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Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Well, I am suppose to be out in the middle of nowhere enjoying myself and then carrying on to Alberta. Let's just say we had a rough start to the trip.
First of all the last member of our (four RV) travelling group arrived a few days after we did at our secluded spot to inform my wifes sister in law that her mother had passed away. We were over an hour to the closest phone, so they came in to tell her and us. It was too late in the day to head home at that point, so we decided to sleep on our plan of action. A while later (same day) my wifes friend went from feeling great to being in a serious medical condition in two minutes flat. Like I said over an hour to the nearest phone and an hour and a half to the nearest Hospital.
My wife is a Veterinarian and insist she doesn't do people every time I ask her to stitch me up or do something else as far as repairs. We got our friend into the truck and thanks to my wife was in much better shape by the time they got to the Hospital.
Next! Much later in the day, well into the evening in fact. I was wrestling with my daughter to try and ease the tension of the day. Well she must have been watching WWF behind my back as she (quite accidentally) slammed my head into an immovable object. It was her revenge for making her paint all those HO people! Anyway I was opened up from above the hairline to my nose and was leaking quite badly. Good thing my wife carries a very large Doctor bag. I finally got her to stitch me up after twenty years. For insisting she doesn't do people she had to do two in one day. My wife looks just like Meryl Streep to the point people have often asked if she is her. There I was lying in the reclining lawn chair gazing into my beautiful wifes eye's as she went to work. Now I know how the dogs feel.
So after a week we had to wave the flag and come home, however we will be leaving in a few days for Alberta along with our friend who has fully recovered from her ordeal.
So British Columbia is full of lakes and in the not so distant past the barge links were extensive. Often the lake levels can get quite high or very low.
I came across this pic of a crew polling an apron into place.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Exactly what my first guess was - a giant vacuum cleaner!
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/qf/c/ModernMechanix/2-1930/lrg_rail_vacuum_cleaner.jpg
I may not have all the answers, but I am VERY good at using search queries.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Heck Batman, remind me not to go on holidays with you!!!! Black Eye (Hope things go well in Part 2).
Thanks Bear, I hope part 2 goes better as well. Adding to the things that went wrong to the first part of the trip was the fact that the Western half of Canada is on fire and you cannot escape the smoke no matter where you are. Rest assured we will be alright as 300 Kiwi's have flown up to join the fight and help save the day.
Being a sort of an aviation type of guy. Have you ever seen one of these up close and personal. We have two in our Provincial fire fighting airforce. I have been lucky enough to see them in action on more than one occasion. They are very cool machines.
I like the the monster vacuum. Are you sure you can't find a video of it in action?????
Canadian Pacific has an extensive track vacuuming program through the Rockies as the carnage of wildlife especially Grizzly bears has been awful. The bears seem oblivious to trains. They sit and eat all the grain that drops out of the hoppers along the way.
There is an article on one of the CP websites about a very, very old Grizzly that lives at the "massive siding" near Banff. He has only lived to his ripe old age because of the easy "grain" pickins on the rail bed. Apparently he pays no attention to the railcrews that walk by and has become somewhat of a mascot of sorts.
The CBC did a very good story on the track vacuuming program about ten years ago, I can't find it in their archives though. The best I could do was this. I wonder if this guy is related to Brothe Elias???
BATMANI like the the monster vacuum. Are you sure you can't find a video of it in action?????
BATMAN Have you ever seen one of these up close and personal.
Note the comments, and on closer examination you can see it's correct - the train from which the photo was taken is standing on a siding. You can see one of the crew down the track checking the eastbound for hotboxes and dragging equipment as it rolls by. Also you can see the ballast is much thinner under the tracks on which the photo caboose is sitting, compared to that on which the eastbound is rolling.
Well we are making another unplanned pit stop at home after nearly four weeks on the road through the Rockies to Alberta. We have almost 2000 pics in the Nikon, some of them are even railroad related. Once my daughter sees me with the camera she quickly relieves me of it to take over. Having taken many courses and belonging to the school photography club, makes her much more proficient at taking pic's than I ever could be.
I did take these three up near glacier in the Rockies. I noticed that since my last trip through the area, they seem to have shovels,brooms, picks and other assorted tools hanging at switch stands service boxes and elsewhere. For you modern day modelers it is a little detail that can add more realism to the layout.
I was taking pics of these when the Rocky Mountaineer happened by. I did not have enough memory left in the Nikon for an HD video so quickly grabbed my phone. Sorry for the poor quality.
I have a lot of great shots (railroad related) of the trip if anyone is interested I will post more.
