A Cat train is a train of one or more supply sleds/sleighs hauled by a
continuous track
Continuous track or tracked treads are a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the w ...
vehicle, and is typically used in roadless areas. They are so named for the caterpillar tracks of the hauling vehicle.
In northern climates, they were used to haul supplies to isolated communities in winter before engineers such as
John Denison created modern
winter roads which enabled standard winterized semi-trucks and trailers to haul these loads and heavier freight.
Cat trains are still used in areas where winter roads cannot be built, such as along the
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...
, as seen in Season 9 of ''
Ice Road Truckers
''Ice Road Truckers'' (commercially abbreviated ''IRT'') is a reality television series that aired on History Channel from 2007 to 2017. It featured the activities of drivers who operated trucks on ice roads crossing frozen lakes and rivers, i ...
''.
References
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* {{Cite news, url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-cat-train-1.3266376, title=Historic cat train given a new home by N.W.T. Mining Society, work=CBC News, access-date=2017-12-02, language=en
Land transport