All through the summer and even into September 2014, it was common to catch them out in the wild during the morning and afternoon rush. By the second week of October that all changed, abruptly, and sightings became few and far between. Clearly the end was near…or had the worst already happened? A quick call to a friend and contact within the CTS organization was needed.

This is a piece from a decade ago and we brought it back for your enjoyment. And ours – we like buses – it’s strange and there’s no denial there. The context is from 2014 – keep that in mind – but we’ve added an updates within the post. Now let’s begin…

That insider told us a small number of Classics remained in service – great – but they were likely to only last a few more days. We could still catch them – fingers and toes crossed – but only by acting fast.

The next day, October 15th, we stationed ourselves at the exit to the Spring Gardens bus barns in anticipation of the afternoon rush. This facility is on 32nd Ave NE, close to Deerfoot Trail and it’s where almost all the Classics operated from. If any were to leave for service, they’d pass through these very gates.

The times passes and a parade of buses exit the barns, but not a single Classic appears. Well, not one in use that is. A large group parked on the grounds look out of service and this suggests the odds are against us.

Still, one must hold out hope. Wait…is that a Classic coming out of the building? Yes, they live! Well…one lives! We caught a single example heading out, so it was mission fulfilled, we guess.

No more appeared, and an hour later with the rush-hour exodus over, our Classic count still stood at one. As we found out via our contact a week or so later, this turned out to be the final day of regular service for any in fleet. They said a couple were used in the days before, but were pretty certain only one – the one we saw – hit the road on the 15th. And then there were none.

Truly the last CTS Classic? We think so, but it’s said cautiously since we’re only going by non-official information. A search found no in-service photos of these buses from after this date.

General Motors Diesel Division in Saint-Eustache, Quebec developed the Classic in the early 1980s. This model replaced the well known and proven GMC “New Look” (affectionately called “Fishbowls”) and they were one of the most popular transit buses ever produced (from 1959-1986). The two designs share much in common and in many ways the Classic was simply a redesigned New Look, with an updated skin and other modernized features.

In 1987, the company MCI (Motor Coach Industries, of Greyhound Bus fame) took over the GM plant. In 1993, the factory changed hands again and became the firm Nova Bus. All the while Classic production continued and it ran all the way from 1983 to 1997. These Canadian made buses proved so popular that many US operators purchased examples new.

Calgary Transit’s Classics, just over a hundred in total, were built in 1991 and 1992 across two separate orders. They also bought a few used ones from a US transit agency, in the mid-2000s, which were also MCI produced (1990-91). Whether built by GM, MCI or Nova, they are all pretty much the same outside and differ only by the maker’s nameplate.

These were some of the last high floor transit buses CTS purchased and post 1992, all orders were for low floor models. These designs, a standardized form now with all bus manufacturers, makes entering and exiting much easier. That’s especially so for the elderly, the handicapped and those with wee-ones, baby carriages or packages.

With the Classics now retired, the CTS fleet is one hundred percent low floor. The oldest buses on the roster date to 1993 and are New Flyer model D40LFs in the 7500 series. Update 2025: New Flyer D40LFs from 2002 and in the 7800 series are presently the oldest buses in the fleet.

The one MCI Classic captured leaving was #5066 and the display showed both routes #711 (a school bus run) and #11. Okay…? Those parked that we could see included #5020, #5032, #5034, #5038, #5051, #5058, #5067, #5077, #5079, #5090, #5092, #5096, #5101 and finally #5106. Many others are probably still on the property and out of view. It’s a big complex.

What will happen to these buses is not certain. Surely they’ll scrap some of the most worn-out examples, but it’s also likely they’ll sell a few of the better ones, perhaps, to other transit agencies or charter firms. Update 2025: Indeed some were sold to various operators, who got a few more years out of them. Bus #5066 was sent to Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO or Gatineau QC Transit) and it ran into 2018.

A few operators in Canada and some in the US still run Classics, so they’re not extinct everywhere. But they’re probably on the endangered list everywhere. Southland Transportation for example, a local charter company, has some in service and they’re often seen shuttling people about the Spruce Meadows venue. Update 2025: it’s safe to say they’re all done for and now relegated to history.

Nova still makes buses and Calgary Transit has some. They bought LFS series models built in the years 2010 to 2013. CTS seems to prefer New Flyer, based out of Winnipeg Manitoba, more however. Update 2025: CTS switched allegiances and have eschewed Flyer for Nova.

This photo came from a cheap-o little camera on an dreary, ugly day, so it’s not the greatest and outside the odd bus-obsessed nut like us, the event is hardly momentous. But when you look at it and think back, you might make a little connection. See it as something more than a normal day at the transit system.

Did I ride that bus once? How many miles has it run? How many people has it transported? Why did this bus become the last? You can’t help wonder.

More than two decades on the road and here’s its swansong. There was no one but us there to record it all, but it felt important to do.

Around this same time last year, we captured some of the last Calgary Transit GMC Fishbowls in service and here’s a link to that article…Calgary Transit: the Last GMC Fishbowls.

Know more (new tab): GM MCI Nova Classic Transit Buses.

They’re saying…

“They have no fear when it comes to searching in remote areas, and they have an artistic eye for picture taking. It’s a very enjoyable site.” James Robinson (sometimes we’re in the city too).

Random posts you’ll like…
Armitage Hotel – Lougheed Hotel Lougheed AB.
Reynolds Raiders Big Valley Alberta.
Legends of the Fall (1994) Family Cemetery.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: October 2014.
Location: Calgary, Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Calgary Transit and the Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board & Wiki.

Calgary Transit’s Last Classic?

The post The Last Classic? (Calgary Transit) first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

On first impressions it may look as though they threw together some random bits with no a clue as to purpose or function. It’s a…I give up…I don’t know. However, it proved to be well designed machine and did its specialized job efficiently. It’s tech for the era, we suppose. There were several DNR Excavators made and they were a success in spite of looking like something from the mind of Rube Goldberg.

About a century ago you might find a machine like this hard at work in the dry-belt regions of Alberta constructing or maintaining irrigation ditches. Without, there would be no life giving waters for arid and otherwise unproductive land. Larger canals fed these smaller waterways, which extended out in all directions.

DNR Excavators (also spelled D.N.R) date from the late 1910s to early 1920s period and came from a plant in Calgary. We don’t know what the three letters in DNR stand for, but maybe one day we will. They’re initials or an acronym, presumably, but in regards to what or who remains unclear. We found the name of the designer and other higher-ups connected to the project and nothing matches up there.

Using a bucket mechanism, a DNR Excavator could cut a new waterway or clean out one already made. The machine straddled the work area and inched forward while doing its thing. In a continuous motion too. It then dumped spoil to one side and that’s the whole process. Viola! Let the H20 flow!

A similar machine sourced from the US inspired the DNR Excavator. Called a Ruth Dredger, they were made in Los Angeles CA starting about 1908. The Ruth company sent up a single machine to the Calgary area for field testing, but it didn’t work as hoped.

“One of these machines was obtained and tried out during the season of 1918 and proved that it was of the right type but was poorly designed and built, so that it would not stand up under the work. Since this problem at that time was a very pressing one, it was arranged to re-design the Ruth Dredger…The new machine was improved in every detail except the bucket line, which was the patented feature of the (Ruth) machine.” – Transactions of the Engineering Institute of Canada (1924).

The resultant data from the trial helped them design something similar and better. The bucket assembly was the only part deemed satisfactory and carried over to the new design.

Interestingly enough, Ruth itself later copied some of the features of the DNR Excavator. So, the crawler track for example – Ruth had a big wheel in that spot. This: “The Ruth dredger has since been greatly improved and the new models are in successful use now in the United States.” – Transactions of the Engineering Institute of Canada (1924).

By our tally, there were at least 16 DNR Excavators, but there may have been more. These machines were a success and got the work done more efficiently and with less cost when compared to other methods. Or compared to other machines. Reports suggest the cost benefits were significant and for one season (early 1920s?) in one irrigation district, they saved about $50k. We’re talking over three quarters of million today and that’s noteworthy.

“There are now six excavators in use on the Western section, nine on the Eastern section and one on the Lethbridge section (ed: with perhaps a couple in reserve). The credit for the design of the D.N.R. Excavator, rests chiefly with Ben D Fessenden, assistant canal superintendent in charge of mechanical equipment on the Western section and E Dutcher, mechanical engineer for the Riverside Iron Works.” – Transactions of the Engineering Institute of Canada (1924).

The irrigation districts seemed to identify each DNR Excavator with a unique number, but we were unable to find which in the group this was. Old photos show several different units and we wonder if this example might be any of those seen. In comparing it to old those photos it appears the Pioneer Acres DNR Excavator is complete. We wonder how far gone it is and if when first parked (whenever that was) if it was still functional.

A gas engine provided power for motion and drove the bucket assembly. You could adjust the angle of the latter, depending on the depth of the trench required. Rudimentary steering was via a single front drum-shaped wheel with a wind-vane looking arrow connected to the system. This confirmed at a glance the direction of travel. Since the machine moved slow and with the front wheel mostly hidden from view, it might not be so obvious where you’re heading.

The large wheel opposite the crawler was unpowered and using a telescoping axle, it extended out as needed to span the trench or ditch. The machine has a cable winch and this might come in handy in many ways. Like getting unstuck.

Overall the shape of the machine is that of wedge, with an offset tricycle type setup and with most of the working parts on one side. The machine is a great mass of steel beams, rivets, gears, cams and levers.

DNR Excavators worked at a snails pace and said to average a speed of five feet per minute with 13 to 15 buckets dumped in that time. The noise must have been deafening and the ride bone-jarring. And those many moving gears and chains, all open and exposed…so much danger. What’s the lost finger count?

Calgary’s Riverside Iron Works built the DNR Excavators at their compact plant in Bridgeland across from downtown. Interestingly, those old buildings still exist and are now home to some retail shops. The Riverside firm was the go-to in the city when one needed something formed or fabricated of metal. They seemingly could make anything of steel or iron. Among the things they built includes mine equipment, farm machinery, and structural assemblies.

Riverside moved to the Ramsay neighbourhood in the late 1920s and soon after was folded into the huge conglomerate Dominion Bridge. That former factory still exists too and for one, there’s a company there that makes film sets. We’ve been inside and it’s something to behold!

Is a DNR a Ruth? At least some documents/photographs seem suggest it. The former is clearly inspired by the latter and even uses some Ruth designed parts. Both serve a very similar purpose and even look somewhat alike. Still, think of them as two separate types, but with a family connection.

The DNR Excavators originally worked for irrigation districts owned and operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. These include the Western District near Calgary, the Eastern District near Brooks and the Lethbridge District near the city of the same name.

Later the CPR would divest itself of these subsidiaries and ever since each has operated independently. Then, as today, water brought in from elsewhere is the only reason there’s large scale farming in those regions. The reservoirs, canals and ditches that make up the respective networks were and still are a life line.

Pioneer Acres received this DNR Excavator as a donation in the early 2000s. It’s the last to exist…we think. In years past, it was on display at the Western Irrigation District offices in Strathmore, but removed due to a widening of the highway. Given that location, we assume it was always a WID machine, but who knows for sure.

Old photos found during research show several DNR Excavators (usually listed as a Ruth Dredgers) at work. In two views of the same machine dated 1919 (Eastern Irrigation District – seen in this post – via UofC Archives), it shows they used crew of three and with one on the ground presumably orchestrating it all. No doubt it was a hard, back breaking job and to operate it required an attentive crew.

Modern day trenchers might look different, but they are not all that far removed from the DNR Excavator in spirit.

Pioneer Acres Museum is a heavenly place if you like old machinery, trucks or farm equipment and is definitely worth a visit. They have enough stuff to keep one busy over several visits. You might even find us there at random times wandering about. In the past, we’ve volunteered building exhibits or shooting promotional images and would love to do it again.

Now scroll down to the photos and marvel at this odd machine. The images are from a few years back and from several visits, but the DNR Excavator looks pretty much the same today as it did then. This piece is repost from one first published in 2016, but rewritten for better clarity.

Know more about the company that made the DNR Excavator (new tab): Riverside Iron Works Calgary and the inspiration for the machine, here: Ruth Dredger.

There is so little information on the DNR machine, that nothing really comes up in a search but this post.

They’re saying…

“Chris and Connie have a unique way of documenting the places they visit, not copying the style or technique of others, but making it their own.” Alex Craig, Filmmaker.

Random awesomeness…
Four Houses Downtown Calgary.
Union Bay (Vancouver Island) Coal Wharf.
Calgary Transit #7632.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: July 2012, May 2016 and July 2023.
Location: Pioneer Acres Museum, Irricana Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Pioneer Acres Museum, book – Transactions of the Engineering Institute of Canada (1924) and the University of Calgary archives.

A strange irrigation ditch digger called a DNR Excavator.

This engine powered it all.

A strange leviathan found at Pioneer Acres in Irricana Alberta.

The track assembly.

Cable winch left and telescoping wheel right.

Wood inserts on the crawler track.

So much machinery.

Gears and chains and all of it is out in the open.

We wonder how many fingers were lost to this machine?

Inset: two views from 1919 showing a DNR Excavator at work.

The post DNR Excavator (Ruth Dredger) first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

The buses we’re documenting represent the very last of what was once a huge fleet of hundreds that Calgary Transit once owned. These ones date from 1978 to 1982, and came from the last orders the agency placed for the model. CTS once had other Fishbowls going all the way back to 1962, but they already retired these earlier.

With the youngest Fishbowls presently over thirty years old, they are some of he oldest transit buses in service anywhere. Interestingly they’ve outlived some other models that came later and that’s a testament to their solid design.

This is a post from over a decade ago and we brought it back for your enjoyment. Ours too and that’s because we like buses – crazy as it sounds. The context reflects this earlier time, so keep that in mind, but we added some new tidbits too. Otherwise the post is pretty much the same as the original and if anything demonstrates how long we’ve been at it.

Officially called “New Look” by maker GMC, they soon gained the Fishbowl nickname. This came about due to the multi-angle and multi-part expansive windshield that gave the effect of being in a fishbowl. The front was almost all glass and at certain angles, the view distorted a bit.

US production began in 1959 and Canadian followed in 1961. Up until 1980 or so (some sources say 1982) the huge General Motors Diesel Division locomotive plant in London Ontario produced the buses here. That factory is history now and stopped making locomotives in 2012.

Later, a purpose built factory in Saint Eustache Quebec continued to make Fishbowls into 1986 for various customers across North America. For the last few years most of these buses went to the US. This plant also made the Fishbowl successor too (the Classic), and for a period it happened concurrently.

US transit systems liked the Fishbowl design so much that they continued to purchase Canadian made models long after US production ended in 1977. Their replacement in the US, the RTS, was not well received by some transit agencies, so they went shopping for the old proven design up north.

The two GM factories produced about forty four thousand Fishbowls, in numerous variations and about a quarter of the output came from the Canadian side. Nearly every transit system in North America had at least some on their roster and in many cites they were the dominate bus. Fishbowls came in various lengths (35 & 40 feet mostly), widths, seating arrangements and with many drive train combinations. But they all looked similar.

Given the longevity of the design it’s clear they hit the mark. Not fancy, they were most certainly tough, reliable, easily serviced and clearly able to handle nearly anything thrown at them.

Only a scant few years ago they were fairly common across North America and in many fleets were only recently retired. Say in the last five to ten years (remember, it’s 2013 talking). Many Fishbowls ended up lasting longer than the buses that were to replace them!

The “New Look” or “Fishbowl” also came in a suburban highway model. Edmonton Alberta, until recently, had some trolleybus versions and these were the only electrically powered ones built.

It’s not clear how many Calgary Transit Fishbowls remain, but data suggests it’s perhaps a few dozen at most. The day of our visit, we saw eleven head out for service and one parked in the back lot. Given their advanced age fleet usage varies considerably and some days they might not head out at all. Mostly, they only come out during the morning and afternoon rush.

Many Fishbowls this day headed directly toward always dreadfully busy Deerfoot Trail and this demonstrates how much faith Calgary Transit has in these old buses. You don’t want to take an unreliable vehicle on that crazy stretch of road. Mad Max has entered the chat…

According to a few reports found, CTS plans to keep serviceable Fishbowls on the road for a little while longer and maybe into early 2014. We thought they were already done for and when visiting the barns over the last five or six months, saw many languishing in the back lot, presumably out of service. Never count them out and they were only in temporary retirement…we guess.

It was a chance spotting of #977 out in the wild a couple weeks prior that inspired this article and we last recall seeing some back in the spring. One can assume any bus developing a serious mechanical issue faces retirement ahead of any schedules.

On to the bus barns – we staked out a spot across the street just before the afternoon rush. In the span of half an hour, early in, we saw all the Fishbowls we’d see. In spite of hanging around much longer, no more would emerge from the barns. It was a short GMC parade, although an endless stream of other buses continued to leave afterwards.

Of the thirteen Fishbowls seen (in numerical order), #902, #934, #970 (not in service), #974 and #977 (the one that inspired this article) were all from an eighty bus order built in 1978. These originally had the traditional roller sign as built but were later retrofitted with the programmable electronic versions seen today.

On our way home later, we saw #902 hard at work and loaded with passengers.

The following two, #1010 and #1115, were from 1979 order comprising thirty six buses. These were the first Calgary GMCs that came from the factory with electronic destination signs. Calgary Transit ordered seventy five Fishbowls in 1980 and #1059 is from that order.

CTS made their final Fishbowl order in 1982 and #1094, #1148, #1154 and #1156 are from that group. These would be the final GMC produced buses of any model that Calgary Transit would purchase. GMC Canada sold the business later in the ’80s.

Most buses leaving had an out of service sign which presumably they’d change once on the assigned route. Some buses had 700-800 series route shown and these are school runs, plus one marked #52 Martindale.

Both of us here are pretty sure we’ve ridden some of these exact buses as some point. If you’ve taken Calgary Transit in the last few decades, chances are you have too.

Also seen in this post is an “MCI Classic”. Classic’s were first produced by GMC (1983-1987), then Motor Coach Industries took over (MCI – of Greyhound fame – 1987-1993) and finally came Nova Bus (1993-1997). All came from the same Quebec factory originally built by GM. Nova Bus would change over to to newer designs after production of the Classic model ended.

Designed by GMC to replace the Fishbowl, the Classic ended up being produced concurrently with the earlier model for time. Calgary Transit never purchased GMC or Nova Classics, but did acquire some from MCI. These date from the early 1990s and represents their next oldest fleet of buses after the Fishbowls.

Numbering over a hundred, CTS rebuilt many Classics in recent memory and for the time being their future seems assured for a year or two more. These buses, along with the Fishbowls, and a few older New Flyer models are the only non-low floor buses on the roster. High floor buses are not as flexible usage wise, but they’re good enough as pinch hitters. Look for a follow up repost here, where were captured some of the last Classic buses in service.

While the Classic model looks different from the Fishbowl, it shares a lot in common with the older design. Think of it as a re-skinned and slightly updated new “New Look”.

Fishbowls in 2013 are based out of the Spring Garden bus barn off 32nd NE and it’s a huge complex. It was the biggest facility the transit system and is home to hundreds of buses of all makes and types (Update: it’s since been surpassed). They do everything here from minor maintenance to major overhauls. Given how long they have been in the fleet, the mechanics must know these Fishbowls inside and out.

Before the Fishbowl bus era in Calgary ends, we hoped to catch a ride on one as a final hurrah. A good-bye to an old friend…if everything went well. As it happened, however, it was not to be and soon after documenting the action this day, CTS retired the lot of them. Permanently and not temporarily as before. That’s ahead of schedule by a month or two. It hinged on the delivery of new replacement buses, which were arriving at a pace quicker than expected.

These photos were captured on basic snapshot cameras and not the best quality as a result.

Know more (new tab): GMC New Look (Fishbowl) Buses.

They’re saying…

“Their photography is wonderful and I love to read the background stories to the images.” Peg Strankman.

Another finale…
The Last Classic? (Calgary Transit).