BATMANif anyone is interested I will post more
Yes please.
Albert Canyon use to be a CPR pusher station long ago and had a small CP town associated with it. Here is a link to lots of old photo's
http://albert-canyon.blogspot.ca/2012_12_01_archive.html
The town disappeared and up sprang a campground called Canyon Hot Springs.
Here is my and our friends sites as it looks today.
It a great spot to sit at the trailer and watch the trains roll by. Sometimes one right after another and sometimes there are long breaks between, fortunately that doesn't happen too often.
The campsite is full of railfans from all over the world and because I book the best site early so I can have the best view, they all end up with their lawnchairs at my trailer. This year there were an awful lot of Germans and they drank an awful lot of my beer. They were all great guys and we had a good time. One year there was a CP engineer from Calgary camped there and he was building his "N scale" town on his picnic table while watching the action.
Here are some very short video's taken with my phone while sitting in my reclining lawn chair at the trailer. This is where the real grind into the Rockies begins, they're really startin to work hard at this point.
I usually take my Mountain bike with me and ride for miles along the tracks, however due to an injury I am unable to ride until my shoulder surgery at the end of the summer. ( I didn't want to ruin my summer so I pushed it back)
We did walk a few miles in each direction and came across this very active blasting area where CP gets its rip rap and ballast from. Last time we were here, there was old (steam Powered) equipment left over from long ago just rusting away in the weeds. It was all pretty cool. We couldn't get any closer than what the photo shows as we didn't want to put ourselves in a bad position with the blasting going on.
Here is looking down the old wye. The cement building on the right is an old explosives shed.
The steel plates you see on the side are vents.
There is a derail siding here and it is probably a good idea given the long decent from the East.
Here is an old speeder/equipment shed that has obviously been upgraded several times over the years.
You can see where the rails once came out. Now burried in the cement below.
A little super elevation into the grade.
A couple of other shots of trains that came by while we were exploring. Almost always got a wave and/or a toot from the crew.
This is a You-Tube video taken at Canyon Hot Springs. Even though it is no longer a pusher station trains often stop here and ad or remove power as required. I saw a real mixed bag of power at times with some oldies pressed into service.
Canyon Hot Springs is a great place for any train buff. After a hard day of trainwatchin, it's off to the hotpools to unwind.
I guess they can get away with that up in Canada, but if they put shovels and brooms just hanging like that around here, they'd be gone before the week was out.
rrinker I guess they can get away with that up in Canada, but if they put shovels and brooms just hanging like that around here, they'd be gone before the week was out. --Randy
Not a problem up here in the Great White North Randy. As soon as you pop out of the womb a hockey stick is put in one hand and a snow shovel in the other.
Way back in August 2006 was the last time we got to spend time in the Rockies exploring old railway bridges, snowsheds, roadbeds and other remaining infrastructure of the old CPR. Back then I took the precaution of sending my daughter on ahead to check for Grizzly bears along the original CPR roadbed from 1886. She obviously did an amazing job as I returned safely.
2006
Now nine years later after considerable investment into the kids education I thought it prudent to take some precautions as there was a increase in Grizzly bear sightings this year. So we bought a new can of bear spray a new airhorn and new bells. We were ready.
So I sent my son on ahead!.......Weeelllll you just never know.
I had been in touch with Matthew Hicks who many of you know by his amazing rail photo's and he gave me a list of good train watchin spots around Banff. So off we went! Aidan and I had a great day sittin watching trains and talking. In between the trains, we just had to suffer through looking at the best scenery in the world (IMO)
The pics are not the best ( railpictures.ca would not take any of them) but here are a few just to show what the day was like.
If Locomotives were living things, I think these ones would be looking at those mountains ahead thinking "there they are boys, lets getter done"
Next! The prairies.
Living in the rugged mountainous region of the West coast, is in itself a treat, but as Bear commented above, the vastness of the prairies can be jawdropping to a person that has never seen it before. Even though I have made the drive between Vancouver and my hometown of Winnipeg on many occasions, each time I hit the prairies I am quite taken by its unique beauty. You leave the Rocky mountains and enter the city of Calgary, upon exiting the city to the East there is 1600 KMS of wheat and canola staring at you.
We first headed to Dinosaur Provincial Park for three days which is well worth a visit. Surrrounded by prairie, the landscape is so different, it is like being on another planet. It is continually giving up the bones of of those monsters from the distant past.
We then returned to a place called Spruce Meadows South of Calgary for six days of dog show.
