Rail Equipment @ Katie’s Crossing

There’s this sleepy community, home to some four hundred folk, a most pleasant little burg just a short drive southeast of Edmonton. And sitting there, within sight of the busy Canadian National Railway’s transcontinental mainline is Katie’s Crossing, in business come on seventeen years and a great place to enjoy a juicy burger while surrounded by some very cool vintage railway equipment. They have a fine collection! For those who love meaty patties on a soft bun with all the toppings and crispy fries, it’s a little slice of heaven. And for those who love trains, well, it’s big double helping. Bring your appetite – we did – and bring your camera.

Katie’s is opens seasonally, meaning come the colder months it’s closed. Be sure to bring cash as credit and debit are not accepted.

Now let’s take in some of the noteworthy train bits seen in this collection! Out front is a caboose, ex- CNR, from the 1970s. Remember when these cars used to bring up the rear of every freight? It wasn’t all that long ago you know. This is where your order your meal and where it’s cooked – it’s where the magic happens. Just smell that aroma! If you’re not hungry already, get close to this car and you soon will be.

There’s two cars used for dining. Both date from the 1910s (1914 and 1917 to be precise) and both came from the storied Pullman Company in the US.

The elder one once worked for the Grand Trunk Railway down in rust-belt area of the US (Michigan and bordering states) where it operated as a “Parlour Car”, a deluxe coach if you will. Later it came into the hands of Canadian National Railways, parent firm to the “GT”, where is found use as a coach and later a crew car (on the road workers who travel and maintain the line). Later still it it found its way into the hands of a series of heritage groups, most recently the Alberta Railway Museum not terribly far north of Ardrossan, before coming here.

The old car once carried the name “Joseph” and perhaps earlier, “Colonsay”.

We’re at Katie’s Crossing, Ardrossan Alberta.

The second car, a relative “youngster” at a hundred and one, originally operated out of the US and was a Pullman Company Sleeper (Pullman contracted with many railways to provide this service, in addition to building cars). It carried the name “Steubenville” back then. In the 1940s The Northern Alberta Railways acquired it, a line that hit up many communities in that hinterland north of Edmonton. (and was jointly owned by the CNR and competitor CPR). At that time it took on the name “Fairview”, after a town along the line. In the 1960s it was converted to a work car (specifically a “shower-recreation” car) before being retired in the early 1980s. Some years later it found itself at the Alberta Railway Museum, then later in the possession of another owner, before coming home to Katie’s.

The main dining car, the first of the two in line, is labelled “Count Strathcona” (for the county here).

There’s a second caboose on the property, and well a third, if you count another that’s actually a reproduction of sorts.

A “church” car was rebuilt from an old boxcar. I guess it’s used for marriages and the like – you can get hitched here. Another is a stage car, for live shows that are held on the grounds from time to time and a third looks to be for storage. And scattered about the property are old bits of metal, vintage farm machinery and trucks, and miscellaneous outbuildings – another stage, a concession, etc.

At attention is a circa 1950s (we think) era Bantam. That firm was once a huge maker of smaller track or truck mounted cranes, shovels and draglines. An old bucket sits nearby. Can you dig it?

A speeder is parked out front. Last year, we were so lucky to have taken a ride across Saskatchewan in one of these “putt-putts” and on seeing it the wonderful memories come flooding back. To see a speeder in its natural environment, so “out on the road”, please go here: Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part One, then go here: Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part Two.

Every fifteen or twenty minutes we hear the toot-toot of a passing CN freight. This is one active section of track! And equally busy is Katie’s. The time were there, an endless parade of customers came and went. And this was early in the season (in fact a few days in) before they get really swamped.

At the end of track is a 1960s era boxcars, ex-CNR. It’s bigger than most of the era and originally came from the US.

Lastly, we look at what is arguably the most interesting piece here. Siting on a narrow gauge section of track (42 inches, so three and half feet or just over a metre verses “standard” gauge which is four foot eight and a hair). This here locomotive came from the firm “Plymouth” a prolific maker of small “industrial” locomotives based out of Plymouth Ohio (in business 1910s-late 1990s) and no relation to the once prominent auto maker of the same name.

This one is a model TWDT and dates from 1956. It found work at the Atlas Coal Mine (part of Century Coals) out in East Coulee Alberta, in the Red Deer River Valley and was one of two delivered to the mining firm that year. The Atlas, incidentally, still stands as an museum and interpretative site and is rather special and unique being the last wood coal tipple to exist in Canada. Read about it here: Historic Atlas Mine (an old post – we need to go back).

This locomotive and its twin (it seems the two were permanently coupled together and operated as one), were kept bust shuttling coal cars from the Atlas Mine’s Upper Workings, a couple clicks south, to the tipple down near town and next to the joint CNR/CPR tracks. The Atlas, one of hundreds of coal mines that once dotted the valley, closed down in the 1980s, the very last in the area and soon after the locomotives were sold off.

For a time the pair were stored and for sale in equipment dealer in Calgary. Your author had a run in with the pair while driving truck back then. Later they wound up in Edmonton where they languished away in for a time bouncing between two metal yards. One eventually was sold to a fellow out near Sundre, with this one ending up at Katie’s. It’s a small beastie, 30 tons in weight, and well at home doing yeoman duty in places like a coal mine or some industrial plant.

The locomotive used a link and pin type coupling – watch them fingers when connecting cars. Note the “poling pocket” in the one photo. A metal or wood pole would seat in the dimple and would be used to push cars located on a parallel track that otherwise might be out of reach of or be on the wrong side of the locomotive given the siding configuration. Poling was dangerous and long since outlawed.

Most of the equipment has been here since the early 2000s. Not sure if they have eyes on other bits to collect.

Yellow became a trademark because we’re cheap.

All the time we explored, a storm threatened overhead. Clouds boiled above, but outside the occasional boom of thunder (or was that a distant train horn?) nothing came of it. But it sure made for an interesting sky and as a photographer that’s a darn good bonus.

Chris is shown wearing trademark BIGDoer yellow. And it all came about because we’re cheap. Bought some quality jacket in that shade, on sale with a steeeep discount, people started commenting about them and from then on, and totally unplanned, they became our company colours. Now we both have shirts and jackets and other bits of clothing in yellow, even if we don’t always wear them. Sometimes we don’t want to stand out.

More train stuff on display…
Coleman Collieies #DL11.
Wandering the Alberta Railway Museum.
Under Wraps.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: May, 2018.
Location: Ardrossan, AB.
Article references and thanks: Katie’s Crossing, Canadian Trackside Guides.
You can visit Katie’s Crossing when they’re open (be sure to bring an appetite too).

Aaaaattention!

This little locomotive once worked at the Mighty Atlas Mine.

Springs and things.

Telegraphs were once an important form of communication.

Katie’s Cross…

A “poling pocket”.

Looking up, the sky is alive with energy.

Track is narrow gauge, 42″ (or about a metre) apart.

It’s a “Plymouth”.

The sun tries to break through.

An old time building.

The locomotive was retired in the mid-1980s.

A door with character.

Nearby, the CNR’s busy mainline.

Can you dig it?

Bantam was a big maker of cranes.

This old caboose.

Enjoyed one amazing burger in this here rail car.

This caboose is where the magic happens.

We drove to Katie’s, so I guess we do too.

You can smell them grilling…yum!

One giant boxcar looming overhead.

CNR #599093 from 1964.

Fond memories come flooding back.