Random awesomeness…
Baby Boom in Didsbury Alberta
Highway History (BC): the Garbage Gobbler.
Silverton BC Waterfront (SS Slocan).

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: October and November 2013.
Location: Calgary Alberta, Calgary Transit Spring Garden Facility.
Article references and thanks: Calgary Transit and the Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board & Wiki.

Spotted in the wild in October & it inspired this post.

Nov 2013 – the parades begins with Fishbowl #934.

Followed by #902.

Right behind is #1156.

#977 smokes it up.

The fifth out is #1115.

#1010 heading away.

Next is #1154.

Then #1059…

Right behind is #1094.

On the ramp to busy Deerfoot Trail.

We almost missed #1148 as it pulled out.

It ends and the last one today is #974.

One of Calgary Transit’s MCI Classic buses (now all retired).

Fishbowl #970 did not move.

#902 passes by with a load of passengers as we call it day.

The post Calgary Transit: the Last GMC Fishbowls first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

This locomotive represents one the CPR’s earliest diesel acquisitions and at the time, looked upon as somewhat experimental. Perhaps with a touch of scepticism by old timers as well. The success or failure of this unit, and its kin, would influence the CPR’s motive power purchasing decisions for years to come.

It’s safe to say that steamers would continue to dominate (for a time anyway) if these early diesels proved a failure, but if a hit, it’d open up the floodgates for further orders. They quickly won over the railway, but the transition didn’t happen overnight and steam locomotives weren’t eliminated from the CPR system until 1960.

Our subject is an Alco (American Locomotive Company, Schenectady NY) model S2, a rugged and basic switcher. Offered from 1940 to 1950, this S2 dates from September 1944 (as serial #72830). At this date the CPR had only a handful of diesels and this makes it a very early example. The CPR’s oldest S2s were from 1943, with the out-shopping of 7010-7014 and 7019 is from a second order (units 7015-7024).

These early diesels were of riveted steel and that’s much like the steam engines they’d replace. Not until the 1950s would Alco switch to using modern welds.

The engine carries an early version of the CPR’s Tuscan red and black scheme used on steam engines. It later received other paint schemes including later in its service life, the CPR’s “Action Red” scheme.

This engine was classed DES-3b when built and the plate for this, along with one from builder are visible on the cab.

Interestingly, these engines were more expensive to purchase than an equivalent steam locomotive, but their reliability and efficiency made up for the extra costs. This price difference was several tens of thousands at the time. In the end the CPR would roster close to ninety S2s (built 1943-1948) and many other Alco S series switchers that came later. They were a success.

Alco diesels used GE electrical gear – traction motors and generators for example – you can see their name on the builder’s plate. This gear was well regarded for ruggedness and reliability. Alco and GE worked closely for a time before having a falling-out of sorts in the 1950s. GE, who also built locomotives (mostly small industrial ones at the time), continued to supply electrical gear to Alco afterwards, but they otherwise ceased to cooperate together.

Later GE would expand their sales efforts and entered the larger road locomotive market. This was Alco’s bread and butter and would eventfully drive the former out of business in 1969. Today GE is the dominate locomotive supplier for US and Canadian railways. Those elsewhere in the world too.

Alco had a Canadian subsidiary, the Montreal Locomotive Works, but they didn’t begin diesel production until 1948. In 1944 the technology was still too new and the orders here in Canada too small to worry about setting up production just yet. In the interim MLW continued to build steam engines for Canadian and foreign railways, and was content to let the parent company supply diesel orders that came in.

MLW would give up building steam by the late 1940s, when it became clear that diesels would take over completely. At first, many railways thought them only useful in switching roles and approached the subject cautiously. Then sales took off, especially in the 1950s.

Montreal Locomotive Works outlasted its parent company and remained in business until the mid 1980s. During WW2, they built tanks and at other times, various other products.

Switchers often hide away in yards and inaccessible industrial areas out of the public eye. Gritty, well hidden places. As such they don’t always evoke the same romantic notions as mainline power (or steamers especially).

At the start, 7019 stayed close to Calgary so management could keep a close eye on it. The technology had yet to fully prove itself and they also didn’t want it straying too far from a service facility. Diesels turned out to be more reliable than anticipated and far above that of an equivalent stream locomotive. They were also economical to operate and service.

In later years, this engine also found work in Saskatchewan (other places too). Reader Jim Lanigan (of the Locomotive & Railway Historical Society of Western Canada) had a big hand in its preservation and sent information where it operated.

“It was assigned to Calgary from October 1944-October 1955, and Regina (sometimes Moose Jaw in later years) from October 1955 until it was retired in October 1984.”

A photo dated 1984 found during research shows it in the deadline in Winnipeg Manitoba. The always frugal railway kept locomotives in service for thirty or forty years when they could, and got every last mile out of them. Case in point here.

Shorty after retirement it was restored to its current appearance and mounted here at the entrance to the park.

Jim added this interesting tidbit…

“The Alco S2s were initially acquired on an “experimental” basis to verify the diesel-electric’s performance relative to steam locomotives in yard switching service for, in the minds of most early-1940s CPR motive power officials, diesel locomotives were unlikely to challenge steam power in passenger and freight train services.” That’s conservative thinking and it’s a pretty typical mindset for the railway.

Tagging along with this engine is CPR caboose 437358. This “van” (as crews often called them) was built in 1949 at the company’s huge Angus Shop complex in Montreal. Also destined to work in obscurity, it could likely be seen trailing behind local and long distance freights across the west. It arrived here about the same time as S2 7019.

While one can still find the occasional caboose in railway service – they use them for special back up moves for example – most were scrapped in the 1980s and 1990s. As a kid you could always remember getting a friendly wave from the tail end crew in the caboose as the train passed. These trailed every train and are still an iconic symbol of the railways.

The other locomotive at the entrance of Heritage Park is Selkirk 5931. It’s from a group of the biggest, heaviest and most powerful steam engines on the CP roster. It and five others (of thirty-six built in total), were the last steam locomotives made for the railway (in 1949).

We’ve found some nice old photos of it to use much as we did here, and we’re planning a return visit to the entrance to Heritage Park to do just that. Stay tuned…but give us some time…we’re slow as molasses due to a heavy workload.

The Then image comes thanks to our pals at the University of Calgary and for this we’re forever in their debt. It’s from the Floyd Yeats collection and is dated October 1944. The caption reads Alyth and that’s the CPR’s big yard in town.

Floyd was a lifelong employee of the CPR (as a member of a train crew) and fortunately for us, he took his camera along on many of his trips. His collection is a behind-the-scenes look at railway operations of the day and are hugely fascinating.

A second photo from Floyd, dated specifically October 10th, 1944, shows 7019 elsewhere in the Alyth yard and has the caption: “First day of service for diesel locomotives in Calgary”. This image also appear on the information plaque on the fence seen out front of 7019 today (scroll down to the photos).

It’s assumed the photo used by us dates from about the same time and perhaps it was even captured on the same day. The locomotive still appears clean and in railroading, equipment doesn’t stay that way for long. That being said, it’s seen in the old photo as brand new or almost so. It must have been quite the curiosity at the time and a glimpse into the future.

We don’t know who the people are in the old photo, but they seemed mostly focused on 7019. All appear to be crew, except for one person in a suit and maybe they were management. Perhaps they’re briefing crews about these recent acquisitions, but it’s only a guess. Sister locomotive 7018 also appears in the photo.

Know more (new tab): Canadian Pacific Railway Alco S2 #7019.

They’re saying…

“Thank you so much for your fantastic articles and photos. Alberta and BC are dear to my heart. I could spend 24/7 here with you! I especially love the before and after articles. Keep up the great work guys!! I was born and raised in Calgary in the 50’s so this history is my passion.” Joanne Winchester Honer.

Train themed…
Moose Jaw SK Train Station (~90 Yrs Apart).
Carbon Alberta 1946, 1992 & 2024 (also using a Floyd Yeats Then photo).
27 Years Apart with Alberta Prairie Ry #41.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: October 1944 (Floyd Yeats) and June 2025.
Location: Calgary, Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Canadian Trackside Guides, UofC Photo Archives (Floyd Yeats collection), Heritage Park, Larry Buchan (deceased – a friend who also knew Floyd), and Jim Lanigan of the Locomotive & Railway Historical Society of Western Canada.

CPR #7019 in Calgary 1944 (brand new) and 2025.

It’s now at the entrance to Heritage Park in Calgary’s SW.

A brief history of the locomotive and caboose.

It spent most its working life in the west, Calgary included.

#7019 was retired and put on display in the 1980s.

Built by the American Locomotive Company 1944.

A caboose always brought up the rear.

Seen at the last light of day.

So many years, so many miles and now the work is done.

The post CPR 7019 Calgary 1944 & 2025 first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

The artist laid out these remains in an exacting, circular fashion and each airframe aligns with a point of the compass. There’s twelve airplanes in total and native grasses form the outline of any missing pieces. To really appreciate this, you should see it from the air, but in a stroke of irony, we’ll have a ground view. It’s a different take, but still mighty impressive from our lowly angle.

You the viewer are free to interpret the meaning of Gravitas, so make of it what you will. Good art challenges conventions and makes you think as an individual.

Gravitas, made of World War Two era airplanes – the Rockies in back.

They’re war planes but is it about war? They’re old and falling apart, so is the theme decay or even death? Or are we reading too much into it? Why the precise layout? Is it something spiritual…something akin to a Native Medicine Wheel? The answer, we’ll leave up to you.

Ourselves: it’s the Knights of the Round Table and they’re a circle of equals in conference. They’re soldiers awaiting a call to duty and then it’s on to glory.

Gravitas dates to 2009 and is the brainchild of Keith Harder, our host and guide this day. He’s a painter, illustrator, digital imaging creator and sculptor. Produced in cooperation with the Bomber Command Museum of Nanton, the Ansons came from their collection and being surplus to their needs, they were donated to the project.

Picked clean of any needed parts, they helped in the restoration of another Anson, so in that sense they were perfect for this display. Either use them here or let them languish away in the museum’s storage lot, unseen and unneeded. This piece gave them purpose. None are anywhere close to complete airframes, but they’re still recognizable for what they are.

To construct the display, they laid out a large round gravel bed and marked the location of every plane. They craned each aircraft into place and set them down accordingly. It sounds simple, but the artist demanded a great degree of precision and to do it right this last step ate up much time. Keith made sure each aircraft aligned to within a hair’s width of specifications.

The exacting silhouette of complete planes – recall none are anywhere close to that state – were planted with tall grasses and these have grown into the remains. The centre of the circle and a band on the outside edge are also grass, but other areas are bare gravel.

Since the display is close to the road a fair number of people passing by see it (but, reminder it’s on private property). Most, we bet, scratch their heads wondering what it is. Only to view from above is to know it. People in planes can see it and drones can see it. Towering basketball players with stepladders might try, but it’s won’t work. An uber-tall selfie stick is not nearly enough. You need some serious height to take in all that it is.

Most air traffic here is small planes coming and going from a number of rural airports nearby. Traffic to and from Calgary might be too high at this point to really notice the display – is it even on the normal routes? That it’s actually seen by a limited number of eyes makes it no less important. No way and it’s all the more special as a result. An artist like Keith Harder doesn’t do it to put in front of the most eyes possible, but instead eyes that can appreciate it.

From the ground we were able to appreciate the all the components and parts that make it up. Once we got a lay of the land and wandered about, we could image it in its entirety.

The Anson design dates back to the mid-1930s and the aircraft served many roles. It functioned as a light bomber, transport and patrol aircraft, but seemed best suited as an air trainer. Produced by the firm Avro in the UK, demand during World War Two was such Canadian production was established. Many firms were involved, marking parts or complete aircraft, but De Haviland is perhaps the most well known name. Some of the Ansons here have markings from this firm.

In total over eleven thousand Ansons were built across several variants and close to three thousand came from Canada. Production spanned the 1930s-1950s in the UK and 1941 to 1945 in this country. Ones made here are mostly Series (Mark) II and V.

The Mark II Anson has a steel skeleton making up the the body and tail. Some sections were clad in metal and others fabric. Wings were fabric covered wood and a large plywood spar anchors them to the fuselage. A pair of radial engines (from the firm Jacobs on most Canadian Mark II models) provided power to wood propellers (on Canadian models).

The length of the craft is some thirteen metres, the wingspan seventeen metres and they had an operating weight of some thirty four hundred kilos. Cruising speed was two hundred and fifty kilometres per hour.

Mark V aircraft made use of more more wood and that’s due to metal shortages during the war. The planes at Gravitas appears to be made up of the Mark II variety, however.

The Anson carried a three or four person crew. Controls were primitive and people comforts unheard of – just look at that seat! Cargo space was minimal. Some Ansons not used as trainers might have a basic armament or were outfitted as a light bomber. They were also used for navigational instruction and other miscellaneous duties, but as trainers they excelled.

The aircraft takes it name from British Admiral George Anson from the 18th century and given success of the design, no doubt he’d be proud.

Most Anson trained pilots went on to fly bombers. Ansons were easy to fly, forgiving, simple to maintain, reliable (hence the Faithful Annie nickname) and this made them a good learning tool. In many ways however, even early into the war, it was an outdated design. Still, it worked well in spite of this and well regarded as a result.

In its own special way it helped the allies win the conflict, even if most of its contribution was behind the scenes in nature. No little boy ever dreamed of being an Anson pilot. Begrudging respect, minimal recognition, but a job well done.

The Anson was the backbone of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and pilots destined for the European Theatre were hands-on educated on these planes at any number of airbases scattered all over Southern Alberta. Some of these old airports remain. Over twenty thousand aircrew, from all over the Commonwealth, received their training on Ansons.

The Gravitas planes still display splotches of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan yellow on many exposed surfaces.

Wandering about the remains, one can’t help think of those brave souls who then went on to fly in the war and didn’t make it back. Or let’s think of those who came back broken or damaged in some way. It’s a sombre connection, but sometimes this life requires a sacrifice.

After the conflict, most Ansons were sold as scrap and many were snapped by farmers who salvaged parts of them for other uses. Ahhh, reinforcing that frugal farmer stereotype. Often any leftovers were then dumped in the back forty, along with old trucks, retired tractors and other metal bits. Junk rarely left the farm. Many old airframes, even if now in parts, survived fairly intact thanks to all this.

Later museums and collectors would acquire many Ansons.

The Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton (somewhat south of Gravitas) dates back to the 1980s and is home to several vintage war planes including an Anson currently undergoing restoration. They have a fair stockpile of parts and parts aircraft in their inventory which to pull from. Some bits may have come from the very planes placed here by Keith Harder, and that’s something cool.

Gravitas: (Oxford Dictionary – Noun) Dignity, seriousness, or solemnity of manner.

Native grasses grow as the outline of missing parts.

The crazy dome home is on the same property and we got to visit it once some years back. It’s wild. The piece is not online anymore but maybe one day we’ll repost it.

This article is one of those that went corrupt due to that database crash (we talk of it a lot lately) and we reposted it here with a rewrite, but using original photos. The site lost many posts in that fateful event and any worth salvaging (not all are) will get a similar treatment before they’re made public again. They older stuff needed work anyway, and this gave us an excuse to fix them up.

Know more (new tabs): Gravitas by Keith Harder and Avro Anson.

They’re saying…

“Can we all take a moment to appreciate how great this website is?” Monica and Leslie (thanks, we’re blushing).

Random awesomeness…
Ogden Road Calgary 1950 & 2016.
Commander Mine 1935-1956.
Historic Hotels Cranbrook BC.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: August 2016.
Location: south of Calgary (please view from the road).
Article references and thanks: Artist Keith Harder, Bomber Command Museum of Canada, Nanton Alberta and the Book Canadian Warplanes by Harold A. Skaarup.

Artist Keith Harder, our guide and host.

How many pilots learned their craft in this very cockpit?

It looks random, but there’s order when seen from above.

Airframes are aligned to points of the compass.

Each is an Avro Anson, some more complete than others.

A seat for the crew and it doesn’t look all that comfy.

The location is a farmer’s field south of Calgary (not publicly accessible).

Aircraft came surplus from the Bomber Command Museum in Nanton Alberta.

The crazy Dome Home on the property.

To really appreciate the piece it has to be seen from the air.

Ansons were made of metal, wood and fabric.

A wing spar is seen here.

An electrical panel.

Still painted in Commonwealth Training Plan yellow.

A Jacobs Radial Engine, one of two per plane.

About a quarter of the over 11000 Ansons made were produced in Canada.

These Ansons were used as trainers during World War 2.

Old war birds and nature coexist.

The most complete of the airframes.

Gravitas was completed in 2009.

Ansons were made by many firms in Canada, including De Havilland Aircraft.

The dome home on the way out.

Gravitas in all its glory, from the air – photo Alex Robinson.

The post Gravitas by Keith Harder first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

Coming by way of Fort William/Port Arthur Ontario (now collectively Thunder Bay) and later Yorkton Saskatchewan, its home today is the rolling foothills of west-central Alberta. The location is a real working ranch that doubles as an outdoor educational venue and youth camp. It’s called Aspen Ranch Outdoor Education Centre.

This article was earlier lost to a database crash, given a make-over and reposted here as new. While it would be a simple matter to restore straight from backups, many of the older posts (the ones effected) are outdated. A lot need a do-over anyway and this one begged for it. This piece received a full rewrite, but still uses the original images.

Canadian Locomotive Co #3043 new at the factory 1963 & in 2015.

We lost hundreds to the little “incident” and any still relevant will get a similar treatment before reposting. We’ll purge the rest and much of the older stuff is horrible anyway. Posts affected were from 2012-2016 and this one’s from 2015. The old photos are not the greatest but we had harsh light that day and our skills were not up the challenge.

We’ve haven’t been back to Aspen Ranch since, but have chatted with them over the years and they told us little has changed since our visit. Still, maybe it’s time we hit them up again?

Now back to the subject at hand…

Aspen Ranch set up a circular track with a siding, brought in a number of rail cars and this locomotive. At the time of our visit, they intended to use the rolling stock as part of an exhibit, where children can learn about railway history and safety. There’s no mention of this on their current website, so it’s possible plans are on hold.

Canadian Locomotive Company #3043 was fully operational and fired up occasionally back then. Presumably, that’s not changed.

It’s a small switcher (a model 40-H4-A1) with two axles and weighs in at 40 tons. The drive is diesel-hydraulic and this is perfectly fine for smaller locomotives, albeit not widely used in this part of the world. Diesel-electric is the standard.

One axle is driven and then connects to the other via side-rods, with an action very similar to that of a steam engine. Many of CLC’s final locomotives were diesel-hydraulic and in looking at old ads for the firm, it’s appears they hoped to cash in on that market. But it didn’t happen.

The Searle Grain company bought CLC #3043 new and used it to switch their grain terminal in Fort William Ontario. The Searle company had a network of prairie elevators and funneled grain here for loading onto to ships. Fort William and Port Arthur were side by side and would join to form Thunder Bay in 1970.

The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool later acquired the Searle terminal, but closed the facility later in the 1980s. The Pool then transferred the locomotive to their other terminal on the Port Arthur side of town, where it stayed until the mid-1990s. It appeared little used as this time.

The Pool later sold the locomotive to the grain firm Parrish and Heimbecker. It worked that company’s big terminal in Yorkton Saskatchewan up and until around 2009. After retirement P&H donated it to Aspen Ranch and the associate Little Creek Historical Society. A trucking firm offered their services gratis and the moved it to this site.

P&H had the locomotive rebuilt shortly before they disposed of it. Sadly, it suffered an engine fire not long after arriving at the ranch and this complicated matters. The compressor, generator and starter all received damage. Painted in a bright red, a P&H ghost logo is still visible on back of the cab.

The diamond-shaped builder’s plate located on the radiator grill went missing at some point. In old photos found during research, it’s clearly seen in many shots, even ones as late as the 2000s.

We’re sharing a photo showing the locomotive just as it emerged from the Canadian Locomotive Company factory and as you can see, it’s little changed.