For my son, daughter and myself, watching paint dry is better than being at a dog show. The things we do for mom. Got the trailer set up among the hundreds and hundreds of other RVs from all over North America. My primary mission of delivering the wife and fleabags to Alberta had been accomplished.
The kids and I were out of there every day on an adventure somewhere. We went up to the Calgary Olympic park and went on the luge run. #1 son had a spectacular wipe out that finished him for the day. Even though he had some minor leakage and felt like his arms were broken, he was all smiles on the day. Other stops included the Calgary Zoo and a few other places.
The day I was looking forward to the most was, The hunt for the elusive"prairie sentinal". The two most important things on my model railroad are, mountainous terrain and the old wooden grain elevators from the past. As these"prairie sentinels" are disappearing at an alarming rate, I wanted to see some up close and in real life. The kids were game, so off we went.
Mossleigh, Alberta.
If you look at the side of the elevator, it looks like it has a tear in the, some sort of wrap, that had been put on the exterior to help preserve the structure. I wish I had given it a closer inspection while I was there. Anyone know what the wrap might be?
All three elevators were no longer in use and are just there as if they were frozen in time. We did not see a soul anywhere the whole time we were there. I was amazed by all the equipment that is still there, untouched by souvenir hunters.
A few pieces of RR equipment are parked there.
This flat car has a coupler stand and rails on it. Don't know what they would put on it, anyone????
An odd shaped wheat bin would make for something a little different on the layout.
What's this used for? Anyone???
Date on the rails. They would have been bringing the grain by horse drawn wagons when this was layed down.
#1 daughter coming to remove camera from dear old dad. She has spotted some good subject artifacts to take photo's of. I see an essay for school in the works already.
We took lots of photo's at the highest quality of the vast landscape. I am hoping to stitch them together to use as a backdrop.
The middle of nowhere.
A little grilled butterfly anyone?
Vulcan Alberta was the next stop that day. It has made itself a Star Trek meca.
This greets you at the gateway to the town.
All the street signs look like this.
The library.
A computer shop.
So when people visit me and see I have Vulcan on my grain elevator, know it is a real place and had many of the old prairie sentinels at one time.
Next stop was Brant. A pile of ancient old switch stands are piled off the tracks in the wheat field.
1907 is the year on these rails.
I am not sure about this thing. It was down the track from the elevator. Apparently there is a video online showing it in operation, but I have been unable to find it.
I put my 13 year old daughter in charge of navigating. When I asked for directions to our next destination she said this highway will take us there, but dad we don't take highways do we. So 23 KMS along the straight as an arrow section road she got us on, I pulled over and made her drive. Didn't hit pavement for another 27KMS. That kid sure had a smile on her face as she cruised through the Canadian prairie. We switched back before we came across a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police hooking up a horse trailer to the back of his RCMP pickup truck. Yes even the mounties drive pickups on the prairies. He was going to haul the horses the rest of the way home for the farmer who's truck had broken down.
When we returned home, we went to a rather large barbecue party. Many of the people at the bash had traveled to Alberta for the dog show. Knowing that the kids and I had gone off every day on an adventure, they were asking them what was the best day. I was quite surpised when they said it was the "great prairie sentinel adventure". I think it will be one of those days they remember with delight for the rest of their lives.
Surely I am not the only person that had some RR related activities this summer. Lets see those summer vacation pic's guys!
I forgot to post this with the above. Track, still in use and abandon is criss-crossed all over the prairie and you see short locals picking up the grain cars as you drive around. If only this had been a hundred years ago and this was a steam engine.
Brent:
I don't know what is grown in that area, but I wonder whether the strange steel structure at Brant could be the remains of a beet loader. I've seen some that had a similar appearance. Or I could be way off base.
Tom
Tom, I don't think it is a beat loader as all you see out there are wheat and canola crops. I am still trying to find the video a friend told me about.
Bear, was that "Red October" going up the river along side those speeding steamers?
It was all I could do to not spring for some of the BLI Hudson offerings. I already stray far to far from what Canadian model railroading should look like.
The family had planned to stop at the "Spiral Tunnels" on the way back from Alberta and Hike/walk (when does a walk become a hike anyway?) to both the upper and lower tunnels. You know they must be some impressive engineering when even the wife thinks they are something to behold. Anyway when we arrived, there was just a wicked thunder storm going on and the rain was as bad as the worst you would see in the South Pacific or South East Asia. So the wife, kids and dogs went into the trailer and the wife went to work making one of her gourmet meals. I put on my Kevlar rain gear that the Government of Canada had provided me in another life time and stepped out into the monsoon.
