Canadian Railroads > MLW Monday's- Empty coal eastbound through Fernie

Vacation's over; time to get back to some MLW Monday's postings. On the August 1973 long weekend, CP extra east 4562-4567 roll their empty coal train through Fernie British Columbia. Destination Sparwood. Richard Yaremko

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Today, Fernie BC is a destination ski resort, however it's origin was a coal mining town.  It once hosted three railways, the Canadian Pacific, the Great Northern and the Morrisey,Fernie and Michel.  The GN was the first to leave in the 1930's when that railway switched to oil firing, and sold their interest in BC coal mines. The MF&M lasted to the 1950's when the mine it serviced closed. BC Highway 3 is built partly on the GN right of way between Elko and Fernie. Much of the rest of the GN right of way is beneath Lake Koocanusa. This line branched off the GN main line at Rexford MT.

Fernie had is disasterous fire in the early 1900's, thankfully with little loss of life, but most buildings were destroyed. When the town rebuilt, many building were rebuilt as brick or stone, resulting in some fine architecture.

CP however rebuilt in wood, and the large Fernie station is preserved across the road from the railway as an art gallery. In the 1970's, Fernie station was painted green and cream, a paint scheme unique to the old CP Kootenay Division (Nelson and Erickson and possibly Creston were others)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/15 11:42 by eminence_grise.