I just moved back to Cranbrook a week ago from Nelson. Part of the reason was to watch more trains. I can watch trains coming and going from where I live. One question I have is where does Union Pacific go once they cross the Canada/USA border? Is it down to Spokane then to Portland?
Yes, among other places. UP does not cross the Canadian boundry. UP connects with CPR at Eastport ID/Yakt BC. The line between Eastport and Spokane is former Spokane International built by Dan Corbin acting as the front man for CPR.
Mac McCulloch
Doc Murdock (5-6):
Just curious, Doc, since there is trackage in your old community of Nelson, BC also, how many more trains are there in your new community of Cranbury than Nelson? Since Cranbrook is on the route from off the Spokane International, it hardly would be anything like UP’s triple-track line in Nebraska, USA. What, then, attracted you to Cranbrook that Nelson didn’t have?
Best,
K.P.
PS: I’ll bet you have nice clean air to breath, much cleaning than some of us have in the United States … Cough, cough …(I’m a couple of hours from smoggy Los Angeles on the West Coast.)
Nelson just gets one train a day from Cranbrook. The only reason the line is still open is because of the Cominco Smelter in Trail. It branches off one line just south of Yahk, goes through Creston, the west shore of Kootenay Lake, Nelson, Castlegar before arriving in Trail. Then it returns later in the day heading back to Cranbrook. Crew changes in both directions are in Nelson.
While I like both towns I like Cranbrook better because of the view of the Rockies particularly the Steeples and Fisher Peak. The clean is cleaner and breathable here than most places I’ve been in.
Doc, most of the trains that pass within sight of your home pass right behind my home in north Idaho. Potash trains from Saskatchewan (grey Canpotex hoppers) head to Terminal 5 at Rivergate, right outside Portland near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. Unit grain trains from the north central U.S. enter Canada at Portal, ND, and come your way before diving south into Idaho to reach export docks. I heard from a CP engineer this morning who just ran over Crowsnest Pass with a trainload of wheat bound for Kalama, WA. Plus several manifests both ways. Earlier this year, UP introduced an MRVET that moves cars from Roseville, CA, straight to Canada; it bypasses re-classification at Hinkle.
You’re right about the scenery. Some of the most spectacular ranges are right there in sight of downtown Cranbrook, and certainly more of the same all the way north to Golden or east to Crowsnest. And of course you’re just a few miles from the Windermere Sub with all its coal traffic.
Don’t know if you’re aware of the Fort Steel Heritage Town up on the bluff above CP. Fairly impressive steam train operation (check their schedule, limited operating season), wonderful collection of historic buildings and culture, and some nice views looking down on CP. And of course the railway museum right there in Cranbrook. You certainly picked one of the best places to live!
For more on the UP/CP gateway through Eastport, be sure to watch for Kalmbach’s “Locomotive 2012” annual, due out later this year.