May 7, 2025 • 54 mins
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to control thousands of tons of steel, stretching nearly three miles behind you? In this captivating conversation, Willie sits down with Matt Oleski, a train engineer whose decade-long railway career provides a fascinating glimpse into one of North America's most essential yet mysterious professions.
Matt shares his journey from construction work to becoming a fully qualified engineer, detailing the rigorous training process and career progression from brakeman to conductor to engineer. You'll discover the astonishing physics behind train operations—like how even empty rail cars weigh 30 tons, and a fully loaded train requires more than a mile to stop. Perhaps most surprising is the confirmation of an old railway warning: "rolling cars don't make noise," as steel wheels on steel rails can move massive weight in near silence.
Beyond the technical aspects, this episode explores the profound impact railway careers have on family life. With unpredictable on-call schedules and trips lasting up to 30 hours, Matt credits his wife Shelby's understanding and support as crucial to his success. Their story highlights the delicate balance railway families must maintain and the importance of making time count when at home.
The conversation takes fascinating turns through Matt's parallel passions for hunting and fishing in Northern Ontario, including his specialty for turning often-maligned Canadian goose into gourmet delicacies like pastrami and "goose poppers." His enthusiasm for musky fishing reveals how these outdoor pursuits provide necessary mental balance to the high-responsibility demands of railway work.
Whether you're curious about trains, outdoor life in Northern Canada, or the human story behind essential infrastructure, this episode delivers authentic insights into a world most people never see. Join us for a journey along the tracks of one engineer's remarkable life and career.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
it is very dangerous place and they always say
rolling cars don't make a noise.
And it is 100 true you don'thear them rolling down really,
yeah so, and a 30 ton unit.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
If it was by itself on a train track and if it was
just like the wind blew it andit started creeping and crawling
backwards, you wouldn't hear it.
Oh really, that's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
There's a little flat spot in the wheel, yeah yeah.
A bolt in the rail or something, but if it's steel on steel,
and if it's just, it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Wow, it's amazing, that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
That's something I never would have thought this
week on the Outdoor JournalRadio Podcast Networks Diaries
of a Lodge Owner, stories of theNorth Folks.
Willie takes the controls onthis one and does his best to
keep her on the tracks withanother great guest for us all
to get to know Matt the EngineerOlsky.
(01:01):
On this show, willie the Oilman and Matt the Engineer talk
about, yes, trains, theirimmense power, their importance
to the North and Northern-basedtourism operations throughout
the years.
They talk about the traininginvolved, development and the
(01:23):
impact they have on our families, with a few hunting stories
sprinkled in for good measure.
So, folks, if you love greatstories and love great people
and love Willie the Oil man,hitch a ride on this one.
Yes, you will love it.
Here's Willie's conversationwith Matt the Engineer.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Hello folks and welcome to another episode of
Diaries of a Lodge Owner'sStories of the North Oil man,
willie.
Here today I'm sitting in myoffice slash dining room looking
out over beautiful BlackSturgeon Lake again today Gosh,
(02:10):
it's like 25 degrees here in thenorth.
I think we're having betterweather than most folks down in
the States and down in Torontohere, southern Ontario right now
, in Ontario right now, we justlost the ice on our lake here
(02:31):
and my boat is going to take itsfirst dunk in my lake after
this podcast is shot, so I'mpretty jacked up for that.
We got a great guest today,someone who's really special to
me uh.
You know I've known him forfive, six years now and he was
introduced to me through uh,through my, my best man at my
(02:52):
wedding there, kyle mcmahon, andand you know, we've grown our
relationship now to uh to thepoint of to uh I would say close
to uh right now probably one ofmy best friends in my life and
he's definitely here for me whenI got decisions to make and
he's helpful in that way.
(03:13):
He's an outdoorsman, he's ahunter, he's a fisherman, he's a
wonderful human, but above allhe's a train engineer and he's
worked his way up, uh, in thetrain world.
We won't say who he works for,just for reasons of, but he's
part of the one of the big twoout there and he uh, I think
(03:38):
it's super cool to have somebodyon our show that drives a train
for a living.
You know, just imagine havingall of that power behind you and
what you can do with it andwhat it feels like.
And today we're going to findall that out.
So, without further ado, I'dlike to welcome Matt Oleski,
(03:59):
who's sitting at my living roomtable here.
Now.
Matt, say hi to the Diaries ofa lodge owner, family and
friends out there hi, family'suh diaries of a lodge owner.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Um, I've listened to this podcast for about a year
now, learned a lot of coolthings.
Um, nice, nice, always good tolisten to lots of good
information.
Between fishing and how it isto own a lodge, I've always been
interested in that kind ofstuff.
Grew up here, lots of myfriends own lodges.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Well, let's get a little grasp here.
So, matt, like you said, let'stake that and run with that.
We always are going to do anintro as to who matt is and
we'll walk through his life here, uh, but let's just step back.
So, like you being even I've,I've had, I've been part of this
(04:53):
podcast for under a year now.
Steve's had it for about a year, you know, and it's he's had
great following.
We've grown the followingtogether and that's interesting
that you can hear straight froma friend's mouth what attracts
them to our podcast.
That's a first, so that's cool.
Thanks for saying that, buddy.
You're welcome.
I appreciate that.
(05:13):
So, matty, you tell the familywhere you grew up.
Tell me where did you grow up,tell me your sequence of events
that got you kind of up intoyour adolescence, and then and
I'll cut you off and stop you,or we need to tell a crazy wild
story, because I know you gotlots of them yeah, I grew up
(05:36):
here in uh canora, ontario, uhactually, on blot surgeon and so
this is your home water thatwe're sitting on nice uh, my dad
bought the property back in Ibelieve it was 1985, built the
house on it and actually I waslucky enough to purchase it, uh,
four years ago nice, so youkept your, you kept your
(05:58):
homestead in your family.
Yeah, from when you were a kid,nice, so did you go to, you went
, you go to.
You went to public school here,you went to high school here.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Nice and then at that young age, I'm guessing you
developed a love for fishing andhunting.
I just know you now, but I'massuming that that started way
back then.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Yeah, my dad got me into hunting at an early age,
shooting an old Cooey .22,actually when I could barely
hold it and growing up with alot of his older friends and
trying different guns, and gotinto hunting and fishing and
loved being on the water fishing.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
What's the first thing you ever shot?
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Gross, Gross.
Yeah, the .22, single shot verygotcha 22.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
That's stevie's new weapon.
Stevie's yeah, everyone's,everybody out there.
If you got some guns, some 22s,get a hold of us on the show,
stevie's, stevie's, rebuildingthem and selling them and
probably got some reallybeautiful ones.
But yeah, gross on me, yeahnice.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
One of my favorite things to still go and do when I
have time from work is sneakout with the wife and go for a
walk and shoot some chickens andhopefully, when my daughter's
big enough, get her involved init and get her a love for the
outdoors as well.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Nice.
So you're a young man on BlackSturgeon Lake, you're fishing,
you're hunting.
You're young man, on blacksturgeon lake, you're fishing,
you're hunting.
You're in canora.
Portion of your friends musthave lodges, which you said
that's.
You know, you've always had ayou know, understanding for them
and kind of a desire for themor a passion.
It kind of comes with theoutdoors up here.
Yeah, right, um.
(07:40):
So then you get out of highschool and what do you do?
Speaker 1 (07:47):
ended up working construction jobs bouncing
around.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Moved out to vancouver for oh yeah, that's,
that's like the 20 year oldlifestyle, right?
Everyone, everyone tries to gowest and the grass is always
greener, right?
Speaker 1 (07:59):
and then um back and started working construction
here and kind of bounced aroundand got tired of it and ended up
going to Red River College inWinnipeg.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
So what year was that ?
When did you go to Red River?
Speaker 1 (08:14):
2014, I was on it to take the conductor training
program.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It was actually a really good class to take, steve
Baker was the instructor, sothere's actually a class you can
take to get in prior to workingfor either CN or CP or VR.
Whoever you're working for, youcan take an educational course
just to get you going.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yes, nice, I believe it was a three-month long course
that we did.
Nice.
Month long course that we did,uh, nice, it really benefited me
to take it because I got in andqualified very quick.
Once, getting on at the railwaythat I'm at, I gave you all the
fundamentals and rule knowledgeleading up to it.
(08:57):
So the classroom that lots ofguys stress about when you're
being trained and everything tome was I just did three and a
half months of it, yeah, so itwas kind of a breeze to go
through all the training.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Well, that's good.
So it was kind of like a.
It was a preparation forgetting in the field, with the
guys actually getting in thetraining.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah, having all the fundamentals, and I believe it
made it easier on the trainersas well, because, yep, it wasn't
basically baby steps.
They could throw you in andhave you working with them and,
yeah, doing more stuff than youshould be.
So there's two parts.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
When you go to training, you go do two weeks of
schooling and then you're onthe ground for usually about
three weeks to a month so on theground, like you're on the
ground, you're, you're at thetrain yard, uh, when you're
working with the crews learning,or is there like a facility in
the college where they have,like, like I know, in the oil
field in nisku they have, um,you'll do it some ways, you'll
(10:01):
go out with the team.
Some companies like precisiondrillingilling they're so big,
they have a massive yard with adrilling rig cut in half and the
guys go and train there for acouple months.
What is it so?
Speaker 1 (10:12):
when I was in Red River they had a part of CN in
Winnipeg rented out and they hada little chunk of yard and they
had one yard unit and a dozencars they could move around.
So once a week we'd go outthere for half a day.
I believe there's 60 people inour class, so that's a big class
(10:33):
man, 20 people for half a dayout there and you'd switch cars
and ride them and just get usedto getting on and off and safety
and so it wasn't like thetypical oil field school class.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
So when I had to go redo my H2S by 9.15, if I didn't
have a third coffee I'dprobably fall asleep on my desk
and then wake up and write thetest and walk out, which is
horrible.
I shouldn't be doing that.
Don't listen to that any of youkids out there.
Don't be doing that.
Listen to Matt and actually dothe courts in class and pay
attention don't be doing that.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Listen to matt and actually do the courts in class
and pay attention.
But you get all this trainingwhen you do go to the companies.
They train you up pretty good.
But it was nice having thatinitial start because it's took
my qualifying time down fromusually five months.
I believe I was qualified underthree.
Oh, that's great.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
From starting, so that's so.
It's kind of like a co-op, youknow what I mean.
You accumulate your hours andget ready and then you go.
So now you've done your schoolin school, you've done your
little bit of yard training,you're getting a little bit
comfortable, so you're aconductor at that point, or when
do you get hired as a conductor?
Speaker 1 (11:44):
So after, like one of the big companies, CN or CP
hires you, you start again inclass.
So you do two weeks of classand then usually I'd say three
weeks to a month on the ground.
So you're working hand in handwith a conductor and switching
cars, going for on the trainwherever you go.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Switching cars, as in , you're switching what do you
call the cars?
So the Diaries fans know.
So on a train.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
There's the engine and then every car behind it is.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
They call it a car, okay.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
There's lots of different kinds of them, but
just, you're working hand inhand, so the qualified
conductors riding the other sideor walking right beside you
while you're doing everythingSupposed to be within arm's
length.
