Little Bear (train)
Encyclopedia
The Little Bear was the name for a Canadian mixed freight-passenger train operated by the Ontario Northland Railway
Ontario Northland Railway
The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario....

 in Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...

.

It operated 3 days per week year-round and connected Cochrane
Cochrane, Ontario
Cochrane is a town in northern Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Kapuskasing, northeast of Timmins, south of Moosonee, and north of Iroquois Falls. It is about a one-hour drive from Timmins, the major city of the region. It is the seat of Cochrane District...

 with Moosonee
Moosonee, Ontario
Moosonee is a town in northern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered as "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port...

.

During the summer months, the Polar Bear Express
Polar Bear Express
The Polar Bear Express is a Canadian passenger train operated by the Ontario Northland Railway in Northern Ontario. Service was introduced in 1964...

dedicated passenger train operated over the same route 6 days per week with no flag stops, whereas the Little Bear was a flag stop train.

The Polar Bear Express was expanded to a year-round service on June 5, 2007 after increased funding from the Government of Ontario to ONR was announced in March 2007. It resulted in the discontinuation of the Little Bear mixed freight-passenger service and there are now dedicated separate freight and passenger rail services to Moosonee.

The Little Bear transported passengers as well as supplies to locations between Cochrane and Moosonee and was particularly popular with canoeists
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....

 and hunters
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

; the train had a dedicated freight car for carrying canoes.

Some of the numerous stops for the Little Bear mixed freight and passenger train included:
  • Cochrane
    Cochrane, Ontario
    Cochrane is a town in northern Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Kapuskasing, northeast of Timmins, south of Moosonee, and north of Iroquois Falls. It is about a one-hour drive from Timmins, the major city of the region. It is the seat of Cochrane District...

  • Fraserdale
    Fraserdale, Ontario
    Fraserdale is a small community and rail siding in Unorganized Cochrane, North Part in Cochrane District, Northern Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Timmins along the Ontario Northland Railway...

  • Otter Rapids
    Otter Rapids, Ontario
    Otter Rapids, also known as White Otter Rapids is an unincorporated place and dispersed rural community in geographic Pitt Township in the Unorganized North Part of Cochrane District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada...

  • Moose River
  • Moosonee
    Moosonee, Ontario
    Moosonee is a town in northern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered as "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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