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.