CHAPLEAUEXPRESS
BUY CANADIAN
Don'tTakeTheBait: OPPWarnsOfSpoofedEmails
During Fraud Prevention Month, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding Ontarians and businesses to stayinformedandvigilantagainstevolvingfraud threats.Cybercriminalsusespoofedemails,fake websitesandmalwarelinks,whicharemalicious linksdesignedtoinstallharmfulsoftware,tosteal personal information, compromise business accountsandredirectpayments.Thesetacticsare becoming increasingly sophisticated, making fraudawarenessandpreventioncritical. SpoofedEmailsandFakeWebsites
Fraudulent emails and fake websites are designedtolooklegitimateandoftenclaimtobe fromfinancialinstitutions,governmentagencies or well-known businesses. These messages may include copied logos, branding and professional formatting toappearauthentic.
Fraudulent tactics include:
· Slightly altered
email addresses or domains (e.g. "opp.com" insteadof"opp.ca")
· Lookalike characters (e.g. replacing the lowercaseletter"a"withtheCyrillicletter"α")
· Urgentorunexpectedrequestsforpayment orsensitiveinformation RansomwareAttacks
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts files or locks systems, allowing the sender to demand payment to restore access. Theseattacksoftenbeginwithphishingorspear phishing emails, which use deceptive messages and infected attachments or links to steal information or gain unauthorized access Once activated, the malware spreads through the system and may remain undetected before lockingcriticalfiles.
Ransomware can also be introduced through:
· Visitingunsafeorcompromisedwebsites
· PluggingininfectedUSBdrivesorexternal devices
· Exposing systems to the internet without propersecuritymeasures
HowtoProtectYourselffromSmishingScams (SMSPhishing):
· Donotclickonlinks,replytomessagesor callnumbersfromunknownsenders.
· Reportsuspicioustextsbyforwardingthem to7726(SPAM).
· Deleteallsuspiciousmessagesimmediately.
· Keep your smartphone secure by updating youroperatingsystemandsecuritysoftware.
· Use multi-factor authentication for banking, socialmediaandothersensitiveaccounts.
· Verify any unexpected text messages by checking official websites or contacting organizationsdirectly
· Ifyouareavictimofsmishingfrauds,ensure toreviewtheCAFCguideonWhattodoifyou're avictimoffraud.
For more information on fraud prevention,visitopp.caandsfo.opp.ca.
Ifyoususpectfraudulentactivityorhave been a victim of fraud, report it immediately to your local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centreat1-888-495-8501oronlineviatheFraud ReportingSystem.
Fruitsandvegetablesyoudidn’tknowcouldbegrowninOntario
(NC)Ontarioishometomorethan125different fruitandvegetablecrops,grownbyfarmersright acrosstheprovince.
Theseincludelong-timeandwell-known favourites like apples, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, pears, asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, sweet corn and many more. But did you know that Ontario growers alsoproduceawiderangeoflesser-knowncrops?
Sweetpotatovarieties,forexample,have beendevelopedspecificallyforCanada’sshorter growing seasons and are now grown in our provinceandotherpartsofthecountry
Apopularsummertreatisthejuicy,sweet watermelon. More commonly known as a crop
from the warmer regions of the United States, watermelons are grown in southern Ontario and ready to enjoy in the summer months.
And did you know that our province is a world-leader in the production of ginseng? In fact, we’re home to the largest production of NorthAmerican ginseng in theworld.Tryitathomebyadding it to a favourite recipe or brew it intoanimmune-boostingtea.
FirstCulturalDayASuccess
The Club Maria Chapdelaine was proud to open the francophone activities for the month of March with the very first "Culture Day" in Chapleau. The activity took place on Saturday, March1stfrom11a.m.to4p.m.atthearena.Whatagreatwayto celebratetheculturaldiversity,art,musicandcuisineofthepeople ofChapleau!Webelieveitwassuccessfulastherewereaboutten booths with representatives from Canada, Cameroon, Peru/Ireland/Scotland, the Philippines, Portugal/Azores, First Nationsandfrancophonegroups.Wealsohadtableswithdifferent informationfromothercountriesofpeoplewhocouldnotbethere, butwouldhavelikedtobe:Ghana,Egypt,Japan,Vietnam,Austria, Poland, India... Over 100 people came to see us. Thank you for participating everyone! We will probably have another one in 2026!!!