I always liked having a bitmore leeway, or giving a bit
more leeway when I, in thefuture, was training guys, where
(12:40):
I believe, as long as you'rewithin not arm's reach, but a
little bit outside of arms reach, to give a guy a bit of
confidence.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
So it's not like like you're not right in his face.
Yeah, yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
But it is very dangerous place and they always
say rolling cars don't make anoise, and it is 100% true you
don't hear them rolling down,really, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
So hold on a minute.
So an average car, let's sayyou know whether it's holding
grain or vehicles.
I mean, yes, it can fluctuate,I'm guessing, in weight
drastically.
What's an average weight of anaverage car on one of the trains
you drive?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Well, most empty cars are 30 tons, okay so, before
any product is in it.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
it's 30 freaking tons , so in a 30-ton unit.
If it was by itself on a traintrack and if it was just
creeping like the wind blew itand it started creeping and
crawling backwards, you wouldn'thear it.
Not really, that's unbelievable.
A little flat spot in the real,in the wheel yeah yeah, a bolt
in the rail, or, but if it'ssteel on steel and if it's just,
(13:52):
it's amazing, wow, it's amazing, that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
That's something I never would have heard loaded
grain cars are 140 tons onaverage, so it's a lot of weight
behind you.
You get hit by a lot.
You're definitely going to befeeling it.
Wow, wow that's incredible.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
So okay, so skip back here.
So now you've done a little bitof training, right?
So now you get hired with thecompany you're on, you do some
more in-house training and thendo you finally get the call for
your first actual drive on atrain.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Well, so, like I was saying, it's usually about a
five-month process.
So after the first month out onthe ground, you go back for two
weeks of class and have towrite all your final exams and
then you're back out and you'redoing more extensive training
exams.
Yeah, and then you're back outand you're doing more extensive
training and the field placementpeople are riding with you and
(14:51):
seeing till you're ready toqualify.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
So yeah, I'm guessing your training always continues
with a job.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
This serious right for sure and then you get a
qualification one.
So I actually qualified out insaskatchewan, which I very happy
I did end up training out there, because the training that we
did out there versus kenora it'smore extensive switching of
cars, yeah and you have a bettergrasp on everything than if you
(15:20):
train out of, like, a mainlineterminal.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
That doesn't do a lot of it, it's mainly just riding
on the train and you were in thenorth by like folks.
You remember me and Steviefishing Tobin Lake, there the
Vanity Cup.
You were right up in that area,just south of there, right we?
Speaker 1 (15:35):
actually our line.
Our north line ran right up toTobin Lake.
Oh okay, I actually stayed atthe Tobin Lake Motel quite a few
times.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Nice, nice, nice, good place.
Yeah, I uh, yeah, I fell asleepthere on, uh, on a table once
or twice, you know, back back inmy 20s for sure.
Uh, awesome, cool.
So tell me that first time, thefirst time that you're like if
there's no training going on,there's no one watching you,
you're not getting testing orcertified, or you're actually an
(16:10):
employee of company x to go onthe train and be a conductor for
this engineer and and do a job,how is that feeling?
Was it fucking nerve-wracking?
Was it scary?
Speaker 1 (16:21):
it's very nerve-wracking.
And the other nice thing aboutthe terminal I went out of you
ended up being a brakeman, sobrakeman just assists the
conductor with this.
Oh so there is a job.
Two underneath conductor.
I didn't know that okay, insome terminals where you're
doing lots of switch and theyrun brakeman and conductors.
So cool.
For the first three and a halfmonths, I'd say, I ended up
(16:44):
working as a brakeman, so it'snot training.
You're on your own, you have tomake the decisions, but you
still have a senior guy guidingyou with making the big
decisions, which is very nice.
For the first time when you'reon your own with an engineer,
it's definitely nerve-wracking.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I'm freaking Batman.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Lots of lost hours of sleep prior to getting out
there.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yeah so tell me about your first ride.
Your first ride was in.
Was it out west in saskatchewan?
Speaker 1 (17:15):
yeah, um, like I said , I was a brakeman, so lots of
yard switch and we servicepotash mines out there oh, yeah,
yeah, that's a big thing, yeah,yeah so my first actual trip
trip, I'd say, where you're onthe main line was trying to
remember everything.
Be prepared.
We work to think all those csout there, so there's no signals
(17:37):
.
Yeah, so you really got to knowall your mileages.
Call the towns.
Lots of radiocommunication.
Yeah, talking the rtc railtraffic control officer and he's
giving you clearances.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
So you're clear from mile five to mile 54 and this is
clear from like another traincoming in your path, right, yeah
, like because think about itlike sorry, I don't want to stop
here, but let's just for thediaries.
People just put this inperspective.
So like here's a young man justgot out of school Now he's got
(18:09):
the world by the curlies andhe's on a team with a train
that's barreling ahead.
So how big is the train and howfast are you going?
At this point, just so everyoneunderstands the power and the
force of what you're doing, justso everyone understands the
power and the force of whatyou're doing.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
So out there, our chat speeds were anywhere from
30 to 45 mile an hour.
Put in perspective a graintrain, so 140 tons per car yeah,
you're driving 100 cars on atrain, plus the unit, oh my
goodness shorter.
So you're generally 75 to 8 000feet long train out there.
(18:52):
So you're about, oh my goodness, 14 000 ton on the train, oh my
goodness.
And then you have to oc.
There might be switches againstyou so you actually have to go
manually line all the switchesso you really have to know where
you are and everything else.
And then if there's a trainfollowing you on OCS, they have
(19:15):
a clearance to protect againstyou.
So you have to give trackreleases.
So you have to be like set yourcounter at different mileages
so when you're clear you can sayyou're clear of model 32 so
they can pull up the 32, butthey can't go past that, okay
you give them another trackrelease.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Wow, it must be.
So.
It's kind of like aircrafttraffic controlling, but on the
ground.
Hey, that's an interestingjudge.
Who is that?
So you guys are doing the callsfrom there.
Sorry, who is the guy that?
Rtc, rtc.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Rail Traffic Controller.
That's cool.
So they're set up in the majorhubs Calgary, I believe, for CP
and CN.
Yep RTC runs out of, I think,winnipeg, they have them Nice
(20:08):
and so the RTCs are in charge of, say, 15 subdivisions each and
they're given differentclearances, or there's CTC and
OCS.
So OCS is what I worked upnorth and that's all clearances,
whereas CTC is truck lights.
Okay, yeah, yeah, they'relining trains up with the lights
Yep and making sureeverything's going to run that
way.
They have a very busy job, nodoubt.
Very stressful as well.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Crazy.
No doubt, no doubt.
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Speaker 2 (22:44):
So how long were you a brakeman for before you
actually got into the conductorposition?
Speaker 1 (22:48):
I'd say three, three and a half months, and then went
up to the conductor.
It all depended on seniority.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So the day you hired, Well, I'm sure intelligence too
, Like you're, I know, like hehas the Stiers family, tires
family, don't know and matt's apretty smart guy.
He, uh, he helps me out quite abit with tinkering around my
house and my shop and at mylodges.
You know he's got a he's kindof that brain guy in the
background.
But like there, must you know,you got to have a good common
sense and quality of you knowwhat's going on and grasping
(23:17):
what's going on mechanically tobe able to get up in that
position you're going into nowthe conductor.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
In the end, it's seniority, how you move up
Really.
Yeah, Okay, it's interesting,but it's finding little tricks
to make your job easier, like Ido.
Where I worked out out of I hada list in my pocket how many
cars fit in each truck yeah, thelength of each truck.
(23:45):
Just a peace of mind.
I could glance at something.
You're always supposed to ridethe point back yep and watch.
But if you throw in five cars ina track that holds 90, yeah
well I can watch the tail end,but at least you always know
what's going on.
So being prepared ahead of time, taking your list, going over
(24:08):
them when you're switching howmany cars are in each block that
you have to switch out, knowingthat.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
There's a lot to it.
It sounds like not cheap.
There's a lot to it, so you gotto really know what's going on
out there and be safe.
Hey, like it's pretty wild.
Well, you know, it's funny.
We were talking to, uh, I haddave mclaughlin, uh, who's in a
different portions of my lifenow, but he, um, we had him on
here as a guest, me and steveand he owns marmac lodge and
(24:39):
lodge 88 in white river and theyhave to take a train so that
they can plane the majority ofthe guest train through the old
cn or cp track that's left thereand they go back and forth to
the lodge.
I think it's one of the coolestthings ever.
Like they go 88 miles down thebush and then hop off this train
(25:01):
and truck.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
That would be very neat.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Right, I think we should do that.
I think we should.
I'm talking to Steve right nowand I'm trying to get a group of
guys together to go to Nipigon.
I don't know, we might have tostop in that White River and go
do that one.
We'll talk to McLaughlin.
That would be an interestingone.
Oh yeah, it would be.
It would be cool and it's rightup your alley, and I've heard
of a couple lodges doing this.
Right, I mean even gettingsupplies in back in the day.
(25:25):
Those old bucket cars.
They could handle a lot ofweight.
If you had to move a lot ofwood or if you had to move big
rocks, you could have that stuffand push it around.
It was just left there from theCN and CP guys back in the day.
Cool, so you were a conductor.
How long were you a conductorbefore you went to engineer?
Speaker 1 (25:44):
I ended up being a conductor for seven years.
Well, that's a good stint.
Then I moved back to Kenoraafter three years in
Saskatchewan three and a halfyears in Saskatchewan.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
You had enough watching your neighbor's dog run
away for a week.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
You got enough of that shit and just move back to
be closer to my parents and givethem a hand because they're
getting older.
I always loved Kenora.
I loved the hunting out inSaskatchewan.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Yeah, it's a beautiful province.
They have a lot out there thatpeople don't realize the
province of Saskatchewan.
But the fishing and huntingaround here is homey, it's more
extensive, for sure, I agreethere's nothing like, even
though I didn't grow up here.
I grew up down in all thatOshawa, colbert, bowmanville,
peterborough area right, there'snothing, even though the
(26:32):
fishing and hunting down thereis good too.
It's nothing like here.
Like here it's any given day.
We can go anywhere we want anddo what we want.
Any fish we want to catch, wecan go catch it.
You know the hunting, I knowfor you.
I'm not a hunter, as you guysknow, but uh, matt is.
You know like you're moosehunting every year and your,
your deer hunting is incrediblehere, grouse, grouse, you can
(26:54):
shoot.
I hit two grouse yesterday withmy car going to town like
they're oh, they're stupid rightnow, man man.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Oh, I know, made in season.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Yeah, they're horny and dumb.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
Most one-year-old boys Right.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
So you got back to Kenora, and so were you a
conductor when you came back toKenora, correct?
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Yeah, I was a conductor when I came back to
Kenora.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
And then back up to the engineer.
So tell me what the engineer'sjob.
Hold on a minute, let's back up.
You're the conductor.
Let's give some couple detailsto the folks about what the
conductor does.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
So, as a conductor, you're in charge of the train,
you have to do all the paperwork, you're taking all the
clearances, you're talking tothe RTC, you're looking after
everything behind the engine.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
You're the alert guy that's not sleeping behind the
wheel.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
You're going on the ground and switching cars out.
