CP's Colonsay Subdivision - Chasing Yesterday

"Whenever we travel along Highway 2, we invariably make a pit stop at the Liberty elevator. On this particular occasion, serendipity led us to meet the owners, Quinn and Julie Wolff. Their hospitality extended to offering us an insightful tour of the inner workings of these historic structures, all while their two little ones accompanied us." So begins a social media post by Susan Smith Brazill and Emery Wolfe on their site 'Chasing Yesterday'. The pair is literally chasing the disappearing early agrarian life of Saskatchewan settlers and farmers and sharing images of their photographic pursuits.

Susan and Emery kindly allowed me to include their evocative photos in this post. I was struck by the photos' composition, lighting, shading and most of all how familiar they seemed to me. Having been inside a handful of elevators, everything was where I remembered it. So much so that when we toured the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, their King Wheat elevator mockup looked just like these photos. Well done! I've supplanted the photos with some of their supporting text as well as memories, left unitalicized, added by those viewing the photos.

"The wooden Liberty elevators, built in 1911 and closed in 2000, stand as enduring symbols of the region's agricultural past. Despite their current state of disrepair, they radiate a sense of resilience and determination. These structures were once the epicentres. This is where local farmers would deliver their hard-earned grain, such as wheat and barley, using a fleet of trucks or, in times gone by, horse-drawn wagons. Here also, the grain underwent meticulous processes, including weighing and quality assessments. Here is a series of photo inside and outside the Liberty elevators. Photo taken with permission by the owners. Chasing yesterday in Liberty, Saskatchewan."

Memories: Turning the wheel near the platform adjusts the delivery spout at the top of the elevator and directs grain into any one of the bins in the elevator. Then the grain goes up in the elevator lift in one those scoops underneath. 

It's called a leg and the little scoops are called cups. The leg is a long endless belt that runs from the bottom ( the pit ) to the top ( the garner or distributor ).

The cups carry to product to the top, the wood lever releases the Gerber, the large wheel selects the bin for the product to go into, it is called THE BINDICATOR.

The man-lift was counter-weighted to the weight of the elevator agent so if a kid got on it the lift would shoot up to the top and you could not get it down Somebody had the climb the ladder on the back of the leg and rescue you. You only ever did that once.

There is a wooden lever you had to step on first to life the spout then turn the wheel to the bin you wanted.

I work in a new modern grain elevator and can say that this picture is still the basis for all grain movement. Wood has been replaced by steel and concrete but the concept is exactly the same!

The ever present No Smoking signs. Smoking is a no-no in a grain elevator and if caught grounds for dismissal. I see a sign advertising hail insurance. A lot of elevator agents sold insurance as a sideline to generate a little income for themselves. Notice the leg cup laying on the floor to the right of the kicker.

This is kind of a dead end line. It was taken out many years ago. Terminal at Nokomis on CP line and terminal south of Watrous on CN spur. The line ends about 9 miles south of Watrous. Simpson, Imperial, Stalwart, Penzance, Liberty, Holdfast have no grain elevators on that line south of P & H terminal. No purchasing elevators I should say.

I'm 72 and your pictures bring back the wonderful smell of the grain elevator. A unique mix of grain dust and wood...the coldest place on earth - the elevator's driveway.

The hopper that all the grain passed through - in, up, down and out - and was weighed one hopper at a timeand weights recorded - unlike the current weigh-in-motion systems. Admittedly, technology and time have made grain-handling more efficient if not as quaint. It's no wonder the above memories were evoked after viewers enjoyed the Chasing Yesterday images. They're like being there and their photos show the staggering amount of lumber that went into building the elevators, the minimal updating and maximal aging that has taken place ever since.

Compare my 1985 view of Liberty (above)  with CP boxcars spotted during track rehabilitation, to the present (below - on a much colder day!). Based on the exterior north wall, Liberty's Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator was at one time painted for United Grain Growers. The UGG logo on the north side of elevator shows through.

Just north of Liberty, Stalwart ex-SWP (below) demolished November, 2023.

South of Liberty (and Penzance!), Holdfast:

The photos above are not my photos. They have been shared on the Chasing Yesterdays Facebook page, garnering the comments above. Chasing Yesterday - "Saskatchewan's Landscape, History and Photography" also has a website with links to its social media pages.

The photos resonated with me since I followed the CP Colonsay Sub, quite randomly, during my grain elevator photography trip around Saskatoon in 1986. I liked the classic Victorian or Edwardian names given to the towns by their English settlers or at least namers!

Chasing Yesterday (Susan Smith Brazill and Emery Wolfe) shares the yesterdays of Saskatchewan life, today. Abandoned homesteads, barnyards, grain elevators, gas stations and more. Or, as it's put on their webpage: "...prairie culture and beauty, a place for all to celebrate just how great the province of Saskatchewan is."

Thanks to Susan and Emery for allowing me to share their excellent work here on Trackside Treasure.

Running extra...

Now available from modeller and author James Hilton, his second book The Art of Railway Modelling. Here's a Youtube flick-through that shows the modelling, concepts, artwork and much more inside. (The flick-through revealed a layout centred on rail-served Canadian grain elevators, probably from James' 1989 visit). My copies of both his books are winging their way here, just as James' copies of my Trains & Grains are heading to the United Kingdom! Also trans-Atlantic is the pan-global, prodigious and productive Hilton and Mears collaboration.

Train 651, train 651 where are you? This article from our nearby Napanee Beaver decries the discontinuance of the vital morning commuter train (just don't tell VIA it's a commuter train!) between Kingston and Toronto. Despite public opposition, political pressure and repeated requests from online communities, the train pair has STILL not resumed despite most commuter trains being reestablished to pre-pandemic levels. This sounds like a future blog post! To the ramparts!

CP's Portal Subdivision, 1985 - Part 2

It was time to work my back to Regina after overnighting in Weyburn. In Part 1 of my visit to CP's Portal Subdivision, my drive stopped at Lang, just short of Milestone, SK. A scenic view of Milestone was include in a TV commercial for beer at the time, at least according to my photo album caption (top photo). An impressive elevator row awaited me on this overcast morning, dominated by Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

Milestone is at Mile 46.9 of the Portal Sub, with the smaller Pool C plant (above) and the newly-refurbished northernmost elevator dominating the town skyline and the only Milestone elevator extant:

A parting shot looking back down elevator row:

I thought this scene approaching Corinne was a nice tabletop tableau. Only when I got closer could I tell both elevators were abandoned. Corinne,  Mi 40.5:

In a previous post I profiled the prolific posted pointers that in no way portended the future of this humble ex-Federal elevator. Its future was dark and I can now say that those signs form part of my archives decor. A far, far better rest than they would have known under tons of nailed-together lumber upon demolition, following their closing in 1983.

Apparently Corinne is now home to a large multi-bun grain-handling facility (over-endowed in grandeur, lacking in character) built by ConAgra twelve years after my visit, now operated by Richardson Pioneer.

There were four elevators at Wilcox, Mi 35.3. Paterson and Pioneer painted (above) and Pool and Pioneer (below) complete with CP Rail track machines, but still no grain cars for loading:

The three remaining elevators in Wilcox were some of the 700-plus demolished by contractor David Mihalicz of Assiniboia: the 126x38 foot Pioneer on October 20, 2005 and the rest by October 28.

Diana (aband. on Highway 39) Mi 30.6 had a 78-car siding in steam days. The door is definitely ajar!

Rouleau at Mi 24.8 had a water tower for steam locomotives to fill their tenders from.

A field view of Rouleau (above) and a Tripix/Henry Kalen/Alex Wilson of Dryden, ON postcard view of Rouleau's elevator row, though the small Federal had been consolidated:

This northernmost Sask Pool elevator was better-known as a scenic backdrop for the CTV series 'Corner Gas' filmed here.

And with a stop at Rowatt, some fast food, a tank of gas,a visit to RCMP Depot Division a car wash and a return of my fantastic Fifth Avenue, it was time to board VIA No 2 eastward from Regina. This post completes documentation of my 1985 grain elevator photography on CN's Glenavon and Lewvan Subs, and CP's Portal and Tyvan Subs.

Now it's time to get cracking on my 1986 trip - I've only documented my visits to the CN Craik and CP Colonsay Subs. That leaves portions of CN's Conquest, Elrose, Rosetown and Watrous Subs and CP's Kerrobert, Outlook and even McMorran Subs to be documented here. Time to elevate my game!

Running extra...

Thanks to Bill Linley for passing along word of Bruce Chapman's passing at age 77. Bruce was a valued book contributor to me, and really helped me find my way through the morass of the disposition of ex-CP RDC's and passenger locomotives. Bruce was also a prolific sharer of information to many and I termed his regular email bursts 'Chapmania' (I saved 200 of his emails for reference, the last one received August 7). Bruce gained his encyclopedic knowledge having served in many roles for Canadian Pacific. My favourite thing about Bruce was the humorous terms he coined i.e. Schreiberia for Schreiber; Crash National for Canadian National; Annieguts for Angus Shops and especially meaningful based on today's weather, Manisnoba.

The VIA Historical Association is in the process of acquiring three ex-Ontario Northland cars, already bearing Rapido Trains Inc. RPDX reporting marks. These three CN cars went to VIA thence ONR after two rounds of VIA cutbacks. Baggage car 414 was formerly VIA 9604 and went to ONR in late-1983. Coaches 851 and 852 were formerly Dayniters 5714 and 5700, acquired in mid-1990 and late-1992, respectively. Mike Robin photo posted to Canadian Trains Facebook group:

CP's Portal Subdivision, 1985 - Part 1

In September, 1985 I was exploring western Canada with a $230 VIA Rail Canrailpass, riding in coach. My itinerary included Kingston-Montreal-three days in Portage la Prairie-Vancouver-Edmonton-Prince Rupert-Winnipeg-Regina. After spending two days driving and exploring various CN and CP branchlines south of Regina, I made my way to Weyburn, SK to spend the night before returning to Regina the next day to head home to Kingston via Toronto.  I overnighted at Weyburn's Big J Motel. From the window of my room I photographed the only train of the weekend (above): CP 5840-5610-3032-8707, van 434673. It was running on CP's Portal Subdivision, right across from the motel - the subdivision I largely planned to follow north-west the next morning. The next day was Sunday, September 29, 1985 was overcast. And cold. And wet. Again.

One wonders, years later, why while munching on my McDonald's drive-thru breakfast, I neglected to make my way any further down Weyburn's elevator track (above), nor to the Inland Terminal. Young and impetuous, I was eager to get my 21 year-old self on the road to adventure, I guess! The CP Portal Subdivision ran south-east from Pasqua, SK near Moose Jaw to Estevan thence the North Dakota border at Portal, ND where it connected with the Soo Line - a major CP artery into the US, eventfully extending eventually to Minneapolis. Interestingly, quantities of lignite coal for use in CP stationary boiler-houses at roundhouses in Fort William, Ignace, Kenora, Winnipeg, Brandon and more were carried on the Portal Sub, as described in this 1957 Supreme Court of Canada case!

McTaggart, at Mile 75.9 of the Portal Sub had seen better, more prosperous days. None of these elevators had received any additions, attention or annexes, except for one brown wartime annex. But then, in the mid-80's, what were the chances of coming across three simple elevators like these? (I found at least three the following year!)