Allourprovince’sfruitsand vegetables are grown in greenhouses, vertical farms, fields and orchards by more than 3,800 growers. But because many of these crops are delicate and bruise easily, they often can’t be harvested by machines That’s why local farmers also rely on more than 20,000 temporary and seasonal international workers to help
grow, manage and harvest the local fruits and vegetablesweknowandlove.
Manyworkershavebeencomingherefor years,wheretheirexperiencemakesthemvalued members of the farm workforce—and their jobs inCanadahelpthembuildhousing,educatetheir children and support their communities back home.
Learn more about migrant workers at morethananmigrantworker.ca.
Chapleau Moments by MichaelJ. Morris Chapleau Moments by
The CPR’sWatershedMomentsandChapleau
MichaelJ. Morris
Note from MJM: I am delighted that Ian Macdonald,retiredheadofthedepartmentof architecture and professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba agreed to write a column on the “The CPR’s Watershed moments and Chapleau. Most readers know that Ian is a Chapleau boy having attended Chapleau Public and High Schools as well as working on the Canadian Pacific Railway before becoming a distinguished professor of architectureandarchitect.
ByIanMacdonald
Watershed moments are those moments inhistoryafterwhichtheworldisneverquitethe same. These are some of those moments I experiencedgrowingupinChapleauinthe1940s and1950s.
Maintenance of locomotives and rolling stock has traditionally been a major activity at CPR divisional points along the system. The CPR was originally calibrated into subdivisions of 125 to 130 miles which was the maximum distancethattheearlysteamenginescouldtravel without the need to be replaced for servicing. Maintenance of steam locomotives was both labourandcapitalintensiverequiringsubstantial infrastructure in the form of maintenance shops and coal and water facilities. Maintenance facilities including roundhouses and maintenance shops were thus built at each subdivision point along the line Future development of the railroad would continually explore ways of reducing the substantial overhead expense of supporting this costly maintenancenetwork.
A significant event in the history of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Chapleau occurred on May 23rd, 1939, when King George VI and QueenElizabethwouldpassthroughtownwhile crossingCanadafromQuebecCitytoVancouver by rail.The Royal train would consist of twelve carsspeciallymodifiedandpaintedbluetrimmed withsilverandpoweredbyanewHudsonClass steam locomotive which had been first introducedintopassengerserviceayearearlierin 1938 and also painted blue and silver. Public attentionontheRoyalFamilydetractedfromthe important historical fact that this would be the firsttimeasteamlocomotivewouldtraversethe 3200-mile CPR line without being replaced for servicing. King George VI was so impressed with the performance of the locomotive and its class that after the tour, he gave the CPR permission to use the term “Royal Hudson” for locomotives of that class and to display royal crownsontherunningboardskirts.
The fact that the Hudson Class locomotives could travel such a long distance wasobviouslyanenormousmilestone.TheCPR first assigned the Hudson Class locomotives to power the transcontinental passenger trains between Toronto and Fort William (now part of Thunder Bay), a distance of six subdivisions, before being removed for servicing. Coal and water would be supplied from new coal chutes and water tanks built along the main line Technologicallysuperiormotivepowerwasthus reducing the need for service facilities. Water, coal, and sand could be taken on without significantdisruptiontoschedulewithnoneedto replace the locomotive.Theonly constraint was timetopausebrieflyforcoal,water,andsand.
