Canadian Railroads > 1985 cab ride on The Canadian

Back in 1985, myself and a friend booked a roomette on #1, the Westbound VIA Canadian out of Montreal to Vancouver. When the train was preparing to depart Calgary, my friend and I were taking shots of the head end, when the engineer and his fireman struck up a conversation with us. They offered to give us a ride on the head end of #1 and told us to make our way to the head end when the train stopped in Banff. My friend and I ran like crazy to the head end at Banff and had the ride of a lifetime up Kicking Horse Pass and through the Spiral Tunnels down to Field where the crew detrained. I have enclosed a picture of the head end crew and was hoping someone on this board might be able to identify either of the crewmen, so that I might try and track down their families and send them a picture of their fathers/grandfathers from this time. Thank You for help.

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That was apparently not uncommon back in the day. Can you only imagine it happening today? 

Had been offered a cab ride right out of Vancouver.on the CN way back when. Just think of riding through the Fraser River Canyon.

Of course I was around 12 years old and we had dropped off one of the family to ride the train across the Continent. What a surprise that would have been when the found out I didn't have a ticket and was supposed to be at school in Seattle the next day.

Anyone think the "good old days" were better?  I doubt I'm alone in this sentiment.

My cab rides were few, but glorious to me....and, all were by invitation.  

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

agentatascadero Wrote:
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> My cab rides were few, but glorious to me....and,
> all were by invitation.  
>

I think that is the unwritten rule, they have to be by invitation.  You can't ask. :-)

I've been lucky to be invited up a couple times, over 20 years ago now.  It will likely never happen again (at least not on a Class 1).

GTD

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> That was apparently not uncommon back in the day.
> Can you only imagine it happening today? 

I wonder with ALL of your experience riding on The Canadian you cannot help the original poster!

When I was a maintainer in Alberta many moons ago,  I didn.t have a vehicle.  My pass said "good on engines"
so I was legally entitled to ride the head end.  My main ride was Wainwright to Edmonton on freights.
It is an experience to be going down the track at  60 and see all those vehicles approaching crossings, and
wondering if that one will stop.  Enjoyed the ride though.  Later, they gave me a truack.  Pity. 
             Sid

My last cab ride was on Algoma Central.  North of the Soo, an engineer found my wife in the baggage car (also not likely today) and asked her if she wanted a  cab ride.  She got me and we proceeded along the outside of the moving locomotive to the cab.  Held on tight to the rail on the outside of the locomotive as we were going through an area with curves.  Indeed, would not happen today!

Great picture, I am sure this is a great memory, and I hope you have some luck in the hunt to find!!!

Does anyone know up until "about" what year a cab ride was likely to have happened without a lot of uproar? Obviously the first pic has it at least through mid-80s. Even when fading out, seems to me it was still more popular and "OK" to do in Canada than the US. 

It's still amazing to me in this litigious world that we live in, that the Rocky Mountaineer and even Alaska RR has its "outdoor viewing platform." 

The cab ride from Field to Banff is absolutely amazing! When in the moment it's tough to sometimes still comprehend that there's no regular passenger traffic ("The Canadian") on this route any more. And then to pass many stations still there with the yellow stripe mark, but they will never see regular passenger service again. 

 

I worked both CP and later Via 1  & 2 from Revelstoke to Field BC in the late 1970's and early 80's as a locomotive fireman and second engineer, during which time I got to know the Calgary based engine crews fairly well. I don't recognize these fellows however. Cab rides from Banff or Lake Louise to Field were common, west from there not.  

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/19 15:40 by eminence_grise.

jp1822 Wrote:
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> Does anyone know up until "about" what year a cab
> ride was likely to have happened without a lot of
> uproar? Obviously the first pic has it at least
> through mid-80s. Even when fading out, seems to me
> it was still more popular and "OK" to do in Canada
> than the US. 

I think the incident that ended it, at least on CN, was the Edson runaway, which not only killed the two crewmembers but also an unofficial "guest" in the cab that night.  That was in August of 1996.

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/1996/r96c0172/r96c0172.asp

My cousin, who was on the CPR payroll as a musician for the Holiday Train, got a cab ride a few years ago.  He wasn't exactly the "public", but not a regular employee by any means either.

I suspect that somebody working, and therefore covered by somebody's Workers Comp. would be much more likely to get permission than somebody on their own time who might later seek compensation from the company if anything went wrong.

GTD