McTaggart and Yellow Grass once rated day operators.in the steam era. I positioned myself across a harvested field (on the current road SK-621) for the shot of Yellow Grass' expansive and elongated elevator row at Mi. 67.3. The 1985 harvest was reported to be the worst in the previous 30 years, with drought assistance provided by the Saskatchewan provincial government and farmers spraying for a grasshopper infestation. Thee conditions may have led to the near-total absence of any grain cars spotted for loading at any of these elevators. It was easy to see cold, dead grasshopper bodies in fields like these:

Unfortunately, the town's elevators were all gone by 2014, with the United Grain Growers' modernized plant, later owned by Viterra, the last one to go. All the remains is this Prairie View Historical Site at the corner of Souris Street and Highway 39. I liked the UGG's new look, with high yellow skylights, new grey and sky-blue tin, plus the smaller, now attached, logos. UGG was already leading the way to multiple track spots and enhanced drying capacity on their revamped shipping points like Yellow Grass:

I was so inspired by this design that I built an HO-scale model upon returning home. 

The track side of the UGG elevator:

It was not uncommon to find various tractors, augers, trucks or other agricultural implements around the backs of the elevators. In transit or used for odd jobs, they added some detail and hinted at the workaday existence of these small, Saskatchewan towns. Spot the sign to the nearest Mountie (I'll give you a hint, it Maintains The Right side of the road).

Lang (above and below) was my next stop, 12 miles east at Mi. 55.3. Accounting for the unusual gap, more than the expected 6-8 miles between towns is the former shipping point of Ibsen, named for the author of A Doll's House. I have fond memories of this play, my only remembered though otherwise seemingly-obscure work of the notable Norwegian playwright, because I shouted it out as a question once during Jeopardy. Immediately my wife shouted back, "How do you KNOW THIS STUFF?" Well, I didn't know any of Henrik Ibsen's other plays, so it was a good guess! But let's get back on track - Ibsen was just a portable station and three elevators built between 1911 and 1928, with Sask Pool No. 740 the last to be demolished in 1975. Ibsen also once rated a 78-car siding. Again in Lang, a roadside slough and a moment of sun permitted me a rare interlude of artsiness:

Here's a calendar view of Lang in wintertime. Something I'd never to - venture into the wilds of Saskatchewan anytime after well, the end of September! Note that Inter-Ocean became the Pioneer elevator.

One of NM Paterson and Sons' squared-off, tin-clad diamond-logo elevators along with the open-door policy of my Tilden Chrysler Fifth Avenue rental car. I mean, who was even on the road this early on a Sunday morning out here? (below) By contrast, many of my other photos from the road were lazily taken through the lowered power window. Not only because I was quite comfortable in the warm and plush interior, and there was occasional drizzle, but because I didn't want to sully the blue upholstery (above - note overturned floormat, hat and lens on seat) of my sweet ride with puddle- and stubble-jumper bootprints!

Sask Pool's augmented elevator in Lang proudly portrayed the Centennial logo applied in 1967. The distant annex was removed by 2001.

This was a successful morning of elevator photography. Though the cloud persisted, I continued making my way to the eventual sunny evening, enjoying elevator rows while watching the gas needle drop like a sunset. In Part 2, we'll continue along the Portal Sub on the way back to The Queen City.

Running extra...

Mike is an avid cyclist, artist and railfan who shared this Youtube video of a Kingston-Napanee area ride last week. I've been on most of these roads (maybe not the same Napanee-Odessa ones. Mike found all the good locations that I've contrasted in this post from 2010 that compares and contrasts some of those locations with 1976 views. Be sure to check out Mike's Youtube page for an expansive variety of topics and settings!

The set of four large-yellow-VIA-wrapped LRC cars (3476-3361-3350-3338) has been together since at least mid-August. But the sighting specialness shoots stratospheric when a wrapped locomotive is at the head-end! After capturing such a set on August 31 with VIA 907, it continued to head the consist until September 10. Wrapped VIA 6416, one of only 8 wraps of the nearly 50+ F40 fleet, took its place, and the quest to capture a differently-led all-wrapped set was on!

