An Ontario Northland Railway passenger train is working its way back to Cochrane, Ontario, after several days use in filming of the Hulu TV series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which has been shooting at locations around Southern Ontario.
Filming occurred on GIO Rail’s Trillium Railway July 20-23, with the train initially parked at the Ceres Global “Robin Hood” elevator in Port Colborne, Ont. Staffed by Ontario Northland management, Director of Rail Transportation John Corley and four others worked to ensure proper placement during filming, moving the train at the discretion of the film crew.
The equipment used during the shoot is surplus rolling stock from the Cochrane-to-Moosonee Polar Bear Express, which runs six days a week, serving isolated communities for which the railway is the only ground transportation option.
The train departed Cochrane for Huntsville, Ont., on July 18, and the next day, traveled on Canadian National as CN train P300, making a 10-hour trip on the Newmarket, Bala, York, Halton, Oakville, and Grimsby subdivisions. It was handed over to Trillium at Merriton, Ont., and moved over the Thorold, Canal, and Harbour spurs to Port Colborne.
With filming complete, the train began its trip north on Saturday, July 23, with Michael Hayes, Ontario Northland’s senior manager of training and regulatory affairs, serving as engineer. As of Sunday, the train still had more than 400 miles to go to complete the trip back to Cochrane, and was awaiting a time slot to travel on Canadian National back to North Bay, Ont., where it will continue on home rails back to Cochrane.
Too bad it could not have stayed around for Canal Days this coming weekend’s major tourist event in Port Colborne. Short train rides up and down the line would be a good tourism booster.