The next major technological change in motivepowerjustonedecadelaterwouldbethe introduction of diesel power with the first American-built General Motors FP-4 trial locomotivearrivingatChapleauonDecember5, 1949.
locomotive through Chapleau,December05,1949
The conversion of the CPR from steam power to diesel power under the leadership of CPRPresidentN.R.(Buck)Crumpwasplanned to occur between 1950 and 1960 with the final steam locomotive being retired on November 6,
1960. The Schreiber Division between Cartier and Fort William was given top priority as this single-tracklinewasrunningatfullcapacityand thecostofdoubletrackingthisstretchoftheroad to increase capacity was prohibitive. The main linebetweeneastandwest,completewithgrades andtheworstweatherpossiblewaswherefailure would seriously affect the railway. At the time about 8-10 freight trains operated daily in each direction A new service facility would be required during this ten-year transition period that could accommodate the new diesel locomotives as well as the seventy-seven steam locomotives that would be gradually phased out and sent to the Angus Shops in Montreal for disposal.
Figure 3 CPR M4 class2 yard steam locomotive 3426atSchreiberlate1940s
Figure4 EarlydiesellocomotiveatChapleau. Locomotive 8406 (foreground) was an Alco RS2 road switcher painted maroon and yellow.Locomotive4014(farbnackground)is anAlcoRF1nexttoanAlcoS2yardenginein themaroonpaint
Maintenanceofdiesellocomotiveswasa key component of the dieselization process. Keeping diesels working was especially important because of their prohibitive cost. Utilization had to be high to get the required returnoninvestment.Therefore,whenonecame in off its run it was necessary to assign it to anotherjobassoonaspossible;theysimplycould not be left sitting around. In Schreiber when a road switcher came in off the way freight it was put to work in the yard In one early test locomotive 8405 (Similar to 8406 in figure 4) worked the weekend in the yard consuming the equivalentofonetonofcoalcomparedtothefour tonspershiftusedbytheregularyardengineM4 class2-8-03426.(seefigure3)Coalcost$17per tonatthetimeso,considerablesavingswerehad onthatexpensealone.
Cont’donP.8
Figure 2 First diesel
Figure 1 CPR Royal Train in Western Canada May 1939
from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa
by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing
ThisisgoingtobearareweekwhereItalk about a personal dilemma When writing this columneveryweek,Itendtohaveagoodideaabout a topic I want to discuss, and I have some time to elaborate on an issue that is: either of national or regionalimportance;inmyestimation,beingunder reported; or is breaking and needs to have some focus drawn to it The tariffs the Trump AdministrationimposedonCanadawasallthreeof those stories at once (although one could argue it certainly isn't being under reported, it is of such a magnitude that any focus on it is necessary.) But I couldn't finish anything on the topic, because Trump is approaching tariffs like the world's stupidest game of keep away, with broad tariffs beingappliedoneminute,andacompleteorpartial retreatthenext.
Wecouldargueaboutwhatthepointofitall is,butIthinkmostofuscanassumetherereallyisn't one,atleastnotonearationalpersoncouldarticulate. Trump has kept on his insults towards our country: calling Canada the 51st state repeatedly, callingthePrimeMinisterourGovernor,andgoing far enough to state that our shared border is “an artificially drawn line.” If we were to use his own rhetoricagainsthim,itwouldmakehalfofhislast campaignpointless,becausehespentahugechunk of it complaining about the Mexican border, another“artificiallydrawnline.”
SoonMarch4th,Trumpappliedablanket 25 percent tariff on all goods coming into the country from Canada and Mexico. In retaliation, Canada applied retaliatory tariffs on a significant number of items, but still leaving some room to apply additional tariffs and non-tariff measures. Thatevening,Trump,inanaddresstoCongress(his firstasPresident)hesaid“tariffsarenotjustabout protectingAmericanjobs.They'reaboutprotecting the soul of our country. Tariffs are about making America rich again, and making America great again, and it's happening and it will happen rather quickly.”
On March 5th, as financial markets took a nosedive, there was that sense of uncertainty that wehadinearlyFebruarywhenhewasthreatening tariffsthefirsttime.Afterdiscussingtariffswiththe large three auto makers, Trump immediately paused tariffs for vehicles, because, as anyone couldhavetoldhim,ourautosectorsarenowpart of trilateral agreements between us, the U.S. and Mexico. Then came news that he'd be pausing tariffs on Mexico.And then, a few hours later, he retreated, as he often does, from the issue of Canadiantariffs,atleastbywalkingbacktoprotect hisownhideashedeclared“Iwasn'tevenlooking at the stock market.” The cowardice involved in
CanadiansNeedtoRemainVigilantTowardsTariffSeesaw
both causing, and then immediately retreating from,thelevelofdamageheinflictedonhisandour economiesisastonishing.