If you have to do lifts orset-offs online yeah, Cars to
customers and stuff like thatyou get hit by a hot wheel.
You're the one going back there.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
What's a hot wheel?
Speaker 1 (27:58):
I never heard that expression.
You came on a bit or some kindof defect.
So you go over scanners every33 miles and they take readings
of all the wheel temperatures.
Okay, so in case a brake shoeor a brake cylinder release
because everything's run off air, all the brake systems, yep.
So if there's an air leak, whenthe air goes out, that's when
(28:20):
the brake shoes come on.
So if there's an air leak whenthe air goes out, that's when
the brake shoes come on.
So if there's an air leak, thepiston could come out, which
could push the brake shoes on.
So by going over the scanners,they have them set up to prevent
incident and try and catch anincident before it happens.
Gotcha.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Proactive maintenance yeah, Interesting, so they so.
And if it was to engage,obviously it would just heat up
because the other 4,000 wheelsare still in motion on the train
.
Makes sense, Makes sense.
So that's it.
So it can.
So that's a conductor.
So are you, does the conductor?
(28:55):
Are they part of hopping in andout of the train as well, when
you got to do disconnects andstuff?
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Yeah, they're the one doing all that.
The engineer just deals withthe engines.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Okay, so the engineer , that's the next.
So that was your next last.
That's where you are right now.
Yes, you're a senior engineer,no junior engineer.
And how many years you got intothat?
Ten and a half.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Jesus, ten and a half Jesus.
Different terminals havedifferent seniorities for
everything.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Like you could go up toRevelstoke and lots of guys are
going to train to two years nowit's just where are my
seniorities at.
In Kenora, and when we hadretirement of guys retiring, we
had a big influx, I guess, ofconductors and a bunch of
(29:40):
engineers retiring.
So I moved up in seniority,gotcha, and then it was my turn
to take the engineer course.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
How long was your engineer course?
Speaker 1 (29:49):
I trained for four months as an engineer.
Oh, wow yeah, oh wow, did amonth in Calgary, then, I
believe, three or three and ahalf months of driving with a
qualified engineer.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Nice, yeah, that's cool.
Did you drive out west of themountains?
No Fuck, is that cool, though Imean I don't know if it would
be cool for you, but I know likewhen me I've been out there a
million times but I took Chrisout for our honeymoon, as you
know, this past fall and man,like I forgot how big some of
those cliffs were that you drivearound right, I was like I was
(30:25):
actually super proud of my wifebecause she's horrified of stuff
like that, and she was likeright on the edge we're driving
around and there was a coupletrains that were on the outside
of us and I was like man, thatis some big balls to be riding
that train on that little tinytrack on that ledge.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
It's definitely nerve-wracking, like some of the
grain trains we're running now.
They're 12,000, 13,000 feetlong, oh wow, and 30,000 plus
tons, yeah, so it's a lot ofweight behind you.
You're almost three miles long.
Yeah, it's crazy, man, two anda half miles long and 30 000
(31:04):
tons you're trying to controlwith sags and hills.
And yeah, the one engineercoach I had coach trainer same
thing, um said you basicallyhave to look in a five mile
chunk.
So what's coming ahead of youin the next three miles plus
your two miles of train behindyou?
(31:25):
Yep, so you're always thinkingin five miles.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
It's kind of like a defensive driving for trains.
Yeah Fuck, Super cool man,that's a.
That's a good tip.
I'm guessing you have to usethat daily.
Awesome.
So now you're a full-timeengineer in canora.
I heard you say you got a wifeand a child.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
give them a shout oh, my wife shelby and my 13 month
old daughter scarlet.
She came in to our lives lastapril.
Definitely a little handful ohyeah, she is.
She's cute as a button thoughmakes everything different and
like working on the railway forsure, changes a lot of stuff,
(32:05):
Makes a lot of strain onfamilies.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
So let's get into that, because that's a huge
thing.
In the oil field, in the lodgeindustry, it's a huge thing
because you know you've got tobe away from.
I used to argue with myex-partner about this all the
time and his people, becausethey wanted to.
You know, I even had anargument once with, with, with,
with, uh, with a good friend ofmine, who we all know here, and
(32:30):
they, they wanted to pay peoplefreelance and I'm like you can't
do that anymore.
You know, this isn't the 70sand 80s and 90s, right, like you
have to.
People are leaving their familyand coming to the woods to live
with you, or they're leavingtheir family in the middle of
the night to hop on that trainand go to winnipeg.
You might be there for a coupledays.
Yeah, you know, like to me,that has value and it was way
(32:55):
undervalued for a long time,whether it was the lodge
industry oil and gas you, youknow or the railroad.
So tell me about that, what theeffects that it has on your
family.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
I look at it as my wife Shelby's a single parent
five months of the year becausegenerally my trips are anywhere
from 18 to 30 hours away fromhome and you're going every
other day to work on call.
It's a lot to take.
It's you got to have a verystrong partner and understanding
(33:27):
partner and you got to makesure you take time out for them
when you're home.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
I agree, I find you do that very well.
Buddy, I want to tell you likeas a as a as a guy who's
interviewing you right now, butas a really close friend of
yours and I see a lot of youknow we have a lot of friends
together that are with theTeamsters right and that work on
the rail yard.
A lot of those guys don't takethat time with their children
(33:53):
and I really respect the factthat you, that Scarlett and
Shelby are always there with youwhen you have some time off.
It pisses me off when I want togo fishing with you and you'd
say no, but next time.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
I understand, yeah you got to try and find the
balance.
Like you do need your own timeto get out, and I remember
listening to one of the showshere getting out is like
meditation.
Absolutely so you got to finddifferent cues to do, like
Shelby's very understanding,like when I'm getting overtired
(34:24):
with work and overstressed, orhowever you want to put it.
Yeah, I need that day just bymyself to go with a friend, or
even by myself, jump on, jump inthe boat, jump on the snow
machine or quad, go hunting orfishing and just zone out to
everything nice and come backrefreshed.
But if you do that too muchit's going to put huge strain on
(34:47):
the family.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
So trying to find that old balance, keithan well,
I think in yours too, yourpersonal life and work life,
that the mesh that you have is.
I see your partner is very, shehas the same interest as you.
Yeah, you know, I mean like youcan like, oh, you know, you and
shelb, can you know you can goand sit in the field and shoot
(35:09):
your crossbow to go on a datenight, or you could go punch
some holes, catch a few walleyes, or you can take her to the
movies.
You know, I mean like you guys.
It seems that she is very muchinto the outdoors, as much as
you.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
Yeah, that 100% helps being able to do that.
She actually got drawn for amoose tag last fall.
Unfortunately, we didn't fillit.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
That's super cool yeah that your wife was able to
win.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
The daughter in the truck and going out spending
time in the bush.
Just making memories is thebiggest thing.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Absolutely, that's key.
I know I used to love, likewhen I lived out west back when
I was an oilman still, thosewere some of my favorite times.
I'd take Olivia you knowOlivia's 22, now 223, I think
right away I think, and I'd takeher out on my side-by-side.
(36:00):
We'd go in the middle of afield and I'd just put up a
four-block and she had a tinylittle you know what I mean a
little crossbow, yeah and she'dshoot, or we'd have her little
22 or 17 mil back then too, andwe'd shoot right, and it was
just fun, right, Like just to bethere with my kid.
(36:20):
I never, you know, I missedthat time in life.
I think now I take life alittle too seriously.
Now that you learn as you getolder.
I'm finding that you learn alot but you start to overthink a
lot too of what you want to do.
You try to over-perfect thingsbecause you know that they need
to be good.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
That's one of the hardest things and, like the
rare way, definitely is not foreverybody.
You, it's a huge commitment.
The on-call thing is terrible,never knowing your schedule and
working with smelly old men,yeah but having a strong partner
is one of the biggest keys.
that makes it easier.
Because and family for thatmatter because you're not going
to be able to make a lot ofevents yeah, because you don't
(37:06):
really know when you're going.
You have an idea, but you don'tknow when you're going.
You don't know how long exactlyyou're going to be gone.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Like I said most.
Yeah, you're on call prettymuch Like you know a period of
time when you're on call, let'ssay a two-day period, right,
matt, but you really don't knowwhen you're going to go on call.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
No, so you come in and you book your rest and then
you generally up to 24 hours andthen when you hit certain
mileages of earned time you cantake a 48.
So when you come off restyou're on call and you slowly
move up a board.
It's called where your position.
(37:41):
So when you come in you tie up.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
That's your position behind they're actually called
tying up a train, even thoughtying it up wouldn't do shit.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Yeah really, and you move up the board and then, when
you're available and first outthat's when you're going to work
or if you're available andthere's guys ahead of you on
your ass, you're going to work.
So your life lives a lot aroundthe phone, which is kind of
hard to do and, like I wassaying, that's where having a
strong partner comes in.
(38:08):
Knowing like I need to go tosleep, I'm going to work at
midnight, I'm going to havedinner, I'm going for sleep, and
then you're getting called forwork.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
That's got to be tough.
Yeah, that's got to be tough.
Well, you know what we shoulddo today to make that not tough.
We should dunk my boat afterwe're done this podcast and go
catch a largemouth right outhere in front of my house.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
Oh, definitely.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Want to do that.
So what, now that we know alittle bit of history about the
trains, and I just think it's socool.
We know a little bit of historyabout the trains, and that's
just the thing that's so cool.
Tell me how you said thatfishing and hunting kind of
they're your zen time, you know.
Tell me how you got intofishing and hunting and what's
(38:56):
your favorite thing to do andeat.
Tell me your favorite way tofish and where you like to go.
And tell me what your favoritehunting abilities are.
Tell me a hunting story, maybe.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
So, like I was saying , my dad got me into fishing and
hunting.
We grew up fishing a lot ofback lakes, trout and walleye,
and fishing on black sturgeon,obviously, and same with chicken
hunting, moose hunting, deerhunting and when I got a bit
older I got into waterfowl andthat's actually probably my
(39:25):
favorite thing to hunt iswaterfowl.
Really, big game is awesome,it's a huge rush, but once you
do make your shot on an animal,your season's done and you can't
really.
There's a lot of work after theprocess and I like making all
my own stuff, yep, and doing thebutchering and all that stuff.
(39:48):
That's one of my.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
You're a sausage party kind of guy.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
That's one of my favorite things is processing
wild game and making differentstuff and trying to change
people's opinions on it.
Yeah, for sure.
And that's where waterfowl aswell.
Yeah, canadian goose gets sucha bad rap for the taste and
everything.
I think it's one of the mostunderutilized meats out there.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Really, I've had goose jerky a couple of times.
I had your goose jerky I thinkMcMahon dropped me off some one
time but I've never had a goosebreast.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
Well, goose pastrami is one of my favorite things.
I also do.
That's well.
That's a five-day cure.
You got to cure it for fivedays and then it takes a day to
smoke.
Okay, I actually got it off ameat eater the recipe, and it is
absolutely phenomenal.
If you haven't done it, theirrecipes online.
If you're a waterfowl hunter,give it a try.
It's absolutely great.
(40:43):
Slice it thin with some mustardon a shakoodoo board.
