Photographing Canadian Pacific Trains

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I am in the process of writing a new coffee table book on Canadian Pacific. I am planning a trip to BC and Alberta this summer. I would like feedback from railfans and photographers familiar with the CP line from Vancouver, BC, to Lake Louise, AB, on where some of the best sites are to capture images of CP trains.

I would like to know when the best time to go is, and since I may try hiking up to the Stoney Creek Trestle, the safest time to go to avoid encounters with bears. Is there also a good way of getting up to Stoney Creek Trestle?

Also, what is the best time of day to photograph trains crossing the Cisco bridge in the Fraser River Canyon, the best vantage points, and the best places to stay in the area?

Thanks.

2

I photographed what looks like two bridges crossing over each other in the middle of the Fraser River in Cisco, BC over 20 years ago. As I recall I photographed a CN freight and a CP freight crossing the Fraser River from the shoulder on the west side of the Trans Canada Highway which is above both bridges. The best time to photograph trains crosssing the Fraser River in Cisco, BC is in the morning.

In reality the bridges don’t cross each other in the middle of the Fraser River; they cross each other on the east bank of the Fraser River. The CN bridge is at a higher elevation than the CP bridge, and it runs in a northwest-southeast alignment while the CP bridge runs in a northeast-southwest alignment.

3

AS A SUGGESTION:

You have three pretty good resources that have posted here regularly recently, trainboy 16-44 (Matt) and Agentkid (Bruce and another who was a former CP employee: screen name, ( Kootenay Central)

You could probably find most of the information you asked about from them. Matt currently has an active Thread on the CP at Field, B.C.

Good Luck with your project!

4

The only time with no bears at Stoney Creek is winter when they are hibernating! Black bears are the most common, but grizzly bears definitely frequent the area. Walking up from the big curve on the highway just as it starts to climb up towards the Rogers Pass is probably the best access. The route follows an old cat traiI to the new grade, and then a scramble up leads to a broadside view of the famous arch. I presume you are aware that you will likely find only eastbound trains crossing it (and the CPR Cisco bridge) since westbound trains normally use the other track.

John

5

I put a long post on this thread that you might find helpfull.
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/p/176314/1935742.aspx#1935742

I’ve read that the bears show up along the line in the evening, looking for spilled grain to eat.

6

Oh god. I just spent an HOUR writing a reply and accidentally closed the tab and lost it.

Forget it. Just drive along the 1A as much as you can in Banff.

7

Yep - “I feel your pain, bro” - that happens to me about once a week or so . . . [sigh]

Then I have to decide whether I want to recreate the usually decent result of that effort to salvage it, albeit with even more time invested . . . or just write it off and say “The heck with it !”. About 50 - 50 each way, I think . . .

If we ever get together, we can cry in our beer together about all the good stuff we’ve lost . . . [swg]

  • Paul North.