The Little Bear is a vital, year-round
train in Northern Ontario. It connects
the town of Cochrane in the boreal
forests with Moosonee, 310 kilometres north in the James Bay Lowlands. It is a "mixed train"--one that carries
both passengers and freight. During
the morning, in Cochrane, the crew
shi loads the box cars with things people
in Southern Ontario take for granted (fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, dry goods, frozen foods, mail). Then, flat cars are connected behind the loaded box
cars. These flat cars carry everything from heavy construction equipment to
entire prebuilt fabricated houses. Once people have boarded the passenger cars,
the Little Bear heads north. It is one of the last "flag stop" trains in Canada. This
means the train will stop anywhere along the route to let people on and off. It is
common for the Little Bear to stop for canoe tripping parties at the major rivers -
the Missinaibi, Mattagami or Kwataboahegan. Adventurers from all over the world match their trips on these rivers with the Little Bear's schedule. In summer,
the train pulis a special flat car with racks for transporting canoes. The famous
Polar Bear Express carries tourists over the same route during the summer
months, but the Little Bear is the all-season working train for this northern route.

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