Oh shit really Comes outphenomenal.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
We'll have to do that .
We should do that this fall.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
One of my other things.
I call them goose poppers.
So I'll take the breast and cutit up into one inch by one inch
cubes and I'll do like a baseteriyaki soya, brown sugar,
garlic pepper, soak it overnight, pull it out, put two slits,
put a water chest on thejalapeno and wrap it in bacon,
oh goodness, that sounds lovelysmoke it to medium yep, because
(41:14):
the biggest mistake most peoplemake is overcooking it and
that's where that livery toughtaste comes from.
Is it being overcooked?
And, honestly, I put thoselittle poppers up against any
fillet bite out of a beef and Iguarantee you'll take mine every
time.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Wow, that's incredible I'm gonna put that to
the test this fall, for sure,for sure.
That's awesome, buddy.
Well, what about uh fishing?
You know you got grew up in ablack sturgeon here fishing.
What's your favorite?
What do you like to do?
Do you like that?
You like the musky fish?
I know what you do, but tellthem what you like.
Do you like the walleye fish?
You like the musky fish, bassfish what do you like to do?
Speaker 1 (41:53):
just fishing in general, but my favorite thing
is musky.
Uh, when I moved back in Kenora, one of my good friends, chris
Soderman, took me out in thefall jigging.
My wife would probably cursehim for it, but went out and
jigging in this spot on Lake ofthe Woods and never caught
anything.
But I remember pulling up thebondi bait and going to drop it
(42:15):
back down and seeing had to be a40-inch musky come up and dive
down after it and that justabsolutely got me hooked.
That was the hunt right thereand that was seven years ago,
and since then it's it's becomean obsession of mine.
Like I have a musky fishingscene tattooed on my arm and
(42:37):
thousands upon thousands uponthousands, he dollars, he really
does, folks, I have seen it.
To me it's my favorite thing togo for the chase of.
It is much adrenaline rushesdoing anything.
In my opinion, seeing afour-foot-plus fish charge at
(42:59):
your bait bait hit by the boat,biggest thing is handling them,
having the proper safety and theproper gear.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
Yeah, I agree, proper gear especially with the more
fishing pressure that all theselakes are getting by, you know,
by morons like me trying topromote it up here.
You know that that's the by theby standard right.
The innocent bystander is notpeople not having the right
equipment and the extractiontools to do the job.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
You're right, matt and that's even holding it how
you hold it.
That's one of the biggestthings.
Yep, I've learned a lot fromwatching doug wagner and, uh,
glenn mcdonald at 54 boss, yeah,they were great and lots of
information learned and, yep,like I said, yeah, very
educational man for sure, mybuddy.
Chris soderman got me into itand he taught me piles of boat
(43:49):
control and what to look he's a,he's one of the best on the
lake right now.
Yeah yeah, I've never seen itwhere somebody says there's one
following and I'm scramblingtrying to get the net for him,
he's like don't even bother,it's not going to take it.
And then five casts later, tencasts later, here's another one
(44:11):
coming.
He's like get the net, thisone's biting and he catches it.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
It's absolutely unreal how he can read a fish,
that's awesome.
Well, when you get that goodthough right, that's awesome.
That's how these guys are, man.
Well, let's end the show offhere with give me one thing I
know everybody's going to textus and email us.
How many times a year do youhit animals?
(44:35):
Do you ever hit bears on thetracks?
Do you hit trains?
Tell me what it's like when youhit a bear.
You hit bears on the tracks.
You hit trains.
Tell me what it's like when youhit a bear and it goes flying
in the woods, and then we'll endoff with a tell me the wildest
train story you have, and thenwe'll end off.
Speaker 1 (44:48):
Bears are insanely tough Like.
Speaker 2 (44:53):
Will they stand there on the track and look at you?
Speaker 1 (44:55):
I've whopped them at 60 mile an hour.
I've hit them at 25.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
And they're running across, or are they standing
there looking at you?
Speaker 1 (45:02):
times they stand there.
So the best thing to do whenyou see an animal shut the
lights off and hit the bell andusually take off.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
Sometimes you come around the corner doing 60 and
you don't have because you don'twant the lights on, because
it'll be like a deer in theheadlights, as they say.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
Sorry and like I think it was last year, the year
before, I hit a bear cominginto town on the bridge and
bounce them over their side ofthe bridge and I'm like, well,
he must be done.
And I look over and there he isrunning up the side of the hill
and it's like how did you?
How is that happening?
Speaker 2 (45:33):
yeah, wow what's the big?
Have you ever?
Speaker 1 (45:37):
hit a big moose.
Never hit a moose.
Luckily I've hit a lot of deer.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
Have you talked to anybody who's hit a moose?
Yeah, it's a thud but but youstill wouldn't feel it.
I mean, there's so much weightand power there, right Like you
just hear the thud?
Speaker 1 (45:53):
Yeah, it's insane.
What about a vehicle?
Have you ever hit a vehicle?
I've been fortunate enoughnever to have.
That's one of my biggest fearsdriving For sure.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
And I don't mean with someone in it, let's not have a
horrible conversation I justmean like a vehicle that broke
down on the road and somebody'sgot away in their way.
I've never hit one, wow.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
The biggest thing people don't always understand
with it, like a 30 plus thousandton grain train doing 25 mile
an hour.
Even it's going to take me,with a full set break, a mile
mile and a bit the kineticenergy to stop that train is
insane.
Yeah for sure so it's bevigilant out there.
People don't run across infront of anybody.
(46:35):
Yeah, we can't stop on the dimeRight.
Be smart with it.
That's one of the biggestthings I can say is safety
around there.
Speaker 2 (46:47):
People just don't think Common sense right Like
you're in a car.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:53):
That is 40,000 cars of weight.
Right, Like, come on right,it's just common sense, right.
Speaker 1 (46:59):
And unfortunately there are incidents every year.
But try and be vigilant aroundthe charts.
People, it's your life and youknow what it's ours, because we
have to deal with the aftermath.
Our families have to deal withhow we are after, for sure,
right Everything.
So be careful around them.
Don't be in a rush.
(47:22):
The longest you're usuallygoing to be stuck somewhere is
five minutes.
Leave five minutes early if youknow you have to go listen
folks.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
We all know it's five minutes from this engineer, but
we freaking know it's 10.
Tell me a good, tell me a goodtrain stormy.
Tell me a funny or uh, you haveone off the top of your head
not really just working with theguys different people.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
There's always fun.
Speaker 2 (47:46):
You get a good camaraderie with different
people and like, is it like atrailer park boys episode kind
of working on the train?
Speaker 1 (47:52):
oh, lots of them are you drive with certain people,
you don't with the others, butcooking food on the train?
We have a hot plate up there.
Bring a frying pan.
Try and make the best out of atrip.
Sometimes you're four hours onthe train, sometimes you're 10.
Sometimes you're 12.
Yeah, so just try to make itenjoyable doing whatever inside
(48:16):
the rules and not to yeah,always stay in the rules or not?
Speaker 2 (48:20):
Yeah, always stay in the rules, for sure, awesome.
Well, I want to thank everybodyfor getting this far.
I want to thank you, matt, andyour beautiful wife, shelby, for
letting us have you thismorning.
Thanks for your time and I wasreally wanting to do this
episode really bad.
To learn about trains is reallyinteresting to me and the
(48:44):
amount of strength and power andknowledge it takes these guys
to do their job.
And folks remember, withoutthese guys and the truck drivers
and that you know, we don'thave a country operating right.
Especially right now, we needto stand behind Canada, you know
, and these guys are the onesthat are transporting our goods
from coast to coast right andkeeping it on canadian soil.
(49:06):
So make sure we uh, we respecttheir values and what they need
on the tracks out there.
Um, if you guys have anyquestions for matt, reach out to
me.
Um, you guys all know you canget a hold of Steve at steven at
fishincanadacom.
You can get a hold of Williehere at info at sunsetlimocom.
(49:30):
Give Lakeside Marine Andrew.
Andrew up at Lakeside Marinehas some awesome deals going on
right now.
I just bought a brand newside-by-side off him.
The guy drove it down to myfreaking house.
Unbelievable, like shows uphere.
It's loaded rear view mirrorsin it, like man if it had a back
scratcher.
That's the only thing thatthing doesn't have.
Get onto his website.
(49:50):
Take a look.
He services all of northwesternOntario.
You can order things onlinefrom him.
Just check him out, give himsome support, hop on his page
even if you're not from there,like his stuff just because
you're a family of the show here.
Get over to fishingcanadacom andlook at Ange and Pete always
(50:12):
got Indino.
They always got things up therefor giveaways.
Garmin's giving away anotherLiveScope.
They're giving away thatelectric motor man that would be
so cool to have that going intoBacklakes flying in right.
So get in there and get thosedraws filled out.
You know, do them 100 to 200 ata time.
(50:32):
You know Rick Payne.
He won my trip.
It was a $6,000 trip and RickPayne and his wife won it and
that's how he did it.
It was just continuously goingback on.
These contests are real folks,so I can vouch for it.
Matthew, it was a pleasurehaving you.
Speaker 1 (50:50):
Thanks for having me as well.
It's always fun.
Speaker 2 (50:53):
And thus concludes another episode of Diaries of a
Lodge Owner.
Speaker 4 (51:00):
Stories of the North the day I was born, bending my
rock, stretching my line.
(51:25):
Someday I might own a lodge,and that'd be fine.
I'll be making my way the onlyway I know how, working hard and
sharing the north with all ofmy pals.
Well, I'm a good old boy.
I buy the lodge and live mydream.
(51:47):
And now I'm here talking abouthow life can be as good as it
seems.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
Yeah, Hi everybody.
I'm Angelo Viola and I'm Pete.
Speaker 8 (51:58):
Bowman yeah, hi everybody.
I'm Angelo Viola and I'm PeteBowman.
Now you might know us as thehosts of Canada's favorite
fishing show, but now we'rehosting a podcast.
Speaker 3 (52:14):
That's right.
Every Thursday, Ang and I willbe right here in your ears
bringing you a brand new episodeof Outdoor Journal Radio.
Speaker 8 (52:17):
Hmm, Now what are we going to talk about for two
hours every week?
Speaker 3 (52:20):
Well, you know there's going to be a lot of
fishing.
Speaker 6 (52:22):
I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and
how to catch them, and they wereeasy to catch.
Speaker 8 (52:27):
Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show.
We're going to be talking topeople from all facets of the
outdoors, from athletes, All theother guys would go golfing Me
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Speaker 3 (52:39):
To scientists, now that we're reforesting and it's
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Outdoor Journal Radio seeks to answer the questions
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Find us on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever you
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As the world gets louder and louder, the lessons
of our natural world becomeharder and harder to hear, but
they are still available tothose who know where to listen.
And harder to hear, but theyare still available to those who
know where to listen.
I'm Jerry Ouellette and I washonoured to serve as Ontario's
Minister of Natural Resources.
However, my journey into thewoods didn't come from politics.
(53:31):
Rather, it came from my time inthe bush and a mushroom.
In 2015, I was introduced tothe birch-hungry fungus known as
chaga, a tree conch withcenturies of medicinal use by
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After nearly a decade of harvest, use, testimonials and research
(53:54):
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means.
