The smokestacks of Sudbury receded in the distance as I drove south on Highway 69. I had every intention of being home by suppertime. That was until I remembered that it was Saturday, which if you're familiar with the ONR, means train time on the Temagami Subdivision. I had already logged a couple thousand kilometers on a fruitful, albeit very circuitous, tour of Northern Ontario the six days prior. I wasn't feeling particularly inclined for a detour back to North Bay, but that voice in the back of my mind -- yeah, the same bugger that compels one to stand out in the freezing cold or climb a mountain for a single photo, you know the one -- got the best of me. So, at the last exit leaving Sudbury, it was off 69, onto Highway 17, and off to North Bay.
Just as I was arriving in North Bay, the sound of a northbound train departing town could be heard in the distance. Talk about timing! Meandering through North Bay's infamous traffic and watching the sun peek in and out of the clouds, I eventually caught a glimpse of the train as it eased over the Trans-Canada Highway ahead. A quick chase to Lees Road ensued, where I set up just in time as veteran SD40-2 1734 came charging around the bend with Englehart-bound train 113.
While I didn't make it home for suppertime as planned, the memorable chase to Cobalt that followed made that detour at Sudbury all worthwhile.
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