Kingston to Prince Rupert aboard VIA - September 1985, Part 2

VANCOUVER - JASPER - EDMONTON - JASPER- PRINCE RUPERT

In Part 1 I travelled to Vancouver. After a quick turnaround on September 22, it was on to the next leg of my trip, on VIA No 4 over CN to Jasper-Edmonton-Jasper-Prince Rupert. At Boston Bar, new SD50F's 5413-5414 were in the yard with cylindrical grain empties (top photo and below). The CP Scuzzy Creek bridge was visible across the Fraser River around Mi 5 of CN's Yale Subdivision (below) just west of Boston Bar. Not too far away was an abandoned CP boxcar at water level!

Just east of Boston Bar, at 1745, CN 5402-5404 were leading grain and coal:

We got to Boston Bar about suppertime. Another nice evening vestibule ride from there for quite a while along Fraser and Thompson Rivers. Saw 3 or four CP trains across the river. Very good scenery; lots of tunnels and bridges but topography eventually goes from rocky to very sandy with few trees. This tunnel was at Martinson, around Mi 122 CN Ashcroft Sub:

The next morning's awakening on September 23 was near Hinton, AB. I was also awakened at Kamloops and Jasper. Travelling in coach does not provide the same somnolence setting as sleeper space!                                

Hinton paper mill, at the time the only one in the province. Into Edmonton on time, mainly sunny. At CN's Calder Yard shop, GMD-1's 1080 (ex-NAR), 1075 and 1081 were reposing:

Inland cement hoppers at the large Inland facility in West Edmonton like UNPX 121659 and 121956:

I needed a shower. Chateau Lacombe (CP) and Westin wanted around 50 bucks for a half-day rate, so I went to the YMCA for $2.50 instead, then bought souvenirs at the station. I didn’t want to get back late, so had lunch there in the station coffee shop - clubhouse sandwich, I think. I had a two-and-a-half hour layover before boarding the  4- or 5-car train to Prince Rupert around 1500. No 5’s consist at Edmonton: 6514-9487-5512-752-and two E-series sleepers. My train and No 3 to Vancouver both use the same line between Edmonton and Jasper, so they just tack our train onto the back of No 3 until Jasper. 

We got to Jasper around 2100. I hopped off to get some souvenirs, then it was back on the train to sleep. I woke up around Vanderhoof, BC on Tuesday morning, September 24. Great timber country! At Fort Fraser at 0830, a few miles west of Vanderhoof, I'm making good use of my polarizing filter:

A nice and relaxed train, and the Conductor got off at one point to pick some berries for some American passengers. Other American tourists attempting to pronounce local place names: Endako (Endak-ka), Smithers (Smitten) and Athabasca (aska..athca..ascabaskis) A girl was doing her mother’s hair in the coach. We got into the main mountains at Smithers, BC around 1100:

I headed to the vestibule for lots of very high trestle pictures along the Bulkley River. There were many mountains around Hazelton, BC also lots of logging areas, and we crossed the Skeena River, making lots of flag stops in the late afternoon west of Terrace. Between Mi 27-32 CN Bulkley Sub:

The 839-foot Boulder Creek trestle:

Between Mi 50-62 Bulkley Sub:

Skeena Crossing, Mi 62:

Looking back at the Rocher Deboule range and Hudson Bay mountains:

We got into Prince Rupert around 1830. The big, new grain elevator terminal had been constructed there about 2-3 miles out of town. Rupert is a very nice little town, and I wish I had more time there. Lots of fishing boats on a foggy evening. Even though most stores were closed, I found one open and was able to buy some postcards. Very good supper of KFC, orange Crush, and Old Dutch salt & vinegar chips. 

A fishing dock at Prince Rupert (above) at 1820 with the 1979-built vessel Anangel Fidelity. The Ridley grain terminal, established in 1983:

In Part 3, I head back east from Prince Rupert.

Running extra...

Well-known Ukrainian-Canadians include Royal Canadian Air Farce's Luba Goy, Supreme Court Justice John Sopinka, Ottawa Senators' Eugene Melnyk, Big Sky's Katheryn Winnick, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Jeopardy host Alex Trebek. We are home to the largest population of Ukrainian descendants outside of Ukraine. 

Slava Ukrayini!