The Canadian Locomotive Company was a long time builder and supplied motive power to Canadian carriers (Canadian National and Canadian Pacific among other) and railways around the world. Founded in the 1850s, they lasted until the late 1960s. They made other things, but even that could not save them in the end.

Steam ruled until the late 1940s, when the Canadian Locomotive Company made the transition to diesel and the changeover ultimately proved unsuccessful. Sales slowed after a few years and for the last decade the few locomotives produced were small and for industrial use.

The locomotive market ebbs and flows, so a shortage of work in that field is nothing new to the firm. Companies like it learned early on to exploit other avenues, so slow periods of locomotive sales could be weathered. The had done it in the past, but even diversification could not keep them going forever. The big railways for the most part abandoned the firm after 1957 and that lost business later proved their undoing.

Over the years, the Canadian Locomotive Company built mining and industrial equipment, fabricated steelwork and made large diesel engines for ships or industrial use. They made rock crushing plants, scrap yard car crushers and even golf carts are mentioned. The list goes on and on. The locomotive market is cyclical and smaller firms had find additional work in other areas.

CLC #3043 was one of two locomotives the company made in 1963 (business was that slow) and became the the very last produced for use in Canada. The firm would go one to make twenty one more locomotives (all exported, mostly to India) and produced the last in 1968.

The factory closed the following year, but not completely due to falling sales (which were troubling), but to a labour dispute. It would have closed eventually, anyway. The highest locomotive serial number turned out to be #3064 and with that the company ended 114 years of production.

From the early 1950s on Fairbanks Morse in the US owned this formerly independent company. FM was a large industrial concern and had their fingers in a lot of pies. CLC made FM designed locomotives in the 1950s, for the big carriers, but they proved unpopular compared to other makes.

There were other locomotive firms in Canada over the years but they’re all history now. The Canadian Locomotive Company held title as both the longest in business and the smallest in terms of output. They made just over three thousand locomotives in the hundred plus years they operated. In in contrast a larger factory (like those in the US) might have a yearly production of many hundreds or even approaching a thousand.

There’s an interesting mix of rail cars at Aspen Ranch, but we’ll only touch on them briefly here. A couple are near the locomotive and include a 1920s passenger car (ex-CNR) and 1950s era flat car (ex-CPR). These two are on that loop mentioned earlier and maybe one day for fun, they can hook them up to the locomotive and go round and round and round…and round…and… It’s just a circle.

A snow plow (ex-CNR 1930s) sits on a small length of track nearby. Elsewhere on the property there’s a box car (ex-CPR 1960s), ore car (ex-CPR 1950s) in one location, plus a caboose (ex-CPR 1970s) and a maintenance of way speeder in another. There’s also railway memorabilia on display too.

The ghost logo from the previous owner, P&H Grain, is still visible.

Cows roam sections of the property and they seemed to take great interest in the two of us. At times we were surrounded, mostly by calves, and they just kept coming. These animals are learning aids for agriculture awareness and stewardship programs.

We’d like to thank Aspen Ranch and the Little Creek Historical Society, who allowed us access everything seen in this report. We had a hoot. Hope you enjoyed this post as much as we did making it. We’re looking at the last of its kind here, a tiny little locomotive, in a remote corner of the property. Those who built it would surely be amazed that it’s survived.

The Then image is thanks to the Queen’s University Archives.

Know more about the firm that built #3043 (new tabs): Canadian Locomotive Company Kingston Ontario and the company that originally purchased it: Searle Grain Company.

They’re saying…

“The wonderful out-of-the way locations and the photos of them are pure gold…Keep up the good work!” William Gibbons.

Random railway awesomeness…
Ghost Railways: Fort Macleod Alberta.
Railway Barge Slip Rosebery BC (1989).
CPR Crowsnest Railyard (Summit Lake).
Camrose Heritage Railway Station & Park.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: June, 2015.
Location: Near Sundre Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Aspen Ranch/Little Creek Historical Society, Canadian Trackside Guides and the book – Constructed in Kingston – A history of the Canadian Locomotive Company 1854-1968.

It holds title as CLC’s last locomotive for a Canadian customer.

A closer look…

CLC built their first locomotive in 1854.

They only built a few more locomotives after this one & then closed.

At an educational ranch in west-central Alberta.

The builders plate was located here.

From the 1920s.

They’re on a big circle of track.

It worked for a number of grain firms before coming here.

“This car too high to pass through Winnipeg train shed.”

Take a bite – a former CN Snowplow.

There’s other railcars scattered about the property.

Don’t tell the car rental company…

Underfoot.

Exploring is our happy place.

A former CP Rail Caboose.

The post Class of ’63 – Canadian Locomotive Co #3043 first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

Referred to as a “Baby Trainmaster (alt: Train Master)” by railway buffs, but never officially by the company that made them, this brawny engine appears as Canadian Pacific Railway #7009 and is one of only two examples of this model extant. Only a small number were produced for a select number of customers in the first place and the two survivors were similarly the final examples made. They were also the last ones to remain in service.

Interestingly, the Canadian Pacific/CP Rail never owned this locomotive, nor did they purchase any of this model from the builder. Neither did any other Canadian railway and H16-66s were only sold in the US. The CPR did however own numerous similar looking Fairbanks Morse designed H16-44 and H24-66 models, built in Canada by the Canadian Locomotive Company of Kingston Ontario. That firm held the rights for FM locomotives in this country and also made all manner of heavy industrial equipment until closing in the late ’60s.

All H series locomotives have the same large burly look about them and while they proved less reliable when compared to the offerings of other builders, they made up for it by their raw pulling power. According to old timers we’ve spoken with, who knew them, they could really dig in and lug.

The unit is numbered in the 7000 to 7010 block reserved by the railway for demonstrator locomotives. The current owner wanted it painted to make it appear as though testing out for the CPR and that’s a plausible enough story. The railway did this often enough and other locomotives that have also appeared in the same numbering series include two FM/CLC CPA16-4s. These date from 1951 and were the very first Fairbanks Morse designed locomotives turned out by the Canadian Locomotive Company.

This locomotive was outshopped in early 1958 as Fairbanks Morse locomotive production waned. They stayed in the business into the early 1960s, but by this point had a limited output. It worked under various owners in the coal fields of Illinois.

At some point in the early 1980s a private individual from Ottawa Ontario purchased it and moved up here to Canada where it bounced around for a while. When seen by us it was stored in High River, in company with some other vintage railway cars and awaiting a permanent home.

Its location put it right next to a railway themed, dining car restaurant (still in business) and within a stone’s throw of the old CPR High River train station. That building somehow survived when so many other didn’t and now home to the High River Museum. We’re along the CPR’s MacLeod branchline here and the track got pulled a couple decades ago now.

The H16-66 ended up a rare model but that’s not odd given its rather specialized abilities. It did best on heavy but slow moving freights, and on lightly built lines. FM went on to build one more H16-66, late in ’58 and with that closed out the model’s run. The last one, recall, is the other we spoke of that survived and presently resides at a railway museum in the southern US.

At some point after the first photos were captured this locomotive moved to the CPR’s Ogden Shops and was repainted. It now wore the CPR’s traditional Tuscan red and grey scheme and looked great. On our first visit it displayed badly faded CP Rail colours and looked a little ragged.

In late 2012 this locomotive along with a second historical FM/CLC unit were seen heading west on a CPR freight, but their destination seemed a mystery.

At least to begin with and some thought perhaps they were headed to Squamish BC. There’s a large train museum in that community that certainly could give them a little love but when checked on next, however, they turned up in Nelson BC. That’s where both have been ever since.

They were first put in storage under tarps in the remains of the Nelson yard, where they were tagged and vandalized. Shortly after our visit, they were moved in behind the Canadian Pacific’s Nelson station, a short distance away and displayed there. Still with tagging based on photos we’ve seen of them recently.

Nelson was home the CPR shops that specialized in maintaining this make of locomotive so their is a significance to them being displayed here. Southern BC and parts of southwest Alberta were stomping grounds for CLC/FM locomotives and many lasted into service into the 1970s. That’s not bad, since all were from two decades before and always worked hard.

Some guides/sites/books list this model as an H-16-66 and others H16-66. We’ll use the terms interchangeably but some train-guys might argue one point or the other.

Officially however, at the Canadian Locomotive Company at least, they used the latter form. It’s confirmed by looking at some verbatim records listed in the book “Constructed in Kingston, a history of the Canadian Locomotive Company 1854 to 1968” by Donald McQueen and William Thomson. It’s then assumed the parent company Fairbanks Morse also used the same model naming conventions. If anyone even cares.

These pictures were scanned from 35mm prints and date, as best we can tell, from the 1990s. Any records that accompanied them are lost and admittedly, it’s us being sloppy. They were poor quality to start with, faded with age and indifferently scanned long ago.

We don’t recall the camera used to capture them (probably something cheap, old and probably out of tune), nor the film used (probably a bargain house brand).

What’s in a name? H = hood unit, 16 = horsepower in hundreds and 66 = six axles with all powered. Simple enough. FM/CLC locomotives used the firm’s unique opposed piston engines, with two cylinders acting against each other, verses one piston against a cylinder head that’s typical. For the eight cylinder engine that powered #7009 (assuming it’s even still inside), there were sixteen pistons and two crankshafts.

This arrangement made FM engines quite powerful, but also complicated. They were also a very tall and this is reflected in the boxy design of the H series locomotives. The H16-44 ended up the most common of family and otherwise quite similar to a H16-66 but with four axles. CPR/CP Rail had a fair number of 16-44 models and they earned their keep.

Know more: (new tab): Fairbanks Morse H16-66 Locomotives.

They’re saying…

“Can we all take a moment to appreciate how great this website is?” Monica & Leslie.

A similar CLC H series locomotive appears in this post…
Gas Plant Collection. It’s since been scrapped.

Locomotive overload…
Locomotives of 40 Mile Rail (Amazing Skies).
Ex-Manitoba Sugar.
Canadian National Railways #1392.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: 1990s and July 2016.
Location: High River Alberta and Nelson British Columbia.
Article references and thanks: Canadian Trackside Guides, John Burbridge’s local agent, and TrainWeb.org/CPRDieselRoster.

From the 1990s…

Fairbanks Morse H16-66 (CPR #7009).

Shot on film long ago in High River Alberta.

From 2016…

Waiting to be put on display in Nelson BC.

The post Fairbanks Morse H16-66 (CPR #7009) first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

We’re out in the beautiful mountain community of Revelstoke and along the secondary highway heading south to the ferry (Big Eddy neighbourhood). It’s at a public work’s yard and to anyone who was a kid who travelled in the province in the 1950s to early 1980s periods, the Gobbler is instantly recognizable. Double take when driving past!

Kids, and thanks to constant nagging, their parents (who can be trained via repetition) were encouraged to “Feed the Gobbler”. Junior Gobbler bags were handed out, to be hung in the car and when filled deposited in the mouth of a roadside monster. Keep the province “green and clean”.

There were some two hundred and fifty Garbage Gobblers scattered about BC. Given the population makeup of the province, most could be found in the southern half of the province, but no matter where, they were an iconic symbol.

They could be seen at any rest stop, turn off, viewpoint or roadside picnic area and the program seemingly successful. Better in the can than beside the road. No map has come to light thus far, but somewhere in an obscure archive there must be an inventory of the locations for each. Somewhere out there and we’ll keep looking.

The majority were made of fibreglass but early ones were of concrete. Each got painted in a distinctive green and yellow scheme similar to what’s seen on this restored Gobbler.

The parks, highways, tourism and conservation departments all collaborated on this project. To one degree or another, but that’s not terribly important. They all had common goal, however, to stamp out litterbugs and keep things tidy. Where ever people go, discarded stuff is sure to follow (not just then, but always) and for that era these comical creatures helped bring attention to the problem in a creative way.

Gobblers were first introduced in the late 1950s (earliest confirmed reference we could find is from 1957) and continued to be placed into the early 1960s at least. The ranks thinned by the 1970s and by early the next decade, most would be gone. A few lasted longer out of the way places, but that was the exception.

That they were not animal proof is most often cited as the reason for their removal, but no doubt attrition came into play as well. They’ve since been replaced by standard bear-proof receptacles, some of which have a modern incarnation of a Garbage Gobbler painted on their sides. It’s not the same, but so it goes.

We’ve noted a wide variance of eyes on the old Gobblers. There’s ones with slit pupils, vertical, horizontal or tilted in alignment plus cross-shaped ones like here. We’ve noted crescent pupils and other variations too.

Others are round and dilated in an over-the-top way, so as to look almost bug like or as though the Garbage Gobbler is surprised. Or maybe stoned – feed me – pizza! We’ve dug up many photos and variations were the norm with very few the same. In original form at least, the slanted slit seemed most common.

We’ve noted differences in the green and yellow paint as well, but given the many branch offices involved in their upkeep, this is of no surprise. In addition some had a red-ish stripe on their nose and other subtle deviations.

A metal receptacle was placed inside and trash could be dumped via a spring loaded door in their mouth. Feed me! It was popular for tourists to snap a photo of someone’s arm or entire body being chomped on by a Gobbler. See for yourself by doing a Google image search and it’s funny stuff. A few of these are known to still exist and some have become yard art across the province. A small number have been restored, like this one, but many appear quite beat up and weathered.

The sign underneath reads:

BC Garbage Gobbler. The “Garbage Gobbler” is truly a unique piece of BC transportation history. The first Gobblers were designed by Len Shaw for the BC Park’s branch in the 1950s. Approximately 250 green and yellow “Garbage Gobbler” cans were placed along BC Highways and in our provincial parks. This Garbage Gobbler is one of those original cans. Province of British Columbia, 2017.

We’re curious to know where this example originally came from but that information is probably lost to time. Maybe the Last Spike monument to the west, or at the pull-off along the Number One just west of the Columbia River in town? That second location is not far away from the Gobbler present day but we’re just throwing it out there.

Memory flashback: at the don’t-loose-your-brakes switchback dropping down into Osoyoos (east side) in the south Okanagan. If you’ve driven the road you remember it for the incredible views and seemingly endless descent. There was a Garbage Gobbler at the viewpoint about half way down – the inner kid insists it’s true. Yes, passed it many times.

Recall many others trash monsters, vaguely, but for this one, the location has been burned into memory and is forever.

As a small child they were frightening, but later became the the source of much amusement and comedic stupidity. Who’s going to get eaten this time? My hand…it ate my hand! You know, the dumb stuff you did? Standing there along highway #23, the memories of childhood come rushing back and with an intensity unexpected. Here’s an old friend from road trips with the folks and us kids knew the Gobblers well.

A certain guy with camera in hand must have looked quite puzzling to passing motorists, standing there motionless, mouth agape and with a blank stare. Distant recollections have a way of doing that and zoning you out.

If you’re a BCer from the period these were around, and especially a kid, we hope you enjoyed the little trip down memory lane. Once you meet a Garbage Gobbler they are forever and rarely forgotten.

So ends the day’s adventures…or so it was thought. That evening and back at the campground a neighbour comes to show us something special. There in the failing light, this immaculate early ’70s AMC Javelin and it photographs beautifully. It has that deep and confident rumble so emblematic of the era. There’s something satisfying here and it’s not possible for cars of today to be so unapologetically cool.

There’s a sirloin on the fire, an icy cold local brew, fantastic company, memories of a trash eating monster and pony-car dreams. That’s a pleasing end to the day.

Know more (new tab): The Garbage Gobbler (BC).

They’re saying…

”…Chris & Connie do an amazing job on studying their subject matter.” Rik Barry (Time Air Historical Society).

More awesome posts…
The Highway Bridge at Wardner BC.
Highway Gas.
This is Champion Alberta.

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

Date of Adventure: July, 2023.
Location(s): Revelstoke, BC.
Article references and thanks: BC Ministry of Transportation, records at the Royal BC Museum, MichaelKluckner.com and Randy Rodman (nice car).

One of BC’s iconic Garbage Gobblers from long ago.

Once a common sight along highways in the province.

They “ate” trash via a spring-loaded door in their mouth.

This one was saved and is on display in Revelstoke BC.

Back at the campground later that evening.

The post Highway History (BC): the Garbage Gobbler first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

As each article is posted we’ll include a link below the respective photo and write up here so you can learn more. Patience and curiosity will be rewarded. These are by no means all that will be shown you, but just some of the highlights and best ofs. There’s lots more not touched on here coming down the road, and plenty of impromptu short subject posts and more Bolers. Of course. Keep tuned to this channel.

What’s left in Pilot Bay.

We’re looking at the remains of a smelter built in service of local mines on the east side of Kootenay Lake. The plant only ran for only a brief time in the late 1890s and found to be unsuited to process complex ores of the area. It’s sat by the lake ever since and all that remains of any note today are two smoke stacks. We’ll show you these and touch on how the plant operated and what went wrong.

Pilot Bay Smelter Remains.

A lost cemetery deep in the mountains of BC.

We search out these cemeteries and in particular those in former mining communities. Given the oftentimes extreme boom and bust cycles of these towns, the stories of these burial places are often sadder than most. Lonely guys, with no local family and often from far away, killed in some unsafe mine, laid to rest and then forgotten of. It’s repeated time and again. This cemetery was fixed up at some point not that long in the past, after being neglected for decades, but it’s still seldom visited. We’ve come to pay respects and hold in high regard those who toil underground.

The Forgotten Cemetery of Morrissey BC.

Another in a former coal mining community.

This grave yard is seemingly completely forgotten and nature has taken over. Not that it’s such a bad thing. Most burials here date from the 1900s-1910s period, although there is one late comer from this century. No doubt they had family connections to the area. This cemetery is huge in size, but most graves seem to lack any markers. This happens if wood ones were used, as was once common, so they rot away over time and then vanish. We’ll show you what we found and chat about those interred here.

Forgotten Coal Town Cemetery.

It’s the Garbage Gobbler!

If you drove highways of British Columbia in the 1950s-1970s period, you might have seen one of these fibreglass monsters at some rest stop or tourist booth. A sign would instruct you to “feed me” and dispose of trash responsibly instead of simply tossing it in the ditch (as happened and sadly still happens). As a kid they were either fun or terrifying and quite memorable. Team BIGDoer knows of them!

This restored examples sits outside a highway’s maintenance yard and no doubt is responsible for many double-takes from passing motorists. The older ones that recognize a Gobbler from long ago…and then the memories come flooding back.

Highway History (BC): the Garbage Gobbler – Feed Me!

A “super” place with Jim Bowers.

Jim is the authority when it comes to the original Superman movie franchise of the 1970s and ’80s. Many scene from the series were shot around Alberta and Team BIGDoer has visited most of these sites. Here we accompanied Jim to one and he came all the way from Nevada to see it for himself. This was the location where Pa Kent (so Clark/Superman’s dad) was laid to rest and for the movie this grassy knoll was a set made up of a church and cemetery.

Here Jim is holding his book (Superman: The Richard Donner Years) which is a showpiece for many production related and behind-the-scenes photos from the first film. Donner was the director of that one. If you look close you can see its open to the pages where this very site is shown.

While here, we reshot a Then & Now from long ago, which we’ll post about soon. In fact, we’re thinking all the Superman Then & Nows we did a decade ago deserve a fresh take. Those old ones really aren’t that good. Plus we’ll post about our time with Jim and his co-conspirator radio host and news anchor Jay Towers of Detroit and our visit to Superman locations in the Alberta Badlands.

Superman 1978: Cemetery Scenes.

Jim and Jay host the CapedWonder Podcast and were a pleasure to hang with. More about this good day and what we all did, coming soon!

Burstall Pass is awesome!

We’ve hiked up to Burstall Pass many times over the last couple decades (because it’s just so darn scenic) but not recently. It was time for a revisit and it’s exactly as we remember…spectacular! How nice to see an old friend and we’ll post about the experience in short order. It’s a good hike, not terribly hard nor technical, and with such an amazing varied personality. There’s deep dark forests, alpine meadows, barren rock gardens, views into Banff Park and a little glacier along the way. We’re eager to show you!

