Canadian Railroads > Canadian Northern's Last Spike Jan.23,1915

In Kamloops BC, a group of retired CN employees and staff celebrated the centenary of driving the last spike on the Canadian Northern on January 23rd, 1915.

The location was near Ashcroft BC, at Mile 62.5 (west of Kamloops Junction) on the CN Ashcroft Sub. on the north bank of the Thompson River, and far below the Trans Canada Highway down a steep bank with no road access.

The Canadian National Railways Historical Association is planning a summer event in Kamloops, June 19th to 21st. I will publish more details when they do.

The CNor was in deep financial trouble when they drove the last spike. Within a few years, CNor failed and became part of the Canadian Government Railways, which later became the Canadian National.

When the Canadian National was created, much of the transcontinental main line was the former Grand Trunk Pacific, however the former Canadian Northern route from Red Pass Junction BC to Vancouver was chosen as the westernmost part of the CN main.

The image shows the Canadian Northern's bridge over the North Thompson at Kamloops Junction,still in main line use today. The lift span was used only during the construction period and is long deactivated. On the occasion of the operation of the first passenger train to Vancouver, the train was posed on this bridge, and employees and area citizens posed on this bridge including the towers of the lift span.

HI,
Just to support E-G's vision of the bridge; this is a neat photo location, in all seasons.

And once RMR starts up, a good location for a photo op with morning departures westbound.

Here's hoping there will be some kind of ceremony this summer.

611

---

Great 2nd pic!!

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In Kamloops BC, a group of retired CN employees
> and staff celebrated the centenary of driving the
> last spike on the Canadian Northern on January
> 23rd, 1915.
>
> The location was near Ashcroft BC, at Mile 62.5
> (west of Kamloops Junction) on the CN Ashcroft
> Sub. on the north bank of the Thompson River, and
> far below the Trans Canada Highway down a steep
> bank with no road access.

The commemorative marker on the highway is above Mile 62.5, but CN historian Les Kozma, writing in the latest issue of CN Lines, puts the actual location of the last spike at around Mile 59.6, immediately west of the Canadian Northern Railway's bridge No. 4, which is a little west of Basque. Kozma's article has a photo of the commemorative marker, but the caption notes that it is west of the last spike location, which is not visible from the highway. The marker says the spike was driven "near Basque".

Kozma's location is accessible with permission of the ranch owner whose lands surround the site, and there is a photo of a westbound Rocky Mountaineer at this location in the article.

zfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great 2nd pic!!


AGREED...!!!