Passing Pasqua

I saw this barn near Pasqua, Saskatchewan and had to take a moment to photograph it. So full of character! (and probably junk).

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Sexy Bales

These bales in Montana look pretty sexy against a backdrop of the Sweet Grass Hills.

Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

A Look at an Old New Look

 

This bus has made its last stop.

Welcome to Bladworth, Saskatchewan, on the road between Regina and Saskatoon.

Clad in Regina Transit colours, this GM New Look bus (a T6H-5307N?) sits in a field near the highway.

Who knows why this bus was placed here? It's one of those things you stumble across in the prairies.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Leaning

 

This little building doesn't have much time left. Battered by prairie winds, one day it will give up the ghost and finish its slide into oblivion.

Near Bethune, Saskatchewan.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Reflection

 

An old house - two chimneys! - near Bethune, Saskatchewan.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Craik, Saskatchewan

The town of Craik, Saskatchewan has a surprisingly large collection of interesting buildings. From the large brick town hall, built in 1913, to its recently refurbished grain elevator, to a current and a former church, there's a lot to see.

This former church has been extensively modified. I was told by a passerby that it's owned by a local artist. She spoke quite highly of the work put into it.

The next building appears to still be in use as a church.

I do not recommend that you stay at this motel. It gives "Bates Motel" vibes all around . . .

Steve Boyko
Traingeekblog

The United Church in Isabella, Manitoba

The tiny town of Isabella, Manitoba has a few treasures hidden away. One of them is this United Church building.

Built in 1911, it was originally the Presbyterian Church. It became the Isabella United Church after the merger of the Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational and other churches into the United Church in 1925.

Other Isabella attractions include their grain elevator and museum.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Melville, Saskatchewan

The town of Melville, Saskatchewan was built for the railway, and today it is still pretty railway centered.

The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway established Melville as a division point and a railway junction. It had a large roundhouse and turntable, coal tower and other facilities for servicing locomotives. Even today it has engine servicing facilities, although the roundhouse and other steam-era facilities are gone.

The large train station was built in 1908 and is the only one of its kind in Canada. It is under restoration and is looking pretty good.

Melville features some impressive municipal buildings, including the post office and city hall below.

Melville was named for the president of the Grand Trunk Pacific, Charles Melville Hays, who perished on the Titanic.

 

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

The Former Residential School at Birtle

 

High on the hill above the town of Birtle, Manitoba, the former residential school slowly crumbles.

A residential school for the local Indigenous communities operated in Birtle from 1889 to 1972. The tragedy of the residential schools across Canada is well documented.

This three story brick building was completed in 1931. The federal government sold it in 1975, and the owner started to reconfigure the building but stopped. It was sold again in 2016 and so far it continues to stand derelict. It is private property.

Opinions are divided as to whether it should be demolished or preserved. Until then, it will continue to rot . . . maybe that is for the best.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Near Binscarth

 

Spotted near Binscarth, Manitoba.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Somewhere near the MB-SK Border

I honestly don't remember where this lovely old house was, but I know it was somewhere on highway 16. It might be in Manitoba, it might be in Saskatchewan, but it's definitely not in Alberta!

Photographed on June 16, 2024.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Abandoned near Harmsworth

 

This old house is a little bigger than the usual abandoned farm house! I photographed it from the road - no trespassing.

I like the detail around peaked dormer window. The roof looks pretty good from this side - a "fixer upper"?

This house is in/near Harmsworth, Manitoba.

The foundation / house below is not far away . . . but in far worse shape.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Davidson, Saskatchewan

 

The town of Davidson, Saskatchewan is located on Highway 11, roughly midway between Regina and Saskatoon, it serves as a hub for the local area. There are a lot of services available.

From my point of view, not only does it have a wooden grain elevator (and two concrete ones), it serves as the end of the Last Mountain Railway and the start of the CN Craik subdivision up to Saskatoon.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Abandoned in Uckange

 

Recently my wife and I toured southeastern France by train. En route between Metz, France and Luxembourg, I was gazing out the window and spotted a huge derelict industry. I made sure to sit on the correct side on the return journey and captured a few images of this former blast furnace in Uckange, France.

According to this page, four blast furnaces were built at Uckange in the very late 1800s. At the time this area was part of Germany (Alsace-Lorraine) but after WW I it became part of France.

It ceased operation in 1991 and most of the furnaces were demolished. This is #4, according to the site above.

It seems to be a popular place for "abandoned places" seekers.

Since we were passing by at track speed, there was no chance to investigate further!

Steve Boyko

Netley Grain Elevator

 

This ex Manitoba Pool grain elevator in Netley, Manitoba is an anachronism, a working wooden grain elevator. These days the elevators are all concrete behemoths, loading 100+ rail cars in a giant loop.

Not so this humble elevator. Owned by Scoular, the Netley grain elevator in Petersfield, Manitoba receives and ships grains. There is rail access but I believe most product is shipped by truck.

The elevator was built by the Pool in 1948 and refurbished in 1986. Agricore sold it in 2000 and it was privately owned for 16 years before Scoular acquired it.

More information is available on the Grain Elevators of Canada web site.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

The Roadmaster

 

I spotted this beauty in Gimli, Manitoba recently. It's a Buick Roadmaster.

The last incarnation of the Roadmaster was built from 1991 to 1996, in both a 4-door sedan version and this 5-door station wagon edition. Under the hood, a 5+ litre V8 provided the power to haul a family around, and it could tow up to 5,000 lbs.

The last Roadmaster was built on December 13, 1996.

source: Wikipedia

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Ice Fishing on Lake Winnipeg

My wife and I went for an overnight trip to Gimli, Manitoba in mid March 2024. We knew that there was ice fishing on Lake Manitoba but we had no idea how many ice huts there were! There were at least 30 in sight from the shore line.

The ice was clearly still thick enough to bear the weight of vehicles, as we saw a few trucks and vans driving the slippery "road" to and from their huts.

It looked like most if not all huts were on skids and were designed for easy placement and removal.

That evening, I had to have lake pickerel for supper, likely caught not far from the restaurant...

-

 

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Hay! Bale! Now!

 

West of Elm Creek, Manitoba, February 11, 2024. Not much snow left!

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

At the Centre of Things

Ran across this by chance . . . the geographical centre of North America.

Never imagined it would be in Rugby, North Dakota . . . but it is, and that's not a bad thing.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Church of St. Claire

 

While on a bus tour through Ontario, I grabbed a couple of quick photos of the abandoned Church of St. Claire in Upsala, Ontario.

This lovely old wooden church has seen better days. It sits near the CP main line through Ontario. I'm not sure when the church was built but it seems certain it was in the 1920s.

Upsala is named after the city in Sweden - Uppsala. Some of the founders of the town had Scandinavian-sounding last names like Nordal, Nordstrom, Hakanson, and Greenlund.

Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog