Hawk Junction is at least 450 if not 500 miles from Three Rivers, so it was well past dark when Todd and I arrived there, on our first fishing trip to that area. We knew that there was a campground there and, even though it was pitch dark, we were able to find it, with no difficulty. We had already eaten our supper, so because it was late and we wanted to get an early start, in the morning, we set up camp and got into our sleeping bags. We had no idea where the campground was located, in relation to other things in the area.

It was sometime during the night that we were awakened by a Diesel Train that was approaching at a high rate of speed, and if it continued on it’s present course, it would pass right through our tent. I knew that I was tired and sleepy, when we set up camp, but I was sure that we hadn’t pitched our tent on a railroad right of way, but the closer that big head light got to us, the more convinced I was that we had made a mistake. Just before it split our tent wide open it turned and went to the right of us.

The next morning, when we could see the site in the daylight, we discovered that our tent was no more than 150 feet from the main line of the Algoma Central Railroad, that runs between Sault Ste Marie, and Hearst, Ontario. The Algoma Central is, or it was at that time, a really first class railroad. They maintain good trackage and operate big trains that run fast and make lots of noise.