But that's not what the show isabout.
My pursuit of the strangemushroom and my passion for the
outdoors has brought me to theplaces and around the people
that are shaped by our naturalworld.
On Outdoor Journal Radio'sUnder the Canopy podcast, I'm
(54:18):
going to take you along with meto see the places, meet the
people that will help you findyour outdoor passion and help
you live a life close to nature.
And under the canopy Find Underthe Canopy now on Spotify,
apple Podcasts or wherever elseyou get your podcasts.
it is very dangerous place and they always say
rolling cars don't make a noise.
And it is 100 true you don'thear them rolling down really,
yeah so, and a 30 ton unit.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
If it was by itself on a train track and if it was
just like the wind blew it andit started creeping and crawling
backwards, you wouldn't hear it.
Oh really, that's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
There's a little flat spot in the wheel, yeah yeah.
A bolt in the rail or something, but if it's steel on steel,
and if it's just, it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Wow, it's amazing, that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
That's something I never would have thought this
week on the Outdoor JournalRadio Podcast Networks Diaries
of a Lodge Owner, stories of theNorth Folks.
Willie takes the controls onthis one and does his best to
keep her on the tracks withanother great guest for us all
to get to know Matt the EngineerOlsky.
(01:01):
On this show, willie the Oilman and Matt the Engineer talk
about, yes, trains, theirimmense power, their importance
to the North and Northern-basedtourism operations throughout
the years.
They talk about the traininginvolved, development and the
(01:23):
impact they have on our families, with a few hunting stories
sprinkled in for good measure.
So, folks, if you love greatstories and love great people
and love Willie the Oil man,hitch a ride on this one.
Yes, you will love it.
Here's Willie's conversationwith Matt the Engineer.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Hello folks and welcome to another episode of
Diaries of a Lodge Owner'sStories of the North Oil man,
willie.
Here today I'm sitting in myoffice slash dining room looking
out over beautiful BlackSturgeon Lake again today Gosh,
(02:10):
it's like 25 degrees here in thenorth.
I think we're having betterweather than most folks down in
the States and down in Torontohere, southern Ontario right now
, in Ontario right now, we justlost the ice on our lake here
(02:31):
and my boat is going to take itsfirst dunk in my lake after
this podcast is shot, so I'mpretty jacked up for that.
We got a great guest today,someone who's really special to
me uh.
You know I've known him forfive, six years now and he was
introduced to me through uh,through my, my best man at my
(02:52):
wedding there, kyle mcmahon, andand you know, we've grown our
relationship now to uh to thepoint of to uh I would say close
to uh right now probably one ofmy best friends in my life and
he's definitely here for me whenI got decisions to make and
he's helpful in that way.
(03:13):
He's an outdoorsman, he's ahunter, he's a fisherman, he's a
wonderful human, but above allhe's a train engineer and he's
worked his way up, uh, in thetrain world.
We won't say who he works for,just for reasons of, but he's
part of the one of the big twoout there and he uh, I think
(03:38):
it's super cool to have somebodyon our show that drives a train
for a living.
You know, just imagine havingall of that power behind you and
what you can do with it andwhat it feels like.
And today we're going to findall that out.
So, without further ado, I'dlike to welcome Matt Oleski,
(03:59):
who's sitting at my living roomtable here.
Now.
Matt, say hi to the Diaries ofa lodge owner, family and
friends out there hi, family'suh diaries of a lodge owner.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Um, I've listened to this podcast for about a year
now, learned a lot of coolthings.
Um, nice, nice, always good tolisten to lots of good
information.
Between fishing and how it isto own a lodge, I've always been
interested in that kind ofstuff.
Grew up here, lots of myfriends own lodges.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Well, let's get a little grasp here.
So, matt, like you said, let'stake that and run with that.
We always are going to do anintro as to who matt is and
we'll walk through his life here, uh, but let's just step back.
So, like you being even I've,I've had, I've been part of this
(04:53):
podcast for under a year now.
Steve's had it for about a year, you know, and it's he's had
great following.
We've grown the followingtogether and that's interesting
that you can hear straight froma friend's mouth what attracts
them to our podcast.
That's a first, so that's cool.
Thanks for saying that, buddy.
You're welcome.
I appreciate that.
(05:13):
So, matty, you tell the familywhere you grew up.
Tell me where did you grow up,tell me your sequence of events
that got you kind of up intoyour adolescence, and then and
I'll cut you off and stop you,or we need to tell a crazy wild
story, because I know you gotlots of them yeah, I grew up
(05:36):
here in uh canora, ontario, uhactually, on blot surgeon and so
this is your home water thatwe're sitting on nice uh, my dad
bought the property back in Ibelieve it was 1985, built the
house on it and actually I waslucky enough to purchase it, uh,
four years ago nice, so youkept your, you kept your
(05:58):
homestead in your family.
Yeah, from when you were a kid,nice, so did you go to, you went
, you go to.
You went to public school here,you went to high school here.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Nice and then at that young age, I'm guessing you
developed a love for fishing andhunting.
I just know you now, but I'massuming that that started way
back then.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Yeah, my dad got me into hunting at an early age,
shooting an old Cooey .22,actually when I could barely
hold it and growing up with alot of his older friends and
trying different guns, and gotinto hunting and fishing and
loved being on the water fishing.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
What's the first thing you ever shot?
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Gross, Gross.
Yeah, the .22, single shot verygotcha 22.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
That's stevie's new weapon.
Stevie's yeah, everyone's,everybody out there.
If you got some guns, some 22s,get a hold of us on the show,
stevie's, stevie's, rebuildingthem and selling them and
probably got some reallybeautiful ones.
But yeah, gross on me, yeahnice.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
One of my favorite things to still go and do when I
have time from work is sneakout with the wife and go for a
walk and shoot some chickens andhopefully, when my daughter's
big enough, get her involved init and get her a love for the
outdoors as well.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Nice.
So you're a young man on BlackSturgeon Lake, you're fishing,
you're hunting.
You're young man, on blacksturgeon lake, you're fishing,
you're hunting.
You're in canora.
Portion of your friends musthave lodges, which you said
that's.
You know, you've always had ayou know, understanding for them
and kind of a desire for themor a passion.
It kind of comes with theoutdoors up here.
Yeah, right, um.
(07:40):
So then you get out of highschool and what do you do?
Speaker 1 (07:47):
ended up working construction jobs bouncing
around.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Moved out to vancouver for oh yeah, that's,
that's like the 20 year oldlifestyle, right?
Everyone, everyone tries to gowest and the grass is always
greener, right?
Speaker 1 (07:59):
and then um back and started working construction
here and kind of bounced aroundand got tired of it and ended up
going to Red River College inWinnipeg.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
So what year was that ?
When did you go to Red River?
Speaker 1 (08:14):
2014, I was on it to take the conductor training
program.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It was actually a really good class to take, steve
Baker was the instructor, sothere's actually a class you can
take to get in prior to workingfor either CN or CP or VR.
Whoever you're working for, youcan take an educational course
just to get you going.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yes, nice, I believe it was a three-month long course
that we did.
Nice.
Month long course that we did,uh, nice, it really benefited me
to take it because I got in andqualified very quick.
Once, getting on at the railwaythat I'm at, I gave you all the
fundamentals and rule knowledgeleading up to it.
(08:57):
So the classroom that lots ofguys stress about when you're
being trained and everything tome was I just did three and a
half months of it, yeah, so itwas kind of a breeze to go
through all the training.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Well, that's good.
So it was kind of like a.
It was a preparation forgetting in the field, with the
guys actually getting in thetraining.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah, having all the fundamentals, and I believe it
made it easier on the trainersas well, because, yep, it wasn't
basically baby steps.
They could throw you in andhave you working with them and,
yeah, doing more stuff than youshould be.
So there's two parts.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
When you go to training, you go do two weeks of
schooling and then you're onthe ground for usually about
three weeks to a month so on theground, like you're on the
ground, you're, you're at thetrain yard, uh, when you're
working with the crews learning,or is there like a facility in
the college where they have,like, like I know, in the oil
field in nisku they have, um,you'll do it some ways, you'll
(10:01):
go out with the team.
Some companies like precisiondrillingilling they're so big,
they have a massive yard with adrilling rig cut in half and the
guys go and train there for acouple months.
What is it so?
Speaker 1 (10:12):
when I was in Red River they had a part of CN in
Winnipeg rented out and they hada little chunk of yard and they
had one yard unit and a dozencars they could move around.
So once a week we'd go outthere for half a day.
I believe there's 60 people inour class, so that's a big class
(10:33):
man, 20 people for half a dayout there and you'd switch cars
and ride them and just get usedto getting on and off and safety
and so it wasn't like thetypical oil field school class.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
So when I had to go redo my H2S by 9.15, if I didn't
have a third coffee I'dprobably fall asleep on my desk
and then wake up and write thetest and walk out, which is
horrible.
I shouldn't be doing that.
Don't listen to that any of youkids out there.
Don't be doing that.
Listen to Matt and actually dothe courts in class and pay
attention don't be doing that.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Listen to matt and actually do the courts in class
and pay attention.
But you get all this trainingwhen you do go to the companies.
They train you up pretty good.
But it was nice having thatinitial start because it's took
my qualifying time down fromusually five months.
I believe I was qualified underthree.
Oh, that's great.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
From starting, so that's so.
It's kind of like a co-op, youknow what I mean.
You accumulate your hours andget ready and then you go.
So now you've done your schoolin school, you've done your
little bit of yard training,you're getting a little bit
comfortable, so you're aconductor at that point, or when
do you get hired as a conductor?
Speaker 1 (11:44):
So after, like one of the big companies, CN or CP
hires you, you start again inclass.
So you do two weeks of classand then usually I'd say three
weeks to a month on the ground.
So you're working hand in handwith a conductor and switching
cars, going for on the trainwherever you go.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Switching cars, as in , you're switching what do you
call the cars?
So the Diaries fans know.
So on a train.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
There's the engine and then every car behind it is.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
They call it a car, okay.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
There's lots of different kinds of them, but
just, you're working hand inhand, so the qualified
conductors riding the other sideor walking right beside you
while you're doing everythingSupposed to be within arm's
length.
I always liked having a bitmore leeway, or giving a bit
more leeway when I, in thefuture, was training guys, where
(12:40):
I believe, as long as you'rewithin not arm's reach, but a
little bit outside of arms reach, to give a guy a bit of
confidence.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
So it's not like like you're not right in his face.
Yeah, yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
But it is very dangerous place and they always
say rolling cars don't make anoise, and it is 100% true you
don't hear them rolling down,really, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
So hold on a minute.
So an average car, let's sayyou know whether it's holding
grain or vehicles.
I mean, yes, it can fluctuate,I'm guessing, in weight
drastically.
What's an average weight of anaverage car on one of the trains
you drive?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Well, most empty cars are 30 tons, okay so, before
any product is in it.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
it's 30 freaking tons , so in a 30-ton unit.
If it was by itself on a traintrack and if it was just
creeping like the wind blew itand it started creeping and
crawling backwards, you wouldn'thear it.
Not really, that's unbelievable.