Burstall Pass is Awesome!

Abandoned in the middle of nowhere.

Railway archeology is a passion, but that’s probably pretty obvious to our readers, and here’s something on a grander scale than most. It dates from the 1910s and witness to it last train some six decades later. Ever since, so from the ’70s on, it’s stood abandoned and the remote location means it’s seldom visited. Lay some track across and we’re sure this old bridge would function just fine.

Given how long it’s been out of service it’s surprisingly in good shape and looks straight and serviceable. They built things good back then!

CPR Bow River Bridge (Abandoned).

As seen in the movie Silver Streak.

Here’s the site of a train bridge, but it was removed concurrent with the line being pulled up. Except for the concrete bits that is which are seem across on the other side. The structure dates from the early 1910s and when a dam got put it a few decades ago, it had to be removed due to rising waters. Normally that valley is full, to about half way, but on drier years it can look as it does here.

This bridge appears in the 1970s action movie Silver Streak, for a moment or two, and we’ll show you that scene and chat about everything here. We’ve got a thing for infrastructure the railways left behind and this fits the bill nicely. This visit required land access and the hike in was a good one.

Ghosts of the Crowsnest Subdivision.

Bella the Boler goes home.

Bella the Boler belongs to some dear friends and emerged from the Neonex factory in 1977. That’s the building seen right behind and we believe new trailers, back then, came out this very door when completed. Bolers were made in many factories over the years and this one was only in production for a short time in the late ’70s. Best we can tell, they only made seventeen foot models here, but research continues.

The structure today is a building supply firm and they were so helpful in making this happen and we’ll tell you all about it in a post that’s coming soon!

Bella the Boler Goes Home (Cheers!).

The wrecks of Royston, Vancouver Island.

There’s over a dozen old ships that make up the Royston (Vancouver Island, BC) breakwater. These were deliberately scuttled here and are comprised of craft from the 1870s-1940s era. They were used to help stabilize a wharf used by a logging firm back in the day, and today are part of a protected marine park. Once junk, they’re now historical artifacts – funny how that works. They’re best viewed by water craft (seems kayaks work well), but we’ll do our best to show you them from the shore.

Royston Wrecks (Vancouver Island BC).

The old store on Denman Island BC.

After Denman we zipped over to Hornby…

One day while exploring Vancouver Island, we decided to visit the islands of Denman and Hornby off the east side. Just because. The two are very close to each other and can be reached by a couple of ferries. Those are fun in their own right. We came with no set plan and just kind of explored and quite happy to see what ever came our way. There were old boats, wonderful geological formations, wind ravaged trees, the occasional old building and a real laid back vibe. San Francisco 1960s laid back.

1 Day: Denman & Hornby Islands (BC).

The fishing boats of Comox Harbour.

We simply wandered the docks in search of old fishing boats. There were a lot and all were tied up between calls to service. There’s restrictions on harvesting, so they sit a lot and we’re not sure how they make a go of it. So this post will be different and a bit casual. Sometimes no plans are the best plans and wandering about with no direction is a whole lot of fun.

Comox Fisherman’s Wharf Comox BC.

A spooky walking tour of Riverview Hospital.

If you’ve seen a horror/thriller film or series set in a hospital, or especially an “asylum” type setting. it may have been filmed in Riverview Hospital (formerly Essondale Hospital) out in Coquitlam BC. It’s a huge complex that’s quite old and most of the buildings seen in our posts are from the 1920s-1950s period. Other than a few newer structures (not seen in our photos), most are empty but maintained and watched over.

Riverview/Essondale functioned as a mental health facility and mostly closed by the 2010s. Some parts are used for native healing now. The rest of the site is sort of in limbo and it’s not clear what might happen to all the surplus structures. Many are historically significant, even if their resultant stories touch on the meloncholy. Mental health was not well understood in the old days and treatment sometimes questionable.

We simply walked about and covered as much of the complex as time would allow. It’s eerie, a touch troubling (especially given there’s a family connection here) and yet the architecture is something else. Coming soon.

Riverview Hospital Coquitlam BC.

Spanning the mighty Fraser and no longer used.

The highway through the Fraser River Canyon is an exhilarating one at the best of times and is winding, narrow and sometimes clings to the side of a mountain. But it’s better than it used to be. Back in the 1920s to 1960s, this single lane bridge was part of the mix and the narrow roads on each end no doubt a thrill to drive.

Alexandra bridge used some footings from the original of the same name, which dates back to the 1860s and a former link in the Cariboo Wagon Road. That span was no more by the 1910s, but in a way it lives on in the present structure erected about a decade later. The bridge is historically recognized and kept up. You can walk down from the highway and enjoy the views and marvel in its construction. BTW, the deck is expanded metal, so you can see right down to the boiling river far below. That’s scary stuff if you’re subject to acrophobia.

Alexandra Bridge Fraser Canyon BC.

At the Victoria Hotel for the Beer Parlour Project – coming soon!

If you’ve been following our exploits the last while, you’ve heard us speak of the Beer Parlour Project. It’s a multi-year project where we visit small town hotel pubs (quickly vanishing places) to document their history and chat with patrons present day. This is being done with large format film photographer Rob Pohl – we hang out a lot – and will results in a gallery exhibit. And probably a book.

We visited maybe twenty hotels so far, have a number lined up in the near future and many times that are planned. One hundred maybe? Something more? We don’t know but it’s been a wild ride so far and the results beyond expectations. Stay tuned. Below it’s a sign announcing our arrival at the Victoria Hotel in little Bruderheim Alberta not long ago. We’ll be posting about that adventure and of other hotels we visited in recent times soon enough.

To keep up with the latest Beer Parlour happenings, please visit our companion website (new tab): BeerParlourProject.com.

Our popular Then & Now posts don’t preview well but rest assured there will be a number of them coming soon. These are both a labour of love and the biggest pain’s in the behind, of all the posts we do. Love and hate them. When they work, they’re amazing, but when they don’t, and it happens more than you know, it’s a big downer. Anyway, watch this space for some new postings on this topic coming soon.

Bellevue & The Frank Slide ~55 years apart.
JB Fletcher’s Ainsworth BC ~45 Years Apart.
Dunshalt Alberta 1974 and 2013.
Silver Creek Coal Mine Skunk Hollow.
Grain Elevators of Turin Alberta.
Coleman Miners’ Hospital 100 Years Apart.
Calgary Inglewood Haskins/Victory Block.
CPR Illecillewaet Bridge Revelstoke BC.
MacDonald Bridge Calgary ~70 Years Apart.
Downtown Calgary & CPR Tracks 1977-2014.
You Are Here: Corral 4 Drive-in Calgary.
Superman 1978: Cemetery Scenes.
The Greenhill Hotel Blairmore AB is Timeless.

That’s it for this “Coming Soon”…for now.

Know more about some of the subjects seen in this post (new tabs): BC Garbage Gobblers, Superman Jim Bowers, Royston BC Wrecks and Alexandra Bridge Fraser River.

They’re saying…

”Thank you so much for your fantastic articles and photos…I could spend 24/7 here with you! I especially love the before and after articles. Keep up the great work guys!! I was born and raised in Calgary in the 50’s so this history is my passion.” Joanne Winchester Honer. (Thank you!)

The first installment…
Coming Soon (1)!

Curated just for you…
Historic Pilot Bay Lighthouse.
Prairie Sentinels: Fort MacLeod Alberta.
Calgary Transit #7632.

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

Date of Adventures: 2023-2024.
Location(s): All over the place.

The post Coming Soon (2)! first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

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 tab): 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.

The post Locomotives of 40 Mile Rail (Amazing Skies) first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

There in the nice light of evening, the place is all ours and it photographed beautifully. Just missed the rain, then the sky opened up and it was magical.

First, let’s take a look at the station building and it’s a beauty. Constructed in the early 1900s, in tiny Elko, a town along the CPR’s Crowsnest line some sixty five kilometres east, the building last saw use as a passenger depot in the 1960s. Afterwards it was re-purposed as a railway office before closing in the mid-1980s and a couple years later moved to this current location to be put on display.

Situated along the busiest street in town, the building was renovated soon after the move and for a period housed the museum’s reception centre and gift shop. They quickly outgrew the small building and since moved into a much bigger facility down the street. A couple years back there was a suspicious fire at the Elko Station, but fast acting crews quickly doused the flames and minimized damage.

A pair of 1950s era locomotives that once belonged to the CPR sit right beside the station building. A model FA-2 and FB-2 respectively they’re mechanically similar but one lacks a cab and can only function as a trailing unit. The railway owned twenty of the former and six of the latter, all built in the years 1951-1953.

In addition, the CPR rostered a good number of earlier FA-1/FB-1 locomotives (built 1949-1950) along with a small number of passenger service FPA-2/FPB-2 units (built 1953). There’s little difference visually between all the models mentioned but there’s some mechanical differences inside.

These were turned out by the Montreal Locomotive Works, a prolific builder of steam and later diesel engines, founded in the early 1900s and closed in the mid-1980s. Canada once had many locomotive manufactures over the years and now there are none. Is anything made here anymore? The American Locomotive Company in the US was parent firm of MLW, but went belly up in the late 1960s and this left the Canadian arm to carry on for a time as an independent.

These locomotives have a fully enclosed car-body and differ from those seen today. This sort of arrangement generally fell out of favour later in the 1950s but with their smooth flowing lines, quite stylish. From a maintenance and even a functionality standpoint, however, they were not ideal. With everything enclosed it made access to internal equipment difficult, but operational limitations were also a factor. There’s good visibility forward, but not so much in other directions, for example.

These locomotives lasted in CPR service until 1977 and the pair set aside as historically significant. They sat for a good many years before coming to Cranbrook and we understand many mechanical parts were stripped off and either replaced with ones in non-operational condition, or removed completely in the case of stuff on the inside. There’s many mismatched parts, but only obsessed folks like us would notice.

These were stored back in eastern Canada, where most of the FA/FB FPA/FPB series locomotives operated. While comparative strangers in the west they still could be found out this way and in particular during the early days. Once at the museum they sat in primer for a time, but a few years back done up in the CPR’s old school colours used in the 1950s-1960s period. They make a striking pair and look ready to hit the road.

The CPR track runs right behind the museum grounds, but things were quiet this evening. The yard in behind (just over the fence) was formerly a busy place, but it’s usually empty and quiet these days, due to operational changes. It was a former maintenance centre and crew base, but no longer functions in that capacity.

This stretch of track is a conduit for products heading to the US (bulk potash being one), via a connecting line that meets up with the border further east of Cranbrook, and for materials heading to and from the huge metal smelter at Trail. In the past, the rails used to travel all the way to the west coast and the line called the Kettle Valley/Crowsnest route. It sees a moderate number of trains per day, but in the old days much busier.

We stand there and imagine where these locomotive used to run and what they saw. Did they pass Elko Station in the past? Probably. Did they visit Cranbrook back in the day? No doubt, but now they’re not just a visitor and instead call the city home. It’s a beautiful scene.

Know more (new tabs): Cranbrook History Centre and Downtown British Columbia.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure and check out all the others at this website (there’s hundreds and hundreds).

They’re saying…

“Chris and Connie are the real deal – their adventures are truly interesting and fun!” Justine Cooke.

On display nearby…
CPR Water Tower Cranbrook BC.

Locomotives and stations…
Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions #41.
Camrose Heritage Railway Station & Park.
Coutts Sweetgrass Train Depot.
Ex-Manitoba Sugar.

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

Date: July, 2022.
Location: Cranbrook, BC.
Article sources: Cranbrook History Centre (former Canadian Museum of Rail Travel, Cranbrook) and Canadian Trackside Guides.

At the west end of downtown Cranbrook BC…

…There’s an amazing display of railway equipment.

What’s this made in Canada stuff?

Elko Station from the early 1900s.

It got moved here about thirty five years ago.

The 1940s railway water tower is not far away.

These are all part of the Cranbrook History Centre Museum.

CPR #4090 & #4469 are from the 1950s.

Dofasco Steel made the trucks.

Products of the Montreal Locomotive Works.

The post CPR #4090, #4469 & Elko Station first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

It’s a Baldwin Locomotive Works (Philadelphia, PA, USA) product and built for the Jonesboro, Lake City & Eastern Railroad in 1920. This comapany ran in the states of Arkansas and Mississippi and in the mid-1920s taken over by the St Louis-San Francisco Railway (the “Frisco”). The engine continued in their service until just after World War Two and then sold.

The Mississippian Railway acquired it and used well into the 1960s, long after most carriers had rid themselves of steam. A railway club in Alabama took ownership in 1967 and not longer after it ended up in a museum in the nearby state of Mississippi. In the late 1980s it got sent north to Stettler, to pull tour trains and has been here ever since. It’s a fixture on the line, well loved and the subject of many photos. How strange to see it so exposed and vulnerable like in the photos.

Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions #41 in 2019.

When built the locomotive carried #41, and does so today, but for most of it’s operational history used #77. There’s a tradition of sorts for locomotives to keep their as-built numbers and once assigned (like your name), it’s usually kept.

Our subject’s a 2-8-0 in the Whtye notation system and known as a Consolidation type, with a pair of guide or leading wheels and four pairs of drivers. It’s powerful for its size yet it could travel down light track or rickety sidings with ease. A general purpose machine best suited for yeoman-type duties it could be found pulling local freights, branch runs or doing yard work.

Not normally used to pull passenger trains it could do so in a pinch, albeit at lesser speeds. The lower drivers meant it couldn’t fly like a true passenger engine and this no problem given tour train travel at modest speeds anyway.

Consolidation: so named as the first company to use this configuration had gone through a merger around the time of delivery and given the name to one of their new locomotives. It stuck and the name used ever since. Each unique wheel arrangement was similarly given a class name and these generally used universally. Many tens of thousands of Consolidations were built for use the world over, in various forms and sizes, but all sharing the same wheel arrangement.

The majority of 2-8-0s were built between the years 1890 and 1920 when made obsolete by larger more advanced steam locomotive designs that followed. Even so, most had long careers and this a testament to their versatility. By Consolation standards #41 is fairly small and lightweight.

Baldwin, at various times in its history, held title as the largest locomotive manufacturer on the planet. Founded in the 1820s they went out of business in the 1950s and didn’t survive the transition to diesel power for long. They excelled at making stream locomotives, and had a huge factory, but the market dried up after World War Two.

The firm did not typically supply to Canadian railways and domestic builders Canadian Locomotive Company and the Montreal Locomotive Works did so instead. I guess this makes the engine a bit of an outsider, y’all (a shout out to its southern roots).

In the 1990s Family BIGDoer rode the APRE train from Stettler to Meeting Creek/Donalda (that line’s now abandoned) and #41 powered this train. The engine makes a brief appearance in the 1994 movie Legends of the Fall and in other films as well.

We rode the train to Big Valley in more recent times, with diesel power, and had a blast, here: Alberta Prairie Railway Tours Ride Along.

If ones does a search online many photos of #41/#77 in service can be found at various times in its history. It looks much today as it did then and hardly changed at all.

This steamer has an identical sister engine (built as #40) that surprisingly still exists and located in the the US. It owned by the Oakland Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in Maryland, where it doubles as B&O #476. It’s a static display and not operational.

Alberta Prairie Railway Excursion trains operate Spring through December and in the past at least, #41 mostly used on peak weekends. The diesels usually took over on slower days and for most late season runs. In the last number of years the train’s have been the domain of diesels exclusively and it’s not clear if there will be operational changes compared to previous years now that the steamer’s back. We’ll wait and see what happens.

In the past a second steam locomotive, CNR #6060, sometimes got called into tour train service on special days. This monster-sized beast is owned by an associate group and currently out of commission pending repairs. Located partway down the Alberta Prairie line you’ll pass it right by if you ride the train, but won’t see it since it’s stored in a big shed.

Bullet Nose Betty, as its known, is a thoroughbred and once pulled the CNR’s crack passenger trains. It’s much larger, more modern (ca 1940s) and more powerful than #41. It’s of such a size that it almost seems out of place, so too big, for the light branchline track. You picture it screaming down the main line and with a long consist well in hand.

Here’s a little looksie and we may post more about it down the road: Random Pick: Sleeping Giant.

No #41 last ran in 2017 and put out of work for want of one relatively trivial part that would need to be custom made. It’s a casting in the front of the locomotive (look for the pic captioned “In the front end smokebox” to see its home) that developed a crack. It’s in the less-critical low pressure section of the boiler where steam and smoke exhaust out to the stack.

The part’s not the main problem, but rather the resultant complete and thorough inspection needed on completion that would send costs soaring. Every single rivet and connection would need to be checked, even if not suspect, and it takes much time and expertise. Then Covid hit and everything put into a long and seemingly endless holding pattern.

Recently the project restarted, and funds secured and only weeks before this posting, #41 quietly returned to service. They mentioned it on their Facebook page, but the website (as of publication) remains pretty hush on the subject. Hmmm. This suggests they’re working out the bugs and waiting till next year for the big reveal.

Presenting photos below of a steamer in it’s naked state, partly disassembled, and in a way few get to see. While it might look crude and simple, it’s actually a marvel of engineering. The blackhead, where it all happens, is a mess of pipes, valve and levers whose function’s only known to those intimate with the old girl. It’s heavy metal to the extreme and each part cast, forged or riveted together. For 1920, it’s tech and a representation of how it was done.

No #41 keeps company with a number of diesels, one part-time power for the tours and the other used for hauling freight on the line. APRE serves a few agricultural customers and in the excess car storage business, both of which helps underwrite the tour trains.

One year shy of a century (at the time).

No #7438 is a General Motors GP-9 locomotive from the late 1950s and once worked for the legendary New York Central system. GMTX #2668 is a leased locomotive, a late 1960s General Motors GP-38-2 (upgraded from a GP-40) and also from down south. It’s entrusted with freight chores on the line and still carriers the logo of a former operator, the Carrizo Gorge railway of southern California and Northern Baja Mexico. That line’s legendary and famous for a stretch that clings to the side of precipitous mountains.

It’s good to see #41 back in service and look for us trackside in 2023 snapping a few photos of this old timer. Smile and wave when you pass!

Know more: (new tabs): Alberta Prairie Railway Tours and Surviving Steam Locomotives in Canada.

Please stop by often and be sure have a little fun.

They’re saying…

“Chris and Connie delve into the nooks and crannies of the Canadian Prairies. They detail interesting histories accompanied with revealing photos. Alot of information and work and the results are fantastic.” Naomi Kikoak.

Train stuff…
Nakusp Rail Society.
Gas Plant Collection.
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, 2019.
Location(s): Stettler, AB.
Article thanks: Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions (Rich especially), Canadian Trackside Guides and Steamlocomotive.com.

A strange collection of moving parts.

Awaiting repairs at on our visit.

Keeping company with a couple diesels.

All those controls.

Throttle and brake.

In the front end smokebox.

Yes…yes it is.

One of four sets of drivers.

It looks crude, but is a fine tuned machine.

Formerly of the Carrizo Gorge Railway (SW US).

A rarely seen angle.

Built as Johnsboro, Lake City and Eastern #41.

Metal and grease.

It finally returned to service only weeks ago.

This one’s a relative youngster.

The post Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions #41 first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

This machine sits off to the side as you enter the tiny community and it’s such an interesting rig, to us outsiders anyway, that one can’t help be curious. We sure were, but who knows if our readers will be as enthusiastic (don’t email!). A big old hunk of metal like this, to us, is a drug, so we could babble on about them endlessly and sometimes do. But not everyone agrees.

Roadside Rust: Heel-Boom Log Loader: now a makeshift swingset. Wandering remote backroads with Chris Doering & Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)

In the industry this is known as a heel-boom (or snorkel) log loader, popular in the old days, but in more recent times generally usurped by excavator-type machines with hydraulic grapple ends. In the case of this one, it’s got the body and machinery off a Koehring Crane, modified with a specialized Ross boom and mounted on a wheeled chassis.

