Mid-morning we packed the car heading south, with the possibility of reaching Montana (USA), but definitely going to Lethbridge. On Deerfoot Trail, one of the main north-south routes through the city, we encountered slow traffic, and the radio reported a multi-vehicle pile up and 300 litres spilt diesel on the road ahead. We were diverted off the motorway, but Naushad decided to try and get back on too soon and we were heading back north into the city. I had to use my map reading skills to get us back on a route south and out of the city. In all it took us about 90 minutes to leave Calgary, what should normally have been a 20 minute exercise.
We crossed over the southbound CP line from Calgary to Lethbridge and it disappeared off to the left, and would stay out of site, often 45 km east of the road, till we got near Lethbridge. Highway 2 follows a different, but closed CP rail route, that has had all the track removed, although the ballasted area still looks good, but not good enough for a bike or walking trail.
The first stop we made was in Nanton, to photograph a couple of ex Canadian Air Force jets, outside the Nanton Lancaster Society Air Museum. Directly across the road from this is Canada’s largest garden railway, although I didn’t get time to see this. More importantly there were a couple of Prairie Skyscrapers (grain elevators) in the town, so I asked if we could drive down by these. These were beside the old CP right of way, and on a short piece of track sat on old CP Rail stock car. I photographed the elevators and stock car (see photo previous page) while the others finished off their ice creams and we were back heading south.
While the main highway goes via Fort Macleod, the shortest route is to turn east about 15 km short of Fort Macleod and travel about 30 km east before turning south for a few kilometres. About 15km out of Lethbridge is the CP Rail yard, and there was a train sitting there, and it looked like it had just arrived, or was about to depart west. This section of CP line, comes from the east, and goes over the Rockies at Crows Nest Pass before travelling north-west up a river valley to meet the mainline (from Calgary) at Golden, for the run down to Vancouver. My main objective in Lethbridge was to see the big bridge over the Oldman River Valley and hopefully photograph a train on it. The bridge is 1.6km long and is 307 feet high, at it’s highest.
Lethbridge is on the flat land, but the road in drops down into the river valley before climbing back out and at this point you get your first glimpse of this impressive bridge, the longest and highest steel railroad trestle in the world. We set the GPS to Tim Hortons and the route took us under one end of the bridge and next to a small carpark and tourist information centre. We bought coffees and headed back to the carpark and decided to walk down one of the many tracks (trails in Canada), that abound the area. Part way down into the river valley we stopped at a lookout, and surveyed the scene. There were contrails everywhere going overhead and at one point we counted nine aircraft flying overhead. A couple were heading to Vancouver (from eastern Canada), one four-engine jet appeared to be heading to San Francisco or Los Angeles, and there was a couple of planes heading north from USA to Calgary or Edmonton.
Rozi spotted a train coming onto the bridge from the west, and Naushad grabbed the video camera, while I photographed it with the SLR. It was a open hopper train of 122 cars (about 2 -2.5km in length), led by two locomotives, with a third pushing on the rear. We were about 150 feet below the bridge and it looked impressive as the train travelled slowly across the bridge, until the lead locomotives were in Lethbridge proper and then the speed increased.
We crossed over the southbound CP line from Calgary to Lethbridge and it disappeared off to the left, and would stay out of site, often 45 km east of the road, till we got near Lethbridge. Highway 2 follows a different, but closed CP rail route, that has had all the track removed, although the ballasted area still looks good, but not good enough for a bike or walking trail.
The first stop we made was in Nanton, to photograph a couple of ex Canadian Air Force jets, outside the Nanton Lancaster Society Air Museum. Directly across the road from this is Canada’s largest garden railway, although I didn’t get time to see this. More importantly there were a couple of Prairie Skyscrapers (grain elevators) in the town, so I asked if we could drive down by these. These were beside the old CP right of way, and on a short piece of track sat on old CP Rail stock car. I photographed the elevators and stock car (see photo previous page) while the others finished off their ice creams and we were back heading south.