At this point, tariffs are definitely, surely, clearly going to be applied in full onApril 2nd, as opposed to the current situation where tariffs are being applied to some products, but not products thatareincludedundertheCUSMAdealhesigned under his first presidency (which he later criticized). Or maybe they won't, especially if those policies impact his general popularity among his base specifically. This pointless trade war has shredded international confidence in the U.S. as a reliabletradingpartnerandhasimpactedCanada's viewofourneighbourstothesouth.ArecentAngus Reid Institute poll shows only 24 percent of Canadians currently holding a favourable view of the U.S. (the lowest ever recorded, and only 4 points ahead of Canadians who have a favourable viewofChina.)Afull52percentofCanadiansnow view the U.S. “as an enemy” (13 percent) or “as a
potential threat to national interests” (38 percent.) There'snootherwaytocutit–Trump'sisolationist plans for his country have turned Canadians away andhavelaidbarethattheemperorhasnoclothes. Trumpdoesnotunderstanddecency,aswe saw with his invective attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy He does not understandhumility,asisclearlyevidencedbyhis entire misunderstanding of the Canadian electoral system, and his bizarre claims that Justin Trudeau was going to cling to power through the tariff discussion, even though the Liberals have just selected a new leader in Mark Carney He doesn't evenunderstandcooperation,whichiswhyhesees mutualeconomicbenefitassomehowa“subsidyon Canada.” Everything is a zero-sum game to him, with clear winners and losers. But that's not how realityworks.
` But Canadians don't lose. We fight, we work hard, we look after each other.And we win. Elbowsup.
LesCanadiensdoiventdemeurervigilantsfaceauyoyotarifaire
Cettesemaineseraunedesraresfoisoùje parlerai d'un dilemme personnel. Lorsque je me mets à l'écriture de cette chronique, chaque semaine, j'ai généralement une bonne idée du sujet que je vais aborder, et j'ai le temps d'examiner en détail une question d'importance nationaleourégionale;ouqui,selonmoi,n'apas été suffisamment exploitée; ou encore qui est d'actualitéetméritequ'ons'yintéresse.Lestarifs douaniers imposés au Canada par l'Administration Trump englobent ces trois aspects à la fois (même s'il s'agit certainement d'une question abondamment traitée, elle est tellement importante qu'il est nécessaire de bien s'yintéresser).Maisjenepeuxpasfaireletourde la question puisque Trump aborde les droits de douane comme le jeu de cache-cache le plus stupideaumonde,enimposantsoudainementdes droits de douane élevés et en les levant entièrementoupartiellementl'instantd'après.
Onpourraitsedemanderàquoirimetout cela, mais je crois que la plupart d'entre nous pensentquecelan'apasdesens,dumoinspasun sens que quelqu'un de rationnel pourrait expliquer. Trump n'a cessé d'insulter notre pays, en qualifiant à maintes reprises le Canada de 51e État,entraitantnotrepremierministredegouverneur, et en allant jusqu'à déclarer que notre frontière commune est une « ligne tracée artificiellement ». Si nous devions utiliser sa propre rhétoriquecontrelui,celarendraitlamoitiédesa dernière campagne inutile, car il a passé une grandepartiedecelle-ciàseplaindreausujetde la frontière mexicaine, une autre « ligne tracée artificiellement».
