Monthly Archive: October 2013

Bassano train station

CPR Bassano Station

The subject of this report is the massive CPR Bassano train station, moved from its namesake town to Beiseker for eventual display at the Alberta 2005 Centennial Railway Museum. It currently sits, boarded up and in rough shape, not far from the foundation which it is to eventually to be...

Drumheller train bridge

Bridge hunting – Drumheller Alberta

The tracks are still in place, but it’s been a good number of years since a train passed over the CNR Midland bridge that spans the Red Deer River near Drumheller Alberta. An imposing structure, many large concrete blocks can be seen in its deck, leftovers from the spring 2013...

Shouldice Park

Edworthy Park west trail – Brickburn and beyond

What an awful sky. It’s just so grey and hazy and the colours are so flat. It’s not a great day for photography. It is however, a great day to explore – every day is – and on this urban adventure, we take in the west trail in Edworthy Park....

Boler trailer Alberta

Big Valley Boler

Here’s Boler #47 for the year – this one was posted out of order and we have already found #48 and #49. It’s the larger 17′ models and was found on the prairies near the picturesque town of Big Valley Alberta, in September 2013. Spotted by chance, as it often...

Roundhouse Big Valley AB

Big Valley Alberta CNoR roundhouse

The charming town of Big Valley is like Disneyland for the history buff. There are so many things to explore including a traditional wooden grain elevator, a picturesque Canadian Northern railway station, lots of old and interesting buildings, including the lovely (and blue) St. Edmund’s church on a hill overlooking...

Windy Point Ridge cliffs

Windy Point Ridge

Located up the Sheep River Valley, Windy Point Ridge is a modest sized mound in an area of Kananaskis comprised of low rolling hills and ridges – the big mountains are still a good way off. Surprisingly rugged near the top, with drop-offs, cliffs and loose scree, it’s a short...

High Noon Hills Kananaskis

High Noon Hills

The High Noon Hills hiking trail is short, easy and quite pleasant. The trail follows a low undulating ridge through lovely meadows and forests, to a nice viewpoint on a grassy bluff overlooking the Long Prairie Creek valley. Located not far from the Kananaskis Country boundary, it’s one the first...

1939-47 Fargo pickup

Old trucks and vehicles – October

While travelling about we’ll often discover old and interesting vehicles hidden away in fields, back lots and industrial properties. We rarely search them out and stumble across most by accident. Often we’ll be heading to a neat historical site, or a scenic hiking trail, and in the process come away...

Field BC abandoned locomotive

CPR’s Big Hill revisted

The CPR’s famous Spiral Tunnels were an important and costly project that allowed the railway to finally abandon its troublesome Big Hill. The latter was a steep and dangerous stretch of track and was a major bottleneck. The new bypass helped alleviate, but not totally solve, the congestion issues the...

Big Valley Alberta

Prairie Sentinels – Big Valley Alberta

The picturesque village of Big Valley Alberta is rich in history – railway history in particular. There is a beautifully restored train station, remains of a once busy railway divisional point with roundhouse, and the subject of this report, an iconic wooden grain elevator that for decades loaded rail cars....

CPR octagonal water tower

Canadian Pacific Railway octagonal water tower

This post has been updated and can be found here: CPR Water Tower Cranbrook BC. In our travels we’ve come across a few octagonal water tank foundations… Bridge hunting – Bullpound Alberta. Yahk then and now. If you’d like to know more about what you’ve seen here, by all means...

Moyie BC church

Moyie BC and the St Eugene Mine

Located in a gorgeous setting on the shores of Moyie Lake, the town of Moyie BC was once famous for the huge St. Eugene Mine, the remains of which can still be seen today. Gone is the hustle and bustle of days past and all that’s left is a sleepy...

Rowley AB train tracks

Rowley Alberta ghost town

What a great day to explore the restored ghost town of Rowley Alberta. We are blessed with glorious blue skies with wispy white clouds, beautiful fall foliage and lovely browns, tans, greys and whites of the various buildings in town. It’s a wonderful autumn day and we have all of...

BC Boler trailer

Field BC Bolers

We spotted not one but two Boler trailers in the quaint mountain village of Field BC. Just blocks apart (the town is only a few blocks square), both are the less common and less cute (IMO) 17 foot models. While you’ll often see the original 13 foot Boler in a...

Kootenay King mine ore bin

Kootenay King Mine concentrator

The remains of the Kootenay King Mine concentrator, cement walls and machinery support pads, a large wooden ore bin, and other bits are still visible a few kilometres up the Wildhorse River road. In production for only a brief time in the early 1950s, there many things to explore, surprising...

Scamp trailer

Not a Boler – a Scamp

Small, egg-shaped and of course, cute as a button, one has to see the Scamp logo on this lightweight fibreglass trailer to confirm in fact that it’s not a Boler. Of all the Boler look-a-likes we’ve seen, this one stands out as the most similar in appearance – it’s like...

Your family tree is ill

Genealogists don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story

An editorial… If you are regular reader of this blog, you know we like to explore and study history. That’s our hobby. For this report, we enter a different realm and to pay the bills, we do historical research, for companies and societies and the like (plus Chris repairs vintage...

Hiking in Grotto Canyon

Grotto Canyon

The hike up to Grotto Canyon is quite an easy trek, a stroll almost, yet there are rewarding views along the way. Travel is through a deep winding gorge before one emerges into a rocky valley surrounded by tall peaks. The creek bed is your trail much of the way...

High River CPR train bridge

Bridge hunting – High River Alberta

Located in High River Alberta, almost downtown in fact, the old CPR railway bridge across the Highwood River has not seen a train in years. In spite of that the tracks are still in place, as though waiting for one to pass. This massive structure has stood fast for what...

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