Photo of westbound 5496 has passed Signal 46.1 at the east end of Ozada’s siding the track on this stretch of the Laggan Subdivision is fairly flat and straight so freights can travel at speeds of 50 miles an hour.
Heart Mountain south of the Trans – Canada Highway my father Herman always wanted to climb mountains, the Alpine Club of Canada was a bunch of old stuffed shirts, and you had to have a sponsor for membership. But in the 1960’s the old school died out, and the Calgary Section was mostly young university students, and dad had no problem joining. He started his climbing adventures in 1961 when I was 12 years old, the spring sessions usually started out on Mount Yamnuska where there were cliffs and rock faces where one could practice pitch climbing, traversing, and repelling. I came with him on many on many weekends, we would leave Calgary on Friday nights in his 1947 Dodge, we would usually pick Up a university student who had no transportation, and he would help out with the gas. I remember spending weekends at the campgrounds near Johnson’s canyon, and one of my favourites at Moraine Lake in the valley of the 10 Peaks. Dad would start out early with groups to climb a certain mountain. I was left alone at the campgrounds and would I Would hike up to Johnson’s Canyon, at Moraine Lake there were good paths to hike on. There was a CPR Lodge where they rented out canoes, I remember taking older ladies out on the lake. I remember that in those times I never saw any bears, and I never even thought about an encounter with any of them. Those were great times and the Banff National Park was never too crowded, now the campgrounds are all gone.
My father Herman on the summit of Heart Mountain this was in the spring of 1974, my father would always climb a mountain to get in shape for the summer climbing season. He was 66 years old that spring.
This is a photo of me on the summit of Heart Mountain in the spring of 1974. I was 25 years old, and was working as the tail end brakeman on the Zone 3 Way freight with weekends off so I was able to accompany my dad.
This is a view taken of Exshaw Mile 57 of the Laggan Subdivision, and the houses on the foreground is the the Hamlet of Lac des Arcs. On the North side of the Bow River is Exshaw with the Canada Cement Company that started out circa 1900, they’ve been blasting the mountain for over 120 years, and there still lots left. The company became Lafarge, and there is Steel Brothers limestone plant 1 3/4 miles east of the Exshaw plant.
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Canmore is located at Mile 69.5 of the Laggan Subdivision. Until 1898 The Canmore Mines Limited conducted coal mining operations in Alberta for 93 years until it closed its main and last mine at Canmore on July 13, 1979. It operated 2.6 miles of private track to reach the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline. It used steam locomotives until 1961 including ex CPR 6144 a 0-6-0 yard switcher. One of the very few sources of hard in Canada it was minded to a depth of 750 feet on 6000 acres east of Banff using compressed air locomotives underground and typical electric mining locomotives for above ground work. Following closure most buildings were quickly destroyed by the by the government. Canmore has since become a resort town with triple the population it once had. This redevelopment has erased almost all signs of its mining past.
This is a good view of our train CP 5789 W. stopped in the siding at signal 82.1 The Canadian Pacific Railway Station in Banff is a two-story, Arts and Crafts style railway station, built in 1910. It is prominently located at the foot of Lynx Street, facing the commercial centre of the town of Banff. You also get a good view of Mount Cascade
This is Massive siding and we are waiting for some Maintenance of Way machinery to clear the track, so we can continue on westward. the signal is North of the main track, and has a dummy mast to show you that the signal applies for the
We are approaching Signal 99.5 and Castle Mountain after World War II it was renamed Eisenhower Mountain, that didn’t set to well so it was renamed Castle Mountain and one of its peaks was named after Eisenhower
CP Extra 5789 West takes the siding at Eldon
Westbound at Lake Louise you can see the Log Building on the right side of the photo. In front and to the left of the station are some Maintenance of the Way machinery they are on the Château ‘spur
The Château Lake Louise had a Tramway that was a 42 inch narrow gauge Railway that started service in 1912, they were used to bring people from the Lake Louise station to and from the Château. The they were powered by gasoline, in 1925 bigger cars were required.