A little flat spot in the real,in the wheel yeah yeah, a bolt
in the rail, or, but if it'ssteel on steel and if it's just,
(13:52):
it's amazing, wow, it's amazing, that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
That's something I never would have heard loaded
grain cars are 140 tons onaverage, so it's a lot of weight
behind you.
You get hit by a lot.
You're definitely going to befeeling it.
Wow, wow that's incredible.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
So okay, so skip back here.
So now you've done a little bitof training, right?
So now you get hired with thecompany you're on, you do some
more in-house training and thendo you finally get the call for
your first actual drive on atrain.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Well, so, like I was saying, it's usually about a
five-month process.
So after the first month out onthe ground, you go back for two
weeks of class and have towrite all your final exams and
then you're back out and you'redoing more extensive training
exams.
Yeah, and then you're back outand you're doing more extensive
training and the field placementpeople are riding with you and
(14:51):
seeing till you're ready toqualify.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
So yeah, I'm guessing your training always continues
with a job.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
This serious right for sure and then you get a
qualification one.
So I actually qualified out insaskatchewan, which I very happy
I did end up training out there, because the training that we
did out there versus kenora it'smore extensive switching of
cars, yeah and you have a bettergrasp on everything than if you
(15:20):
train out of, like, a mainlineterminal.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
That doesn't do a lot of it, it's mainly just riding
on the train and you were in thenorth by like folks.
You remember me and Steviefishing Tobin Lake, there the
Vanity Cup.
You were right up in that area,just south of there, right we?
Speaker 1 (15:35):
actually our line.
Our north line ran right up toTobin Lake.
Oh okay, I actually stayed atthe Tobin Lake Motel quite a few
times.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Nice, nice, nice, good place.
Yeah, I uh, yeah, I fell asleepthere on, uh, on a table once
or twice, you know, back back inmy 20s for sure.
Uh, awesome, cool.
So tell me that first time, thefirst time that you're like if
there's no training going on,there's no one watching you,
you're not getting testing orcertified, or you're actually an
(16:10):
employee of company x to go onthe train and be a conductor for
this engineer and and do a job,how is that feeling?
Was it fucking nerve-wracking?
Was it scary?
Speaker 1 (16:21):
it's very nerve-wracking.
And the other nice thing aboutthe terminal I went out of you
ended up being a brakeman, sobrakeman just assists the
conductor with this.
Oh so there is a job.
Two underneath conductor.
I didn't know that okay, insome terminals where you're
doing lots of switch and theyrun brakeman and conductors.
So cool.
For the first three and a halfmonths, I'd say, I ended up
(16:44):
working as a brakeman, so it'snot training.
You're on your own, you have tomake the decisions, but you
still have a senior guy guidingyou with making the big
decisions, which is very nice.
For the first time when you'reon your own with an engineer,
it's definitely nerve-wracking.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I'm freaking Batman.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Lots of lost hours of sleep prior to getting out
there.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yeah so tell me about your first ride.
Your first ride was in.
Was it out west in saskatchewan?
Speaker 1 (17:15):
yeah, um, like I said , I was a brakeman, so lots of
yard switch and we servicepotash mines out there oh, yeah,
yeah, that's a big thing, yeah,yeah so my first actual trip
trip, I'd say, where you're onthe main line was trying to
remember everything.
Be prepared.
We work to think all those csout there, so there's no signals
(17:37):
.
Yeah, so you really got to knowall your mileages.
Call the towns.
Lots of radiocommunication.
Yeah, talking the rtc railtraffic control officer and he's
giving you clearances.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
So you're clear from mile five to mile 54 and this is
clear from like another traincoming in your path, right, yeah
, like because think about itlike sorry, I don't want to stop
here, but let's just for thediaries.
People just put this inperspective.
So like here's a young man justgot out of school Now he's got
(18:09):
the world by the curlies andhe's on a team with a train
that's barreling ahead.
So how big is the train and howfast are you going?
At this point, just so everyoneunderstands the power and the
force of what you're doing, justso everyone understands the
power and the force of whatyou're doing.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
So out there, our chat speeds were anywhere from
30 to 45 mile an hour.
Put in perspective a graintrain, so 140 tons per car yeah,
you're driving 100 cars on atrain, plus the unit, oh my
goodness shorter.
So you're generally 75 to 8 000feet long train out there.
(18:52):
So you're about, oh my goodness, 14 000 ton on the train, oh my
goodness.
And then you have to oc.
There might be switches againstyou so you actually have to go
manually line all the switchesso you really have to know where
you are and everything else.
And then if there's a trainfollowing you on OCS, they have
(19:15):
a clearance to protect againstyou.
So you have to give trackreleases.
So you have to be like set yourcounter at different mileages
so when you're clear you can sayyou're clear of model 32 so
they can pull up the 32, butthey can't go past that, okay
you give them another trackrelease.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Wow, it must be.
So.
It's kind of like aircrafttraffic controlling, but on the
ground.
Hey, that's an interestingjudge.
Who is that?
So you guys are doing the callsfrom there.
Sorry, who is the guy that?
Rtc, rtc.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Rail Traffic Controller.
That's cool.
So they're set up in the majorhubs Calgary, I believe, for CP
and CN.
Yep RTC runs out of, I think,winnipeg, they have them Nice
(20:08):
and so the RTCs are in charge of, say, 15 subdivisions each and
they're given differentclearances, or there's CTC and
OCS.
So OCS is what I worked upnorth and that's all clearances,
whereas CTC is truck lights.
Okay, yeah, yeah, they'relining trains up with the lights
Yep and making sureeverything's going to run that
way.
They have a very busy job, nodoubt.
Very stressful as well.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Crazy.
No doubt, no doubt.
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Speaker 2 (22:44):
So how long were you a brakeman for before you
actually got into the conductorposition?
Speaker 1 (22:48):
I'd say three, three and a half months, and then went
up to the conductor.
It all depended on seniority.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So the day you hired, Well, I'm sure intelligence too
, Like you're, I know, like hehas the Stiers family, tires
family, don't know and matt's apretty smart guy.
He, uh, he helps me out quite abit with tinkering around my
house and my shop and at mylodges.
You know he's got a he's kindof that brain guy in the
background.
But like there, must you know,you got to have a good common
sense and quality of you knowwhat's going on and grasping
(23:17):
what's going on mechanically tobe able to get up in that
position you're going into nowthe conductor.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
In the end, it's seniority, how you move up
Really.
Yeah, Okay, it's interesting,but it's finding little tricks
to make your job easier, like Ido.
Where I worked out out of I hada list in my pocket how many
cars fit in each truck yeah, thelength of each truck.
(23:45):
Just a peace of mind.
I could glance at something.
You're always supposed to ridethe point back yep and watch.
But if you throw in five cars ina track that holds 90, yeah
well I can watch the tail end,but at least you always know
what's going on.
So being prepared ahead of time, taking your list, going over
(24:08):
them when you're switching howmany cars are in each block that
you have to switch out, knowingthat.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
There's a lot to it.
It sounds like not cheap.
There's a lot to it, so you gotto really know what's going on
out there and be safe.
Hey, like it's pretty wild.
Well, you know, it's funny.
We were talking to, uh, I haddave mclaughlin, uh, who's in a
different portions of my lifenow, but he, um, we had him on
here as a guest, me and steveand he owns marmac lodge and
(24:39):
lodge 88 in white river and theyhave to take a train so that
they can plane the majority ofthe guest train through the old
cn or cp track that's left thereand they go back and forth to
the lodge.
I think it's one of the coolestthings ever.
Like they go 88 miles down thebush and then hop off this train
(25:01):
and truck.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
That would be very neat.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Right, I think we should do that.
I think we should.
I'm talking to Steve right nowand I'm trying to get a group of
guys together to go to Nipigon.
I don't know, we might have tostop in that White River and go
do that one.
We'll talk to McLaughlin.
That would be an interestingone.
Oh yeah, it would be.
It would be cool and it's rightup your alley, and I've heard
of a couple lodges doing this.
Right, I mean even gettingsupplies in back in the day.
(25:25):
Those old bucket cars.
They could handle a lot ofweight.
If you had to move a lot ofwood or if you had to move big
rocks, you could have that stuffand push it around.
It was just left there from theCN and CP guys back in the day.
Cool, so you were a conductor.
How long were you a conductorbefore you went to engineer?
Speaker 1 (25:44):
I ended up being a conductor for seven years.
Well, that's a good stint.
Then I moved back to Kenoraafter three years in
Saskatchewan three and a halfyears in Saskatchewan.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
You had enough watching your neighbor's dog run
away for a week.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
You got enough of that shit and just move back to
be closer to my parents and givethem a hand because they're
getting older.
I always loved Kenora.
I loved the hunting out inSaskatchewan.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Yeah, it's a beautiful province.
They have a lot out there thatpeople don't realize the
province of Saskatchewan.
But the fishing and huntingaround here is homey, it's more
extensive, for sure, I agreethere's nothing like, even
though I didn't grow up here.
I grew up down in all thatOshawa, colbert, bowmanville,
peterborough area right, there'snothing, even though the
(26:32):
fishing and hunting down thereis good too.
It's nothing like here.
Like here it's any given day.
We can go anywhere we want anddo what we want.
Any fish we want to catch, wecan go catch it.
You know the hunting, I knowfor you.
I'm not a hunter, as you guysknow, but uh, matt is.
You know like you're moosehunting every year and your,
your deer hunting is incrediblehere, grouse, grouse, you can
(26:54):
shoot.
I hit two grouse yesterday withmy car going to town like
they're oh, they're stupid rightnow, man man.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Oh, I know, made in season.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Yeah, they're horny and dumb.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
Most one-year-old boys Right.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
So you got back to Kenora, and so were you a
conductor when you came back toKenora, correct?
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Yeah, I was a conductor when I came back to
Kenora.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
And then back up to the engineer.
So tell me what the engineer'sjob.
Hold on a minute, let's back up.
You're the conductor.
Let's give some couple detailsto the folks about what the
conductor does.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
So, as a conductor, you're in charge of the train,
you have to do all the paperwork, you're taking all the
clearances, you're talking tothe RTC, you're looking after
everything behind the engine.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
You're the alert guy that's not sleeping behind the
wheel.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
You're going on the ground and switching cars out.
If you have to do lifts orset-offs online yeah, Cars to
customers and stuff like thatyou get hit by a hot wheel.
You're the one going back there.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
What's a hot wheel?
Speaker 1 (27:58):
I never heard that expression.
You came on a bit or some kindof defect.
So you go over scanners every33 miles and they take readings
of all the wheel temperatures.
Okay, so in case a brake shoeor a brake cylinder release
because everything's run off air, all the brake systems, yep.
So if there's an air leak, whenthe air goes out, that's when
(28:20):
the brake shoes come on.
So if there's an air leak whenthe air goes out, that's when
the brake shoes come on.
So if there's an air leak, thepiston could come out, which
could push the brake shoes on.
So by going over the scanners,they have them set up to prevent
incident and try and catch anincident before it happens.
Gotcha.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Proactive maintenance yeah, Interesting, so they so.
And if it was to engage,obviously it would just heat up
because the other 4,000 wheelsare still in motion on the train
.
Makes sense, Makes sense.
So that's it.
