TRACTOR TRAINS

Shipping companies gradually switched from horses to tractors for winter freighting. The Patricia Transportation Company used Fordson tractors but replaced them in 1931. The Fordson tractors could only pull 2 sleighs. These tractors were dangerous and often would tip or roll backwards when pulling freight up hills. In 1930, the Northern Transportation Company (later Starratt Airways and Transportation), bought tractors. Both companies
purchased Cletac tractors, which were gasoline-powered
crawlers. These tractors were much safer but used a lot of
gasoline. By the mid-1930s, both companies replaced their tractors with new models more equipped to handle the winter weather.

The tractors pulled several sleighs tied together. Today, this is often referred to as a tractor train as these tractors would pull up to 6 sleighs. In the 1930s and 1940s, these joined sleighs were often referred to as a “swing” just like the barges. The crew consisted of 2 drivers and 2 cable slingers, who would hook and unhook the sleighs as well as cook meals. For each crew of 4 men, one was appointed the swing boss.
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 Tractor Train Driving in Deep Slush, 1937

Tipped tractor train, date unknown

Fordson tractor pulling snow
packing equipment, 1927

Tractor train loaded with supplies, 1930s

The men who drove these tractors often referred to
themselves as “cat skinners”, after caterpillar tractors. The
tractors went approximately 6 km (4 miles) per hour. The
drivers did not stop unless they were unloading or
something broke down. The drivers were exposed to the
open air as it was too dangerous to have cabins. The driver needed to be able to jump from the tractor if it started to go through the ice. After driving for an 8-hour shift, the driver would be very cold. The drivers bundled up, but the temperature could get below –40°C (–40°F) and by the end of the shift, they were almost frozen. At the end of the ‘train’ was a caboose, where the crew could eat and sleep when they were not working. This was not a restful place to sleep
as the ride was not very smooth and the crew could be
launched from their bunks.

The round trip from Hudson to Red Lake could take as little 40 hours or up to 10 days. The men would hide food along the route in case they ran out. The tractors would drive through all weather and conditions. The weight of the snow and the heavy tractor load could cause water to come up through cracks in the ice. If the trail was slushy, the tractor did not have good traction. If the tractor started to slip, then some of the sleighs would be unhitched, lightening the load. The tractor would go back and forth pulling sections of the load through the slippery areas before the entire load would be hooked back together.

​​Many stores would stock up on goods in the summer as it
was too expensive to order anything in winter. The mines,
however, could afford to pay the transportation companies upfront fees. While the costs were not as high as horse freighting, they were much higher than summer rates. In 1946, the winter rates were $40 per tonne, which was double the cost of the summer rate.

Howey Bay, tractor train
pulling two cabooses, 1936