Canadian Railroads > Portal ND/North Portal SK. 1976 and 2021

The former Soo Line railroad crosses over into Saskatchewan from North Dakota right on the 49th parallel north. It has long been an active route between the US and Canada.
In 1976, the Soo Line and CP swapped trains across the International Boundary but the motive power stayed in Canada or the US.

A meet between CP train 940 and a westbound Soo Line train took place right on the boundary in 1976, with the power swap taking place over a crossover right in front the Soo Line station.

First Avenue, North Portal crosses the tracks feet from the border, which is indicated by a sign beside the tracks.  In 2021, the track layout appears unchanged. As CP now owns the Soo Line, no power swap takes place at the border any more. 

Facing west, in 1976, CP train 940 waits beside the CP North Portal station. The station and grain elevators are gone. The station has been replaced by a crew resthouse.

I had to spend a week in Portal in the early 70;s for a Western RR Assn study on lumber have very fond memories of that week,

What I really want (need)to know is if the 3 story hotel on the Saskatchewan side is still there.?  SOO agent Jim Legg woould take me there after his shift and we would drink ice cold Calgary Exoort Ale.

mns019 Wrote:
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> I had to spend a week in Portal in the early 70;s
> for a Western RR Assn study on lumber have very
> fond memories of that week,
>
> What I really want (need)to know is if the 3 story
> hotel on the Saskatchewan side is still there.? 
> SOO agent Jim Legg woould take me there after his
> shift and we would drink ice cold Calgary Exoort
> Ale.

Sadly, there is no hotel on the Saskatchewan side, and even more sadly "The good old barley sandwhich", Calgary Export Ale is no more also, taken over by one of the big breweries decades ago.

North Portal shares a golf club with Portal ND, however play is suspended during Covid 19

How did they handle the caboose's on these trains, did they also get swapped out at the border?

Dwayne

Notice the "Loram" rail grinder in the background.  Neat. Fred

Blackfoot Wrote:
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> How did they handle the caboose's on these trains,
> did they also get swapped out at the border?
>
> Dwayne

I worked as a trainman on the CP Kingsgate turn out Cranbrook. The track layout at KingsgateBC/Eastport ID was very similar.
Kingsgate had two tracks which connected to the two SI (UP) track at the Border. CP 979 would slow to a crawl arriving at Kingsgate, and the conductor would cut off the caboose. The train would continue to clear the outer main track switch. The tail end trainman would line the switch for the other track. Because it was downgrade into Kingsgate, the conductor would release the handbrake on the caboose and coast all the way down into the UP yard carrying the paperwork. He would then roll it into a pocket track.Both Eastport and Portal have a crossover right on the Border. The rest of the train would proceed into the US,and the units return to the UP station.  In the 1970's, both the CP and UP crew would go to "Pegs" cafe for breakfast. The UP crew would add their caboose (still lettered "Spokane International") to the southbound train with their units and then tie on the head end. The CP crew would back the units onto the UP train, head north and then back onto the caboose.  Kingsgate/Eastport is busier with rail traffic these days, as is North Portal/Portal.

TIOGA PASS will cross the border at Portal about August 15th headed for Calgary.  I  note the VACUS (x-ray) machine for the American customs use by the depot.
Border crossings are always interesting, esapecially in a private railcar on a freight train.

Norm

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

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