Light at end of tunnel is light of oncoming train

The long-awaited new coaches and engines that will carry passengers on the Agawa Canyon Tour Train have arrived.

They're in the yard near Essar Steel Algoma and staff is busy getting them ready for the June 9 launch of the popular train's summer season.

"The tour train staff is inventorying them now to decide which ones will be pressed into service immediately and which can be sent away for refurbishing," says Ian McMillan, executive director of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie today.

"Even without upgrades, they're an upgrade to what was being run before," McMillan said.

Most of the existing coaches and engines are being retired and scrapped.

Only the dome coaches will be refurbished and used again, because it's proved very difficult to find dome cars of any sort, let alone ones that are good enough to be refurbished and used.

One of the new cars has already been sent for an accessibility upgrade.

McMillan said the Agawa Canyon Tour Train is aiming to have the full fleet - including dome cars, engines and all the coaches for the new train - upgraded in time for the start of the 2010 season.

"The idea here is to do it right, not right now," he said.

When the new train if fully rolled out next summer, it will have all-new colours, displays and plenty of other upgrades that will make it a major tourist attraction, McMillan said.

It will also have greater capacity and more services than the old train.

Last year, the tour train could carry a maximum of about 600 passengers, McMillan said.

Next year, it will be ready to take on 900 and carry, feed and entertain them in a fresh new style.

McMillan said the tour operators plan to send some of the new cars for upgrades now and hope to have those back in time for the snow train season at the end of 2009.

Then, they'll all come on track for early June, 2010.

Thanks to loyal SooToday.com reader Chris Gaughan sending us photos of the new cars.