The design and features of this one suggests it may have been a late model example (1970s?) but we could not find any in old literature that matched it exactly. These were generally pieced together using parts from several manufacturers, by a number of firms specializing in forestry equipment.

For rougher terrain, these might be tracked but for models that kept to the road, rubber was more practical. There’s four axles, two driven and two for steering and we suspect these didn’t move fast.

This one must have been kept busy in the local area and given the almost rain-forest like conditions in the hills around, things were and are very productive. The forest is thick and grows well in the cool, moist conditions.

Who knows when this one was retired and parked, unless a local chimes in. Its second life is that of a makeshift…swingset? Wooohooo! Welcome to the logger’s playground.

Machines of this type were used to load trucks, stockpile logs in the yard or with snorkel extension, usually a long wood pole fitted into that round attachment above the boom, function as a yarder. That is it could drag trees from far away to the loading zone and in this capacity function as dual-purpose machine.

The operator and radiator are both well protected. The chassis has retractable outriggers and these are extended when the machine’s working.

In practice, the grapple would hook on to a log nearer the end, pull it tight against the boom, which would force it horizontal and then lower onto the trailer or pile. The boom riser at the end acted as a pocket for the grapple so it tucked away when at full lift.

And now you know.

Look these machines up on YouTube to see them in operation and when we saw the old footage, it appears to us that it took a fair bit of skill to operate one safely and efficiently.

Beaton is not really a town in any sense, anymore, but a scattered group of homes. At its peak, during the mining boom of the late 1890s and early 1900s period, the population stood at perhaps seventy or eighty. It functioned as supply and transportation hub but is now a quiet backwater.

The location here is along Beaton Arm on Upper Arrow Lake in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. There ain’t no Starbucks here.

Thanks Dale for making this trip possible and an absolute blast.

Know more: (new tabs): Snorkel Log Loader.

Till next time, keep exploring and having fun.

They’re saying…

”Thank you so much for your fantastic articles and photos. Alberta and BC are dear to my heart. I could spend 24/7 here with you!…” Joanne Winchester Honer.

Heavy metal…
On the Job: ’73 Kenworth W925.
Monsters of Metal: Diplomat Mine.
Autocar Coal Hauler.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: contact us!

Date of adventure: May, 2022.
Location: On the Beaton Path, BC.

Roadside Rust: This old Heel-Boom Log Loader.

It’s second life is that of a…swingset?

It’s been parked by the road a long time.

The post Roadside Rust: Heel-Boom Log Loader first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

We just took it out into the woods, not far from its home base and photographed under amazing apocalyptic skies. Those dramatic colours are from smoke coming in from fires out in BC and the States, so nothing local, but still, the woods here were tinder dry at the time. Locals were understandably nervous since it’s happened to them before (read on) and no one wants a repeat.

On the Job: ’73 Kenworth W925 – it’s big, old and photographed for fun. Keep on truckin’ by Chris Doering & Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)

Turns out the call never came (this shoot is from summer 2021), but still, everything had to be ready move at a moment’s notice.

Hop on board for ride up into the hills.

The backdrop for our little outing was a section of forest in the Crowsnest Pass of Alberta, burned up about twenty years ago. All those dead trees hearken back to one scary summer and it’s amazing how disaster was so narrowly averted. The flames were knocking on the door and folks in surrounding communities on standby to leave. We can’t stress it enough…the fire came that close to civilization (the town of Hillcrest Mines in particular) and scared the bejeezus out of everyone.

Nature’s recovering nicely, as you can see, but those barren sticks are a haunting reminder of an event no one wishes to see repeated.

This truck was bought second hand and other than an engine upgrade (from a Cummins to an even bigger Cummins) is pretty much as built. Rigs of the time were so utilitarian then, but rugged and compared to offerings today, relatively simple to work on.

Watch for those cracks in the steering wheel – they pinch. All those gauges too and this was tech in 1973.

Austin drives his rig as though a seasoned veteran with decades of experience and shifts on the twin stick are seamless (recall, he’s mid-20s). That he was born into the trucking, logging and heavy equipment business might explain things. He handles timber harvesting and earth moving machinery with equal confidence and skill. It’s a family tradition, after all, and in the DNA.

This Kenworth W925 was a logger out in BC at one point and for a time was put to work at a ranch in Northern Alberta, before being brought down to the Pass. It’s no doubt lead a hard life, yet shows no signs of stopping and overall is in fine condition. You could hear it coming, then feel it coming, long before it came into view. It’s an unapologetic beast and we’ve seen our share.

The W925 model is a variant of the legendary Kenworth W900 highway tractor with certain suspension changes. We read the technical paper, but it’s clearly beyond our understanding and offers no insight as to the advantages of one type over the other. Better ride? Heavier duty, longer lasting or something else?

Any W925s we’ve seen in photos seem more beefed up over their regular W900 brethren, which suggests they were designed for more demanding conditions.

Kenworth had a factory on the west coast of British Columbia at the time this W925 was made, so of course one wonders if it came from this plant. Old papers sourced, mention they produced W9xx derivatives (without mentioning the models – we understand there were others) in the 1970s period, so it’s possible I guess. Kenworths’s Burnaby plant, near Vancouver, operated from 1955 to 1982.

We’d love to hear from anyone who might know more and invite them to comment below.

That big green machine on back is a 1990s era Timberjack skidder normally used for wood harvesting, but in a pinch makes a capable go-anywhere fire fighting rig. Outfitted with two detachable tanks, with pump, it can attend to larger spot fires in difficult or out of the way locations. Those oversized tires and chains mean business. That big blade and giant grapple claw means business! The whole rig end to end means business!

Timberjack was a well regarded line in the forestry business, before being purchased by a rival in the early 2000s and the name dropped soon after. The low-boy trailer that carries it around appears to be an oldie too, but like everything else it’s no doubt up to the task. The family can fix nearly anything they operate and have a large shop for just such a purpose.

This was a casual good-time shoot and nothing more. We’re enamoured with vintage metal, especially the big stuff, and Austin was glad to oblige. Doesn’t it look amazing given the setting and backdrop? As our thanks, we sent him some prints that came out of this and it’s the least we could do given it was such fun.

Austin’s Grandpa drove coal truck back when mining was a thing in the Pass and his rig was identical to the one in this link (here: Autocar Coal Hauler), which we got a tour of a few years back. The big blue Autocar seen in that post was bought at the same time (in the same colour too) and is in impeccable shape. Read about it and be in awe of it’s sheer size!

It takes skill to shift a double stick transmission.

Consult the oracle: (new tabs): Kenworth W900 Series and Lost Creek Fire 2003 (check out the photos!).

Drop by often for lots of new and interesting content posted regularly.

They’re saying…

“They have no fear when it comes to searching in remote areas, and they have an artistic eye for picture taking. It’s a very enjoyable site.” James Robinson.

Heavy metal…
The Springbank Lights Fleet.
Kelts’ Collection.
Industrial Works Dragline.

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

Date of Adventure: August, 2021.
Location(s): Crowsnest Pass, AB.
Article references and thanks: Austin L, American Truck Historical Society and JustOldTrucks.com.

No touch screens here.

BIGDoer-mobile sighted.

And the reverse angle…

Bigger round than a cowboy’s belt buckle!

It and its load were on standby for fire fighting duty.

The things underfoot.

It’s been hard at work since 1973.

A go-anywhere Timberjack Skidder.

Waiting for a call that never came.

It’s a beast.

Chains mean business.

On the job and enjoying every second.

This is Austin’s awesome Kenworth W925.

Class photo!

Apocalyptic skies are due to smoke from forest fires elsewhere.

One final wave and it’s goodnight!

The post On the Job: ’73 Kenworth W925 first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

This venerable street warrior still belongs to Calgary Transit and brought out from time to time for charters and the like. Dating from 1980, it was part of an order for seventy five and one hundreds and hundreds of GM Fishbowls CTS owned over the years, built from the early ’60s to early ’80s. The Fishbowl name comes from that great expanse of angular front glass.

Fishnbowls were surprisingly long lasting in CTS service, with some on the road into 2013 (see: They Live! Calgary Transit GMC Fishbowls in 2013). We last spotted #1046 out in the wild in 2011, but it may have lasted a bit longer. After 2009 it held honour as the last in service bus still in the old colours and as such stood out among its contemporaries. Other transit systems similarly held onto their Fishbowls for longer than typical.

Hope on board for the Calgary Transit #1046 Fantrip.

Officially Fishbowls were called New Look by the manufacturer and this example is a sub-model T6H-5307N. T=transit, 6H=six cylinder engine (from Detroit Diesel) and hydraulic (automatic style) transmission, 53=nominal seating capacity (but it could vary), 07 is a series number and further tells us the bus is 40ft (or 12.2m) long and 102in (or 2.59m) wide; and finally N means no air conditioning. These were ovens in summer, but the CTS evidently felt this feature unnecessary at the time. You monsters!

This bus was made at General Motor’s (then) newly opened factory in Quebec but Canadian Fishbowls from years before came from the GM locomotive complex in Ontario. By 1986, GM Canada had finally transitioned to a new model (the Classic), but for a time built both concurrently.

Made by the tens of thousands (via a US factory too) the Fishbowl was an extremely popular design and certainly in appearance the most iconic transit bus ever. Everyone remembers riding one of these and that distinctive look made them stand out.

US production spanned the years 1959-1977 and in Canada from 1961-1986. After American production ceased, some operators across the border started purchasing Canadian made examples, much to the chagrin of GM in the US who was hoping to sell them on a new model down there (the RTS). The RTS was never accepted up north and this one reason why they continued production of the older design up here. GM got out of the bus business later in the 1980s but their former factory in Quebec is still at it, as NovaBus. Calgary Transit is an operator and has a fairly large fleet of their LFS series.

Fishbowls and all buses of that era were of the high floor variety, so steps had to be negotiated to get in or out. This was not a terribly convenient arrangement for folks with mobility issues or those with tots in carriages and lead to the current low floor designs. Easy curb level entry and exit.

Unit #1046 and its brethren came new with programmable destination signs, introduced by CTS only the year before, where as older buses used traditional roll signs. The seating is made from that thick vinyl stuff, industrial strength and nearly indestructible, but hardly comfortable. You’d burn your butt on that fabric come summer and freeze it off later in the year. You could not win and bare skin would stick to it as though held in a vise.

Looking over that interior photo brings back so many memories. All you Calgarians of old must remember buses like this, in that two tone blue interior scheme and maybe even rode this very one long ago. Those sideways seats in back was were where you’d always find long-legged me. Couldn’t fit in the others.

The fun begins at the Whitehorn LRT Station and the bus soon packed and on the road. The click of cameras sometimes drowns all else and let’s just say there were a lot of shots taken this evening. The ride lasted about six hours and visited all quadrants of the city.

Stoney Garage is an early stop and this visit included a drive by of the bus barn shops where heavy maintenance and repairs are performed. CTS buses put on a huge number of miles and are beaten to death by the challenging roads and conditions, so breakdowns are just part of doing business. When something goes wrong, they bring it here.

Old and new at the Stoney Garage.

Due to a double booking mix-up (doh!) this became a solo trip for Connie. Well, she was among friends, but the other half of Team BIGDoer was nowhere to be seen and instead out on assignment (here: Great Beater Challenge 2021). This spitting of gear unfortunately left her using one of our small hiking cameras, which is burdened with a slow as molasses kit lens that’s less than ideal for the tough conditions to be encountered. This shoot was for casual fun, however, so it really doesn’t matter. Still, bright lights became ugly haloed blobs and that’s a little bothersome, as is the noise from cranking the up ISO.

This event happened almost a full year ago, incidentally, and speaks of a huge backlog here. Just thought we’d mention it and just accept that we’ll never be timely in our postings. Ever.

Out on the apron at Stoney Garage #1046 is parked next to one of Calgary Transit’s newest buses (a NovaBus – remember them – LFS on Natural Gas) and it’s #8385 from 2019. The difference between the two is night and day, yet they are kin.

The 66th Avenue/Ranchview Link NW Transit Bypass ducks under Sarcee Trail while connecting the neighbourhoods of Ranchlands and Dalhousie. It’s for buses only and made a stop along the way.

There’s some nice shots to be had of #1046 from the pedestrian bridge over Bow Trail, with downtown seen prominently in back. Later they’d head that way and use the LRT right of way in the core. In the time #1046 was in service it no doubt visited all corners of Calgary, but likely spent a fair bit of time downtown as well. Could 7th Avenue, along the LRT tracks, be its old old stomping grounds? Probably.

A trip to the airport, via that big road tunnel, happens later. Let the funny looks begin and no doubt anyone paying attention there, and along the entire route for that matter, must have been surprised to see such an old bus out on the road. Are we seeing things? There were more than a few over-the-shoulder double takes witnessed. A time shift, maybe? Nope, just a bunch folks out for a ride in something historic and having a good time.

There were countless other stops along the way (thirteen in total) and had we shared photos from each, it’d have turned this post into a big bloated mess. More so than usual that is.

Back where the tour started, a special and unexpected visitor makes an appearance. Everyone wondered why that one guy had to suddenly leave the group while grinning as he was, and now we know he was up to something. Here’s CTS #1130, a Fishbowl belonging to collector Nick B*. It’s slightly newer than #1046 and one of sixty nine buses from an order delivered in 1982 (from CTS’ last order of this model).

Deep inside where heavy maintenance is done.

This newer Fishbowl is painted in the more recent white with stripes scheme in use from the early 1990s to 2007. Now they colour them white with a big swooping red stripe, although buses in this older scheme can still be found in service.

Note how the sign programming on #1046 changed as the trip progressed and you might as well have some fun with it. Each stop they dialed in a new one and some of them reflected historic routes. Look at that, it’s 11pm and the ride is over. It’s a quick goodbye and then a little basking in the afterglow. The day’s done.

*There are people that collect and restore old transit buses, strange as it might seem to someone on the outside. They tell us once you catch the bug, you’re done for, but only then could you ever understand. We know a couple of these folks – for example, here: TDH-3501 and here: The Big Red Bus.

Know more: (new tabs): Calgary Transit #1046 Fantrip (lots of nice pics to browse) and GM Fishbowl Buses.

Stay tuned for new and interesting content posted regularly.

They’re saying…

”If you grew up on the prairies, (or even if you didn’t) you are going to love what Chris and Connie do. Part urban explorers, part historians, part documentarians, and intrepid travellers, (they) make this site interesting, educational, and addicting. Highly addicting.” James Churchill. (aw shucks).

Posts where Fishbowls make an appearance…
Edmonton Transit: 95th Street – Fishbowl Trolleybus!
Calgary Then & Now: Ogden Bus Loop – DinnerInABucketInAMinute!
They Live! Calgary Transit GMC Fishbowls in 2013 – The final year.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: contact us!

Date of Adventure: August, 2021.
Location: Calgary, AB.
Article references and thanks: Nicholas Blonski, Calgary Transit, Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board and all the nice folks on this trip.

Dipping under Sarcee Trail on a bus-only lane.

From the pedestrian bridge over Bow Trail.

Flashback moment!

Once in a while we get a nice sunset in Calgary.

Many photos were shot…

#1046 has been on he road since 1980.

Downtown along the LRT right of way.

A courteous driver…

#1046 is still owned by CTS.

Visiting the airport.

Airport tunnel

What’s this now?

It’s a surprise visitor, CTS #1130 belonging to a collector.

The post Calgary Transit #1046 Fantrip first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

A more stunning location, here in this little interior community, could not be imagined. Look west and its such a scenic backdrop that you just might forget trains…for a ten or twenty seconds, anyway.

There’s three railcars in the consist and they were placed here just a few years ago. They’re all Canadian Pacific Railway ex-company service cars and include a comparably modern caboose, an ancient snowplow, which looks like a caboose with a bad attitude and in between, it’s an odd looking beast called a spreader (it’s an oldie too). Don’t worry, we’ll fill you in on it and everything else once we’re done.

The former Brouse station on display here reminds us that train travel was once a big thing. Serving the small community at the next stop down the line south from Nakusp, it displays the passenger timetable as it looked in 1914. Passenger trains? You’ve heard of them in legend or maybe your grandparents spoke of them, right?

Visiting the Nakusp Rail Society display!

If you wanted to travel any distance a century ago, you did so by railway. On a branch line such as this service was infrequent at best, here once per day, per direction back then. It might not have been always convenient, but you worked with it and life went on.

The Nakusp line, called the Nakusp and Slocan Railway, but operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway, goes back to the 1890s. Running between Sandon at the far end, it meandered north to Nakusp and the majority of traffic forest products and ore from any number of mines. The line got trimmed back over time, and traffic dwindled year to year, but still it was surprisingly long lasting. They didn’t call it quits until the late 1980s! That the area is so remote helped here and with few highways, the railway might sometimes the only option for shippers back then. Even so, freights the last few decades were short and sporadic. Passenger service ended by the 1950s, but by then we doubt if anyone noticed.

This stretch of track was isolated from the rest of the CPR network and the connection to the outside world was by rail barge. The transfer location happened at a little town called Rosebery (see: Rosebery BC Then & Now ) and the water-gap ran between it and Slocan City where a connection could be made with the CPR’s Crowsnest Line. This barge operation was necessary due to rugged terrain and no doubt a big operational headache. It must have been expensive to run too, but it worked and did so for countless decades. The former roadbed’s a rail trail and travels though some nice country.

The snowplow, #400648, dates back to 1921 and only retired about a decade ago. Plows don’t often get used and such can seemingly last forever. Pushed by locomotives, a crew member would ride up there in the cupola and keep and eye on the track ahead. Even deep drifts stood little chance and while it might take a couple stabs to clear the worst accumulations, little would stop it. Wings on either side could extend outward to cut a wider swath. Take a bite!

On our visit in the summer of 2021, this wedge plow was approaching its hundredth birthday and just think about how different the world was back then. Steam locomotives ruled the rails when it was new and that’s quite eye opening!

Railway snowplows are not used so much today and instead railways may call out an army of mobile loaders and dozers to clear blockages. Running trains more frequently can also prevent snow build up.

CPR #434614 is from 1977 and so a late model caboose. In the old days, you’d see one at the end of every freight, but the railways started phasing them out in the 1980s. Even so some lasted in service well past that date for specialized reasons, such as local runs or on maintenance trains, for example. We found photos of this one in service into the 2000s and it was looking pretty rough back then. It’s nice they fixed it up and everything else on display here.

Marker lights indicate status and most often displayed red to mark the tail end of a freight, moving or not. Green would tell other passing trains it had stopped on a siding.

A caboose in the past might be a home away from home for the tail end train crew but in modern times mostly used as a rolling office or platform for switching moves. We lit it up so it appeared the boys were putting in a little overtime and burning the midnight oil.

The middle car serves an unusual purpose and called a Jordan Spreader. Canadian Pacific #402811 was outshopped in 1913 and it can be used variously for fighting snow, to profile the roadbed, or both. The wings on either side can extend outward in addition to downward, acted on by air cylinders (that tank holds the supply) and this allows a high degree of control.

Made by the Jordan company, a specialized maker, the railway still owns a number of these and similar machines are still made today (by a legacy firm). Much like the snowplow, these are only used from time to time (but essential) and similarly might last in service well beyond what might be considered normal.

This one came via the Revelstoke Railway Museum and for the longest time, well into the 1990s, stationed out of Cranbrook in BC’s southeast.

What was the world like when it left the manufacturer? Let’s see…autos were a something new, planes a real novelty, wages were a couple bucks a day and your life expectancy under sixty years. You get the idea!

The snowplow is a century old.

The Nakusp Rail Society was founded a few years back and have done a lot of good in a short period. This nicely done display is a testament to their dedication and determination – kudos!

Those things in BIGDoer yellow? By the way, we approve that colour! They’re wheel stops to keep a car from rolling past the end of track and making a mess. The W post? These tell the locomotive crew to blow a whistle in anticipation of a grade crossing or other locations where there may be people about. Timken equipped? These are roller wheel bearings made by the Timken firm and they provided a smoother, safer ride verses older friction bearings. In addition they were less maintenance intensive, and similarly less prone to fail, so it became a win-win for the railways.

