as open-window coaches allowed for sound recording, photography, and cinders-in-eyes, all fantrip staples. At pre-determined locations, the train would unload, back up then storm forward for a runpast. Well-intentioned car hosts or most-rabid railfans would yell "Form a photo line!" to corral the daisy-pickers. After backing up the train to the detraining spot, the passengers would reboard.

This combined list shows fantrips operated from Montreal and Toronto by year, date, locomotive, origin-route-destination, remarks. All fantrips are return trips unless otherwise indicated.

1960
July 10 CN 6167 Toronto-Hamilton-Niagara Falls 

1961
June 4 CN 6167 Toronto-Guelph-Paris
July 8 CN 6167 Toronto-Oshawa
July 9 CN 6167 Toronto-Belleville-Lindsay
July 22 CN 6153 Montreal-Victoriaville photographed by L.C. Gagnon (below) about to cross Victoria Bridge over St. Lawrence River to the South Shore.
October 1 CN 6167 Toronto-Gravenhurst

1962
January 28 CN 6167 Toronto-Lindsay
March 4 CN 6167 Toronto-Niagara Falls
June 10 CN 6167 Toronto-South Parry
June 24 CN 6153-5107 doubleheader Montreal-Garneau 
July 15 Toronto-Niagara Falls
August 12 CN 6167 Toronto-Orillia for Mariposa Festival
August 18 CN 6153 Montreal-Joliette sponsored by NMRA
August 26 CN 6167 Toronto-Picton
September 30 CN 6167 Toronto-St. Thomas
October 13 CN 5107 Montreal-Sherbrooke
October 14 CN 6153-5107 doubleheader Montreal-Coteau-Cantic:

1963
January 27 CN 6167 Toronto-Orillia
February 27 CN 6167 Toronto-Niagara Falls
May 11 CN 6167 Toronto-Oshawa
June 9 CN 6167 Toronto-Stratford
July 6 CN 6167 Toronto-Aurora-Bradford for Aurora Centennial
September 13-15 CN 6167 Toronto-Ottawa-North Bay, with ONR diesel power North Bay-Temagami
September 28 CN 6167 Toronto-Lindsay, CN GMD-1's Lindsay-Haliburton
September 29 CN 6167 Toronto-Midland
October 27 CN 6167 Montreal-Victoriaville. (Only operable steam engine in Canada AND only fantrip in Quebec for 1963. This and following Montreal fantrips all sponsored by CRHA unless otherwise noted. CN 6218 was overhauled at Stratford shops in November, 1963 before the shops closed)

1964
 
February 15 Toronto-Guelph
February 16 Toronto-Barrie for Winter Carnival
March 7 Toronto-Blackwater Junction
March 8 Toronto-Niagara Falls
June 20 Toronto-Lindsay-Belleville
September 26 Toronto-Scotia Junction-Barrie doubleheader with 6167 (first UCRS run of 6218)
September 27 Toronto-Paris doubleheader with 6167, last run of 6167
October 3 CN 6218 Montreal-Grand'Mere (first CRHA run of 6218 - before servicing at Garneau, L.C. Gagnon top photo, scanned by David Gagnon)
October 4 CN 6218 Montreal-Coteau-Cantic:

1965
(all further trips with CN 6218 unless otherwise noted) 

January 30 Toronto-Doncaster-Burlington
May 30 Montreal-Ottawa for Tulipfest
June 5 Toronto-Kingston
September 11-12 Montreal-Portland
September 25 Toronto-Stratford-London
September 26 Toronto-Lindsay, CN GMD-1's Lindsay-Haliburton

1966 
January 23 Toronto-Paris 
May 22 Montreal-Essex Junction
September 24 Toronto-Lindsay, CN GMD-1's Lindsay-Haliburton
September 25 Toronto-Niagara Falls
October 1-2 Montreal-Portland

1967
February 19 Barrie-Toronto one-way, was diesel power Toronto-Barrie
May 13 Toronto-Gravenhurst
June 24 Montreal-Garneau
July 1 Montreal-Ottawa
July 2 Montreal-Victoriaville
September 30 Toronto-Lindsay, CN diesel power Lindsay-Haliburton
October 1 Toronto-Fort Erie
October 7 Montreal-Sherbrooke

