The Mountaineer

We
and
see
the
autos
washed-out
highway
helplessly on
standing
either side of the break. Water
Train of two countries:
in fields where water
seen
before
seen
ation
to the coast. Our conductor says
loops
has
orders"
Chicago
running this
train between Vancouver and
&
flimsies, mostly slow
this 129-mile division as a
result of the flood and an all-out at
North
tempt
"19
on
to
get the track
up to its usual
high standards. And then that lady in
Tourist Upper Four wonders why we
vacation-time
Chicago
20 minutes late!
It's getting dusk now. yet it's nice
to sit and listen to the click of the
wheels, to see the river shining in the
waning light and the mountains loom
ing against the sky. And it's nice to
breathe the fresh cool air. We hold out
a little longer and then
hurry back to
the Clover Valley (that's our Pull
are
BY FRANK P. DONOVAN JR.
(L^ooaij we're
gener
it
grandfathers'. Indeed,
nor our
he
Western all cooperate in
our
be
never
was 19 days after the flood before a
CPR train reached Vancouver, and as
this is written the Canadian National
is still using the CPR rails from Kam-
The Mountaineer
Canadian Pacific, Soo Line and
at least not in
can
was
going on a 2000-mile trip
the Canadian Rockies and our
neighbors to the north. We'll take that
popular international train the Moun
between Vancouver and Cal
a splendid view of the
Rockies.
I have said the Mountaineer has
taineer, running from Vancouver to
Chicago, which is custom-fitted for
standard
taineer is
train
gain our observation seats. The town
is Sicamous; the lake. Shuswap: and
the setting
it's serene. On the left
to
see
our
purpose. On this train we'll ob
the most spectacular mountains
serve
in North America and meet
the
nicest
people
some
democratic
of
folk
without pretense or show, yet friendly
and talkative. And the Mountaineer
itself? It's a train primarily for vaca
for passengers who want to
enjoy the scenery, to relax and chat.
So much for the introduction; now
let's get down to business, down to
tionists,
track 2 in the Canadian Pacific's spa
cious Vancouver station, where train
No. 14, the
Mountaineer,
is
ready
to
leave.
happens the date is July 2,
which directly follows Canada's Do
minion Day and precedes our Inde
pendence Day by some 48 hours. It
also, that the 2nd com
so happens,
It
so
memorates
the first trip of the
season
for the eastbound Mountaineer. We,
being citizens of the world and rail
road enthusiasts to boot, have taken
the Dominion celebration in
and
are
usual
enjoying
the
our
stride,
business-asthe 19th
"ceremony" marking
anniversary of the
Mountaineer. Inci
dentally, we'll celebrate "the Fourth"
half in Canada and half in the States,
because No. 14 crosses the border a
little after noon on that date.
nothing spectacular about
the Mountaineer; it's just a good solid
There is
train
cars
with
in all
11
standard equipment
headed by an oil-burn
trains
equipment
standard, that
is, to American eyes but not quite so
orthodox to Canadians. You see, our
carries
six
Pullmans
and
one
CPR
sleeper which is set out at Cal
gary.
Ordinarily, Canadian trains
carry their own sleepers except when
they go over the border, in which case
they resort to Pullmans. Apart from
this there is the normal complement
of equipment including a baggage car,
coach and a diner.
It is now 6:45 p.m. The conductor
gives the highball and the first run
of the season for No. 14 begins. We are
sitting in the last seat of the open-end
observation car, our feet propped up
on the railing. Ah, this is the life!
a
Slowly the four-track station re
cedes into the background. Just be
hind it are the piers where Canadian
Pacific ships leave for Victoria and
Seattle as well as to ports of call in
our
berth.
OXext morning we're
so we
won't miss
up with the
anything. The
slowing for a stop as
we re
Tuscan red cars, one a coach, the
other a parlor- observation unit, which
are
will be used on the Okanagan Valley
branch. They have a Pennsylvania
Railroad look, but no Pennsy mixed
train that I know of sports an obser
vation car. "Mixed" is the official
classification of the branch's eastbound No. 708 and westbound No. 707.
This early morning scene is all very
idyllic
gabled
the quaint green station, the
inn. and the boats on the lake
surrounded
by mountains. We make
mental note of the locale as one of
the many places we'd like "to retire
to." and give it a high priority rating.
a
Now we're in the mountains, that's
sure, but the best is
yet to come.
