Types of Gap Filler Radar Towers

As I believe I've mentioned in a previous post, there were two types of towers being used by the engineers of the Gap Filler Radar stations of the late 1950s and early 1960s.  

3 footed towers were "standard" towers intended to be topped with a radar, such as the one which still stands atop Mont Ste-Marie.  

Lac Ste Marie Gap Filler Radar- 2012

 
4 footed towers were to be topped by a radar, but would also have a fire tower / lookout directly underneath, such as the one at Timmins.

Timmins Gap Filler Radar Station - August 2013

Here is a list of all the Gap FIller Stations which were partially built, and the kind of tower they were intended to have (Documented by DND on Feb 13th 1963).  This is not an indication that the tower still stands there today, or was ever erected to begin with.

Algonquin Park	Standard Tower
Atikokan	Joint Tower
Batchewana	Joint Tower
Belleterre	Joint Tower
Biscotasing	Joint Tower
Bridgetown	Standard Tower
Chapleau	Standard Tower
Elliot Lake	Joint Tower
Formosa	Standard Tower
Lac St Marie	Standard Tower
La Tuque	Standard Tower
Lucknow	Standard Tower
Manitouwadge	Standard Tower
Marathon	Standard Tower
Nicolet	Standard Tower
Nipigon	Standard Tower
Oba	Joint Tower
Scotch Settlement	Standard Tower
Sparta	Standard Tower
St Josephs	Standard Tower
Summerville Centre	Standard Tower
Timmins	Joint Tower
Tobermory	Standard Tower
Todd Mountain	Joint Tower
Westport	Standard Tower

In the end the program was cut due to budget cuts, and by 1964 the land and partially built structures and buildings were being sold to private interests.

The Biscotasing Gap Filler Annex

Several of the Gap Filler Annexes were never built, as the program was cancelled in 1964.  However, many of them were in the middle of some stage of construction; foundations were poured, tanks for fuel installed, access roads were built, etc..

This is the location that is believed to have been the site of the Biscotasing Gap Filler Annex.  Despite the map, there was an access road built, and it goes from Bisco Road right to the tower.  I am not sure if the GFA tower was supposed to be a dual-usage tower, like the one in Timmins, or if a seperate tower was built near the location.  There is, or was up until recently, a fire tower near the same location.  Are both towers one and the same?  Someone is going to need to get there and take a picture of the tower to tell!

map courtesy of atlas.gc.ca

Location of Biscotasing GFA?
(Imagery from HERE Maps)

1:50000 Scale - Courtesy of http://geogratis.gc.ca/

Green - Location of Tower? | Blue - Biscotasing

I'm reasonably sure the site is where the green circle is shown above, but the question is, will my extremely heavy 1999 4WD Diesel Suburban make it down the trail?  I dont think so.  Will I?  I dont think so either.  I need boots on the ground or even better imagery to tell is the trail is passable by foot - without hip waders?  To me, it looks like parts of the trail are under water.  Looking at the topographic maps it seems like a stream and swamp are likely located at and around the beginning of the trail.  The access road was built properly, with culverts and appropriate grading in around 1962, but may not have been maintained after that.  If you know better, please let me know!  I may need to trailer an ATV, or hook up with someone in Bisco who has an ATV in order to access this location.



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CFS Falconbridge and GATR Site

CFS Falconbridge

RCAF Station Falconbridge was built in 1952  as a radar station of the Pinetree Line and changed names to CFS Falconbridge after unification in 1967.  In 1985 the station was deactivated and in 1987 was sold to a private interest.  Most of the station's domestic site still stands today, and some of the operations site still stands as well.  I have not been to the operations site yet but hope to in 2014.

CFS Falconbridge
Red - Operations Site | Green - Domestic Site | Blue - GATR

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CFS Falconbridge GATR

(mostly reposted from my trip report)

CFB Falconbridge's GATR site was located a few kilometres away from the station to the East, past the airport.  The perimeter is still visible, and the building is, or was, owned by a helicopter maintenance company.  The property is derelict, run down, strewn with empty barrels and pails of hydraulic fluid, has smashed glass, several trashed trailers... but luckily, also holes in the fence.  Thinking about it now, I'm not sure the original building is actually intact or if a new building has been erected in it's place.  The current building is clad in siding, and has an extension built off the side.  Where the TDDL antennas would have been located there is now a helipad on one site, and a pile of garbage on the other side of the building.  There seem to be underground water storage, or perhaps tunnels for wiring or other equipment.  Either way, those holes are full of water that I wouldn’t want to swim in.  



