Nostalgia & History > A Canadian Adventure Part 5

August 9, 1979

Leaving Revelstoke early in the morning we headed for Golden via Rogers Pass. Since there isn’t much opportunity to shoot trains along the route, we did the tourist thing and spent most of the morning shooting scenery and such. It was after noon when we finally made it to Golden.

#1 Sitting at the depot was the 8677 getting instruction for it’s next switching move in the yard which is just east of there.

#2 Golden is where the line from Cranbrook joins the east/west main line, and the line most if not all of the coal trains come up on. We decided to head south for a ways, but it wasn’t long before we encountered the 5815 north. We though of continuing south, but decided to go back to Golden instead.

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#3-4 Soon the 5821 came through on it’s way south. Helpers for the train consisted of three SD40 types and a RCU car, 1008/Robot-8. The first car out in the parking lot was the assigned vehicle for the trip, a brand new Chevy Citation. This was the first front wheel drive car I had driven. Not bad, but every service station attendant want to look under the hood and see what made it tick. It also functioned as a pretty good gray-card in the sea of dark green forests.

#5 The van (caboose) on the 5821.

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#6 After awhile a set of power came up from the holding yard south of town for servicing.

#7 Next up was the 5775 coming by one of CP’s home made snow plows.

#8 Just south of the yard we shot the 5862 coming across the river.

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#9 Back at the yard we found a old baggage car now serving as a storage MW car, and

#10 a really old spreader.

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#11 After getting some gas the 5862 now brings it’s train into town and out onto the main line for the trip west.

#12 The 5862 has remote helpers as did the all coal trains we saw.

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#13 We decide to venture into the wilderness and see what we could find. East of Golden the head int Kicking Horse Canyon, where we catch the 5832 on a pig train. It will have a meet at the next siding with a westbound then continue on it’s way.

#14 A short time later the 5726 makes it’s way to Golden with a merchandise train.

#15 Later that evening we went back to the depot to catch #1 The Canadian. It was a little late getting in, much to the delight of the mosquitoes, the only ones we encountered on the whole trip.

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Beautifully sharp images John, that scanner of yours must be working overtime!

Well not quite. I give it a break once in awhile.

Nice nice nice

I am dying to know if you turned west and hit BCR though

Brian E

West. That would be in the opposite direction as east, right?

SP6190 Wrote:
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> West. That would be in the opposite direction as
> east, right?



Generally speaking, yes...Unless, of course, you did the circumnavigation thing and ended up west that way.

I suppose this is your way of telling me that I missed something about your itinerary in an earlier post?

You didn't miss anything. After heading norht out of Portland we followed the CP east as Calgary, then up to Edmonton, and followed the CN west to Prince George. Spent only one full day there jumping back and forth between the CN and BCR (not enough time), and finally headed back south again.

SP6190 Wrote:
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> #13 We decide to venture into the wilderness and
> see what we could find. East of Golden the head
> through a river canyon, and we catch the 5832 on a
> pig train. It will have a meet at the next siding
> with a westbound then continue on it’s way.
>

John:

Just so you know, the river canyon you were in was and still is the Kicking Horse Canyon.


cp1400

cp1400

Thanks for the info.


John