The need for this short railway line came about due to the ever increasing number of guests travelling on the CPR to vacation at their Château Lake Louise the railway station at Lake Louise was originally called Laggan. A major expansion of the Château was constructed in 1912-13 which would another 350 rooms to the earlier 1899 – 1908 construction. Horse-drawn vehicles were taking from an hour to an hour and one half to make their way steep climb of 800 feet in elevation. Complaints about cruelty to the animals prompted a change.
The line began at Laggan station,(Now Lake Louise) immediately crossed the Bow River and abruptly turned back and made its way across Louise Creek and A twisting path with sharp curves and a 4% grade to a loop at the Château. Was 3.61 miles long with the passing track, about equal to the distance by road. A turntable at Laggan was later replaced with a second loop. Cars were operated to meet all trains, making many roundabouts daily throughout the season from May until early September. It was also operated through the winter 1912-13 in the construction work on the Château expansion.
The original equipment was acquired from Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Co., Buffalo, New York; delivered on July 31, 1912
it consisted of 228 foot open bench passenger cars (40 and 41) that seated 35 and weighed about 10 tons; and to open freight cars for luggage (48 and 49), all were self-propelled with gasoline engines. It was soon decided 1/3 passenger car was a more use and in April 1914 car 48 was rebuilt into passenger car 42.
mostokay,In 1925, two new cars were added. This time bigger enclosed cars were built. Delivered May 27, 1925 they seated 43 passengers, weighed 17 times and were powered by Sterling 6 cylinder 150 hp gas engines. The original cars remain in use for busy traffic times.
The new equipment was short-lived as the service was) at the end of the 1930s season, possibly affected by the Great Depression and/or improve motor vehicles making the short trip. Rail were lifted in 1931 and unfortunately, the choice of narrow gauge prevented reviews of the equipment elsewhere on the CPR.
My father Herman sitting in front of the Château in the 1930s
We left Alyth it’s altitude 3428 feet, the altitude at Lake Louise is 5200 feet and the mileage is 116.6 the next station is Stephen altitude 5388 feet and it was 122.2 miles from Alyth to Stephen. We have climbed 1960 feet to Stephen and it is on the continental divide between Alberta, and British Columbia the descent from Stephen to Field, British Columbia is steep with grades of 2% the altitude at Field BC 4121 feet at mile 135.6 so from Stephen to Field is 13.4 Miles.
Surveyor Albert Bowman Rogers found the route that was called the Kicking Horse Pass. The greatest disadvantage of the route was in the Kicking Horse Pass, at the Alberta-British Columbia border on the continental divide. In the first 3.7 miles west of the 5331 feet high summit at Stephen the Kicking Horse River drops 1150 feet. The steep drop would force the cash-strapped CPR to build a 4.3 mile long stretch of track with a very steep 4 1/2% gradient once it reached the pass in 1884. This was over four times the maximum gradient recommended for railways on this era, and even modern railways rarely exceeded a 2% gradient. However, this route was far more direct than the one through the Yellow Head pass and saved hours for both passengers and freight. This section of track was the CPR’s Big Hill. Safety switches were installed at several points, the speed limit for descending trains was set at 6 miles an hour, and special locomotives were ordered. Despite these measures, several serious runaways still occurred including the first locomotive, which belonged to the contractors. To descend the line CPR officials insisted that this was a temporary expediency, but this state of affairs would last for 25 years until the completion of the Spiral Tunnels in the early 20th century. The eastbound Canadian has arrived, the lead locomotive is showing the Via livery.
The last spike of the CPR was driven by Donald Smith on November 7, 1885. The first transcontinental passenger train departed from Montréal’s Dalhousie Station, on June 28, 1886, and arrived at Port Moody at noon on July 4, 1886.
