I got some vacation coming up in October. Of course I plan on doing some train watching. With Medicine Hat being on the Canadian Pacific mainline I will be seeing a lot of train movement. I was just wondering how far from Medicine Hat is Dunsmore where a rail line branches off going west through Lethbridge and the Crowsnest Pass? Is there a good spot to watch trains from there without getting too close for comfort to train movement?
Dunmore is only a few miles east of Medicine Hat. There are a couple of large grain terminals there, and several years ago CP extended the passing siding eastwards and added crossovers to make a segment of double track, and also added a pair of long siding tracks. Often potash trains had to be staged to match ship arrivals at the west coast ports, and this kept them out of the way of continuing operations. East of Dunmore the tracks are right beside the Trans-Canada Highway more or less all the way to the Saskatchewan border. You will also see locomotives set off in the area. Many trains will add a unit before descending into Medicine Hat, since they will need it to climb out of the valley on the other side. Once back at prairie level it will be set off at a convenient siding for a train the other way to use. This only applies to the main line, since the Taber Sub to Lethbridge doesn’t cross the river valley.
John
Just a personal note I would like to add. John has everything well covered.
The last station you will see before the tracks curve away from the highway is Walsh. The next station, long gone, was Cummings, 5.7 miles east. Apparently, the west siding switchstand there stood on the AB/SK border. And 6.2 miles east of Cummings was Hatton. The first railway station I ever lived in.
AgentKid
Thank You.
K.C.
If you go to the Canadian Pacific Historical Association website they have an Alberta ETT from 1925 with a whole set of special instructions for using the Staff system. Not only was there one between Medicine Hat and Dunmore, but also between South Edmonton and Edmonton. over the High Level Bridge.
AgentKid.
.
That is question I can’t answer.
I couldn’t sleep so I looked at the CPHA collection of Alberta ETT’s for 1925, 1938 and 1950. What I saw was a Staff control system for South Edmonton to Edmonton in all three timetables.
There was a Staff control system for Dunmore to Medicine Hat on the Maple Creek Sub. in the 1925 TT, something called a Train Control system in the 1938 TT and CTC in the 1950 TT. Looking at the Special Instructions for the Train Control system, I think it is an early version of CTC. It talks about electric controlled switches and how train crews are supposed to operate them manually if and when necessary. From what I can see, the Taber Sub. from Lethbridge all the way to Dunmore was always a timetable and train order operation.
I guess it is time to go back to bed.[zzz]
AgentKid