So it can.
So that's a conductor.
So are you, does the conductor?
(28:55):
Are they part of hopping in andout of the train as well, when
you got to do disconnects andstuff?
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Yeah, they're the one doing all that.
The engineer just deals withthe engines.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Okay, so the engineer , that's the next.
So that was your next last.
That's where you are right now.
Yes, you're a senior engineer,no junior engineer.
And how many years you got intothat?
Ten and a half.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Jesus, ten and a half Jesus.
Different terminals havedifferent seniorities for
everything.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Like you could go up toRevelstoke and lots of guys are
going to train to two years nowit's just where are my
seniorities at.
In Kenora, and when we hadretirement of guys retiring, we
had a big influx, I guess, ofconductors and a bunch of
(29:40):
engineers retiring.
So I moved up in seniority,gotcha, and then it was my turn
to take the engineer course.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
How long was your engineer course?
Speaker 1 (29:49):
I trained for four months as an engineer.
Oh, wow yeah, oh wow, did amonth in Calgary, then, I
believe, three or three and ahalf months of driving with a
qualified engineer.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Nice, yeah, that's cool.
Did you drive out west of themountains?
No Fuck, is that cool, though Imean I don't know if it would
be cool for you, but I know likewhen me I've been out there a
million times but I took Chrisout for our honeymoon, as you
know, this past fall and man,like I forgot how big some of
those cliffs were that you drivearound right, I was like I was
(30:25):
actually super proud of my wifebecause she's horrified of stuff
like that, and she was likeright on the edge we're driving
around and there was a coupletrains that were on the outside
of us and I was like man, thatis some big balls to be riding
that train on that little tinytrack on that ledge.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
It's definitely nerve-wracking, like some of the
grain trains we're running now.
They're 12,000, 13,000 feetlong, oh wow, and 30,000 plus
tons, yeah, so it's a lot ofweight behind you.
You're almost three miles long.
Yeah, it's crazy, man, two anda half miles long and 30 000
(31:04):
tons you're trying to controlwith sags and hills.
And yeah, the one engineercoach I had coach trainer same
thing, um said you basicallyhave to look in a five mile
chunk.
So what's coming ahead of youin the next three miles plus
your two miles of train behindyou?
(31:25):
Yep, so you're always thinkingin five miles.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
It's kind of like a defensive driving for trains.
Yeah Fuck, Super cool man,that's a.
That's a good tip.
I'm guessing you have to usethat daily.
Awesome.
So now you're a full-timeengineer in canora.
I heard you say you got a wifeand a child.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
give them a shout oh, my wife shelby and my 13 month
old daughter scarlet.
She came in to our lives lastapril.
Definitely a little handful ohyeah, she is.
She's cute as a button thoughmakes everything different and
like working on the railway forsure, changes a lot of stuff,
(32:05):
Makes a lot of strain onfamilies.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
So let's get into that, because that's a huge
thing.
In the oil field, in the lodgeindustry, it's a huge thing
because you know you've got tobe away from.
I used to argue with myex-partner about this all the
time and his people, becausethey wanted to.
You know, I even had anargument once with, with, with,
with, uh, with a good friend ofmine, who we all know here, and
(32:30):
they, they wanted to pay peoplefreelance and I'm like you can't
do that anymore.
You know, this isn't the 70sand 80s and 90s, right, like you
have to.
People are leaving their familyand coming to the woods to live
with you, or they're leavingtheir family in the middle of
the night to hop on that trainand go to winnipeg.
You might be there for a coupledays.
Yeah, you know, like to me,that has value and it was way
(32:55):
undervalued for a long time,whether it was the lodge
industry oil and gas you, youknow or the railroad.
So tell me about that, what theeffects that it has on your
family.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
I look at it as my wife Shelby's a single parent
five months of the year becausegenerally my trips are anywhere
from 18 to 30 hours away fromhome and you're going every
other day to work on call.
It's a lot to take.
It's you got to have a verystrong partner and understanding
(33:27):
partner and you got to makesure you take time out for them
when you're home.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
I agree, I find you do that very well.
Buddy, I want to tell you likeas a as a as a guy who's
interviewing you right now, butas a really close friend of
yours and I see a lot of youknow we have a lot of friends
together that are with theTeamsters right and that work on
the rail yard.
A lot of those guys don't takethat time with their children
(33:53):
and I really respect the factthat you, that Scarlett and
Shelby are always there with youwhen you have some time off.
It pisses me off when I want togo fishing with you and you'd
say no, but next time.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
I understand, yeah you got to try and find the
balance.
Like you do need your own timeto get out, and I remember
listening to one of the showshere getting out is like
meditation.
Absolutely so you got to finddifferent cues to do, like
Shelby's very understanding,like when I'm getting overtired
(34:24):
with work and overstressed, orhowever you want to put it.
Yeah, I need that day just bymyself to go with a friend, or
even by myself, jump on, jump inthe boat, jump on the snow
machine or quad, go hunting orfishing and just zone out to
everything nice and come backrefreshed.
But if you do that too muchit's going to put huge strain on
(34:47):
the family.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
So trying to find that old balance, keithan well,
I think in yours too, yourpersonal life and work life,
that the mesh that you have is.
I see your partner is very, shehas the same interest as you.
Yeah, you know, I mean like youcan like, oh, you know, you and
shelb, can you know you can goand sit in the field and shoot
(35:09):
your crossbow to go on a datenight, or you could go punch
some holes, catch a few walleyes, or you can take her to the
movies.
You know, I mean like you guys.
It seems that she is very muchinto the outdoors, as much as
you.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
Yeah, that 100% helps being able to do that.
She actually got drawn for amoose tag last fall.
Unfortunately, we didn't fillit.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
That's super cool yeah that your wife was able to
win.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
The daughter in the truck and going out spending
time in the bush.
Just making memories is thebiggest thing.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Absolutely, that's key.
I know I used to love, likewhen I lived out west back when
I was an oilman still, thosewere some of my favorite times.
I'd take Olivia you knowOlivia's 22, now 223, I think
right away I think, and I'd takeher out on my side-by-side.
(36:00):
We'd go in the middle of afield and I'd just put up a
four-block and she had a tinylittle you know what I mean a
little crossbow, yeah and she'dshoot, or we'd have her little
22 or 17 mil back then too, andwe'd shoot right, and it was
just fun, right, Like just to bethere with my kid.
(36:20):
I never, you know, I missedthat time in life.
I think now I take life alittle too seriously.
Now that you learn as you getolder.
I'm finding that you learn alot but you start to overthink a
lot too of what you want to do.
You try to over-perfect thingsbecause you know that they need
to be good.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
That's one of the hardest things and, like the
rare way, definitely is not foreverybody.
You, it's a huge commitment.
The on-call thing is terrible,never knowing your schedule and
working with smelly old men,yeah but having a strong partner
is one of the biggest keys.
that makes it easier.
Because and family for thatmatter because you're not going
to be able to make a lot ofevents yeah, because you don't
(37:06):
really know when you're going.
You have an idea, but you don'tknow when you're going.
You don't know how long exactlyyou're going to be gone.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Like I said most.
Yeah, you're on call prettymuch Like you know a period of
time when you're on call, let'ssay a two-day period, right,
matt, but you really don't knowwhen you're going to go on call.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
No, so you come in and you book your rest and then
you generally up to 24 hours andthen when you hit certain
mileages of earned time you cantake a 48.
So when you come off restyou're on call and you slowly
move up a board.
It's called where your position.
(37:41):
So when you come in you tie up.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
That's your position behind they're actually called
tying up a train, even thoughtying it up wouldn't do shit.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Yeah really, and you move up the board and then, when
you're available and first outthat's when you're going to work
or if you're available andthere's guys ahead of you on
your ass, you're going to work.
So your life lives a lot aroundthe phone, which is kind of
hard to do and, like I wassaying, that's where having a
strong partner comes in.
(38:08):
Knowing like I need to go tosleep, I'm going to work at
midnight, I'm going to havedinner, I'm going for sleep, and
then you're getting called forwork.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
That's got to be tough.
Yeah, that's got to be tough.
Well, you know what we shoulddo today to make that not tough.
We should dunk my boat afterwe're done this podcast and go
catch a largemouth right outhere in front of my house.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
Oh, definitely.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Want to do that.
So what, now that we know alittle bit of history about the
trains, and I just think it's socool.
We know a little bit of historyabout the trains, and that's
just the thing that's so cool.
Tell me how you said thatfishing and hunting kind of
they're your zen time, you know.
Tell me how you got intofishing and hunting and what's
(38:56):
your favorite thing to do andeat.
Tell me your favorite way tofish and where you like to go.
And tell me what your favoritehunting abilities are.
Tell me a hunting story, maybe.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
So, like I was saying , my dad got me into fishing and
hunting.
We grew up fishing a lot ofback lakes, trout and walleye,
and fishing on black sturgeon,obviously, and same with chicken
hunting, moose hunting, deerhunting and when I got a bit
older I got into waterfowl andthat's actually probably my
(39:25):
favorite thing to hunt iswaterfowl.
Really, big game is awesome,it's a huge rush, but once you
do make your shot on an animal,your season's done and you can't
really.
There's a lot of work after theprocess and I like making all
my own stuff, yep, and doing thebutchering and all that stuff.
(39:48):
That's one of my.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
You're a sausage party kind of guy.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
That's one of my favorite things is processing
wild game and making differentstuff and trying to change
people's opinions on it.
Yeah, for sure.
And that's where waterfowl aswell.
Yeah, canadian goose gets sucha bad rap for the taste and
everything.
I think it's one of the mostunderutilized meats out there.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Really, I've had goose jerky a couple of times.
I had your goose jerky I thinkMcMahon dropped me off some one
time but I've never had a goosebreast.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
Well, goose pastrami is one of my favorite things.
I also do.
That's well.
That's a five-day cure.
You got to cure it for fivedays and then it takes a day to
smoke.
Okay, I actually got it off ameat eater the recipe, and it is
absolutely phenomenal.
If you haven't done it, theirrecipes online.
If you're a waterfowl hunter,give it a try.
It's absolutely great.
(40:43):
Slice it thin with some mustardon a shakoodoo board.
Oh shit really Comes outphenomenal.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
We'll have to do that .
We should do that this fall.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
One of my other things.
I call them goose poppers.
So I'll take the breast and cutit up into one inch by one inch
cubes and I'll do like a baseteriyaki soya, brown sugar,
garlic pepper, soak it overnight, pull it out, put two slits,
put a water chest on thejalapeno and wrap it in bacon,
oh goodness, that sounds lovelysmoke it to medium yep, because
(41:14):
the biggest mistake most peoplemake is overcooking it and
that's where that livery toughtaste comes from.
Is it being overcooked?
And, honestly, I put thoselittle poppers up against any
fillet bite out of a beef and Iguarantee you'll take mine every
time.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Wow, that's incredible I'm gonna put that to
the test this fall, for sure,for sure.
That's awesome, buddy.
Well, what about uh fishing?
You know you got grew up in ablack sturgeon here fishing.
What's your favorite?
What do you like to do?
Do you like that?
You like the musky fish?
I know what you do, but tellthem what you like.
Do you like the walleye fish?