To the east are formidable-looking
for
China, Japan and Australia. To the
is placid Burrard Inlet, which
snow-capped
have
we follow closely for 25 miles, and to
the distant north are the snow-capped
speeds past Craigellachie. hardly
peaks of The Lions.
At Port Hammond we get
twin
first
calm
and a little higher than normal. Wasn't
this the same waterway which over
flowed its banks and played general
hob in British Columbia only a month
ago? Our question is answered at Hatview of the Fraser River,
zic, where
over
the
trestle.
"Built
we
slow down to
single
temporary
five
water," observes
open at both ends and closed in the
center, carried on nearly all through
right of way."
in
the Fraser cut
a
days
in
60
a
-
walk
track
feet
of
flagman, "after
550-foot gash in our
our
1948
October
Trains, ©
2013 Kalmbach
Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form
without permission from the publisher. www.TrainsMag.com
our
now
sun
Moun
right
ing Pacific. The last car. however, is
a
strange type of observation unit,
36
man) and tumble into
gary. It affords
than
ranges higher than we
in the States. Our train
ever seen
more
whistle stop and yet a name
to remember. Why?
It was here the last spike was driv
en on November 7. 1885,
marking the
completion of Canada's first transcon
tinental railroad. This spike was not
of gold, nor was there an elaborate
a
ceremony. As CPR's energetic general
manager and construction boss Wil
liam Van Home put it:
"The last spike of the Canadian
Pacific will be the same as every other
spike
just plain iron. And anyone
who wants to see it driven can pay
full fare for the privilege."
And so it was. The last spike loas
iron, the
same
all the others, and
as
except for the directors and
railway
officials anyone else on the scene at
Craigellachie that memorable day
paid full fare. That's typical of the
Canadians
no
"passes." no golden
spike,
no nonsense.
So much for the setting. What about
the name Craig something-or-other?
e-l
l-a"
c-h-i-e.
Gaelic word which, freely
translated, means "stand fast." This
rallying cry of the Highland clans was
the single word flashed over the tele
C-r-a-i-g'
That's
a
wires from Lord Strathcona
his cousin. Lord Mount Stephen.
graph
to
first
president of the Canadian Pacificsyndicate, when the financial affairs of
the pioneer transcontinental railway
at their lowest ebb. Strathcona
had gone to England to negotiate for
funds: Stephen was in Montreal seeing
the issue through. "Craigellachie" was
the magic word which gave the enter
were
new heart and
spirit when
needed most.
prise
were
they
our train crosses the Co
another river which recently
havoc with the railroads on
Presently
lumbia
played
both sides of the border
and slows
down for Revelstoke. Here we swap
Pacific for two "fifty-nine hun
dreds" of the Selkirk class 2-10-4's.
After leaving Revelstoke we be
our
gin in
earnest
to
tackle the Selkirk
Range, climbing all the while. The
train hugs the side of the mountain
through Albert Canyon and we can
see the churning waters of the Illicillewaet River nearly 150 feet below us.
If
miss
we
of the
lets
anything,
it's not the fault
butcher; he peddles book
pictures in one hand and
news
and
out mountain peaks with the
other. He's a veteran on the job and
he knows the country like an Indian.
"Better step inside," he warns;
points
"Connaught Tunnel's just ahead."
We've gone through numerous tun
nels while sitting in the open end of
the car. but Connaught is something
over 5 miles long with a
else again
strong forced ventilation throughout.
So we join the other passengers and
all huddle in the center of the
so
many
sheep. Our
single track
onto
car
like
train swings off
the left-hand lane
of the double-track line in the bore
as
to
give the engineer the best
so
pos
sible view of what's ahead. This "big
hole." as the trainmen call it. short
ens the line by 412 miles and replaces
the old route across Rogers Pass. It
a summertime schedule, es
pecially adapted to the American tourist trade.
With the approach of winter it is withdrawn.
But the CPR's all-Canada Dominion keeps run
ning throughout the year, taking the snows of
Alberta in its stride. Here it rolls along in the
shadow of Sawback Range near Banff, led by
The Mountaineer is
one
of CPR's semi-streamlined
Selkirk 2-10-4's.
eliminates
which
curves
are
equiva
lent to seven complete circles and
knocks down the summit by 552 feet.
