new design train model

 WMRC blog editor Paul Ullrich relaxes by the Hudson Bay shoreline. No, he didn't go in for a dip.


By Paul Ullrich

What better way to celebrate your arrival in Churchill than to spend some time at the beach?

Come again?

Yes, Churchill has a beach, right on the shores of Hudson Bay, just a short walk from town. Mind you, it's not swarming with swimmers at any time of the year, although a few stalwart types do participate in an annual swim every Canada Day. But it serves as yet another reminder that Manitoba is indeed a maritime province, with a deep sea saltwater port.

But we weren't there to sunbathe. It was a little too cold for that. We were there to visit the Cape Merry National Historical Site, which is on the opposite side of the Churchill river estuary from Fort Prince of Wales.

It was also the first time that most of us ever took a tour with an armed guide! Yes, he was packing heat - a 45 caliber rifle. Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" only had a 44 Magnum. But he didn't have to be able to stop a charging polar bear dead in his tracks. Fortunately, our guide didn't have to do that.

There were plenty of signs warning us that we were in polar bear country. But despite the warnings, we still wandered around the site. Perhaps the signs were too subtle. Maybe they should've read, "What, are you stupid or something? Get out of here! There are polar bears!"

Among the site we visited by the beach were the massive inukshuck and the Enterprise boat, a landlocked ship by the shoreline. We also visited the cannon battery at the Cape Merry National Historic Site, which was being restored by a group of university students. The battery was built to guard the river mouth and to prevent enemy occupation of Fort Prince of Wales by providing crossfire.

There are two cannon batteries at Cape Merry. The first one was located directly across from the eastern wall of Fort Prince of Wales. Then they realized that the cannon could also be seized by the enemy and used to fire on the fort! The powder magazine was built right in the middle of the battery, which meant that any stray sparks from the cannon could ignite the black powder.  In 1747 the battery was relocated to a second site.

This was the second place we visited that day. It was already the middle of the afternoon, but we were far from finished with the day's tours! This stop was only part of a whirlwind tour of Churchill that day, which included a visit to the Parks Canada Visitor Reception Centre, the Port of Churchill, Fort Prince of Wales and whale watching in the Churchill river estuary!

We had an exciting preview of the evenings upcoming whale watching tour. We were watching what we thought were whitecaps in the estuary, when our guide pointed out that what we thought were whitecaps were scores of breeching beluga whales!

By Paul Ullrich

A very special tour, exclusive to the Rail Travel Tours group, was a visit to the Port of Churchill. This was a special treat for railfans. It's the northern terminus for the Hudson Bay Railway and the northernmost point of any Manitoba rail line. It's Canada's only arctic seaport, and it's one of the largest grain elevators in the province.

The only reason for Churchill's existence was the port. The rail line was completed to Churchill in 1929, after it was decided that a rail line to Port Nelson wasn't feasible because of the heavy silt buildup from the Nelson River.

Farmers using the port had the advantage of not paying charges laid by the Saint Lawrence Seaway, and the route from Churchill to Europe is much shorter than any other North American port.  But the track was built on muskeg and permafrost, which limited the size of the rail cars, the length of the trains, and the speed which the trains could travel.  Standard three bay hoppers carrying a full load of grain were just too heavy.  The short shipping season also impaired grain traffic. 


For many years, the port was owned and operated by the Province of Manitoba. It was turned over to the federal government, who operated it for about a decade, until it was sold to OmniTRAX - for ten dollars!

The port was almost entirely reliant on grain shipments from the Canadian Wheat Board, but grain traffic has decreased considerably at the port when the CWB's monopoly was ended.

OmniTRAX purchased trackage north of The Pas from CN Rail to form the Hudson Bay Railway in 1997. Since then, they have been able to run heavier rail cars and longer trains, bringing increased business to the Port from various mines and pulp mills.

Much thanks to Rail travel Tours, who provided us with this rare opportunity to visit this historic Manitoba railway site!