While the main highway goes via Fort Macleod, the shortest route is to turn east about 15 km short of Fort Macleod and travel about 30 km east before turning south for a few kilometres. About 15km out of Lethbridge is the CP Rail yard, and there was a train sitting there, and it looked like it had just arrived, or was about to depart west. This section of CP line, comes from the east, and goes over the Rockies at Crows Nest Pass before travelling north-west up a river valley to meet the mainline (from Calgary) at Golden, for the run down to Vancouver. My main objective in Lethbridge was to see the big bridge over the Oldman River Valley and hopefully photograph a train on it. The bridge is 1.6km long and is 307 feet high, at it’s highest.
Lethbridge is on the flat land, but the road in drops down into the river valley before climbing back out and at this point you get your first glimpse of this impressive bridge, the longest and highest steel railroad trestle in the world. We set the GPS to Tim Hortons and the route took us under one end of the bridge and next to a small carpark and tourist information centre. We bought coffees and headed back to the carpark and decided to walk down one of the many tracks (trails in Canada), that abound the area. Part way down into the river valley we stopped at a lookout, and surveyed the scene. There were contrails everywhere going overhead and at one point we counted nine aircraft flying overhead. A couple were heading to Vancouver (from eastern Canada), one four-engine jet appeared to be heading to San Francisco or Los Angeles, and there was a couple of planes heading north from USA to Calgary or Edmonton.
Rozi spotted a train coming onto the bridge from the west, and Naushad grabbed the video camera, while I photographed it with the SLR. It was a open hopper train of 122 cars (about 2 -2.5km in length), led by two locomotives, with a third pushing on the rear. We were about 150 feet below the bridge and it looked impressive as the train travelled slowly across the bridge, until the lead locomotives were in Lethbridge proper and then the speed increased.
The area around Lethbridge is semi chaparral country and is obviously drier and warmer than Calgary. There were many wildflowers and cactus plants growing alongside the track and I photographed some of these, but could have spent hours here photographing plants, butterflies and grass hoppers , right beside the bridge.
Lethbridge is also known for its Japanese gardens, so we consulted the map and worked out a route there. Arriving at the Nikka Yuko gardens, set in a section of a large city park, we paid the $7 head entrance price and walked in through the gated reception area, to be given our instructions (keep to paths, shoes off when going into the building etc), and we wandered around the tracks. Nothing spectacular but it was quiet and relaxing, with small waterfalls, ponds and Japanese style trees.
Lethbridge is also known for its Japanese gardens, so we consulted the map and worked out a route there. Arriving at the Nikka Yuko gardens, set in a section of a large city park, we paid the $7 head entrance price and walked in through the gated reception area, to be given our instructions (keep to paths, shoes off when going into the building etc), and we wandered around the tracks. Nothing spectacular but it was quiet and relaxing, with small waterfalls, ponds and Japanese style trees.
Leaving the Japanese Gardens we visited the rose gardens, and saw the horseshoe club area (similar to quoits), before deciding that Montana was still too far away and we would head back to Calgary. Naushad topped up the tank on the outskirts of town and soon we were heading north. At Claresholm, another town on old railway line, I spotted a CP Rail caboose in the yellow “Pac-man” paint scheme. “Stop here please”, I said and within seconds we were parked beside the old Canadian Pacific stone station, now home to the Claresholm museum and information centre.
We continued on the road, and just a few kilometres further on I saw a coyote looking for food beside the road.
The crops here are mainly wheat, maize (corn) and canola, and farms are different to New Zealand. With farmed animals in the minority, there are few or no fences between fields, and there is no need for shelter belts, although most farm houses were surrounded by trees and bushes.
Arriving back in Calgary, just before 9pm, we purchased pizza and headed back to Falconridge. A game of cricket, complete with boundary marker cones was underway on the school grounds across the road, and continued for a while after sunset.
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