Prairie Sentinels – Consort Alberta

In the 1990s I was doing oilfield “hotshot” trucking and in my travels I’d pass through many interesting places. Always under time pressures (the nature of that business), I rarely had the opportunity to stop and take in any sights. Once in a while though, things worked in my favour and in those rare instances, I’d photograph what I could. Like what we see here, a line of grain elevators seen in the small town of Consort Alberta.

At the time of my visit, Consort had three elevators – four if you count one annex that was once a stand alone elevator at one time – which for some unexplainable reason only made a minor cameo appearance in my pictures, showing off just its base. I should have shot all of it as it’s far and above the most significant elevator in that line…but I missed it. I was such an amateur then!

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All were painted in the company colours of the Alberta Wheat Pool, light blue, except for the old one which was white. Later, prior to them being demolished, some got an Agricore sign on their side, which was the then new name for any AWP properties after it merged with the Manitoba Pool. Not that it matters much in this story, but later Agricore merged yet again, with United Grain Growers becoming Agicore United. After one more merger, with the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, it became the company called Viterra. Confusing or what? Anyway by then Consort’s elevators were a distant memory.

This author has not found much about the lineage of these elevators. The small annex elevator dates from at least 1920 – this author has seen a picture at the Glenbow Museum showing it at that time where it was painted for Alberta Pacific Elevators. That’s all I know, at this point anyway, but as I dig up more on the others you’ll surely see updates here (we have updates, see further below).

Beside the middle elevator is what appears to be a coal shed (that small building to its left). These were once a common sight and every town had at least one. Coal for domestic heating and cooking was brought in by boxcar (yes boxcar – a very inefficient way) and hand shovelled into the building via a small door on the track side. From there, it would be hand shovelled (again) into the customer’s wagon or truck, who would then take home, only to hand shovel it once more, usually into the basement via a coal chute. Whew, what a lot of work and by the time they were done those shovelling were usually pretty dirty. It’s no wonder people were so eager to change to natural gas or other methods of heating and cooking.

These coal sheds were common into the 1950s but by the late 1970s they were gone as everyone had converted. To see one in the 1990s was a rare treat and the only reason some still stood is that they were being used as storage sheds and such.

It’s not clear exactly when these elevators were demolished. I have seen pictures as recent as about 1999 showing all of them still standing but I doubt they lasted much longer. A good guess is that they were gone shortly after the turn of the twenty first century.

The rail line seen here, the CPR’s former Coronation Subdivision, arrived at Consort in 1910. This line, always tied to the grain industry, travelled from its namesake town in Alberta to Kerrobert Saskatchewan. Often a marginal operation, it was sold to a short line company in the early 1990s, the Central Western Railway based out of Stettler Alberta. Even with lower operating costs, this little company could not make a go of it and the line was abandoned in bit and pieces in the years that followed.

Consort saw trains into the late 1990s at least, as this author has seen a photo from the summer of 1997 showing grain hoppers being spotted at the elevators and another from 1999 showing tank cars being stored on the siding. Some reports contradict that though and claim the line was totally closed in 1996, which I guess would be wrong. Regardless of date, the tracks remained in place for a number of years after, into 2000-2002 I am told. They were clearly in place on my visit but looked unused.

It’s sad to know that none of these elevators still stand, but I was sure happy I was able to capture at them on my visit. Most of them at least – I wish I had shot the old one better. A town loses something when the elevators get demolished.

These photos were scanned from a 35mm prints.

Update: May 2013. I’ve received some information from a reader in respect to the elevators seen in my shots. However, it’s not complete and I am still uncertain on some things. The small ex-Alberta Pacific annex elevator is the oldest, dating from 1912. It’s twin was built in the mid 1950s and was another of the AWP elevators seen. The next AWP (and we’re not sure which one just that it’s not the one beside the old annex) was moved here from nearby New Brigden Alberta in the 1980s when the rail line it was on was abandoned – I think it’s the furthest one, built in 1928. The last one could be from 1915, the middle one (again, I think). This one lacks company lettering and I believe had sat unused for a number of decades.

On this same trip, I captured nearby Coronation’s grain elevator and it to see that report, go here…
Prairie sentinels – Coronation Alberta.

On a diffident hotshot trip I came across an elevator being torn down and to see it, follow this link…
A prairie sentinels falls – Torrington Alberta.

To see another grain elevator I photographed on one of my hotshot runs, go here…
Prairie sentinels – Queenstown Alberta.

If you wish more information on this place, by all means contact us!

Date: Late 1997 or early 1998.
Location: Consort, AB.

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Consort Alberta grain elevators

Consort Alberta’s elevator line, late 1997 or early 1998.

Consort AB grain elevators

From this angle we can see the base of the oldest elevator, the white one in front.

22 responses

  1. Vinchenzo Gabbio says:

    (via Facebook)
    I am guessing the rails were ripped out sometime in 2001. I am pretty sure the elevators in nearby Coronation were open for the 2000 season.

  2. Tony Whalen says:

    Great shots! I’m in the midst of building a grain elevator for my model layout. That turquoise blue/green was a bitch to match!

  3. Marcus Stevens says:

    So many towns now missing their elevators, doesn’t look right.

  4. Marcel St Germain says:

    (via Facebook)
    Sure made a lot of trips out there, called to go to Kerrobbert SK Friday night and return home Monday morning, spotting grain cars going out and lifting every town going home, and slow track, 15 mph.

  5. Lila Cugini says:

    Great Photos of the Consort elevators Chris. If only we knew then what we know now. Can’t believe so many elevators have been levelled in the past few years.

  6. Terryanne Best Mom says:

    Amazing!! I remember these elevators! I grew up in Consort in the late 60s and we’d bike across town (a long way then) to visit them. We had lots of fun and adventures playing around them and the box cars on the tracks. Dangerous!

  7. Tim S says:

    I also got thinking and there MAY still be one elevator at Altario. I was out that way a couple summers ago, and I seem to remember seeing something out that way. But still, out of about 11 communities along that line, and each place had at least 3 or 4 elevators, that would make around 40-44 elevators or so and now 2 maybe 3 left. And’s that not counting the communities on that line west of Stettler to Lacombe where it intersects with CP’s main north-south line.

    • ChrisBigDoer says:

      This is becoming quite the road trip! A cursory looks on Google Earth shows that Altario seems to have one, as does nearby Kirriemuir.

      • Lila Cugini says:

        When my husband and I drove through Altario a few years ago, there were 2 elevators in the area. One was moved to a private farm, if you were to walk along the pulled up rail line it can be seen from there. The other elevator was still in town. I’ll have to check my photos from that trip and see what I can remember. I wonder if the farm elevator has been torn down?

        • Now that we’ve confirmed your husband does exist, we’ll not question that first statement. Haha! Looking at Google Earth, it does appears that one of the farm is still there. Looks like a nice area to explore!

  8. Tim S says:

    Oh yes! That is right! I forgot about the one at Castor! Thanks for the reminder. That one is part of the Castor Museum.

  9. Lori M says:

    Amazing pictures! I remember when every town had a line up like this. Do you know of any standing elevators near Calgary?

    • ChrisBigDoer says:

      Nanton has two, Stavely one, Azure (just south of High River) has a nice one. There are some in the Drumheller area (Sharples, Dorothy and others). That should be enough to keep you busy for a while!

  10. Tim S says:

    I believe the only elevator left standing on this old CP line between Stettler and the Saskatchewan border is one at Halkirk, which is now privately owned.

    • ChrisBigDoer says:

      Wow, that’s really sobering. Every town has one, two, three or more at one time. There would have been dozens of them along the line.

    • ChrisBigDoer says:

      I just found out one still stands in Castor as well.

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