You like the musky fish, bassfish what do you like to do?
Speaker 1 (41:53):
just fishing in general, but my favorite thing
is musky.
Uh, when I moved back in Kenora, one of my good friends, chris
Soderman, took me out in thefall jigging.
My wife would probably cursehim for it, but went out and
jigging in this spot on Lake ofthe Woods and never caught
anything.
But I remember pulling up thebondi bait and going to drop it
(42:15):
back down and seeing had to be a40-inch musky come up and dive
down after it and that justabsolutely got me hooked.
That was the hunt right thereand that was seven years ago,
and since then it's it's becomean obsession of mine.
Like I have a musky fishingscene tattooed on my arm and
(42:37):
thousands upon thousands uponthousands, he dollars, he really
does, folks, I have seen it.
To me it's my favorite thing togo for the chase of.
It is much adrenaline rushesdoing anything.
In my opinion, seeing afour-foot-plus fish charge at
(42:59):
your bait bait hit by the boat,biggest thing is handling them,
having the proper safety and theproper gear.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
Yeah, I agree, proper gear especially with the more
fishing pressure that all theselakes are getting by, you know,
by morons like me trying topromote it up here.
You know that that's the by theby standard right.
The innocent bystander is notpeople not having the right
equipment and the extractiontools to do the job.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
You're right, matt and that's even holding it how
you hold it.
That's one of the biggestthings.
Yep, I've learned a lot fromwatching doug wagner and, uh,
glenn mcdonald at 54 boss, yeah,they were great and lots of
information learned and, yep,like I said, yeah, very
educational man for sure, mybuddy.
Chris soderman got me into itand he taught me piles of boat
(43:49):
control and what to look he's a,he's one of the best on the
lake right now.
Yeah yeah, I've never seen itwhere somebody says there's one
following and I'm scramblingtrying to get the net for him,
he's like don't even bother,it's not going to take it.
And then five casts later, tencasts later, here's another one
(44:11):
coming.
He's like get the net, thisone's biting and he catches it.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
It's absolutely unreal how he can read a fish,
that's awesome.
Well, when you get that goodthough right, that's awesome.
That's how these guys are, man.
Well, let's end the show offhere with give me one thing I
know everybody's going to textus and email us.
How many times a year do youhit animals?
(44:35):
Do you ever hit bears on thetracks?
Do you hit trains?
Tell me what it's like when youhit a bear.
You hit bears on the tracks.
You hit trains.
Tell me what it's like when youhit a bear and it goes flying
in the woods, and then we'll endoff with a tell me the wildest
train story you have, and thenwe'll end off.
Speaker 1 (44:48):
Bears are insanely tough Like.
Speaker 2 (44:53):
Will they stand there on the track and look at you?
Speaker 1 (44:55):
I've whopped them at 60 mile an hour.
I've hit them at 25.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
And they're running across, or are they standing
there looking at you?
Speaker 1 (45:02):
times they stand there.
So the best thing to do whenyou see an animal shut the
lights off and hit the bell andusually take off.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
Sometimes you come around the corner doing 60 and
you don't have because you don'twant the lights on, because
it'll be like a deer in theheadlights, as they say.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
Sorry and like I think it was last year, the year
before, I hit a bear cominginto town on the bridge and
bounce them over their side ofthe bridge and I'm like, well,
he must be done.
And I look over and there he isrunning up the side of the hill
and it's like how did you?
How is that happening?
Speaker 2 (45:33):
yeah, wow what's the big?
Have you ever?
Speaker 1 (45:37):
hit a big moose.
Never hit a moose.
Luckily I've hit a lot of deer.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
Have you talked to anybody who's hit a moose?
Yeah, it's a thud but but youstill wouldn't feel it.
I mean, there's so much weightand power there, right Like you
just hear the thud?
Speaker 1 (45:53):
Yeah, it's insane.
What about a vehicle?
Have you ever hit a vehicle?
I've been fortunate enoughnever to have.
That's one of my biggest fearsdriving For sure.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
And I don't mean with someone in it, let's not have a
horrible conversation I justmean like a vehicle that broke
down on the road and somebody'sgot away in their way.
I've never hit one, wow.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
The biggest thing people don't always understand
with it, like a 30 plus thousandton grain train doing 25 mile
an hour.
Even it's going to take me,with a full set break, a mile
mile and a bit the kineticenergy to stop that train is
insane.
Yeah for sure so it's bevigilant out there.
People don't run across infront of anybody.
(46:35):
Yeah, we can't stop on the dimeRight.
Be smart with it.
That's one of the biggestthings I can say is safety
around there.
Speaker 2 (46:47):
People just don't think Common sense right Like
you're in a car.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:53):
That is 40,000 cars of weight.
Right, Like, come on right,it's just common sense, right.
Speaker 1 (46:59):
And unfortunately there are incidents every year.
But try and be vigilant aroundthe charts.
People, it's your life and youknow what it's ours, because we
have to deal with the aftermath.
Our families have to deal withhow we are after, for sure,
right Everything.
So be careful around them.
Don't be in a rush.
(47:22):
The longest you're usuallygoing to be stuck somewhere is
five minutes.
Leave five minutes early if youknow you have to go listen
folks.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
We all know it's five minutes from this engineer, but
we freaking know it's 10.
Tell me a good, tell me a goodtrain stormy.
Tell me a funny or uh, you haveone off the top of your head
not really just working with theguys different people.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
There's always fun.
Speaker 2 (47:46):
You get a good camaraderie with different
people and like, is it like atrailer park boys episode kind
of working on the train?
Speaker 1 (47:52):
oh, lots of them are you drive with certain people,
you don't with the others, butcooking food on the train?
We have a hot plate up there.
Bring a frying pan.
Try and make the best out of atrip.
Sometimes you're four hours onthe train, sometimes you're 10.
Sometimes you're 12.
Yeah, so just try to make itenjoyable doing whatever inside
(48:16):
the rules and not to yeah,always stay in the rules or not?
Speaker 2 (48:20):
Yeah, always stay in the rules, for sure, awesome.
Well, I want to thank everybodyfor getting this far.
I want to thank you, matt, andyour beautiful wife, shelby, for
letting us have you thismorning.
Thanks for your time and I wasreally wanting to do this
episode really bad.
To learn about trains is reallyinteresting to me and the
(48:44):
amount of strength and power andknowledge it takes these guys
to do their job.
And folks remember, withoutthese guys and the truck drivers
and that you know, we don'thave a country operating right.
Especially right now, we needto stand behind Canada, you know
, and these guys are the onesthat are transporting our goods
from coast to coast right andkeeping it on canadian soil.
(49:06):
So make sure we uh, we respecttheir values and what they need
on the tracks out there.
Um, if you guys have anyquestions for matt, reach out to
me.
Um, you guys all know you canget a hold of Steve at steven at
fishincanadacom.
You can get a hold of Williehere at info at sunsetlimocom.
(49:30):
Give Lakeside Marine Andrew.
Andrew up at Lakeside Marinehas some awesome deals going on
right now.
I just bought a brand newside-by-side off him.
The guy drove it down to myfreaking house.
Unbelievable, like shows uphere.
It's loaded rear view mirrorsin it, like man if it had a back
scratcher.
That's the only thing thatthing doesn't have.
Get onto his website.
(49:50):
Take a look.
He services all of northwesternOntario.
You can order things onlinefrom him.
Just check him out, give himsome support, hop on his page
even if you're not from there,like his stuff just because
you're a family of the show here.
Get over to fishingcanadacom andlook at Ange and Pete always
(50:12):
got Indino.
They always got things up therefor giveaways.
Garmin's giving away anotherLiveScope.
They're giving away thatelectric motor man that would be
so cool to have that going intoBacklakes flying in right.
So get in there and get thosedraws filled out.
You know, do them 100 to 200 ata time.
(50:32):
You know Rick Payne.
He won my trip.
It was a $6,000 trip and RickPayne and his wife won it and
that's how he did it.
It was just continuously goingback on.
These contests are real folks,so I can vouch for it.
Matthew, it was a pleasurehaving you.
Speaker 1 (50:50):
Thanks for having me as well.
It's always fun.
Speaker 2 (50:53):
And thus concludes another episode of Diaries of a
Lodge Owner.
Speaker 4 (51:00):
Stories of the North the day I was born, bending my
rock, stretching my line.
(51:25):
Someday I might own a lodge,and that'd be fine.
I'll be making my way the onlyway I know how, working hard and
sharing the north with all ofmy pals.
Well, I'm a good old boy.
I buy the lodge and live mydream.
(51:47):
And now I'm here talking abouthow life can be as good as it
seems.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
Yeah, Hi everybody.
I'm Angelo Viola and I'm Pete.
Speaker 8 (51:58):
Bowman yeah, hi everybody.
I'm Angelo Viola and I'm PeteBowman.
Now you might know us as thehosts of Canada's favorite
fishing show, but now we'rehosting a podcast.
Speaker 3 (52:14):
That's right.
Every Thursday, Ang and I willbe right here in your ears
bringing you a brand new episodeof Outdoor Journal Radio.
Speaker 8 (52:17):
Hmm, Now what are we going to talk about for two
hours every week?
Speaker 3 (52:20):
Well, you know there's going to be a lot of
fishing.
Speaker 6 (52:22):
I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and
how to catch them, and they wereeasy to catch.
Speaker 8 (52:27):
Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show.
We're going to be talking topeople from all facets of the
outdoors, from athletes, All theother guys would go golfing Me
and Garth and Turk and all theRussians would go fishing.
Speaker 3 (52:39):
To scientists, now that we're reforesting and it's
the perfect transmissionenvironment for life.
Speaker 7 (52:46):
To chefs If any game isn't cooked properly, marinated
, you will taste it.
Speaker 3 (52:53):
And whoever else will pick up the phone Wherever you
are.
Speaker 8 (52:56):
Outdoor Journal Radio seeks to answer the questions
and tell the stories of allthose who enjoy being outside.
Speaker 3 (53:02):
Find us on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 5 (53:10):
As the world gets louder and louder, the lessons
of our natural world becomeharder and harder to hear, but
they are still available tothose who know where to listen.
And harder to hear, but theyare still available to those who
know where to listen.
I'm Jerry Ouellette and I washonoured to serve as Ontario's
Minister of Natural Resources.
However, my journey into thewoods didn't come from politics.
(53:31):
Rather, it came from my time inthe bush and a mushroom.
In 2015, I was introduced tothe birch-hungry fungus known as
chaga, a tree conch withcenturies of medicinal use by
Indigenous peoples all over theglobe.
After nearly a decade of harvest, use, testimonials and research
(53:54):
, my skepticism has faded toobsession and I now spend my
life dedicated to improving thelives of others through natural
means.
But that's not what the show isabout.
My pursuit of the strangemushroom and my passion for the
outdoors has brought me to theplaces and around the people
that are shaped by our naturalworld.
On Outdoor Journal Radio'sUnder the Canopy podcast, I'm
(54:18):
going to take you along with meto see the places, meet the
people that will help you findyour outdoor passion and help
you live a life close to nature.
And under the canopy Find Underthe Canopy now on Spotify,
apple Podcasts or wherever elseyou get your podcasts.
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