Ainsi, le 4 mars, Trump a appliqué des droitsdedouanegénérauxde25%surtoutesles marchandises importées aux États-Unis en
provenance du Canada et du Mexique. En guise dereprésailles,leCanadaaimposéàsontourdes droitsdedouanesurungrandnombredeproduits américains, tout en se réservant la possibilité d'appliquerdesdroitsdedouanesupplémentaires etdesmesuresnontarifaires.Cesoir-là,Trumpa déclaré,dansundiscoursdevantleCongrès(son premierdepuissonaccessionàlaprésidence):« Les droits de douane ne visent pas seulement à protégerlesemploisaméricains,ilsvisentaussià protégerl'âmedenotrepays.Ilsontpourobjectif deredonnerrichesseetgrandeuràl'Amérique,ce qui est en train de se produire, et assez rapidement.».
Le 5 mars, alors que les marchés financiers plongeaient, il y avait ce sentiment d'incertitude que nous avions ressenti début février,quandTrumpavaitmenacéd'imposerdes droits de douane pour la première fois. Après avoir discuté avec les trois grands constructeurs automobiles, Trump a suspendu immédiatement l'impositiondedroitssurlesvéhicules,parceque, comme n'importe qui aurait pu le lui dire, nos secteurs automobiles font désormais partie d'accords trilatéraux entre le Canada, les ÉtatsUnis et le Mexique. Ensuite, on a appris qu'il suspendait l'imposition de droits de douane sur les produits mexicains. Puis, quelques heures plustard,ilareculé,commeillefaitsouvent,sur laquestiondel'impositiondedroitsdedouaneau Canada, du moins en faisant marche arrière comme pour se protéger lui-même, puisqu'il a déclaré:«Jeneregardaismêmepaslesmarchés boursiers. ». La lâcheté dont il a fait preuve en causant le niveau de dommages qu'il a infligé à sonéconomieetàlanôtre,puisenreculanttoutde suiteaprès,eststupéfiante.
Cont’donP.7
PREMIÈRE JOURNÉE DE LA CULTURE
Le Club Maria Chapdelaine était fier d'ouvrir les activités du mois de la francophonie avec une toute première « Journée de la culture » à Chapleau. L'activité a eu er lieu le samedi 1 mars de 11 h à 16 h à l'aréna. Quelle belle façon de célébrer la diversité culturelle, l'art, la musique et la cuisine des gens de Chapleau! Nous croyons que ce fut un succès, car il y avait une dizaine de kiosques avec représentants du Canada,
Club Maria Chapdelaine
Cameroun, Pérou/Irlande/Écosse, Philippines, Portugal/Açores, Premières Nations et les groupes francophones. Nous avions aussi des tables avec différentes informations des pays de gens qui ne pouvaient pas y être, mais auraient aimé l'être : Ghana, Égypte, Japon, Vietnam, Autriche, Pologne, Inde… Au-delà de 100 personnes sont venues nous voir. Merci d'avoir participé! Il se peut fort bien qu'on en fasse une autre en 2026!!!
Centre culturel Louis-Hémon
L'importance de la lecture en français
Lire en français, c’est bien plus qu’un passe-temps ! La lecture permet d’enrichir son vocabulaire, d’améliorer sa compréhension et d’entretenir ses compétences en français.
Que ce soit un roman, une bande dessinée, un article ou même une recette, chaque minute passée à lire en français renforce notre langue et notre culture.
Participez au jeu "Calcule tes minutes de lecture" !
Tout au long du mois de mars, nous vous mettons au défi de lire le plus possible en français !
L’objectif est d’atteindre ensemble 25 000 minutes de lecture.
Comment participer ?
C’est simple ! Notez le temps que vous passez à lire en français et envoyez-nous vos minutes : Par message privé sur la page du Centre Par téléphone au 705-864-1126 Ensemble, relevons le défi et célébrons le plaisir de la lecture en français !
Lastweekssolutions
MOMENTS IN TIME
On April 2, 1992, mob boss John Gotti, aka the "Teflon Don" due to his notable ability to avoid conviction, was found guilty on 13 counts, including murder and racketeering, and sentencedtolifeinprison.Adecadelater,hedied ofthroatcanceratage61.
