In this, our forth Silver Streak movie then and now post, we take a look at the derelict boarded up station seen in the movie, actually Calgary’s old CNR train depot. While made up to look abandoned it really didn’t need much help at that time as it had sat...
Here’s yet another then and now from the 1976 movie Silver Streak, a fun little tale of mystery and intrigue on board a transcontinental passenger train. In this scene two of the main characters leap from the moving train, landing in the waters below. This view (hard to believe) is...
In our second Silver Streak movie then and now series we pick a very obscure location. Situated within the bowels of CPR’s huge Alyth yard complex in Calgary, in this view the highjacked train hurtles by on the tracks above with the police in hot pursuit. Interesting, where we shot...
Being a train buff, the 1976 movie Silver Streak has always been a favourite of mine and while I knew it was filmed in and around Alberta, I never really paid much attention to that aspect of it. Until recently that is when we manged to come across a DVD...
Farmer Jones Carz was a Calgary institution for decades, a used car lot selling well worn el-cheap-o transportation and doing it with a quirky style. The lot was always brimming with old beaters and the iconic sign with its slow-witted looking chubby farmer in coveralls with a sprig of grass...
My recent article on the ex-Lethbridge Transit GMC Fishbowl bus had me thinking, how many of these are left in Calgary? If any? I do know the city has been operating Fishbowls up until recently, as I have seen them occasionally pass by on a busy street near us. However...
Here is the second Boler Trailer we found in the Calgary neighbourhood of Bowness. Mere minutes from the other we stumbled across (report link below) like that one this example is looking a bit haggard. It has an interesting red and white paint job, but it’s not clear if this...
Here’s our first Boler of 2013 and one of two we’d see this day, both within minutes of each other. This somewhat ragged looking example was found in February in the Calgary neighbourhood of Bowness, as was the other which will appear in a follow up report. It looks like...
Stealing a title from a syrupy sweet TV show from the 1970s, it’s not the little house but rather The Little Church on the Prairie. Located in a charming little village, the Emmanuel Anglican Church seen here is a few years into its second century and while it appears that...
This city hike has everything! Urban blight, a dull overcast day, gritty industrial areas, noisy highways, airways and rail yards, funny smells, neglected city parks, icy pathways and an unexpected and intense snow storm to round it all off. What more could one ask for? In winter our hiking options...
Here we see a ubiquitous GMC “Fishbowl” bus. If you live in a town with a transit system it’s likely you’ve seen one these, although maybe not that recently. Officially named The New Look by its maker, it seems that it’s often refereed to by it’s more endearing nickname instead....
Old trucks are like a magnet drawing me in and in our travels we come across a great number of them. In this pass we see a couple old GMCs and a real gem, an ancient Fargo. All of these appear to be old farm trucks, not surprising given our...
The Lethbridge Viaduct, also known as the High Level Bridge, is of course a well known landmark and the longest and the highest steel rail trestle in the world. Towering over the Oldman River it’s located right in the middle of the city and can be easily seen from any...
When one thinks of large train bridges in Alberta or even Canada for that matter, the Lethbridge Viaduct instantly comes to mind for most. Its massive size means an equally massive notoriety and it’s clearly the most famous of its type. However scatted nearby throughout the southern half of the...
Calgary’s National Hotel is being reborn. Forgotten and neglected for many years it rises like a phoenix from the ashes. Most recently a haven for the downtrodden it will find a new life, being converted to condominiums and retail space. Now over 100 years old it’s nice to see that...
In August of 2012 I did a report about a yard I found that was full of all sorts of interesting big tucks. There were old Macks, an REO, a gaggle of old farm trucks from the 1940s and 50s and lots of other interesting bits. And then there is...
At this time of year, here in the cold wilds of Alberta, spotting a Boler or even a Boler look alike trailer is pretty rare. Most of them are nicely tucked away for the winter in back yards, alleys, garages or in other obscure or hard to access spots and...
By the early 1980s the snowmobile industry was on the decline. The years prior saw a huge shakedown with maker after maker closing their doors. None the less there were still lots of models being offered by those companies who managed to tough it out, including examples from an early...
St Francis in the Woods out in BC's East Kootenay region dates back over a century. It's sort of hidden away down a little backroad and is far removed from the modern world. While no longer used in a spiritual capacity, it still hosts community functions from time to time. Otherwise, silence rules.
Know more about this subject in a link posted to the comments.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2023. Posted by Connie.
The same stone house about a century apart and from almost the same angle. It came close to being a proper Then & Now, but interestingly, we didn't know of the old photo when we captured ours.
The house was only lived in for a few decades, starting about 1910 and abandoned on account of arid conditions.
A family of twelve (yes, two parents plus TEN kids) lived in this modest-sized dwelling. Those early pioneers were hardcore. A house in the middle of nowhere, farming conditions that at best were marginal, brutal winters, few neighbours, little of anything and a bus load of children to raise in a house the size of a garage. Give them credit!
Know more via a link in the comments.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2015. Posted by Connie.
The Fort Motel in Fort MacLeod Alberta, seen in an old postcard circa 1960 and again on a quiet evening late in 2023. It's one of many old style motor-court motels in this historic town and as you can see it's little changed over time. Too bad about that sign, though. The Fort Motel first makes mention in phone directories in the early fifties.
To know about our subject scroll down to a link in the comments. Hey Lethbridge Historical Society, thought you'd like this!
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Posted by Connie.
Just once we'd like to get a clear shot of the grain terminal in Cassils Alberta without a pesky train photo bombing the shot. 😜
Empress #2816 and it's seen last week on the Final Spike Steam Train as it heads east. We had wonderful luck picking more out of the way locations and completely avoided any crowds. There were only a few people present here but we saw footage showing rather chaotic scenes elsewhere.
We met a few old friends on this adventure, made some new ones and had a grand time. If we chatted along the way, it was so nice to meet you, and we invite any of our readers/friends to share photos they captured of this historic train. Drop photos in the comments and can't wait to see them!
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2024. Posted by Connie.
We used to do something called the "pointless challenge" 🤪 and miss those days. It was so much silly fun and often frustrating as heck. In these we'd invite people to send in random photos of obscure locations, but not give any information, and then we'd track where it was and shoot something similar.
Most of these came from old family collections, as was the case here. Anyone up to resurrecting the series?
In hindsight, why didn't we pose someone in our shot?
Pointless: “Devoid of meaning (or) senseless” Merriam-Webster.
If you like what we do and want to support this ongoing project (12 years now), go here: https://www.BIGDoer.com/help-the-society/ Thanks to Connie for making this post possible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: ca1970 and 2014. Posted by Connie.
Captured on a cold, cold day many years ago. We've been passing this old house for decades and it's little changed in that time. At some point we expect to drive by and it'll be gone.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
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