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Good old 909 puts regional tourism back on track by Mark Burgess

Sun, 12/06/2009 - 02:27 — webmaster

This is the final instalment of a story chronicling the HCW Steam Train's return to action last spring. The train made its final run of the season Oct. 27, 2009.  The story originally appeared in the November 4 - November 10 issue of the Low Down to Hull and Back News and is also available at

 www.lowdownonline.com

The overall-ed minstrels wander over to their next gig and locomotive 909 chugs through the fall colours, this 102-year-old machine still able to lug nearly 500 passengers, 4,500 litres of oil and 5,000 litres of water through the Gatineau Hills. The 909's longevity is partly owed to the nearly 40 years it spent – along with 200 other working steam trains – idle under Swedish government protection. This was a Cold War precaution, keeping the newly obsolete steam fleet safely plastic-wrapped in barns throughout the country in case the Soviets tampered with the electric railway.  But credit can be shared with the Hull,Chelsea,Wakefield Steam Train's crew, who not only have to decipher the train's century-old parts but also its Swedish owner's manual. The boiler's 2,400 feet of tubing are scrubbed monthly and the train's firemen are on site three hours before departure to start the fire. Much of this information is relayed throughout the journey by guide Claude Laviolette, who, despite my seat-mate Adele's misgivings, provides helpful nuggets without exhausting the passengers' patience. One fact I found particularly germane was that the 909, like other European trains, was equipped with a plough at the front rather than the North American cow-catcher, which proved prescient this summer for its modern obstacles such as unsuspecting vans. The train slows as it enters Wakefield and instructions are given about making it aboard for the return voyage. Adele's companion, John, who could hardly sit still for the ride, is off the train immediately and then knocking on the window, making funny faces and gesturing for Adele to bring his jacket. The rest of the passengers, who sometimes resemble zombies for their dazed “I’m on vacation” facial expression, unload and obediently gather in a semi-circle around the turntable, cameras at the ready. Meanwhile the overall-ed minstrels leave their instruments and get to work turning the engine, before darting off across the street to beat the ambling train zombies to the wild boar sausage stand. Wakefield's proprietors are ready. They've readjusted to the train's demands and, for the most part, welcome this final wave of fall colour visitors before a long quiet descends on the village. “By mid-November it's deserted,” said Lesley Farrell, owner of the End of the Line Boutique. Farrell said this year's sales were 35 per cent higher than any previous year, after dropping by 50 per cent when the train didn't run in 2008. John Batten, owner of the Wakefield Bakery, told a similar tale. After a 30 per cent drop in sales during the train's 2008 absence, things were back to normal this summer and he was able to hire six more staff than last year. But it's not just about bottom lines. Farrell said the international tourists drawn to the area, especially in the fall, make her proud of the region, and she said the train helps put Wakefield on the map. Declan Thomas, owner of Le Moo ice cream, said weather is the main variable determining his sales but that the train contributes to Wakefield's aesthetic. “It's great having a steam train come through your village every day.”  The train's positive impacts are felt far beyond Wakefield. In a year when most regions saw a decline in tourism, owing to the economic climate and the weather, Outatouais Tourism Director General Gilles Picard said the Outaouais saw a two to four per cent increase over last year, which he attributed to the train's return. Marc Cadieux of Reservations Outaouais, the company that does reservations for Outaouais Tourism, said his company sold 5,200 packages that included the train, giving businesses he worked with – restaurants, hotels, canal tour operators among others – a 30 per cent jump in business. His own sales dropped 50 per cent last year when the train wasn't running and were nearly back to the previous year's levels. “(The train) was definitely the main reason to come here,” he said. With Gatineau and Wakefield benefiting from the train's return, the economic gains for the middle municipality, Chelsea, are less obvious. Harry Gow, co-president of The Friends of the Steam Train, said the idea of a station south of Mill Street in New Chelsea, though not new, would allow for more flexible rides that would be easier to accommodate tour groups and families not wanting to do the 90-minute ride each way. Compagnie de chemin de fer de l'Outaouais (CCFO) President Louise Boudrias said a Chelsea station could be ready as early as next year depending on the results of feasibility studies. Gow and Boudrias also talked about a Wakefield station that would provide some shelter, and of moving the departure spot in Hull. HCW Steam Train President André Groulx said feasibility studies will determine the outcome of all the “ideas floating around”, but that the 25-year agreement with the CCFO, the body that manages the tracks among other duties, is most important as it allows for long-term investment. “The lost year made us value what we had. Ultimately it changed the landscape for us,” Groulx said. “We're working in a new day. It's a lot more fun now.”
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