Thanks to Paul Hunter for the heads-up, and with additional assistance from Jordan McCallum, I was able to catch VIA No 40 on a grimy but dry September 14 (video capture - below). I'll try to get better results, both photographically and meteorologically. The kinetic keystone to a komplete konsist is one-of-a-kind Business Class car 3476, marshalled behind the power! Here's a youtube video link! UPDATE: The F40 era is over! Saturday's No 52 revealed 904 in the lead.

 

CP's Tyvan Subdivision, 1985

 

During my grain elevator expedition of four nearly-parallel CN and CP subdivisions that began in Regina on Saturday, September 28, 1985 and extended east along CN's Glenavon Sub, my next stops were to the west along CP's Tyvan Subdivision before heading to CN's Lewvan Subdivision. Running between Regina and Stoughton, SK the 88-mile CP Tyvan Subdivision was still in operation during my visit, though zero cars were spotted at any of the elevators at Francis, Tyvan, Osage or Fillmore. The weather was cold, leaden overcast with light snow in the morning then drizzly.

Here's a map showing my two day expedition, as I planned it, in red arrows. Beginning at Regina, I overnighted in Weyburn and returnied to Regina on Sunday (below). All towns on the Tyvan Sub were sited 7-8 miles apart. I just accelerated my posh Fifth Avenue rental car for a few miles, then slid into the next town, found their elevator row and snapped photos of the track-side and road-side. Sometimes out through the power window rather than getting gummed up in the muddy dirt roads.

Francis was located at Mi 47.4 Tyvan Sub (below and top photo):

Tyvan, SK at Mi 39.8.

Osage at Mi 31.3 - today, only the Sask Pool elevator still stands.

Osage's tiny commercial district included wooden structures like this aged hardware store and current Canada Post outlet. Note the gravity-fed gas pump and the telephone booth:

Thirty-eight years later, the Canada Post building still stands, but don't try to mail anything there! Population listed as 20 (Google maps image - above).

Fillmore at Mi 22.9 had an colourful collection of tin signs on the rear of the Sask Pool elevator's fertilizer shed (above).

Fillmore was also the subject of a Tripix postcard by Henry Kalen Ltd. of Winnipeg featuring an R. Taylor photograph of an earlier 1970's Sask Pool wooden elevator brown scheme and one additional Federal elevator, both taken from almost identical vantage points. Today, only the foreground elevator is still standing.

I can look back quite fondly at these greasy grain elevator images. They bring with them memories of being much younger and independent - just getting my first job out of community college with money in my pocket. Exploring a part of Canada that I would not see again for well over 30 years. And even then, with many, many fewer elevators still standing.

Running extra...

CN Executive Train Lite - CN 3309-Fraser Spirit-American Spirit-Sandford Fleming deadheaded on the tail-end of CN No 148 from Chicago to Toronto on August 19. After being briefly set out in the Brampton Intermodal Terminal, they were attached to another tail-end, that of CN No 120 OS Kingston 0500 August 20. The short train will be running from Moncton to Halifax in the coming days. Thanks to Jesse McLaughlin for sharing his photo of the 148 movement (above). The June 'Zero is Possible' train was fancier. On August 23, the three-car train led by CN 3309 was eastbound for Halifax through Drummondville, QC then Joffre on August 24.

Heritage Minutes - on August 23, GTW Heritage unit 8952 was behind CN 8954  on CN No 372. While visiting my mother-in-law, the bright-blue throwback hove into view from five storeys up (below). On August 21, WC Heritage unit 3069 led potash unit train CN No 730 with tail-end DPU Military tribute unit CN 3015. Somewhere, a hostler is reading this and smiling.

I'm not even going to talk about the mug-shot seen around the world, first released last night. I'll just call it a...thug-shot...and leave it at that. History will decide.