I would like to thank Mr. Dale Wilson of Sudbury for his invaluable help in collecting the information presented on these pages. Without his enthusiasm for the history of railroading in general and the AER in particular, his knowledge and expertise and his willingness to share this knowledge, large parts of this site would not be possible.  I would also like to thank Mr. Wilson for allowing me to reproduce some of the photographs from his book, The Algoma Eastern Railway, (Nickel Belt Rails, Sudbury 1979) and of his personal collection.

I would also like to thank the trustees and staff of the Little Current - Howland Centennial Museum in Sheguiandah, Ontario a few miles south of Little Current.  This small museum is well worth a visit while you are on the Island.  It has a sizeable collection of artefacts and photos from the early pioneer days on Manitoulin Island.  The museum also boasts a large scale model of the Little Current Swing bridge built by a local resident.  Two real gems in their collection are a pair of original Manitoulin & North Shore right-of-way survey diagrams.  These large scale maps are two scrolls of paper about two feet wide and thirty to forty feet long showing the original surveyed route of the M&NS from Nairn south to Little Current.  Historically they are fascinating as they show that the original route of the M&NS would have bypassed Espanola.  Due to the fragility of these pieces they are unfortunately not available for general exhibition.  Please note that the quality of the pictures from the museum on this web-site is, in general, not very good.  This is NOT the fault of the museum.  When we scanned these photographs we did not remove them from the albums they were mounted in as we were short of time and had not asked permission to do so.  The scans unfortunately are marred by reflections from and the graininess of the clear plastic film they are mounted behind.  We hope that the museum will be good enough to let us rescan these photographs at a later date since they are of excellent quality.

There is a great deal that we don't know about the AER. Much of the written and pictorial record, if there ever was any, has been lost. However, it is my belief that there are pictures, stories and documents concerning the AER out there hidden away in people's trunks, attics, basements and so on. If you have any information or documents concerning the Algoma Eastern Railway, it's predecessor, the Manitoulin & North Shore Railway, or the operations of the CPR on the former AER, please share them with us. Of course we are not asking you to give us the originals of your valuable documents.  A good photocopy of documents or scan of photographs would be greatly appreciated. Please let us know what you have.  We are happy to cover the costs of duplicating and mail.   Anything, no matter how large or small will contribute to our knowledge of this piece of Northern Ontario history.  If we can have your permission to include your information on this web site, that's even better.  All information will be credited to the author/originator.

This web site contains material and information of a historical nature concerning the Manitoulin & North Shore Railway, the Algoma Eastern Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway's Nickel and Little Current Subdivisions.   It is intended for non-commercial personal use only. This web site does not claim any official relationship with any entities that may be known as or have an interest in the Algoma Eastern Railway, the Manitoulin & North Shore Railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Huron Central Railway or Genessee Rail-One. The interpretation of the various historical records and the opinions published herein are solely those of the author unless credited otherwise. All opinions expressed are, to the best of my knowledge, accurate and correct, however the author, owner and host of this web-site assume no liability for any consequences arising from errors and omissions present on this web site. You use the information presented here at your own risk.  All material presented herein, unless otherwise credited, is copyright © 1998 by John Morgan and Morcomp Associates. You may use any of the material, except that credited to others freely for your own personal use only. No right is conferred to quote, excerpt, abridge or otherwise reproduce any of this material, electronically or  otherwise, for any type of monetary, material or commercial gain.