Canadian National was the second
Canadian railway to lay tracks through the Rocky Mountains. Nevertheless the surveyors
found a less steeply graded route through the Yellowhead Pass and then down the Thompson
River to Kamloops. From here the route parallels the Canadian Pacific Railway line down
the Thompson & Fraser gorges towards Vancouver. As a result CN unlike the CPR does not
use mid-train helper units and often only has two units on the head-end.
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In our first photo an SD40-2(W) # 5305 and an SD40 # 5137 haul
a loaded grain train across a trestle over the Thompson River north of Clearwater, BC.
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Here we see two SD60 units led by 5524 with an empty grain
train about to head east out of the yards at Jasper, Alberta.
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At Kamloops we see a westbound double-stack container train changing crews. CN 9477, a
GP40-2(W) is on the point with the two GE B36-7s which were painted in Great Canadian
Railtours livery. These were leased by GCRT from Santa Fe in the summer months but on 19
May 1993 they are on lease to CN. However they will soon return to their duties on the
Rocky Mountaineer.
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Here one of the units (7498) is hauling the Rocky Mountaineer
on Canadian Pacific tracks at Revelstoke on 19 August 1991.
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Other commodities that are hauled in unit trains across
the Rocky, Selkirk and Coastal Mountains to Vancouver include coal, sulphur and potash.
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On the left we see two SD60s (5511 & 5559) & GE Dash
9-44CWL 2505 with a westbound loaded coal train of new aluminium hoppers in the Fraser
River Valley at the crew change point of Boston Bar.
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Above we see an eastbound empty coal train of older steel
hoppers returning to the mine hauled by GE Dash 8-40CM # 2451 and GE Dash 9-44CWL # 2518
also at Boston Bar.
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Some of the sulphur hauled by Canadian National originates from a
gas plant near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. It first must be hauled east to Mirror
before going north to Edmonton and then east to Vancouver.
In summer, the branch line from Rocky Mountain House to Mirror experiences large
temperature changes between day and night and so heavy trains are generally hauled at
night or in the early morning when sun-kinking of the tracks is less likely to occur.
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Here we see a loaded sulphur train in the early morning of 13
June 1995 passing through Sylvan Lake, Alberta (east of Rocky Mountain House) hauled by
two SD50s (5450 in the lead) and a GE Dash 8-40CM. These locomotives often take the train
all the way to Vancouver.
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The branchline from Mirror to Rocky Mountain House also
carries grain and oil products. However, because these are lighter trains they can run in
the daytime. Here we see a way freight hauled by three GP38-2(W)s 4778, 4784 and 4796
heading east at Blackfalds on 16 June 1995.
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Here we see the CN Test train checking the track geometry of
the branchline at Sylvan Lake on 13 June 1995.
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Edmonton, Alberta has a large yard complex originally called the
Calder yards but recently renamed the Walker yards. The final shots are taken here.
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On the left we see two GP9RMs (rebuilt by Canadian National) awaiting their next duties.
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On the right we see GMD1 # 1133 (also upgraded by CN) hauling
a transfer freight from the former Northern Alberta Railway Dunvegan yards to Walker
yards.
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Finally we see two GP38-2u locomotives and two hump booster
units(CN designation HBU-4) 7516, 518, 517 & 7513 sling shunting freight wagons near
the hump tower which I believe is now closed.
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