Canadian Railroads > Border crossings between the UP and CP at Kingsgate?

What is the procedure for the S/B CP train crew upon arrival at Kingsgate, BC? Do they wait for the US inspectors to let the train into the US? Who opens the gate? Is it a UP or CP crew that brings the train across the border? How does US Customs inspect the train? When does the interchange occur?

Mike Root
Madras, OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/14 15:57 by shortlineboss.

A few years ago I crossed through Kingsgate coming back into Canada and had to pay some duty. While waiting for service, a UP crew came into the "trackside" part of the building with the paper work for their train to be handed of to CP. It was near shift change time for the customs agent, and when one of the agents asked the crew if they had passports, one of the railroaders piped up "I got a driver's licence!" The customs people signed, shook their heads, and decided to leave the UP crew for the night shift to handle...

-Trevor

I can't speak for the present day, but in 1971 I was briefly a UP operator at Eastport. The procedure then: The UP would drop a train for interchange at Eastport. The CP crew would take their power across the border and pick up the train, pulling it slowly over the border so the Canadian Customs agent could confirm the train consist. Similarly, the CP would drop a train for interchange at Kingsgate. The UP crew would take the power across the border and pick up the train, pulling it slowly past the Eastport depot so the US Customs agent could confirm the train consist.

Attached is a photo from 1975 of the CP power on the Eastport side, picking up the interchange from UP. After the CP crew pulled the train over the border and into their siding, the UP crew will take their power and follow it north to couple on to the train coming south standing on the main line. I also attach a photo of the US Customs agent inspecting the southbound train. The last photo is of the UP (SI) train #9 heading south a couple miles out of Eastport.

In the 1970s, there was only one train interchanged each way per day, normally in the early morning. The UP crew and CP crew would eat breakfast together at the local greasy spoon in Eastport, there being no place to eat on the Canadian side. After breakfast, they would make the moves depicted.

Best regards,

Rob L.

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In March 2010, I was returning aboard TIOGA PASS in freight service after an escort trip in Canada. I billed the car CP Kingsgate UP Spokane for delivery to Amtrak. When the train arrived in Kingsgate, the UP agent was held on overtime to tell me emphatically that I could not ride the car on UP track. I knew that already but was hoping they would just overlook my presence. No such luck. The UP crew pulled the train across the border and stopped to let me off at the border gate. The US customs men boarded my car looking for who knows what, and after a quick guided tour/inspection, the train was cleared to go, but I am in Eastport, Idaho, which is about as thriving as Nipton, California!
I wandered down the hill to the US border office, and presented my passport. I had to explain how I got to Eastport because the customs man knew I didn't have a car. "How are you going to get to Spokane", he growled.
"Oh, I don't know" I said "maybe I can find a ride."
"Well you'll have a hard time doing that...Not much traffic around here...No taxis or Greyhound either!" I decided not to ask him for suggestions.
"Where are you going" the man in line behind me asked. "Why don't you ride with me? I'd welcome the company!"
I winked at the customs man "Enjoy your day, sir!", and we were off!
It took 6 days for the UP to get my private car back to Spokane. They took it all the way to Hinkle, Oregon, held it for two days, then returned it on the Spokane local. When the UP finally gets it back, the local trainmaster said he had to hold my car for payment of the freight charges. Two hours on the phone with Omaha was an amusing exercise! The UP customer service people said that the car was held for freight charges because no one knew the correct rate! We got that corrected - I had a credit account with UP!
The car was delivered to BNSF at Spokane, who promptly delivered to the Amtrak station and the next night, we were westbound on the Empire Builder.
The ride from Lethbridge to Spokane was as beautiful a rail trip as I have ever had. It was almost worth the struggle.

TIOGA PASS

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

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