CN Rail from Edmonton and Calgary

[Doc Murdock]

I haven't been out to Edmonton to Calgary in years. Is there much train activity between these two cities and what kind frieght in hauled between the two?

[SD70Dude]

The CN line only runs through a few large towns and can be difficult to follow by highway.   The line is divided into the Camrose Sub (Edmonton-Mirror) and the Three Hills Sub (Mirror-Calgary).  The Brazeau Sub heads west from Alix Jct, just south of Mirror, to Ullin Jct (just west of Rocky Mountain House), where it turns into the Ram River Sub for the rest of the way to the gas plants.

There are usually 3 or 4 trains each way per day.  Scheduled daily trains are:

Q115/Q114 (Intermodal, Toronto-Calgary), formerly ran via the now abandoned Drumheller Sub)

M315/M316 (Manifest, Mirror-Winnipeg), sometimes runs through to Calgary.  The northbound trip to Edmonton often runs as L523.

A442/A443 (Manifest, Edmonton-Calgary), usually has a big intermodal block to/from the Pacific coast. 

L517 (Local, Edmonton-Camrose turn).  Runs down the remainder of the Alliance Sub to interchange with the Battle River Railway.

Unit grain and sulphur trains run on a as-needed basis, as do pure intermodals like Q143/Q142 and Q193 (Calgary to Vancouver or Prince Rupert) and the occasional E217 (empty autoracks).  The Mirror to Red Deer area has daily locals L550 and L552 which serve several large chemical plants along the Brazeau Sub. 

One of CN's longest unit train runs starts in this area, liquid sulphur train S708/S709.  Originating at the Ram River gas plant, it is interchanged to CSX in Chicago for the remainder of its run to a fertilizer plant in Lee Creek, North Carolina, on the Atlantic coast.

[tatans]

So, does that mean there is no CPR  traffic north to Edmonton from Calgary??? is the track still there??- - - so CNR  has it all?

[SD70Dude]

The CP line is still very active, in fact, I believe it has more traffic than the CN line.  Certainly south of Wetaskiwin, where CP's northern route from Saskatchewan joins it.

CP's line runs through much larger towns and cities and closely parallels Alberta Highways 2 and 2A.  It runs through Airdrie, Olds, Red Deer, Lacombe, Wetaskiwin and Leduc. 

The CN line is farther east.  It runs through Irricana, Three Hills, Mirror, Camrose and Hay Lakes.  Typical of the Grand Trunk Pacific, this line managed to miss almost all the developed population centres and did not create any of its own. 

[traisessive1]

Picking some nits here... but the 114 that departs Calgary is a Calgary to Winnipeg train, Q11451. Winnipeg to Toronto is Q11441. Different schedule originating in different districts.