John Morgan - adapted from the 1930 AER plan book - Courtesy Dale Wilson

In late 1913, the AER crossed the north channel via the newly constructed swing bridge and arrived at Little Current.  The track layout at Little Current in 1930, just prior to the CPR take-over is shown in the first map on this page.  After crossing the channel, the line immediately passes through a small rock cut.  The sides of the cut are sedimentary rock, reflected the vastly changed geology of this part of the line compared to the other end of the line in Sudbury.  After passing through the rock cut, the line swings right through a number 9 switch guarded by an intermediate stand to reach the Station and Freight Shed.  The first siding after the bridge, known as the stock track is 890 feet  and leads due south to the stock yards.  Part way down the curve, arranged in a switch back manner is an 844 foot siding leading back towards the bridge on which Imperial Oil has built a bulk terminal.  Near the end of the curve, the 743 foot Little Current Team Track leads off south of the station track.  The Canadian Oil Company has a small terminal on the south side of this track.  The station track continues on past the station platform about 400 feet.  A number 9 switch with a low switch stand leads to a 430.5 foot siding  just to the north of and behind the passenger station platform which serves the Freight Shed.  All rail in the Little Current yard and sidings is 80 lb.

It is interesting to wonder why the station tracks were laid out in this manner, given the nature of the revised charter of the M&NS railway.  If the main line was to cross Manitoulin Island and continue via ferry to the Bruce Peninsula, the station track would almost certainly not be the one to be continued south as its end abutted against a hill.  Rather the stock yard siding would most likely have become the continued main line.  This would have put the Little Current station on a dead end siding, which doesn't make a lot of sense unless the builders of the railroad had already given up the idea of going any further.

The second map on this page shows the track arrangement at Little Current in 1976, only a few years before the CPR discontinued all service south of Turner and this track was taken up.  The basic layout is much the same as in 1930, although the station is long gone, and

	John Morgan - from drawings made on location in 1976

there are a few more sidings to serve customers.  By the 1970s, Shell was the largest fuels distributor on the Island, with a large modern bulk plant served by its own siding to the east of the old layout.  The Canadian Oil Company had become Texaco and Gulf Oil had built a small terminal at the end of the team track.  By this time most of the older track was mud covered, weed grown and in very poor shape.  The author can remember one day in 1976 standing with Gulf's agent, Mr. Al. Laidley and watching the CPR deliver a tank car of fuel oil.  The locomotive and car crawled down the track at no more than a mile or two an hour while members of the crew walked along both sides keeping an eye out for derailments or other trouble.  Even at this slow rate, the fully loaded 16,000 gallon car and locomotive caused the track to pump up and down about 6 inches.  The ties near the end of the track were completely buried in mud and had been for a long time.  Mr. Laidley told me that the CPR was threatening to withdraw service since the previous two deliveries had both derailed.  The siding and indeed all the track on the south side of the bridge badly needed work done, but neither the CPR, nor its customers were willing to spend any money on it.  Mr. Laidley told me that it was Gulf's position that since the track belonged to the CPR, they should fix it.  The CPR's response was quite simple, if you want continued deliveries, start paying.

John Morgan  (1976)
Little Current Terminal

This photo is an overall shot of the Little Current terminal facilities as of 1976.  The photo was taken standing on the station track switch and looking west.  Immediately to the left is the Texaco agency unloading area.  Behind it, half hidden by the tank car is the Gulf Canada agency.  to the right is the freight shed and behind it, most hidden is a Brewer's retail which at one time was a railroad customer as a siding ran up beside it to a loading door.