Upper Arrow Lake and the scenic Monashee Mountains are a backdrop to our shooting position. Turn around and take in Beautiful British Columbia. People in Nakusp are so lucky to look out over this incredible view every day and for that we’re a bit jealous.

Know more (new tabs): Nakusp Rail Society and a little about the line into town: Nakusp & Slocan Railway

Drop by often and enjoy new content posted regularly

They’re saying…

”You constantly amaze with the things you find to post. Thanks for doing what you do.” Wayne Bengtsson (our pleasure).

Vintage train equipment.
Ex-Manitoba Sugar – Played on it as kid and that’s cool!
Coleman Collieries #DL11 – It once worked at a nearby coal mine.
Canadian National Railways #1392 – Getting loaded on a truck (oh, the humanity) for a trip out of town.

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

Date: July, 2021.
Location: Nakusp, BC.
Article references and thanks: Nakusp Rail Society and Canadian Trackside Guides.

You don’t see many photos of us, but when you do it’s like this.

A strange thing called a Jordan Spreader.

#402811 has been around since 1913!

The last train to Nakusp BC was in the late ’80s.

The BIGDoer-mobile always manages to sneak into a photo.

The passenger schedule as it was in 1914.

We approve this colour.

Timken roller bearing equipped.

Take a bite!

Wings fold out to plow snow or profile the roadbed.

Blow your whistle.

Behind our shooting position, this amazing view.

Looks like the tail end crew is working late.

This caboose is relatively modern and from the ’70s.

The post Nakusp Rail Society first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

Yes, these people are into into transit buses. Wait…what…who does that? Turns out we have a few friends bitten by the bug and each is beyond help.

We got to do a ride along with one and had a blast just roaming the city. It’s not a real ancient bus (I have socks older) but who has the forethought to save them at this point? Ken Baker does I guess and he’s our host today. The Calgary Transit System still has many examples of this model (although newer) but where will they be in a decade or two? Cut up into little bits most likely but now at least one’s been set aside.

Our ride: We’re looking at a New Flyer D40LF from 1996 here – D=diesel, 40=feet, LF=low floor. The LF series was a popular one all over North America and offered in various lengths (30, 35, 40, 60 feet) with the longest examples articulated, and many differing powertrains (diesel – perhaps most popular, gas or diesel hybrid, natural gas, trolley electric – in a variant, fuel cell – have we forgotten anyone?). The D40LF was the most common model but no matter the size or how configured, share a family resemblance.

Good morning from Calgary Transit #7632.

This example was made in Winnipeg Manitoba, although the firm also manufactures buses in the US. New Flyer goes back to the 1930s, and at times was known as Western Flyer or plain old Flyer. The Winnipeg plant was the original and still HQ. Your author got to go along on a class tour of the facility in the 1970s (not sure if it’s the same factory seen on Google Earth today), but had zero interest in such things at time. The only thoughts were of pinball, good ol’ pinball…and pizza, yeah pepperoni pizza…and Battlestar Galactic was pretty cool too…that’s it. But not buses.

The LF series was produced from the early 1990s to the early 2010s for countless transit agencies. A similar looking LFR model, with a more streamlined look, was also made for time and likewise a good seller.

The LF series were the first low floor buses produced in North America (well technically the back third is still high floor and requires a step up) and as such were quite ground breaking. That the floor at the doors is almost flush with the sidewalk sure made things easier for the disabled and those with mobility issues. To help things along further, the bus can even kneel and further lower its height. In contrast entering an older high floor bus feels like climbing Everest.

CTS #7632 is powered by a Detroit Diesel 50 Series, four cylinder engine. For decades, engines from this manufacturer were the most popular choice for transit buses but it seems they moved away from that market early this century. The transmission is an Allison Bus Series automatic. Is it me, or do all transit bus transmissions seem to whine loudly?

This bus last ran in CTS service in early 2020, about the time the last Detroit Diesel powered examples were stricken off the roster (all D40LFs numbered in the 7600s and made in the 1996-1999 period). Not long before being parked, it was used in a special goodbye 50 Series fantrip. Once retired these often end up at the scrap yard but not this one, though.

This is one of a handful of LF models preserved thus far. However, there’s a lot of them still in service so more might get saved in the future. Who knows?

We asked Ken to fill us in on how it came in his possession (edited for brevity):

“(When) purchasing a bus from Calgary Transit, one goes through the City of Calgary Surplus Sales. I contacted them directly and had to explain why I was purchasing the bus and asking for 7632 specifically. Normally they would chose one at random for me. 7632 is one bus I remember riding as a kid and the one we chartered that Nicholas Blonski hosted for the Farewell to Series 50 charter on March 15, 2020. It literally was the last charter before the world shut down (ed: thanks to Covid).”

Ken’s changed out signage, but otherwise the bus appears much as is did when in CTS service. That it still looks the part became the source of much fun on our little trip about town. You’d see people at bus stops step forward in anticipation of boarding as we approached, then we’d zip past honking and pointing and laughing uproariously. Jokes on you dude…see you laterrrrrrrrr…..

The first part’s true.

Ken hopes to repaint the bus down the road and has a few ideas. Presently it carries the older CTS white/blue paint scheme, still common out there but being phased out for the current white/red.

Let the fun begin: We had a couple targets in mind, a bus loop in Edgemont where we could catch sunrise (it was an early start) and a now dead-end road where were could pull off a pacing shot without being a nuisance to others. Otherwise, we just drove about aimlessly and watched the world go by.

Joining the party and acting as chauffeur was one Peter McLaughlin, driver for Calgary Transit and with maybe a billion miles under his belt. Or something like that. He mentions likely driving #7632 while still in service, but then given how long he’s been at it, he could say that for most of the fleet. If he’s captain on your bus, be sure and say hi for us.

An earlier gas stop was an eye opener – it cost that much?!!! Later, we double dared Peter to take it through a Tim’s drive through, but all that got us was an eyeroll. Then came a little fun with the signage.

A malfunctioning heater didn’t put a damper on the fun this chilly October day. Sure, we couldn’t feel our fingers and I think I lost a toe, but that’s no reason to stop.

Magic happens in Edgemont and the bus loop affords a perfect line with which to catch the rising sun. There it is on the horizon and with luck we hope to catch an elusive sunstar. It’s hit and miss sometimes, capturing these and even with the right lens (and not all do it well) and knowing the proper settings (which can differ from lens to lens), Mother Nature can always throw a curve ball. But not this day.

These bus posts are not popular compared to other subjects we cover BIGDoer.com and while a lot of work and having to suffer through that numbing cold, this special moment made it worthwhile. That morning sky – the oranges, yellows and stunning purples – it’s beautiful. Even if no one sees this or reads this, we’d not change a thing.

Our pacing shot takes place on a once major road, truncated due to new highway construction and so devoid of traffic. It looks like the Flyer’s screaming down the highway, but it’s mostly an illusion. Stabilizer on, rapid fire on, then drag the shutter to give blurred background, while moving at a fairly modest speed, and viola. It meant being a contortionist in this case, but it’s just another day doing what we do

It’s an early start to capture the best light.

It takes a lot of tries – back and forth – back and forth – but finally we get it. These can be a challenge too. Well look at that…we’ve been at it since before the sun came up and it’s now noon. Time just zipped past, but I think we’re done. Anyway, I got to get that frostbitten pinky looked at and now I can only count to nine.

Will passengers please exit by the rear…

More: This is not Ken’s first bus and given it’s hard to stop once infected, I doubt it’ll be his last. Over the years he’s owned almost a dozen GMC Fishbowls from the 1960s-1980s period. These were similarly a common sight and quite popular among collectors given the ease as which they can be found. Most of Ken’s were ex-Edmonton Transit (booo Edmonton) with one each coming from Lethbridge Alberta, Winnipeg Manitoba and Victoria British Columbia.

I suspect you’ll see more of Calgary Transit #7632 in the future and even before we were done, came discussions of a sequel. We have all these crazy ideas…

Know more (new tabs): Fishbowl Buses (BIGDoer.com), Calgary Transit #7632 and Flyer Low Floor Series.

Stay tuned for lots more fresh content posted regularly @ BIGDoer.com!

They’re saying…

“The wonderful out-of-the way locations and the photos of them are pure gold…Keep up the good work!” William Gibbons.

Something similar…
TDH-3501 – An Old Look @ Red Deer Airport.
The Big Red Bus – Cruising around Edmonton in a Fishbowl.
Baby Fishbowl – It’s so cute!

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

Date: October, 2021.
Location: Calgary, AB.
Article references and thanks: Ken Baker, Peter McLaughlin and the Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board Wiki.

This bus belongs to collector Ken Baker.

Just pretending to be the #77.

Sunrise!

Magic happens at the Edgemont Bus Loop.

The elusive sunstar.

A perfect butt print.

The business end of things.

The button’s well worn from decades of use.

CTS #7632 was retired only recently.

Made by New Flyer in Manitoba.

What the driver sees.

Destination: fun!

Our driver’s Peter McLaughlin (see him?).

Industrial park cruising.

Please exit by the rear…

A final shot and we part ways.

The post Calgary Transit #7632 first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

Our subject is a vintage CL-23 built sometime in the late 1960s to mid-1970s period, a utilitarian workhorse designed for travel across soft or squishy ground. Be it muskeg, bog or snow, it’s the solution. We’re at Track Industries, a specialized manufacturer and service outlet in Calgary’s Manchester Industrial and we’re curious what we see. We’ve driven past before, but never noticed the business until now. Silly us.

Canadair? Where did I hear that name before and didn’t they make fighter planes back in the day? Yes, plus a whole bevy of other winged-craft including highly specialized aerial fire fighters (see: Canadair CL-215). So we’re familiar with the firm, even if until this encounter completely unaware they made machines like this.

After dabbling in the tracked-vehicle field themselves and seeing an opportunity to diversify, Canadair formed a company out of a Calgary based manufacturer (Nodwell) in the late 1960s. Serving customers in the oil and gas industries (mainly), the newly named Canadair Flextrac similarly hoped to interest the military in their technology.

The square body of the CL-23 contrasts sharply with the sleek fighters coming from the parent company out in Quebec. No need for aerodynamics, however, when you’re slogging through slime and mud at twenty clicks per. It’s no Starfighter, with a face only a mother could love and the interior’s plain but functional – nothing much to see here.

Canadair Flextrac made several models, with the the CF-60 seemingly most common. Similar in look they appear somewhat larger than the one seen here. On the other hand the CF-23 (CF23 on the nameplate) might be rare with only a few references being found. It seems some Canadair Flextrac vehicles had markings that read Flextrac Nodwell in the same form and script as you see on this example. Nodwell was a pioneer in the field of tracked off-road vehicles and recall, the firm acquired by Canadair*.

After Canadair left the business in 1976, Nodwell branded designs were made by the Foremost Company in Calgary and they’re still at it today.

Canadair dates back to World War Two and mainly a producer of military aircraft for the first few decades. From the 1980s on the company made it big in the business and regional jet markets but under different owners and names.

While the tracks on these muskeg machines may look similar to those on a dozer, they’re of lighter construction, generally proportionally wider (for flotation) and instead of steel guides use rubber tires. This makes for a nice package that’s flexible and simple to maintain.

Other tracked-vehicles are seen on display out front of Track Industries, but we think the CF-23 might be the only permanent fixture. It’s too old and small and so must be in retirement.

What an adventure it must be to ride in one across the snow-swept barrens or some boggy north woods terrain. It’s a specialized application, but up where water soaked ground, or winter woes are the norms, it might be the only way to get around off-road.

*There is sometimes mention of a firm called Flex-Track (also in Calgary) being sold to Canadair at the same time as Nodwell, but nothing much can be found on who they were. Nor it is said their contribution to Canadair Flextrac, outside the new firm sort of reusing the name. Anyone?

Here’s useful search queries if you want to know more (new tabs): Track Industries Calgary, Nodwell Tracked Vehicles and Canadair History.

There’s always new content being posted, so drop by often!

They’re saying…

”Great people and great articles! I am honored to know both Chris & Connie and to also have collaborated on photo trips or helped with research. Top Notch!” Jason Paul Sailer.

Metal madness…
Monsters of Metal: Reynolds Museum – On a GRAND scale.
The Springbank Lights Fleet – Fun with friend and firetrucks!
DNR Excavator – A strange canal digging machine.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, feel free to contact us!

Date: October, 2020.
Location: Calgary, AB.
Article references and thanks: Canadair Historians Ron Pickler and Richard Faucher and UnusualLocomotion.com.

Industrial park roaming (again) it’s a curious find.

From circa 1970, it’s a Canadair Flextrac CF-23.

There’s others on display here at Tracked Industries.

For snow, bog or muskeg.

It’s no Starfighter.

The post Canadair Flextrac CF-23 first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

Yes, SNOWPLANE, shouted with resolve and purpose this time. Soon after this crazy idea becomes reality and with that, winter travel made easier.

It’s practical no-nonsense solution and that it could be done on the cheap is a play right out of the frugal farmer’s handbook. God bless those who are thrifty and industrious. Everyone who grows up on the prairies is mechanically inclined (so says the legend), so that part’s covered too. That fellow made one, then a neighbour did similar and soon the idea spread.

So you take bits from an old pickup, some channel iron, maybe a few a sheets of plywood and what ever else you can scrounge up. Then add in a little elbow grease, a dash of ingenuity, and soon it takes shape. Voila, it’s a homemade wonder, perhaps even elegant in design and it did the job well.

A funky homebuilt Snowplane.

These were most certainly noisy and dangerous, but for those who work the land you take stuff like this in stride. It’s just another day on the farm where hazards are a daily occurrence and begrudgingly accepted. High speed crashes were always a possibility and that propeller could maim or kill, but they served a need well. How else are you going to get around swiftly?

There’s mention of early snowplanes on the prairies going back to the 1920s, but they seemed most popular in the late 1930s to early 1950s period.

With improvements in road maintenance and the introduction of snowmobiles in the decades that followed these were made redundant. Times were changing and once useful machines scrapped, donated to museums or more often hidden away in sheds and barns never to be thought of again.

This one’s set up with an aircraft style cabin and pusher propeller and pretty typical in that respect. Body styles could vary depending on the abilities of the maker, but otherwise they were all of a similar form. Where as most snowplanes were homemade, some were produced by commercial firms as well.

There’s as much wood in this one as metal work and overall it’s a pretty sleek design. The controls are rudimentary and there’s room for a couple passengers or supplies. Even though functional, we suspect it had certain shortcomings in terms of comfort. Was it heated and how smooth or rough the ride? Your guess is as good as ours. Still, it came in handy and a person might use it for errands, trips to town, church or school, for visiting neighbours or purely for fun.

Imagine it zipping across the prairies….we can! It’s bitterly cold, that crosswind hell, the drone of the engine becomes deafening and the ride less than smooth, but damn it’s convenient.

Sadly, the history of this particular machine has been lost to time. Those who made it are no longer with us and those who know of it have faded memories. We called around and everyone we spoke with knew of it but that’s about it. “As long as I can recall it’s been stored in that shed and I lived in that area during the ’60s.”

Still, we can piece together a rough-guess timeline by looking at its construction and other details.

A few features, suggest to us, that it’s from the post war era. Plywood, as used for the body, was a specialty product before, and therefor uncommon, but afterwards readily available and cost effective. Ditto for the plexiglass used in the windows, rendered cloudy and checkered with age.

The mechanical bits are telling and more than likely came from a de Haviland Tiger Moth trainer of that era. These simple planes were produced in big numbers (in Canada and elsewhere) before and during the war and unneeded afterwards, were disposed of cheaply as military surplus. Farmers snapped these up for salvage and no doubt many became fodder for homemade snowplanes.

Yes, the engine, a Gipsy Major, is upside down and that’s by design, with the cylinders below the crankcase. “The inverted configuration allowed the propeller shaft to be kept in a high position without having the cylinders blocking the pilot’s forward view over the nose of the aircraft.” Bransom, Alan, and from his book the Tiger Moth Story.

Other parts like the propeller and controls were pulled from the donor plane. This further reminds us that one should never underestimate the resourcefulness and creativity of rural folks.

What we could find scouring old papers and local history books tells us that the snowplane was used for mail delivery. The person who owned it was the local postmaster, so that seems to fit, but otherwise we came up empty in regards to a sold backstory. That drives us crazy and we fully expect this post may be subject to revisions should new data come to light.

It’s not known when the the machine was parked but at some point during the 1960s would be a fair bet. No one we chatted with recalled ever seeing it running, but confirmed having knowledge of it going back as much as fifty years. If the assumption is correct, they got perhaps fifteen years of use from it, give or take, and it’s sat ever since.

It does look complete and perhaps with a little TLC could be made to function again. If one had crazy streak in them…go full throttle and let’s see what this baby can do!

Those old pop bottles in the corner appear to be from the late 1930s to early 1950s period (we found dated examples online showing this exact logo) and show the markings of a regional beverage firm. Someone liked their soda…

It’s an incredible shed find.

Given how tight spaces were in the building we had break out the ultra-wide to get the entire snowplane in frame, but even then had to be contortionists to make it work. There’s some distortion going with such a specialized lens, but it’s the price you pay.

Pros: this machine is incredible and the first of it’s kind we’ve seen in the wild. Cons: regrets that in spite of our best efforts, we could not share more history or background info. This is something we’re seeing more and more with the passing of old timers and while we’re doing what we can to record what we can, much is being lost.

Know more (new tab): Prairie Snow Planes – while similar in form and size, they varied widely in design.

Drop by often for new and fun content being posted regularly.

They’re saying…

“They present well researched articles that do a lot to preserve our history and heritage which is very important…” Lynn Bardsley Redekopp.

More vintage stuff…
CF-5 Freedom Fighter – Planes!
CNR #1158 at the Western Development Museum – Trains!
Industrial Works Dragline – Plus a monster digging machine.

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

Date: July, 2020.
Location: Middle of Nowhere, AB.
Article references and thanks: Ann S, Mike S along with local history books and the many locals we chatted with.

The engine and other parts were salvaged off an airplane.

Not much room to move.

The body is of plywood.

In this corner.

From the 1930s to 1950s period.

A peek inside at the driver’s position.

The engine is inverted (upside down) by design.

A look at the skis.

Imagine zipping across the prairies…

It’s been forgotten and sitting for decades.

The post Snowplane first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

You’ll hear bus aficionados call them “Old Looks”, explained in a moment and we’ll decipher that TDH jargon as well.

GM Old Look buses were made across a number of models of varying lengths (25-41 feet or 7.6-12.6m), capacities (27-55 seats) and drivetrains, but otherwise all shared a strong family resemblance. First introduced by Yellow Coach starting in 1940, they remained in continuous production until 1969.

GM acquired Yellow Coach soon after Old Look production started and together close to forty thousand were made. Only shorter length versions (for feeder or low capacity routes) were produced after the introduction of the successor New Look in 1959. This new model didn’t come in sizes below 35 feet (10.7m), at least for a while, so they needed something to offer till then. GM Old Looks were made at the firm’s Truck & Coach Division in Pontiac Michigan.

Ex-Calgary FD & before, Calgary Transit.

GM also made buses in Canada (General Motors Diesel Division, London Ontario), starting in 1961, but no Old Looks were produced here. Still, the factory acted as a sales agent for those sold in this country. GMDD instead concentrated on the New Look series (aka “Fishbowls”) and made them into about 1980-ish, with production then moving to a new plant in Quebec. To know more go here: The GMC Fishbowl.

Naming conventions: “The “Old Look” name is an unofficial retronym applied to this series of GM buses after the release of the GM New Look series.” This “now you know” moment comes thanks to our friends at Wikipedia. The General didn’t seem to have an official name for this line of buses (oddly) but we’ve seen T-Series mentioned in technical literature.