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View of the building now where the GATR builing was, picture taken facing North

View of the front gate

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

CFS Chibougamau and GATR Site

I've heard Chibougamau mentioned on the 6 o'clock news when I was a child, while we ate dinner.  At the time had no idea where it was.  Well, now I not only know where it is, I also know there was a Pinetree Line station there!  Sounds like a good reason for a road trip.  The government has already cleaned up the property, unfortunately, so there doesn't look like there will be much to take pictures of.  At the very least it'll be one more Pinetree Line station off my bucket list.  CFS Chibougamau was built later than the initial Pinetree Line stations to fill in gaps in radar coverage in Northern Quebec.
The red circle on the map below show where the operations site was on top of Mount Bourbeau and to the East the GATR site near Lac Cummings on top of Mont Cummings.  Judging from recent satellite photos, it seems the previous site of the GATR site has been repurposed, and an independent secondary surveillance radar (ISSR) has been built where, or near where, the GATR stood.  I'm unsure if the concrete block GATR building was demolished or re-purposed.

I have not yet taken a trip to Chibougamau yet, but hope to in 2014.

CFS Chibougamau and GATR Site
Courtesy of The Atlas of Canada

CFS Chibougamau Operations Site

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CFS Chibougamau GATR Site:

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CFS Ramore and GATR Site

Ramore Air Station was built by the USAF, then passed to the Canadians as RCAF Station Ramore, and was decommissioned as CFS Ramore in 1974. It was a sprawling base with 3 gravel runways, several rifle ranges, helipads, at least two private lakes for recreation, and two hilltops to locate radio gear, radar equipment, as well as Diesel generators. The Candian Forces continue to use the property for training off and on, and in 2005 they used it for Exercise Polar Bear, a training exercise in the snow
( http://www.legionmagazine.com/en/index.php/2005/05/polar-bear-school/ ) The buildings that made up the base, the generator building at the top of the mountain, and even the foundations of the radomes are in good shape compared to other Pinetree Line stations.

Slideshow of my latest CFS Ramore pictures from August 2013


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

I mentioned previously that along with the Pinetree Line radar sites there were supporting facilities; air fields were created, mini-radar stations built to fill in the gaps in coverage, and powerful radio transmitters were built to communicate with overflying NORAD fighter interceptors.  Well, every Pinetree Line station (AFAIK), in the early 60s, had their radio transmitters/receivers upgraded.  They went from two separate buildings by the base (say within ~1-2 Km, and on the station's grounds) to one remotely located a bit farther away (say ~3-30Km).  The upgraded transceivers were more powerful than the previous gear, and they didn't want interference from the Radar, or visa-versa.

While looking for the location of the CFS Ramore GATR site I found two hints on the internet:

Hint #1

Narrative Report
RCAF Station Ramore, Ont.
2 Oct 61 to 31 May 62

"19 Mar 62
The GATR site located north-west of the station 17 miles distant by
road, was accepted from the contractor this date."

Source: National Archives of Canada

Meaning, the contractor finished the work and officially handed the keys on that day to DND.  They'd been working on the facility for about two years .

Hint #2

"I was stationed at Ramore from Jan '65 to Jul '71. Worked at the GATR site, which was located just off the Watabeag road."
-Rick Lean,
 Hanover, Ontario

Source: http://highway11.ca/content/Ramore-Original-Comments.htm

By contacting Mike Milinkovic, I found out exactly where the CFS Ramore GATR was located.  From the satellite pictures it was very difficult to discern the location. Usually there is a bare patch measuring 400'x1000' where the antenna farm would have been.  In this case, the foliage had all grown back, leaving only a difference in the shade of green between the old growth and new growth.  I assume the location hasn't been maintained since CFS Ramore shut down in 1974, which explains how much he area's trees have grown.  The site is West of CFS Ramore, connected at one time by telephone cable along a cleared line that you can still see cut along the concession boundaries, is where the site stood.


(Location here: http://binged.it/15pivQU)

(Thanks to Thomas Page of the Online Air Defense Radar Museum for finding the hints above and trying to find the location with his resources too!) 


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Slideshow of my pictures of the CFS Ramore GATR Site

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.