Cont’dfromP.4
Àcestade,ilestcertainquelesdroitsde douaneserontappliquésdansleurintégralitéle2 avril, alors que maintenant, ils ne sont appliqués que sur certains produits, et pas ceux visés par l'ACEUMqueTrumpasignélorsdesonpremier mandat comme président (mais qu'il a critiqué ensuite). Ou peut-être que ce ne sera pas le cas, surtoutsicespolitiquesnuisentàsapopularitéau seindesaproprebase.Cetteguerrecommerciale inutile a miné la confiance à l'égard des États-Uniscommepartenairecommercialfiablesurla scène internationale et a changé la vision du CanadaenverssesvoisinsduSud Selonunrécent sondagedel'InstitutAngusReid,actuellement,à peine 24 % des Canadiens ont une vision favorable des États-Unis (le taux le plus bas jamais enregistréetquidépassed'àpeinequatrepointsle pourcentage de Canadiens ayant une vision favorable de la Chine). Pas moins de 52 % des Canadiens considèrent désormais les États-Unis
www.algomalawyers.ca
info@algomalawyers.ca
éventuellepourlesintérêtsnationaux»(38%).Il faut bien le dire, les plans isolationnistes de TrumppoursonpaysonteupoureffetdedétournerlesCanadiensetontrévéléqueleroiestnu Trump ne comprend pas la décence, commenousl'avonsvuavecsesinvectivescontre leprésidentukrainienVolodymyrZelenskyy Ilne comprend pas non plus l'humilité, comme le démontrent clairement sa mauvaise compréhensiondusystèmeélectoralcanadienetsesaffirmations bizarres selon lesquelles Justin Trudeau allait s'accrocher au pouvoir pendant les discussionssurlesdroitsdedouane,alorsmêmequeles libéraux viennent de se choisir un nouveau chef en la personne de Mark Carney. Il ne comprend mêmepaslacoopération,puisqu'ilconsidèreque les avantages économiques mutuels sont en quelquesorteune«subventionpourleCanada» Pourlui,toutestunjeuàsommenulle,avecdes gagnantsetdesperdantsclairs.Maislaréalitéest touteautre
Les Canadiens ne sont pas des perdants. Au Canada, nous nous battons, nous travaillons fort et nous prenons soin les uns des autres Et nousgagnons.Nousnelâchonsrien.
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CHADWIC HOME, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE. Offers shelter, emotionalsupport,andinformationforwomenandtheirchildrenwhoarein crisissituations WehaveaTollFreeCrisisLinewhichisstaffed24hoursa day WecanarrangeforfreetransportationtotheCentreforwomenwho liveintheAlgoma/Chapleauarea Wealsooffersupporttowomenwholive in the communities of Chapleau, White River, Dubreuilville, and HornepaynethroughourOutreachProgram OurOutreachWorkertravels tothosecommunitiestomeetwithwomenwhoneedemotionalsupportas wellasinformationabouttheirrightsandoptions Ifyouneedtospeakwith the Outreach Worker when she is in your community, you can call the Centre at any time to set up an appointment You do not need to be a residentoftheCentreinordertouseourservices Ifyouneedsomeoneto talktoorifyoujustneedsomeonetolisten,callourTollFreeCrisislineat1800-461-2242oryoucandropinattheCentre Wearehereforyou
commeunpaysennemi(13
ChapleauMoments
Cont’dfromP.3
Reconfiguration of the existing shops at Chapleau included an addition of a new runthrough shop and parts supply facility. Construction cost was more than $250,000.00 andthefirstdieselsassignedtoChapleauarrived inMay1950.TheCPRwouldbeassigningfiftyeightdieselstotheSchreiberDivision.Theorder wasfortenAunitsandfour-yardswitchersfrom GeneralMotorsDiesel(GMD)plustwentyAand twentyBunitsalongwithfourroadswitchersall from Montreal LocomotiveWorks (MLW).The four road switcher units would manage the way freights with single units.Yard units were to be assigned one each to Schreiber, White River, Chapleau and Cartier although existing Alco 1000 hp units were assigned for maintenance ease while the newly purchased 800 hp GMDs wentelsewhere.
Steam continued to manage passenger trains while the CPR further evaluated the dependability of diesels in mainline service Then,inearly1952,thetenAunitswerereturned toGeneralMotorsDiesel(GMD)forinstallation of steam generators following which they were transferred to Western Lines for passenger service.ThenewMLWAunitswereacquiredfor the Schreiber Division. Steam power would be used primarily for passenger service and would requireonlythreeofthenineteenservicebaysin therenovatedChapleaufacility Asaresultofthis newfacility,thetownwouldalsoseesignificant constructionofnewhousingtoaccommodatethe newemployees.
The renovated facility could accommodatenineteendiesellocomotivesunder cover.Thepurposeforeachstallwasasfollows:
Stalls1,2and3–Completeservicefacilitiesfor diesellocomotives
Stall4–Whitingdroptableandwheellathe
Stalls 5,6,7,8 – Dismantled and stalls 4 and 9 joinedten’widecorridor,wheelsstoragebays.
Stall9–Lubricatingoilstorage,two5000-gallon tanks
Stalls10and11–Generalworkarea
Stalls 12 – Overhauling and testing of steam generatorsandpartsstorage.
Stall 13 – Storage and repairing of diesel locomotivebatteries,approximatelyfortyfeetof tracktostoretwodiesellocomotivetrucks.
Stall14–Machineshopandworkbenches,spray booth for treatment of diesel locomotive components
Stalls 15 and 16 – Ordinary diesel locomotive servicestalls
Stall17–Loadtestingmechanism
Stall18–Diesellocomotivecleaningtrack,High level walkways permit washing of upper structureofdiesels.
Stall 19 – Tracks removed to permit space for cleaningofdiesellocomotivecomponents.
Complete system dieselization in 1960 would dramatically redefine the distinctive railtownlookofChapleau.Themassivecoalchutes andmaintenanceshopsrequiredtosupportsteam powerbegantobedemolishedoneaftertheother including a significant section of the renovated diesel shops. The Canadian Pacific Railway originallyoperatedovertwenty-sixmaintenance facilities along their main line alone from MontrealtoPortMoodyBC whenthelastspike was driven in 1885. This number, over a more extensive and dramatically expanded rail network, was eventually reduced to four locations at Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and St. Paul, Minnesota and are referred to as Locomotive Reliability Centres or LRCs Dramatic change continues, of course, with the recent CPR acquisition of the Kansas City SouthernRailway.
Very few of us who watched the first diesellocomotivearriveinChapleauonthatcold Decemberdayin1949realizedwhatawatershed momentthiswouldbeforthecommunity Iwas amongst the last firemen from Chapleau trained onsteampower Oneofmygreatmemorieswhile workingforthe CPR wasahostlingassignment in Cartier in the summer of 1957 where I had a chancetooperateoneofthelastRoyalHudsons movingitinandoutoftheCartiershops,turning it around and pointing it back to Chapleau.This would be the last year for this Cadillac of steam enginesasthenextyearallsteamlocomotiveson the Schreiber Division would be gone The following decades would see the elimination of transcontinental passenger service, the demolition of the car barns, steam plant, maintenance shops, coaling towers and everythingsupportingsteampower Thenumber of running trades employees declined dramatically It was truly the end of an era, and thecommunitywouldneverbethesame.Allthat remains today of the Chapleau shops are remnantsofconcretefoundations.
Class1CanadianandAmericanrailways would become more efficient as progress most surely dictates they must. This would include introductionofmorepowerfulandsophisticated locomotives,humongouslylongtrainsoperated
withfewercrewmemberswithtrainmovements managedbycentralizedtrafficcontrolinafar-off city There is to my eye, however, a certain sameness and uniformity of North American railroads now which differ only through livery colour and corporate logos. Admittedly this is certainly grounded in sound principles of cost effectiveness, efficiency, flexibility, and profitability.Progressisinevitablebutincurable romantics of my generation still maintain fond memories of a railroad that was distinctive, uniquely Canadian, designed and built in this countryforCanadianconditionsandhighlighting the genius of Canadian engineering design and manufacture.
Image5 CPRDieselshopfacilities mid1960s