The Canadian Pacific Railway’s last attempt for passenger service came in 1955, it introduced The Canadian, a new luxury transcontinental train. That was implemented by CPR’s President Norris (Buck) Crump. However, in the 1960s the company started to pull out of passenger services, ending services on many of its branch lines. It also disconnected its secondary transcontinental train The Dominion in 1966, and in 1970, unsuccessfully applied to discontinue The Canadian. For the next eight years, it continued to apply to discontinue the service, and service on The Canadian declined markedly. On October 29, 1978, CP Rail transferred its passenger services to Via Rail Canada in 1978 a new federal Crown Corporation and is responsible for managing all inner-city passenger service formally handled by both CP Rail CN and Via eventually took almost all of its passenger trains, including The Canadian, off CP’s lines.The Canadian declined markedly. On October 29, 1978, CP Rail transferred its passenger services to Via Rail Canada in 1978 a new federal Crown Corporation and is responsible for managing all inner-city passenger service formally handled by both CP Rail CN and Via eventually took almost all of its passenger trains, including The Canadian, off CP’s lines.
The Canadian declined markedly. On October 29, 1978, CP Rail transferred its passenger services to Via Rail Canada in 1978 a new federal Crown Corporation and is responsible for managing all inner-city passenger service formally handled by both CP Rail CN and Via eventually took almost all of its passenger trains, including The Canadian, off CP’s lines.
The passenger train has finally arrived.
The Canadian with its “A” unit leading has been painted with the Via Rail livery. It is trailed by two CPR units, and are likely equipped with steam generators. When the passenger train is in the clear we will Get a clear signal at Signal 122.9, from here it’s all downhill to Field with the exception of a flat piece of track at Hector Mile 125.1
I had left this photo out I took this photo in 1974, me and my father have climbed Heart Mountain that is South of the Trans Canada Highway, the mountain on the other side of the valley is Mount Yamnuska, I thought that the name was Japanese, further research explained it’s odd name Yamnuska the 7350 foot peak named after the Nakoda word for “wall of stone” Yamnuska is derived from the Stony Nakoda word “lyamnathka” that describes the steep cliffs or “the flat faced mountain” The Calgary Chapter of the Alpine Club of Canada would hold “Rock School” every spring where you could practice pitch climbing, traversing, and repelling on the cliffs on the base of the mountain.
Siding at Stephen waiting for the eastbound passenger train “The Canadian” on Field hill all the eastbound trains are required to take the siding at Cathedral, Partridge, and Stephen.our brakeman is standing by the signals waiting for “The Canadian” he will give the train a pull by inspection, notice how high the dwarf signal is compared to our brakeman. in the second view the eastbound passenger train has shown up.
In the third view you can clearly see the Via Rail paint scheme on the leading “A” unit with the two trailing units are still in CPR’s action red.
Yearly passenger levels on Canada’s passenger trains peaked at 60 million during World War II. Following the war the growth of air travel and the personal automobile clause significant loss of mode share for Canada’s passenger train operators. By the 1960s it was obvious to both Canadian National Railways (CN) and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) that passenger trains were no longer economically viable. CP sought to divest itself of its passenger trains, but the federal government regulators and politicians balked, forcing them to maintain a minimal service through the 1970s, with the government subsidizing up to 80% of losses. CN, being a Crown corporation at that time. Was encouraged by the federal government and political interests to invest in passenger trains. Innovative marketing schemes such as Red, White, and Blue fares, new equipment such as scenic no cars, and rail diesel cars, in 1974 when the government the Pierre Trudeau comes to implement a nationwide carrier similar to Amtrak in the United States. On 29 October 1978 Via assume that all CP passenger train operations
We are aproaching the West signal at Partridge Mile 127.5 the signal is clear.
Here we are westbound at Partridge, the eastbound No. 2 the Canadian is in the clear and we should be able to continue our trip. Notice the lead unit on the Canadian is wearing the CPR livery.
Here we are at the west Signal at Partridge Mile 128.7 it displays green and will be entering the East End of Spiral Tunnel No. 1
A photo of Spiral Tunnel No. 2 looking down from the West end of Partridge Siding and how it got its name.
Wooden sign at a viewpoint, and explanation of the Spiral Tunnels and how they work.
This is a view inside Tunnel No.1
Exiting The bottom portal of Spiral No. 1
Photo of exiting Spiral Tunnel No.2