This particular bus worked for Calgary Transit starting in 1967 (bought new, as #317) and remained in service until 1980. By the time it was made, the only Old Look model offered was the second generation TXH-350X series. Equipped with a GM Toro-Flow diesel, this was the the most common drivetrain option at the time. The Toro-Flow sometimes gets a bad rap but perhaps not as unreliable as its reputation might suggest. We understand they can do fine with proper care and maybe a few prayers.

Earlier models often came with Detroit Diesel power plants and into the late 1950s, could be had with either manual or automatic transmissions. Then afterwards only autos were offered. Gas engines were an option too, the whole time, but were not big sellers. Late model Old Looks had a standard spring suspension verses the the softer ride air version offered before and this done as a cost cutting measure. Most transit systems were underfunded and had to do things on the cheap.

TDH-3501 decoded: T=Transit, D=Diesel, H=Hydraulic (Automatic) Transmission, 35=Seating Capacity (and so 30 feet or 9m in length) and finally; 01=series. Late model examples were offered with few frills (AC was one option) and marketed as a low cost feeder bus. Based on a well a proven design, and economical to purchase, it was just what the market needed. Still, most Old Looks were produced before the introduction of the New Look.

In 1969, GM offered a shrunken New Look to fill the feeder-bus market but never became a big seller and never made in the Canadian factory. Still, a few operators here purchased some and here’s one formerly of Nelson BC: Baby Fishbowl.

On being retired, the Calgary Fire Department acquired the bus and painted it in the bold colours you see today. For a time that bright yellow was a thing for fire apparatus – something about it being more visible to motorists. Traditional red, interestingly, is again back for most departments.

Listed as a mobile command centre while working for the CFD it appears to have never functioned in that capacity. Maybe they had aspirations and gave up?. Instead they likely used it as a mobile shelter at emergency scenes and as a crew or evacuee transport.

In the late 1980s it got returned to Calgary Transit where it languished for the better part of a dozen years. Then it bounced around to a couple museums and during that time made road-worthy again for the first time in decades (we understand it took minimal work to get it running). It’s now in the hands a bus collector Steve Parkin who we’ve bumped into before, many years back and who showed us an earlier bus he owned. This one, linked earlier: Baby Fishbowl.

Our subject is in fairly original condition and good mechanical shape overall. But that colour!…says the guy who has the brightest yellow jacket on the planet. Steve hopes to repaint his new wheels into old school Calgary Transit colours. In the meantime, there’s a real joy in cruising around with friends or dropping by car shows. Funny, he works in the transit business and for fun, drives a bus. Once you get the bug, there’s no turning back I guess, and it becomes all consuming.

The Red Deer Airport, south of town in Springbrook, is our shooting location. Formerly a military base (Royal Canadian Air Force Base Penhold – in reference to a nearby community) there’s lot of old buildings, barracks and the like, still standing from the old days. With lots of character and a great reminder of the past, it made for a great backdrop. We captured more photos here after everyone left and they’re quite interesting too: Smoky Times @ Red Deer Airport.

We heard the bus coming long before it arrived. It’s a noisy one at times and I guess a bit of a rough rider too, on talking with some of Steve’s friends who were along for the adventure. It’s likewise none too quick on the highway and we understand caused a bit of a backup on the way in. It was deigned for slower urban environments and while the distance between Red Deer and Springbrook is not great, it got pushed hard. The needle pegs at about 80kmh but it’s best not to leave it there too long.

The hazy sky seen comes from out of province forest fires. That nuclear sun – amazing – but one can help worry about the well being of those close to the action. The world’s burning, it’s an apocalyptic setting and while visually impressive, it’s also sobering.

Some of the angles present us with a timeless scene – old bus, old building and nothing to suggest it’s present day.

Red Deer Transit drops by the airport and the surrounding community of Springbrook now and then. Or rather did and by our publication date the service was no longer offered due to low ridership and funding shortfalls. We could see the driver give us a double take.

While the bus looped around a couple times, we ran about as though crazy and snapped away. Locals looked at us funny, but we’re used to that. We were like little kids and while your author does not recall riding any Old Look buses back when, it’s possible it happened. Keeping tabs on stuff like that was not something important to a teenager then – pinball was. Now it’s buses and pinball…and the outdoors and abandoned stuff and trains…and Bolers…and…

It’s a GM TDH-3501 from the 1960s.

As they drive away it’s a Hail-Mary pan shot that worked. Totally lucked out there.

GM sold off the bus business in both the US and Canada during 1987 but what a legacy they left behind. There’s the legendary New Look, the replacement Classic, the unloved RTS (in the US mostly), Suburban Highway buses and of course the one that started it all for the firm, the Old Look. This one’s put on a million miles, hauled a million people and now in retirement, it’s time for a little fun like you see in the photos. Silly little fun.

Further reading (new tab): GM Old Look Bus.

Stay tuned as there’s new content always being posted, and it’s awesome!

They’re saying…

”Fantastic detail and in depth coverage of history….great work…much appreciated by those who follow.” Rob Graz.

More buses!
Old Metal Sandon BC – Trolley Bus Overload!
The Big Red Bus – Come ride along!
They Live: Calgary Transit GMC Fishbowls in 2013 – The last holdouts.

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

Date: September, 2020.
Location: Red Deer Airport at Springbrook, AB.
Article references and thanks: Steve Parkin, Calgary Fire Department and the Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board (CPTDB Wiki).

We’re at the Red Deer Alberta Airport.

Let’s take it for a spin!

Made by the GM Truck & Coach Division.

This design goes back to the the 1940s.

Haze comes from out of province forest fires.

The little details.

Red Deer Transit makes an appearance.

This site was once RCAF Station Penhold.

That nuclear sun.

“Old Look” buses were made by the tens of thousands.

A timeless scene.

We had them loop around while we snapped away.

The bus belongs to collector Steve Parkin.

We were like little kids on seeing it round the corner.

It last worked for Calgary Transit in 1980.

A Hail-Mary shot that worked.

And a smoky goodbye…

The post TDH-3501 first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

Put on display for your enjoyment, come discover these Monsters of Metal. Impressive at a distance, doubly so up close, there’s coal mining shovels and draglines, road building machinery and other miscellaneous bits.

We’re about an hour south of Edmonton of the 2A Highway and this display just one “small” attraction here. There’s much to see at the Reynolds and it’s a dream come true for those into old metal. We’ve been visited the place many times and never tire of it. Hint: if offered, take in the storage warehouse tour.

Towering above all it’s a large tracked mining shovel, a Bucyrus-Erie 200-B. This example dates from 1929 and just over a dozen were made from about that time up to the early 1940s. Electrically powered, a large extension cable trailed behind as it inched forward and it’s a fine example of “tech” from the era.

At the Reynold’s Museum Wetaskiwin Alberta.

Coming out of Montana in the early 1950s, it found work at a coal mine in Sheerness (Western Dominion Mine sometimes called the Roselyn Mine) a bit southeast of Hanna. Originally it sat atop two sets of parallel railway tracks but got converted to the crawler set up seen here after coming north. Parked in the 1970s, it sat for a couple decades before finding a forever home at the museum. Just getting it here must have been quite the production.

Some of the largest land machines ever made include a number of giant stripping shovels (those from the 1950s/1960s in particular). Coal mines are huge and so the machinery similarly gargantuan, but in spite of this the 200-B when compared to others is actually quite modest in size. Lets compare! The 200-B weighs in at some 335 tonnes and can take a five cubic metre bite with each pass. On the other hand “The Captain”, the largest such machine ever (built 1960s), came in at over 11000 tonnes and with a bucket 140 cubic metres in size. Stripping shovels remove overburden above the coal seam and as such need to have a long reach (thanks for the correction Tim).

The Sheerness Mine is still active but winding down operations soon.

A relative compact, it’s a Bucyrus-Erie 88-B loading shovel built in 1966 (approx 130 tonnes and with a few cubic metre capacity bucket). This example is diesel powered although some were electric. They could be configured as lifting cranes or draglines as well and over six hundred were made in the 1940s-1980s period. Formerly working for Manalta’s Vesta Mine near Forestburg Alberta, the present day Paintearth Mine, they parked it in the early 1980s with the Reynolds acquiring it the following decade. This shovel would load haul-trucks at the coal face and as such we’re more compact then their stripping shovel brethren.

The Paintearth Mine is in the process of closing. Coal is a four letter work (figuratively and literately) and so it’s not a good business to be in domestically.

Next it’s a dragline built by Bucyrus (pre-Erie days) in 1917, this model known as a Class 24 and the oldest machine of its type known. Steam powered, it moved about on steel rollers placed underneath the frame with a drive cable acting on the anchored bucket providing the pulling power. A small army of men would be need to move the rollers back to front as it moved, a cumbersome and labourious process indeed.

The Class 24 weighted about 130 tonnes and came with a bucket that could hold about three cubic metres of material. History moment: the biggest dragline made, Big Muskie, had a bucket that could hold 160 cubic metres. They made them big!

Class 24s were built from the early 1910s to about 1930 and early ones at the time were some of the largest land machines on the planet. Some were equipped with crawler tracks.

The operator’s position of a “continuous miner”.

Data suggests it originally came from Manitoba and used to dig canals. Later in the 1920s it found work at a mine in the legendary “Coal Branch” of Alberta, southwest of Hinton. When the mine closed in the 1950s it was left abandoned in a pit, which later flooded, submerging the machine. When the operation reopened in the 1990s this now lake was drained and the giant shipped off to the museum. No doubt much work went into cleaning and restoring it after sitting underwater for so long. We’ve seen photos and it looked a mess.

A dragline is used as a stripping machine at coal mines. Instead of working the face head on like a stripping shovel, it sits above and moves backwards while removing overburden as it goes. Depending on conditions a dragline can be more advantageous than a stripping shovel (and the same can hold true the way around) but many mines made due with whatever they could acquire at the best price.

Off to one side it’s a little locomotive with a very long and storied history. Built in the the early 1910s by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in the USA it worked for a number of Ontario “Electric Lines” and collected power via a trolley much like a streetcar.

Rebuilt as a diesel-electric in the 1950s it then found its way to a coal mine operation in Saskatchewan. In the 1970s, it found its way to the Manalta Mine in Sheerness (former Western Dominion Roselyn operation) where it remained until around 2000, then soon after moved to the Reynolds Museum. At the Sheerness Mine (and in SK), it shuttled railcars under the coal load-out. The last time this happened in Sheerness was the early 1990s and afterwards it sat derelict for a time.

Keeping company is a whole gamut of smaller machinery (relatively speaking). Of note are two excavators made by Northwest Engineering. One is a 1925 model 105, which also formerly worked at the Sheerness Mine (same one as the 200-B and the locomotive). Old photos sourced during research show it loading trucks there in the 1940s and 1950s but where it came from before we don’t know. Also from that maker, is a 1939 model 4 which once worked for a construction firm out of Edmonton.

That low profile yellow thing is a continuous miner, used in underground operations (back when underground mining was a thing). At the business end of things there’s these large nasty teeth that bite into the coal face with the material then sent off via a conveyor. Nearby it’s an old crawler tractor and what’s interesting is that it has no safety protection at all for the operator and not even a rudimentary roof. They liked to go topless in the day (those cheeky monkeys) and seemingly had zero regard for safety. Where they that bad*** or simply blind to the dangers, as obvious as they were?

The coal hauler seen was for moving mined material the from pit to the processing plant. These old machines did not have much in the way of creature comforts and must have been hell to drive. Think hot, dirty, rough riding and a deafening din.

Lasting, it’s the mighty BIGDoer-mobile. Don’t say anything but it thinks itself a giant digger too…and at other times a butt-kicking Jeep, so we had to include it here. It goes places regular cars fear to tread and does stuff beyond its design capabilties. Please don’t tell GM.

So there we were like kids in a candy store taking in all this impressive machinery. We picture them all big Tonka toys and us ants in the sand box. And a reminder, this is just one awesome display at this huge museum! A dramatic sunset makes the best backdrop ever and lucky us, a rainbow makes a brief appearance. If not for the swarms of mosquitoes it would have been the most perfect evening ever but those little devils ruin everything.

The business end of things.

Now that you’ve been introduced, come see these behemoths for yourself and prepare to be blown away. THINK BIG! In hindsight we should have included a person in one of the photos for scale as it’s otherwise hard to gauge just how big they are until you see them in person. Giants in every way, but by the standards they’re not even close to the largest. Now let that sink in.

This piece for the most part is a do-over of one we did a few years back but with updates, many tweaks and of course new photos.

Here’s a couple useful search queries if you want to know more: Reynolds Museum Wetaskiwin and Historic Mining Shovels and Draglines (<--- this is a deep rabbit hole).

Stay tuned as there’s new content always coming down the pipe…and it’s awesome!

They’re saying…

”The subject matter is always interesting and Chris & Connie do an amazing job on studying their subject matter.” Rik Barry.

A companion piece…
Monsters of Metal: Diplomat Mine – They’re just as HUGE.

Vintage BIG things…
Gas Plant Collection – Historic railway equipment hidden away.
Autocar Coal Hauler – One beast of a truck.
DNR Excavator – For building canals.

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

Date: July, 2020.
Location: Wetaskiwin, AB.
Article references and thanks: Reynolds-Alberta Museum (forever grateful), Books: Power Shovels – The World’s Mightiest Mining and Construction Excavators, The Earthmover Encyclopedia, Bucyrus: Making the Earth Move for 125 Years, The Story of Northwest Engineering Company: Manufactured at Green Bay Wisconsin, Canadian Trackside Guides and finally Tim Swaren.
You can take in all this machinery, and lots more too, when you visit the museum.

A heavy metal kind of place.

Target in sight!

A massive Bucyrus-Erie 200-B stripping shovel.

Their sheer size does not translate well in photos.

Once employed at the Sheerness Mine.

A relative lightweight 88-B loading shovel.

From pit to plant.

The oldest of the bunch.

A “little” Northwest Model 105.

The Bucyrus Class 24.

They went topless in the old days.

We should have included a person in the photo for scale.

We’re being watched…

Like kids in a candy store.

Lame artistic attempt.

This locomotive has an interesting lineage.

This is just one “small” display at the museum.

It thinks itself a giant.

Once used to shuttle coal cars.

1920s tech.

Once underwater.

The post Monsters of Metal: Reynolds Museum first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

The Legend.

Eamon’s Super Service became a fixture on what was then Highway 1 (present day 1A), the main road west out of Calgary at the time. When the subject comes up on social media, you’ll always see much talk and many fond memories shared. “The folks always stopped at Eamon’s”, or some such thing, comes comment after comment. Along with Happy Valley it’s one of the most remembered and iconic local landmarks of the era.*

At the time the business was just outside city limits and the last place to get gas before hitting the highway. On a busy weekends, throngs of people would pass by on the way to Banff and many would make a pit stop to top up. A true service station they could also could do all manner of repair work. Long since closed, it’s been moved away to High River and being loving restored. We’ll be back when it’s done, that you can count on.

The Building.

Eamon’s Garage, named after owner Roy Eamon, dates from the early 1950s (1952 said most often) and was located in what is now the present day Calgary neighbourhood of Rocky Ridge along Crowchild Trail. The business closed in 1966, about the time the Trans Canada Highway (today’s Highway 1) opened up to the south and which siphoned away much traffic.

Hanging with River City Classics.

In every way it’s the service station archetype, with a small central office flanked by two service bays and with an uncovered fuel island out front. An old truck and tire racks now complete the scene. Eamon’s operated under the Texaco banner, a company with a storied history that was merged out of existence, in Canada, back in the 1980s. Unlike present day Gas ‘n’ Gulps, they sold no groceries here (well maybe a Coke if that counts) and instead of you doing the dirty work, attendants would pump gas, check the oil and tires or even wash the windshield. Times have changed and now it’s all on you.

The station stood empty for many years after closing and in recent memory with the property sometimes used by a local car dealership to park excess inventory. How fitting. Then in 2012, with the C-Train expansion, the building was taken away and put in storage. A few years later it was acquired by the River City Classics Car Club of High River and moved next to the Call of the West Museum at the Rodeo Grounds just north of town. And you can come take a tour of it all in person (links below).

In addition to the garage, Eamon’s operated a motor court style motel and restaurant on the same property collectively called “Eamon’s One Stop Tourist Service Centre”. Those other buildings are but a memory although it appears the accommodation side of the business operated into the 1980s with the cabins still standing well into the next decade. The eatery seems to have closed about the same time as the gas station.

The Sign.

Put in place in the mid-1950s, it did not accompany Eamon’s to High River and presently is in the parking lot of the Tuscany/Rocky Ridge C-Train station in Calgary not far from where it once stood. It’s been beautifully fixed up and a real showpiece. Many people are torn that it remained behind, but at the same time, it’s still honours the business close to its original location, so it’s kind of a give and take. Where you park to catch the train sits atop the old Eamon’s lands.

We paid the sign a visit and were curious to see if it lit up come nightfall. We hung around till after dark but didn’t see it happen, so I guess that’s a no.

The Cars!

Here’s ones that participated in the shoot, all so shiny to the extreme that it threw off light meter readings. With so many good photos coming out of this, that we ran out of space in this post. Maybe we’ll do a follow up piece for that reason – yes, let’s do that and we’ll take a closer look at the old sign in Calgary too while we’re at it. Stay tuned.

1) Geoff Embley’s 1950 Chevrolet Fleetline Deluxe displays some amazing pinstriping. Done by legend “Boots Olson” and once his car, it takes what would be a stand out ride and ups the ante. The product of a full frame-off restoration taking a couple years, it’s gotten the street rod treatment under the hood (IE, many ponies) and with that fastback styling it’s a real looker. This model of car is a popular one with collectors and lends itself well to customization.

2) This 2006 Mustang GT Convertible us the newest of the bunch but by no means any less awesome. Purchased new by Brian Chipchase (his second ride comes later), it was outfitted with hand controls after the owner was involved in an cycle accident. With about 23k on the odometer it’s barely broken in.

Awesome pinstripping here!

3) Here’s Ray Bouillet’s 1953 Packard, a make you don’t see too often. The firm made well appointed cars, comfortable, stylish and of course luxurious, but being exclusive meant they were uncommon. The current owner purchased it from a friend in the early 2000s, who found it at an estate sale out in Lethbridge. It’s believed it spent most of its life out that way and Ray mentions the car being in good shape for its age when picked up, but still it got a thorough restoration. He goes on to say it drives like a dream….and it looks dreamy too.

4) Absolutely stunning, it’s Harold Chipchase’s award winning Monarch Lucerne. Monarch was a division of Ford Motor Company and made and sold in Canada (only) in the 1946-1961 period, save for a one year break in the 1950s and always in small numbers. A 1956 model, Brian has been able to determine the build date to within weeks (late April/early May of that year).

A mid-price offering, these were mechanically a Mercury (a Montclair in this case). Picked up about a decade ago and lovingly restored, it’s in showroom condition. That two tone paint!

5) This 1962 Chevrolet Pickup belonging to Peter Hampton has been nicknamed Orange Crush. Rescued from a field in the 1980s by a previous owner it was soon after restored. Old trucks are always highly collectible and here’s one that’s a real head turner. Making an appearance in the number of magazines over the years, it’s a true celebrity as well. And it comes with a mascot!

An everyday vehicle in this colour just wouldn’t work, but for one done up for show like this, it’s about perfect. Incidentally, we’re still waiting to find a hot rod in BIGDoer yellow to photograph. If orange can happen…just sayin’…

6) Brian Chipchase’s other pride and joy is this fine Ford Ranchero from 1979 (the last model year). Half car and half pickup, one questions if it did either task well. The first year they were offered was 1957 and made across seven generations they borrowed front sheet metal from Ford cars of the time (in this instance LTD II). Coming by way of Ontario and BC it was fully rebuilt by the current owner and it’s wow!

That’s your author hard at work in front and oddly not showing company colours.

7) Here’s a legendary DeLorean DMC, a car not just famous for time travelling (it went back to the 1960s to pay Eamon’s a visit) but due its over the top cool factor. The story of how it came to be could fill a book but for brevity, let’s just say, the car burst on the scene with much hype, but soon faltered in the market. As it played out further the flamboyant fellow behind it all crashed and burned spectacularly during a shady deal meant to save his failing firm.