While I was outside at the viewpoint I had the most interesting conversations with trainbuffs that had come from all over the world just to spend time at the Spiral Tunnels. It really was an enjoyable time ( if you were dressed right) Lots of Germans were there. Those guys must really like their trains
I took a few pic's, trying to keep the Nikon dry, but for the most part they aren't worth looking at. So in lieu of my failure, here are some "borrowed" items. For those of you that are wondering, what the heck I am talking about.
After nearly two hours of waiting for the weather to clear, we gave up and left. There's alway's next time.
This week, a train stopped on the siding at the local train station with some special loads, wind turbine blades. From where I was I couldn't see how many cars but they were several. Might be interesting to model but not recommended for tight curves.
I
Guy
Modeling CNR in the 50's
This is when i went to ludington, MI to see marquette rail.
Snow Plow
The old maintence shed Ant the Geeps goint across the swing bridge
The old maintence shed
Ant the Geeps goint across the swing bridge
Video I took from Sunday of NKP 765 around Jim Thorp. The first clip is a whistle battle with Reading and Northern 425 which was across the river at the time at the Jim Thorp CNJ station.
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/60361449@N02/
Anthracite Modeler - YouTube
Saturday, I was on that train. Great ride. The number of people out watching was incredible - on the way back south, I swear the entire town of Bowmanstown was trackside. From one end of town to the other (it's not a very big town), people lined the tracks both sides, at the crossing you couldn't move a car if you wanted to, and the diner parking lot was completely packed.
Now if half those people watching had bought tickets instead, they could have sold out a third, maybe even fourth, trip.
I didn't have the chance to ride but the friends I was with did. It seemed the way they herded out around you really didn't even see 765, for the most part you wouldn't know the train was being pulled by steam. They liked the ride and all the there was no real chance to see the reason for going and buying tickets. I'm sure if they planned run-bys, which would be a bit of a ligistical nightmare with 20 cars of railfans, it would seem more worth it.
Think of it this way too, if it gets people intrested in this type of history its a good thing.
We were middle of the train, so on some of the curves through the Gorge you could see the head end pretty good. And on the wye at Pittston. Those way in the back, or right in the front cars, probably had less of a view, except those in the domes.
On saturday the train was actually backwards, the first class cars up front and the basic coaches in the rear. I was on St Augustine, a deluxe coach, nearly smack in the middle. After returning to Bethlehem, they turned just 765, so the train was in the 'normal' order of coach class up front and first class at the rear.
There really aren;t any good spots to do runbys, not where people can all line up along the tracks anyway. And NS rules say no runbys, plus no open vestibules. Considering the close clearnances in some spots - just below Jim Thorpe on the way back we went rather slow past a parked train because even a little sway would have meant sideswipe - it was that close. Had to be absolute bare minimum on track centers there, certainly no room for a man on the ground between the tracks.
Makes you realize how much of the chuff noise from a steam loco is caused by that exhaust blowing up the firebox and drafting the fire. With nothing but steam involved, it's just a quiet shhhhhh shhhhhh noise.
Batman, thanks for posting the grain elevator pictures. Your straight road driving experience reminded me of my daughter's learning to highway drive in western Manitoba on flat straight roads with no traffic.
The old elevators will probably be gone in the next twenty years having been replaced by modern transportation methods and large concrete storage facilities.
Gee! What a cool thread.....
Last week we got a call from a family member who works for the Rocky Mountaineer. He asked if we wanted a free trip up to Whistler with a suite on the top floor of "The Delta Suites" hotel, and then back home on the train the next day, we could have it. So after a long .035647 second of thinking about it, we said, well okay if you insist.
So we left Thursday morning, had breakfast on the train and got up there around lunch time. Went out for a nice lunch and later on a really nice dinner. Got up the next morning and had an incredible breakfast and went for a 12 mile hike. Actually I found it a breeze as I have been getting myself in shape for my up coming shoulder surgery. (20 miles every day on the bike) Then we had another nice lunch and got on the train to yet another good meal. I did an extra 10 miles on the bike on Saturday to make up for the two day pig out.
I spent most of the way up and back hanging out of the train in one spot or another and really enjoyed being tour guide to the multitude of real tourist on the train. I have spent most of my life skiing up at Whistler on weekends, so other than being on the Rocky Mountaineer it all was familar.
In between wrestling the old blue hairs for a good spot I did manage to take some video with the phone. It is not great as those old gals throw elbows in a way that would make any hockey player proud.