Comments on: Minaki. Those who follow the news in the Ontario North-West are very familiar with Minaki. Site of the Minaki Lodge of dubious history. Many owners, many losses, including the Ontario government. Last owned and renovated by a Phil Archer from Calgary who opened it in May 2003, and then promptly closed it Sept 2003. And a fire wiped out the guts of the complex a month later. So the Minaki station, built in 1910 by the National Transcontinental Railway; did a reasonable business as a stop off for the lodge and other facilities in the area. When the lodge died, so did the station; last in business as Blue Heron ice cream and gifts. Now closed, fenced off and declared a World Heritage Site in 2011. Pictured is eastbound CN 8010 and 2268 led container train……and all those little attachments along the station roof line are old signs: ice cream, postcards, moccasins, etc; left over from the stations’ heydays. Word has it the lodge might once again be resurrected. Talk about 9 lives !!! It is beautiful area, great for boating and fishing, and reasonably close to the city of Winnipeg as well as American tourists.

By: sdfourty

sdfourty — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:54:11 +0000

Wow.
Off the beaten path for sure. Great capture. Did you have to wait long for a train to show up?
sdfourty

By: railwayguy

railwayguy — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 00:13:56 +0000

Very nice Mr. Mooney. One of few stations built by NTR still in existence. According to current VIA timetable, Minaki is still a scheduled stop for the Canadian, maybe busier in summer months with detraining campers and fishing enthusiasts. This stop along with Reddit can be used to access Kenora by taxi, did that once. One of the better pictures of this station. Thanks for posting, John