Locomotives of 40 Mile Rail (Amazing Skies)

A chance encounter earns us a couple wonderful minutes getting to know the locomotives of 40 Mile Rail down in Southern Alberta. Trains are something we’re more into than our readers so normally not many pics like this are shared. Emphasis on normally. With such a spectacular setting we just had show you and the old grain elevator plus those living skies were simply stunning!

We’re on the road from somewhere to somewhere else (more in a moment) while under a time crunch, but opportunity knocks and we must answer. Zipping through the tiny dot-on-the-map community of Skiff we notice some activity down there by the tracks. We approach, chat, they make some calls and we’re given the okay to get up close for a few snapshots. The clock is ticking.

These images date back to the summer of 2020, but for some reason got wrongly filed and given the questionable state of our minds, soon forgotten about. Damn, this growing old stuff sucks. I mean we were thrilled when we shot them, looked forward to sharing, and brought them home excitedly, but then got distracted. The memory got wiped clean and it’s like they never existed.

They were rediscovered, by chance, while searching for something else and isn’t that interesting. Dumb luck plays a huge part in what we do and we’ll be the first to admit it’s weird. It happens all the time and here’s a prime example: Serendipity @ The Rock (Frank Slide).

In addition to what’s going on in the skies above, the Skiff grain elevator makes a fine backdrop for this shoot. The building dates from the late 1920s and last used to ship out grain commercially about 2000ish. It still wears the colours of its last owner, the grain firm Parish & Heimbecker, albeit the paint’s all faded and peeling now.

A local farmer uses it as a grain storage facility and this is a fate of many “retired” elevators.

The rail siding out front is still used but any grain business is via producer cars loaded further down the track. We believe that’s a string of them in the background. Instead of using a processing facility, such as a grain elevator or terminal, a farmer will load directly on to the rail cars.

It’s often advantageous to use the facility of a grain handling firm, but sometimes it’s not practical or in certain situations, even possible. Read more about the elevator here (from a visit in 2016): Skiff Alberta ex-Parrish & Heimbecker.

The trains here are run Forty Mile Rail (often stylized numerically, as in 40) and the firm has existed since 2016. Prior, this was a Canadian Pacific line, built in the 1910s and closed about 2000-ish. It had sat moribund in the interim, with the track still in place but otherwise unused.

Forty Mile runs west from Foremost Alberta (in Forty Mile County – end of the line present day) and on to a CPR connection out near Stirling. That’s a distance of about seventy five clicks. On our visit in 2020 they were using the main track on the east end, from Foremost to Skiff (approx. 25km in length) to store surplus rail cars. Seems this is more lucrative than moving grain and you can see a string of these cars in the first photo.

Still the railway moves a bit of grain, from the producer siding in Skiff and formerly from the elevator in Foremost, but service is not frequent. In the past, there were some wind turbine trains, into Foremost, but that was a temporary gig. So it’s some grain, plus lots of stored cars that pay the bills and trains run as needed.

Our title mentions locomotives, so let’s move on to them. The two engines seen are leased (a common way to do in the short line business) and are Forty Mile’s only motive power. These came on the scene the year before our visit and replaced an earlier single locomotive used since day one of the railway.

Short lines will usually make due with older locomotives and the ones seen here are no exception. They’re economical to acquire, generally smaller in size, so easier on secondary track, and simpler. It’s a good fit when working on a budget.

Both of these came from GM’s Electro-Motive Diesel plant in Illinois and at one time it was the largest locomotive factory in the world. Canada had a satellite plant up until recently, but it’s closed. While the EMD name lives one, GM is no longer at the helm and the US factory is now located in another state.

Number 4222 is an EMD GP40-2 series built in in 1977 and it’s partner 4224, a GP40 built in 1967. They’ve been rebuilt and upgraded at various points, but in appearance little changed over time. These former thoroughbreds don’t get ever reach full stride on 40 Mile Rail and track speed here is quite leisurely on account of the older infrastructure.

The two locomotives sometimes operate together (on heavier trains) but sometimes only one is needed.

Both have quite the lineage and we could spend a lot of time on it. Number 4224 worked for such US carriers at the Louisville & Nashville, the Seaboard System (who acquired L&N) and CSX Transportation (who merged with Seaboard). Complicated, eh?

The second, 4222, spent much of it’s time with the Boston & Maine way out east, then came a stint working for the Canadian Pacific, but both locomotives are now in a lease fleet. They carry markings for First Union Rail (FURX = X means it’s leased) and Helm Leasing Corp (HLCX) but both are owned by the same firm (FURX). The former acquired the latter at some point and the one locomotive yet to be repainted.

You’ll see both are nice and shiny, especially there in the magic light that comes when a prairie thunder storm threatens (we just missed the deluge). Many leased locomotives look like rent-a-wrecks, but here they look nice. The pair are parked in this spot between runs since the railway has no engine facilities. They are on the main track, but since only one train operates at a time, it’s not an issue.

The little blue speeder is used for track maintenance and it, plus the truck seen were the centre of attention for the worker we bumped into. The speeder sits on the elevator/producer car siding and we’re thinking we photographed it before in Skiff. Here: Skiff Alberta ex-Parrish & Heimbecker.

That tall tower and its support structure display a sign reading: “CP Rail Signals & Communications, Radio & Communications Site”. The logo (called the multi-mark) dates back at least to the 1980s. CP Rail reverted to the name Canadian Pacific around to 2000, incidentally. The building almost looks like it’s still used, but in what capacity is not known.

The road calls and we have a scheduled appointment with the special building a little bit west down the line. It’s the historic grain elevator seen here: Ogilvie’s Wrentham and here: Wrentham Alberta 25 Years Apart. When the Forty Mile trains run, they pass right by.

We were rather busy folks this weekend and here’s where we came from earlier that day: Ghost Towning with Radio Canada’s Vincent Bonnay. What a grand time and sleep came easy that night.

Know more (new window): 40 Mile Rail.

They’re saying…

”Off the Beaten Path (is) a great resource for visitors to AB, SK and eastern BC. Such detailed info and photographs to back it up make the site invaluable for people planning a trip to western Canadian provinces of BC, AB and SK and wanting to do something different but interesting also! Thanks Connie and Chris” Jan Normandale.

More with a train theme…
Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions #41 – while awaiting repairs.
Wandering The Alberta Central Railway Museum.
Aspen Crossing’s new locomotive gets delivered.

If you wish more information on what’s seen here, don’t hesitate to: contact us!

Date of Adventure: June, 2020.
Location(s): Southern Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Forty Mile Rail and Canadian Trackside Guides.

A long string of cars in storage with 40 Mile Rail.

A chance encounter with a railway employee brings us here.

Locomotives of 40 Mile Rail, as a storm threatens.

Waiting for the next run.

Blue speeder is for track inspection.

Broom is used in winter to clean out snow from the switch.

In this direction, it’s blue skies.

Built in the 1920s and now used by a local farmer.

Our time here is limited, because…

We have a scheduled date with this building.