Rail Travel Tours journey to York Factory

 This summer, our own Felix Lesiuk led the Rail Travel Tours trip to historic York factory. 

By Felix Lesiuk

After the 3 hour jet boat ride we got to York Factory. It was absolutely the nicest fall day you can imagine. After climbing up from the dock we met Claude Daudet, our host and guide from Parks Canada. The first concern for everyone one was, “Where are your bathrooms?”  Once that task was taken care of, we had a tour on the boardwalk of the cemetery, powder house ruins and where the ships were pulled up for the winter. We also got to look at what was left of a replica York boat that was used for the TV series “Quest for the Bay". 

We got a tour of the grounds and the main building as well as being able to climb up into the rooftop cupola.   If you need to know anything about the North American fur trade, this place is ground zero! While we were there, a group of American goose hunters dropped in by helicopter for a visit.  They looked like they just walked out of the pages of a Cabelas catalogue! After a delicious BBQ on the shore we headed back.  Along the way, we had a look at the failed Port Nelson site and even saw a polar bear and some seals on our return trip.  We had dinner in Gillam and went to bed for an early wake up the next morning. We had to be at the station for 5 am as VIA was scheduled to depart at 5:30.  This meant a 4 am wake up call. Thankfully we got to catch some sleep when we got onto the train before breakfast. I took full advantage and was the last for breakfast!
 
We left on time and arrived in Thompson later in the morning. We had time to walk around and enjoy the beautiful fall day. I walked around and checked out the yard and some of the Hudson's Bay Railway equipment. 

Churchill by rail - Part four: The interpretive centre in the train station

 One of the displays at the Parks Canada Visitor Reception Centre in Churchill is a recreation of a polar bear breeding quarters.

By Paul Ullrich

We got into some serious sightseeing on our first day in Churchill. Our first stop was the Via Rail station, and where else would a railfan want to be? But we weren't there for the trains. The station is also home of the Parks Canada Visitor Reception Centre.

The Via Rail station is quite large, but Via now occupies only a small part of the station. Parks Canada bought the building some time ago and now uses it to house their administration centre and their visitor reception centre.

And what a centre it is! It's a mini-museum in itself, with well crafted displays of Churchill's rich history and wildlife. There were plenty of interpreters from Parks Canada around who were very eager and willing to talk about the displays and their historical and cultural significance.

There was also an auditorium where they screened videos about Wapusk National Park, an enormous park that extends from Cape Churchill (Just west of the town of Churchill) all the way south to Port Nelson. The park is the main breeding ground for polar bears, and his also home to wolves, caribou, snow geese and other wildlife.

The also gave us something to eat! The staff had prepared for our group local delicacies such as bannock and homemade jams and tea, which was made from the edible plants and berries that grow in the area. It was an authentic fur trapper's snack, and there was plenty to go around!

Much so our surprise, we saw part of our train in the station. The dome car and one of the sleepers we sitting on a side track. Somehow the train managed to reach Churchill, but had left those two cars. The next run was going only to The Pas, and the wye at The Pas where the train was turned around for its return trip to Churchill was too short to hold the extra sleeper and the dome car.

 Our tour group feasted on a variety of home made and home grown foods from the area.

Attention all modellers! Check out this beautiful model of Fort Prince of Wales that was in the Parks Canada Visitor reception area! 

Members of our group listen to the head interpreter demonstrating an interactive display.

Hey, what's part of our train doing there? These two cars were left behind in Churchill, as the wouldn't have to been able to fit in the wye at The Pas, where the train was turned around for its return trip to Churchill.