With about nine thousand made across three model years (1981-1983) and coming from a factory in Northern Ireland, an estimated two thirds are still on the road, mostly in the US. Gull wing doors and a brushed stainless steel exterior are guaranteed spotting features. That’s the only colour they came in. It’s a rare Canadian spec model (so it has a speedo in kms for example) made the last year of production and belongs to Micheal Fischer, a guest of the car club.

That’s one low driving position (about trailer hitch level if following a one of those jack-up super pickups) and heaven help you if you’re a big guy trying to get in. Where’s that shoehorn?

As we prep a storm builds.

8) It’s some kind of special magic photographing Brent Gordon’s 1961 Buick Invicta Custom and how nice of Mother Nature to put on a show for us back there. We saw the storm form and hoped for the best and did it deliver here. Coming out of the US, the car’s all original and has won many awards, including one at the Buick of America Club annual show. He goes on to say (it) “literally floats along the highway” and “a real pleasure to drive”. Can’t you picture yourself behind the wheel?

This car has a dealer badge tracing it back to Chick Norton of Tulsa Oklahoma. This dealership moved a lot of Buicks and so legendary in that regard.

Then rains came and the shoot abruptly ends. Soon the group scatters to the wind and in mere moments we’re the only ones here. Eamon’s is closed for the night and we’re the customer. We got the photos we needed, so the timing not all bad.

Cool rides? YEAH! We could go on for hours more, but sadly we’re out of space. This goes down as one of the more fun shoots we’ve ever done and hopefully that enthusiasm gets reflected in the piece. We’re not the best at it, but our passion knows no bounds. We ‘d like to thank everyone who participated too. This piece was to be published over a year ago but became Covid delayed. Of course.

*This place just up the road from Eamon’s deserves honourable mention: Nagway Inn.

Here’s some useful search terms if want to know more these subjects or if you want to visit Eamon’s: Eamon’s Garage High River and River City Classics High River.

Till the next post, keep being awesome.

They’re saying…

”Always something to peak my curious nature…sometimes we even go on road trips!” Deborah Pearen.

Recommended for you…
Retro Motels: Medicine Hat Alberta – Can you say neon!
Hanging at Frostbite (1) and Hanging at Frostbite (2) – An amazing hot-rod shop.
Fossil Prospecting @ Dino Provincial Park – ‘Dem bones!
The Clearwater – An old school drive-in theatre.

For more information on what you’ve seen here feel free to contact us!

Date of Adventure: August, 2019.
Location(s): High River, AB.
Article references and thanks: The City of Calgary, Old Calgary Phone Book @ Calgary Library, Michael Fischer plus River City Classics and its members (Brian Chipchase, Peter Hampton, Brent Gordon, Harold Chipchase, Geoff Embley & Ray Bouillet) – rock on!

1) Geoff Embley’s 1950 Chevy Fleetline Deluxe.

Chick sold a lot of Buicks.

Orange Crush and mascot.

Call of the West Museum in back.

A time traveller?

The legendary DeLorean DMC.

It’s a low slung driving position (DeLorean).

2) The newest of the bunch, this 2006 Mustang.

It’s a party at Eamon’s Garage High River.

3) Ray Bouillet’s 1953 Packard.

One in for service and one needing a fill.

Eamon’s is nothing like today’s Gas ‘n’ Gulps.

4) Harold Chipchase’s 1956 Monarch Lucerne.

Eamon’s was moved here a few years back.

Things were simple and basic then.

Another rolls in for gas.

Eamon’s flew the Texaco banner.

It’s a busy night.

5) Peter Hampton’s 1962 Chevrolet Pickup.

6) Brian Chipchase’s 1979 Ford Ranchero.

Eamon’s was Calgary Landmark for decades.

7) Micheal Fischer’s 1983 DeLoeran DMC.

8) Brent Gordon’s 1961 Buick Invicta Custom.

You can visit Eamon’s too (read the post).

The Eamon’s sign stayed in Calgary.

The post River City Classics @ Eamon’s Garage first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

Tough as they come, capable and expected to handle what ever came their way, they did the job well. Given the moniker “Scooper”, there were a few variants, with production starting in the late 1960s. Later, upgraded versions we’re made available, differing in the engine and avionics while in appearance little changed. Out of production for a few years, a new derivative has been announced to be introduced soon. All the while many older examples have their service lives extended via a good old rebuild.

In function, the fill-dump process is painfully simple. Once airborne they find the nearest suitable body of water, skim across the surface while topping up the internal tanks via a scoop and then zip over to a hot spot to release the contents. Then they do it again and again, the cycle repeated as often as necessary. Turn around times are lighting fast with a many thousands of litres load taking maybe 10-12 seconds to fill. Countless water drops can be done per day, with refuelling or crew change stops the only down time. The records, we understand, was about two hundred and fifty, and that’s a lot water! Speaking of crews, these brave folks should get a shout out too and our thanks. Cheers!

While most fire fighting aircraft have to land to replenish their tanks, a labourious and time consuming process, the CL-215 in contrast takes water directly from the source in one quick motion and without missing a beat. That’s a big win when time is of the essence.

Given their specialized job, these planes tend to sit a lot of the time, but always at the ready in anticipation of the call to service. Forest fires are unpredictable in every way and consequently these planes often move around to where the action is. Sometimes this means crossing borders and sometimes this means crossing continents. With vast swaths of forest in Canada it’s a natural many of these are based up in the Great White North.

Developed by Canadair in Quebec, an aircraft firm with a storied past, the first CL-215 emerged in 1969. In the mid-1980s, transportation giant Bombardier acquired Canadair and continued production into 1990. With some one hundred and twenty five built up in total, many are still flying today. The ones seen here are mostly from late in production during the Bombardier era. While they were easily configured for other duties, including for search and rescue and maritime patrol roles or as specialized freighters, few were actually use in those capacities.

The powerplants are worthy of note and are old-style radial piston engines, a seemingly a curious choice. You might expect to see these on some 1950s vintage airliner or a World War Two fighter, but here in this application? That they’re tough, simple and reliable made them an easy choice, however, and so are easily up to the task. Long out of production, they sourced used (or new-old-stock) examples and then reconditioned to as-new standards for installation with each new build. Today, a scarcity of parts plus numerous other factors means they’re getting harder to support.

In response to a request for a more technically advanced version of the CL-215, Bombardier answered with two solutions.

First up was a kit, offered starting about 1990, that allowed older CL-215s to be refitted with a more modern turbo-prop engine. These were labeled CL-215T. Then soon after came an entirely new-build variant, turbo-prop powered as well and marketed at the CL-415 Superscooper (or Bombardier 415). There was just shy of one hundred of the latter produced in the years 1993-2015. In appearance, the main difference between these and a standard CL-215 is engine cowling. It’s got a narrower taper with the turbo-prop and so more sleek in a appearance.

Viking Air acquired the rights to the CL-215T/CL-415 program, including announcing a new-build CL-515, along with programs for upgrading older models. One of the aircraft seen has markings showing it as a VikingAir CL-415EAF, suggesting it’s destined to be a demo unit or some such thing. That it still has the old style engines tells us it must only be part way into the conversion. According to the firm’s website, these upgraded one don’t retain their old engines. Viking’s use of the CL-415 designation refers to a rebuilt aircraft, in contrast to Bombardier’s which was a new-build CL-415.

The rest of this group is similarly to be fodder for upgrading with the three in back (with tail stripes) displaying the colours of famed Buffalo Airways from up north. Those guys still fly WW2 era transports commercially – DC-3s and Curtis Commandos! The planes sit across the apron from Longview Aviation Services, whose shop is used the CL-215 to CL-415 upgrade program, in partnership with Viking Air.

What an interesting few minutes exploring these old winged-beasts. They wait for their turn to be made new (or almost new) again and soon after the call to service. There will always be forest fires, so there will always be the need. These CL-215s are unique in the field and interesting in that their part plane, part boat, a warrior at heart and when called to duty, all business.

This piece was photographed during the first wave of Covid and with everyone in self isolation, there was no one about. Not a single car passed by nor a single plane seen or heard. The Calgary airport is normally buzzing with activity, day or night, but this evening, no way. There in the soft light that accompanies the end of day, it was just us, all alone in the silence. These are strange times.

Recommended…
737-200 – another oldie @ Calgary International.
Gas Plant Collection – historic locomotives.
The Big Red Bus – drivers do not carry change.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, do not hesitate to contact us!

Date: April, 2020.
Location: Calgary International.
Article references and thanks: Viking Air, FlightGlobal.com, Miscellaneous Bombardier Records and finally Transport Canada.

Through the fence @ Calgary International.

A row of specialized Water Bombers.

These are legendary Canadair CL-215s.

The post Canadair CL-215 first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

This is a fresh look, in pictures, at a place we’ve taken you before. We’ve done it twice in fact but some time ago, with a link to each respective article to be found by scrolling down.

Toiling away for years, they were simply left behind when the operation closed and later incorporated into a display for all of us to enjoy. See them for yourself, a bit southeast of Forestburg and towering above the prairies they’re near impossible to miss and offer up a donation when there. The Diplomat Mine dates back to 1950 and shut down in 1986.

The tinier (God, that’s funny) of the two is a Bucyrus Erie model 120-B built in 1944. It came here secondhand in 1950 (some papers suggest later). This is a loading shovel that would be used to fill haul trucks directly from the coal face. It weighs around 160 tonnes with a bucket capacity of roughly five cubic metres. It worked at the mine until it closed.

A buzzing sound…

The model 120-B was quite popular and built from the mid-1920s to the early 1950s. Bucyrus Erie dates back to 1880s and once a leader in the field of large scale surface mining equipment and today owned by machinery giant Caterpillar.

Bucyrus Erie’s major competitor was Marion Power Shovel and the second machine here is from that firm. This leviathan, a model 360, dates from 1927 and came to the area in 1950 on the mine opening. It’s from the States and is a stripping shovel, which is used to remove overburden so the coal face can be worked by loading shovels.

From someone in the know and a good friend, Tim Swaren:

…(The Marion 360) was actually a dragline when it was operated in Illinois. Marion introduced both the 350 and 360 models in 1927 and they were at that time the largest land machines in the world…360s were essentially 350s but in a dragline configuration. However, when the 360 came to the Diplomat Mine, it was converted into a stripping shovel. The 360 worked at the mine from 1950 until 1962. It was parked after the Bucyrus 950-B began working…but in 1976, as coal production reached a peak, was re-conditioned and put back to work. It then worked until 1980 and was parked again…exactly where it sits now.” What a great “now you know” moment!

Thanks Tim.

Weighing in at roughly 500 tonnes, so over three times that of the 120-B, it could take a seven cubic metre bite with each pass. Funny how it’s several times larger in size, yet in bucket capacity not so much – but it has quite the reach in comparison and there the advantage. It sits atop eight sets of caterpillar tracks and when moving forward about as fast as your granny. Underneath is an crazy collection of exposed drive shafts, gears, clutches and the like – a dangerous place!

Bubbling paint on the side of the house (where the motors and hoists are located), speaks of a fire that happened inside. Some fellow broke, a year or two back, started a fire, the cops and local FD were called. What a cluster. And now they’ll have to raise funds to repair it. Remember what we said about the donation box – we dropped in a couple bills.

Several dozen 360s were built in the 1920s and were quite the technical marvels in their day and for a time be biggest land machines on the planet. Bucyrus acquired Marion in the late 1990s.

Both of these shovels were electrically operated with power coming in via a large “extension” cable. This 360 is the very last of its type, anywhere in the world. The mine in later years looked like a virtual operating museum.

Also seen at the site is the dipper bucket assembly from a second larger (yes larger) stripping shovel. This came from “Mr Diplomat” the largest mining machine in Canada for many years. It was the Bucyrus Erie model 950-B mentioned by Tim, built in the 1930s and brought here in the early 1960s. It worked at the Diplomat Mine until about 1984 and only this one “small” piece saved after scrapping in the early 1990s.

Mr Diplomat came in at almost three times the weight of the Marion 360, so about 1400 tonnes and made the latter look like rather compact. If you can even fathom that. The bucket had a capacity of roughly 25 cubic metres. I’ve had apartments that were smaller.

Every now and then the society that manages the interpretive site has an open house where you are allowed inside the machines. We’d love to! If you readers get the chance, tell us about it!

While the 120-B and 360 are each a colossus in their own rights and even Mr Diplomat, a monster’s monster, would look tiny in comparison to some of the largest stripping shovels made (draglines too).

Into the 1990s there used to be a third machine here, a Marion dragline similarly left behind when the mine closed. A little further west and not part of the interpretive display, it’s long since been scrapped. Scroll down for a link to see it from our first visit.

Most of the Diplomat Mine lands have been reclaimed but an area to the south of the shovels still shows the scars from being worked. Petrified wood is often unearthed during mining and some large chunks of that material are on display here.

It seems wasps like to nest in the machinery, so be careful when exploring. One colony, deep inside a hollow in some cast metal, must have been huge as we heard the buzz from some distance away.

The former tipple, where coal was processed and loaded onto trains, was a bit to the east but demolished some time ago. The interpretive site was established about 1990.

At the Diplomat Mine Site, Forestburg Alberta.

Across the Battle River Valley is the operating Paintearth Mine, whose output goes exclusively to a nearby power plant. We managed to catch both of their two draglines, the first near a public road and looking as thought parked for some maintenance (maybe). First it’s Brutus (Marion 8200, early 1980s) and far in back (right) and digging away it’s Bigfoot (Bucyrus Erie 1570W, late 1970s). These are both “walking” draglines that use a series of feet acted on by a cam system to move about (very slowly). Coal’s not a great business to be in right now, so the mine may close soon.

This piece will be a two-parter and for the second we’ll be looking at more coal mining machinery found at another museum, the Reynolds in Wetaskiwin. The stuff seen there is equally impressive.

Monsters of Metal…wasn’t that a Priest album?

Here’s a couple useful search queries if you want to know more: Diplomat Mine Site and Historic Mining Shovels and Draglines (<--- this is a deep rabbit hole).

Stay tuned for more new stuff!

They’re saying…

”Love the stories, love the history and appreciate the effort to document both in words and pictures before it’s all gone – or maybe to help keep it alive!” Kathleen Raines.

Previous visits…
Diplomat Mine Site – from 2014 & that God awful HDR phase.
Diplomat Mine shovels and draglines – 1997 – see a dragline that’s long since scrapped.

The second installment…
Monster of Metal: Reynolds Museum – They’re just as HUGE!

More metal…
Austin’s Collection.
Old Metal Sandon BC.
The Big Red Bus.

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

Date of Adventure: July, 2020.
Location(s): Forestburg, AB.
Article references and thanks: Diplomat Mine Museum Society, Flagstaff County, Tim Swaren, Books – Power Shovels – The World’s Mightiest Mining and Construction Excavators, The Earthmover Encyclopedia, Bucyrus: Making the Earth Move for 125 Years, and for all the inspiration, Johanna (Connie) Biggart.
You are welcome to visit the Diplomat Mine Site. When posting your Facebook photos of these gargantuan machines mention @BIGDoerOfficial or @ChrisDoering and we’ll comment and share them around.

Big machine, little plaque.

1920s tech.

They’re always giving us the gears.

The underside of something massive.

It’s a monster of metal.

They’ve taken up residence.

The business end of the Marion 360.

The reclaimed mine lands.

Memories of the Diplomat Mine tipple.

Inside Mr Diplomat’s dipper.

Your author for scale.

The Marion 360 stripping shovel in it’s entirety.

It’s the tallest thing around.

This beast is close to a 100 years old.

On to the smaller of the two.

Everything is heavy duty.

The mine operated 1950-1986.

Petrified wood can be found in coal beds.

The Bucyrus-Erie 120-B loading shovel.

Seven cubic metres per bite – Marion 360.

It’s a relative lightweight & a bit newer.

Coal car reminds us they used to do it underground.

You have to stand well back to get it all in.

Failed artistic attempt.

There’s plenty of interpretive signs.

Not far away the operating Paintearth Mine.

Meet Brutus (front) & Bigfoot (distance, left).

The post Monsters of Metal: Diplomat Mine first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.

By the standards this 737 is a real oldie and while no longer flying, according to Professor Google it belongs to the Art Smith Aero Centre. You want to learn how to be an aircraft tech? It’s there where it happens. Interestingly, where parked here, it’s no where near the campus, which is located way over that way – making a pointy motion to the east side of the airport. I guess it was moved as some point and now sits in front of a helicopter maintenance firm. Why? Who knows. This area is the oldest part of the airport still in use, very near the location of the original air terminal.

The Art Smith Centre is a satellite campus connected to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

We’re looking at a mid-1970s 737-200 that once flew for Calgary’s Westjet (1997-2004 or 2006 depending on the source) and earlier Southwest Airlines in the US (1975-1997). This make of plane is one of the most popular aircraft ever produced and in various incarnations has been in production for over fifty years. Of course, it’s been improved over time**, but in general appearance and role, it’s little changed.

The 737-200 series was built from 1968-1988 and was the second version of this model, with almost eleven hundred made. These could generally seat up to about a hundred and thirty people, but this could vary depending on configuration. They could also be outfitted as freighters or combis, one that could serve both roles. It was very popular for short to medium haul flights and was the backbone of many regional and domestic fleets. That the 200 series can handle unimproved (gravel) runways has a few them still seeing service in Canada’s north country. Otherwise most others have long since been sent to the great scrap yard in the sky.

In the thirty years of service this example must have flown a huge number of cycles.

Once carrying the registration C-GWJU, that’s presently assigned to another Westjet 737, a newer 600 series model. Under Southwest Airlines it carried N26SW. These codes are unique identifiers and every plane, big or small, has one.

Southwest Airlines was founded in the 1960s and present day is the one of the biggest low cost carriers in the US. They are also a large operator of Boeing 737s, with some seven hundred plus in their fleet.

Westjet, once the darling of the airline industry, but looked upon today by most as just another airline, similarly has a love affair for the 737 (they have about a hundred). This carrier was founded in the 1990s and in many ways mimicked the Southwest Airline business model. They are Canada’s second largest operator and Calgary is their base.

We asked around at the Art Smith Campus to see what the future held in store for the old plane, but have heard nothing back. Is it even still theirs? It’s looking a little haggard but appears, on the outside anyway, to be complete.

We stand there and think of all the places C-GWJU/N26SW has flown, be it a short hop up to Edmonton, trips to the West Coast or longer journeys to points East, then earlier all those US destinations. It’s people travelling on business – got to sign that big oil deal – people travelling for pleasure – we’re Vegas bound. Imagine all the places visited, the gazillion passengers carried, the many miles and now here in the quiet of the evening, it’s just us and it.

Yes, we said quiet in the previous paragraph…at Calgary International…and on a weekend too. Normally a hive of activity at this time, that nasty virus has brought the world to a halt. We were witness to not a single plane landing or departing. Repeat, not one in over twenty minutes that we hung around. Normally, it’d be an endless parade.

*Don’t call it tarmac like the media does – it’ll get you in hot water. We slipped up one time and got roasted.

**Well there was that little “Max” problem you might have seen on the news. Planes falling out of the sky for no reason is not good for business. Traced back to a software issue, that’s since been fixed and the model again flying, but we suspect the 737’s reputation is probably forever tarnished on account of this.

Vintage aircraft…
Stuffed & Mounted @ Alberta Aviation Museum – while shooting a Pinball piece.
Old Jack’s Collection (2) – A huge metal yard with an old Cessna.
CF-5 Freedom Fighter. – blast off!

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

Date: April, 2020.
Location: Calgary, AB.
Article references and thanks: Planespotters.net, Canadian Civil Aircraft Register, Book: Boeing 737-100 and 200 Mike Sharpe & Robbie Shaw.

A through the fence shot.

The post 737-200 first appeared on Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie.