Port Arthur, Duluth & Western
The original idea for constructing this railway came in 1872 when the Thunder Bay Silver Mines Railway was incorporated. Silver had been discovered southwest of the city, and promoters were anxious to tap this resource, as well as providing a rail connection to Duluth, Minnesota. Nothing was done however, and the charter lapsed. Another attempt to revive the idea was made in 1881, but the application was thrown out of Parliament. Politicians had argued that the plan to build so close to the boundary violated their agreement with the Canadian Pacific Railway that, "no railway be constructed within 15 miles of the border." Undaunted, the promoters tried again one year later. Finally, in February 1883, a Provincial charter was granted to the Thunder Bay Colonization Railway (TBCR).
Now that the promoters of the railway (which included many of Port Arthur's prominent citizens such as Thomas Marks, D.F. Burk and James Conmee, M.P.P) had their charter, their efforts were buoyed by further good news. American interests had begun construction on the Duluth and Iron Range Railway north towards the boundary, which offered to provide the sought after link with Duluth. As well, a large iron deposit had been discovered just across the border at Gunflint Lake, which was part of the now famous Vermilion and Mesabi iron ranges. The promoters however, could not afford to build, having only received a subsidy from the Dominion Government.
In 1887, the corporate name was changed to the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway (P.A.D & W) by Provincial Statute. With subsidies later granted from the Dominion, Provincial and Municipal Governments, construction was commenced in the fall of 1889. By December 1892, the railway had reached its Canadian terminus at Gunflint Lake. A six-mile branch, Known as the P.A.D & W of Minnesota, was constructed across the border to the Gunflint Iron mine. However, very little iron was shipped by the railway and the mine closed. Attempts to construct the 50 remaining miles to link with the Duluth & Iron Range were frustrated by rough terrain and lack of capital.
The railway was officially opened on June 1, 1893. The railway wound its way 86 miles from Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) to Gunflint Lake. After leaving Port Arthur, it crossed the adjoining city of Fort William and along the Kaministiquia River to Stanley. It crossed the river on a large trestle and followed the Whitefish River Valley for some distance. Passing Whitefish, Sand and Iron Range Lakes, the P.A.D & W turned southwest to North Lake at mile 70. From there it followed the chain of boundary lakes to Gunflint Narrows and the iron mine.
From the date of its opening, the railway was in immediate trouble. In 1892, the silver market collapsed and the numerous silver mines along the line closed. Its perpetual bad luck and constant lateness would lead noted author James Oliver Curwood to dub the railway, "Poverty, Agony, Distress and Want." By 1898, the railway was bankrupt and it was purchased by Canadian Northern Railway (C.N.o.R) for $250,000. Its owners, Donald Mann and William Mackenzie, wanted the P.A.D & W's 19 miles of road from Stanley to Port Arthur for their planned Ontario and Rainy River Railway. Under Canadian Northern, the "Duluth Extension" flourished. Many of the silver mines re-opened, and passenger traffic was up. However, the section of line between North Lake and Gunflint Narrows was abandoned in 1902, but it was quickly leased by the Pigeon River Lumber Company which was engaged in extensive logging operations in the area. However, a large forest fire would destroy a one-thousand foot trestle on North Lake in 1909, which severed the line to Gunflint and to the US.
In 1915, all the rails west of North Lake were removed. In 1920, the troubled Canadian Northern became nationalized under the name Canadian National Railways (C.N.R). Now known as the CNR-North Lake Sub-Division, the "PeeDee"(as it became known) was in its twilight. In 1923, the railway abandoned the section of line between North Lake and Gravel or Round Lake. With less business, the railway was forced to abandon more track, that from Gravel/Round Lake to Mackies in 1937. In March 1938, Canadian National gave the order to halt operations. The railway was losing money, which was compounded by the fact that many sections of line had deteriorated badly and needed to be repaired. In October of that year, CN formally abandoned the line and the rails were removed over the next year.
Road Number: 1
Type: 0-4-0 tender
Scrapped: 1912
* Woodburning locomotive named "Black Auntie." Named so because of image of Negro Woman
carved on fire door resembled a Black Woman who ran a brothel in Port Arthur.
Road Number: 2
Type: 4-4-0
Built: 1886
Serial Number: S/N 386
Manufacturer: Canadian Locomotive Company, Kingston, ON.
17 x 24" cylinders
62" drivers
140psi boiler pressure
Renumbered: Canadian Northern Ry. 1; Aug. 1897
C.N.o.R 1; 1912
Scrapped: Trenton, ON 24 Sept 1918
* Apparently built in 1886 and shipped new to the P.A.D & W in 1890.
Road Number: 3
Type: 4-4-0
Built: Oct 1891?
Manufacturer: CLC?/ Grand Trunk Railway, Montreal?
16 x 24" cylinders
140psi boiler pressure
Scrapped: circa 1910
* According to railway records, Number 3 was built by the CLC in October 1891, but no number
exists in CLC records. This is a bar-frame locomotive, and it has been suggested that it was a
former GTR locomotive.
Road Number: 4
Type: 2-6-0
Built: Oct 1889
Serial Number: S/N 365
Manufacturer: CLC
18 x 24" cylinders
57" drivers
150psi boiler pressure
Renumbered: P.A.D & W 1
C.N.o.R 19; Aug 1897
C.N.o.R 107; 1912
Canadian National 471; 1920
Scrapped: June 1927
* This Locomotive came second-hand from the Qu'Appelle, Long lake & Saskatchewan Railroad
in Dec 1892.
* Portions of this information taken from the article "Poverty, Agony, Distress & Want!" Canadian Rail Nov 1974.
| Milage | Station | Elevation ft |
| 0 | Prince Arthur's Landing | 615 |
| 3 | Fort William | 620 |
| 6 | Westfort | 625 |
| 13 | Slate River(Rosslyn 1904) | 700 |
| 19 | Stanley(Stanley Junction 1902) | 722 |
| 22 | Harstone | 745 |
| 25 | Flint | 766 |
| 27 | Silver Creek | 807 |
| 29 | Murdoch(Hymers) | 877 |
| 31 | Sellars | 913 |
| 33 | Leeper | 1000 |
| 35 | Nolalu | 1095 |
| 37 | Hillside | 1162 |
| 40 | Silver Mountain | 1282 |
| 43 | Whitefish | 1348 |
| 46 | Mackies | 1445 |
| 50 | Round/Gravel Lake | 1550 |
| 55 | Sand Lake(Sandstone) | 1541 |
| 60 | Iron Range | 1625 |
| 65 | Addie Lake | 1609 |
| 71 | North Lake | 1572 |
| 83 | LeeBlaine | 1553 |
| 85.5 | Gunflint(Gunflint Narrows 1912) | 1569 |
| 91.25 | Paulson Mines | 1810 |
Ghost Railways of Ontario Ron Brown Broadview Press 1994 Pioneers in the Wilderness Willis Raff Cook Cty Historical Society 1981 'Poverty, Agony, Distress & Want!' Canadian Rail Magazine #274 Nov 1974 John Todd
Copyright David Antonio Battistel, 1997.
Contact the author via email. dabattis@Ice.Lakeheadu.ca