1968
January 28 Toronto-Washago
June 1 Toronto-Stratford-Palmerston, runpast beside preserved 6167 at Guelph
July 6 Toronto-Montreal (joint excursion with Illini Railroad Club)
July 13 Montreal-Toronto (joint with Illini)
September 28 Toronto-Niagara Falls
October 27 Toronto-Belleville-Lindsay
November 20 Chicago-South Bend, IN sponsored by Illini Railroad Club

1969
January 26 Toronto-Guelph
July 5 Toronto-South Parry
September 20 Montreal-Ottawa sponsored by Iron Horse Tours (below)
October 11 Montreal-Quebec City 
October 25 Toronto-St Thomas (two other Toronto autumn trips scheduled but cancelled)

1970
January 25 Toronto-Stratford
February 21 Montreal-Sherbrooke sponsored by Iron Horse Tours
April 25 Toronto-Lindsay
June 20 Montreal-Coteau-Cantic
July 4 Toronto-Gravenhurst
September 20 Toronto-Guelph
October 17 Toronto-Lindsay, CN diesel power Lindsay-Haliburton

1971 
January 24 Toronto-Orillia 
March 20 Toronto-London
March 21 Toronto-Paris Junction (last UCRS fantrip with 6218)
June 26 Montreal-Ottawa (CN Countdown 6218, last Quebec-originating fantrips with 6218)
June 27 Montreal to Victoriaville (CN Countdown 6218)
July 3-4 Belleville to Anson Junction (Farewell 6218)

In the next post, the torch is passed from CN 6218 to CN 6060 - brought from static display in Jasper, AB to Montreal for restoration to operating condition in 1973.

THE FALL OF FANTRIPS

Eventually, a combination of factors would doom fantrips: high insurance costs, caravanners/chasers not buying tickets, and volunteer organizations having to provide excursion coaches and volunteers. Railways cited operational constraints: lack of adequate fuelling facilities and qualified or willing staff, expense of operating steam programs, mainline capacity, loss of operable branchlines, and simple railway intransigence. Railways looked to the volunteer organizations to provide plug-and-play services, and woe betide a breakdown of an excursion steam locomotive on a busy mainline. Only when railways like CP and UP operated steam programs as a budget line item and revenue-generator could mainline steam still be found in operation. Dedicated groups such as Winnipeg's Vintage Locomotive Society and Ottawa's Bytown Railway Society proved it could be done. Time marches on, and steam power is now seen as quaint and anachronistic as most people no longer identify with railway employment or day-to-day operations.

Running extra...

With the disastrous forest fires in British Columbia, VIA is turning No 1 at Kamloops, and a plethora of Park cars for No 2 have propagated at Vancouver's Pacific Central Station since pandemic restrictions led to the suspension of Nos 1 and 2 until recently. CN is back in business as of July 13: 
During this protracted pandemic, so many of us have wanted to have the 'hug the grandchildren' moment. but because of prudent precautions, we've held that moment at bay for over a year. Until last Saturday. Completely unprompted, James gave his grandmother a hug goodbye, and I was able to get a quick photo of it. Then he ran over and gave me mine, though no image of it exists, except the vivid one in my mind.

2 comments:

Robert Archer said...

Hi Eric; you have found another railway memory for me.
The CN fan trip to Barrie in February 1964.
The family took the steam train to Barrie and I recall getting off and standing around in the cold.
So, my Dad found a pay phone and phoned friends we had in Barrie. They were home so we took a taxi to visit them for an hour or so.
Unfortunately I don't recall much about the train ride.
But then again, it was 57 years ago.

Eric said...

Hi Robert,

The winter fantrips seem to be a big hit, but boy, that was when Canada really had winters! But the steam plume in the air under the right conditions!

Glad this post reawakened a memory for you and possibly others. We've become so excursion-adverse that it makes one feel lucky to have been a participant.

Thanks for your comment!
Eric