We come into broad daylight again
at Glacier and soon reach the summit
of the Selkirks 3788 feet above sea
level. Cameras click
passengers
summit
of
to
try
as
half
snap
Mount
dozen
a
the
snowy
MacDonald
or
Mount
Tupper. "'Mac' towers nearly
a mile above the
railway," the newsbutch tells us, "and it's always a fa
vorite with tourists."
One of
en.
our
engines is
Just before
pass
cut off
near
Creek station; it is down hill
all the way from here to Gold
Stony
nearly
Edelweiss,
reaching Golden we
model Swiss village
a
for
guides who will take visitors on
mountain-climbing expeditions up the
lofty glaciers. Formerly these CPR
guides were imported from Switzer
land
and
country
returned
at
the
to
their
end of each
native
season;
they live in Swiss chalets right
here in the Selkirks.
Golden is a division point and junc
tion for the branch running through
the fertile Columbia Valley to Colvalli, where it connects with the
Crowsnest Pass line and the southern
route through the Rockies. Here we
now
pick up a sturdy-looking Decapod, for
the toughest part of the 2000-mile trip
is
just ahead.
It's
long uphill drag, filled with
bridges, tunnels
just about
everything in the book
practically
a
curves,
Connaught Tunnel I is high in the Selkirk
ventilation throughout. It was completed in
eliminates
seven
circles of
curves,
cuts
a
range
bore
over
5
miles
1916 and is double-tracked
the summit
by
552
feet,
long with forced
air
all the way. The tunnel
and shortens the main line
by 4V4
precious mountain miles. This 2-10-4 coming out is one of the unstreamlined Selkirks. CPR owns
30 engines of this wheel arrangement, has another six scheduled for October delivery. The class
T-lb series (5920-5929)^ represents the only semi-streamlined locomotives of the 2-10-4 type
ever constructed. They are among the most powerful steam engines in the British
Empire, with
a
pounds. The booster adds another 12,000 pounds. Canadian Pacific
interchangeably in passenger and freight service up in the mountain country.
63-inch drivered, sloped-cab Selkirks were built by the Montreal Locomotive Works.
tractive force
has
All of these
H
of 76,905
used them
long
'
jfc**
**
'-
*-
.
r-j,*
38
[
">""~
-^
Kicking
canyon
Horse
deepens
PA
CANADIAN
j
Be^>;
all the way to the Great Divide, 5332
feet above sea level. The drawbars
are taut as both engines work steam
up the grades and curves immediately
after leaving Golden. Like a snake
going through a rocky cleft we twist
around the bends of the Kicking
Horse Canyon, close by the turbulent
.'
Trains, October
'
-
.'
,
1948
*
.
.
T*^>-
River.
and
the
The
scenic
mountain-
sides become vertical as we hear the
roar of the river through the narrow
divide,
to
going
some
the
east
to
gorge. You can't talk in this pande
monium, but who wants to talk, any
eventually reach Hudson's Bay and
the Atlantic, some trickling westward
to flow into the Kicking Horse River
way'? It's something
and
to
see
and observe
there
from
the
to
in inward silence and outward thun
which empties
Goodsir,
towering 11.786 feet into the clouds.
A few miles away is Emerald Lake, of
tough going is over, so we uncouple
the Decapod helper. Our Selkirk road
engine will take us through to Cal
which, along with Lake Louise. CPR
reverence and with
men speak with
hotel reservation memos close at hand.
Canadian Pacific has hotels as well as
gary.
From
der. Over
yonder
is Mount
and planes, buses and ships.
They are top-flight hostelries too.
ideally situated at Emerald Lake,
trains
Banff. Lake Louise, and many other
points along the far-flung system.
Next stop is Field, only 35 miles
from Golden but 1500 feet higher, with
to
coming
which
cent
brother, much
to go.
more
built to eliminate
grade and
as
We're
Spiral Tunnels
the famous
were
more.
nasty
a
a
4.5 per
piece of track
could be found anywhere in North
America. The grade is now reduced to
2.2 per cent although the mileage is
about double that of the old line.
as
high
and
siding for
a
Montreal.
west. No. 7 is
it
going
west
spiral
we
No. 7, the Dominion
We
are
still
westbound, and
high
tains. But when
upper
highest "spiral"
it
up
in
comes
the
facing
we
see
moun
out of the
it's going east and we're
What confusion! We're
going west.
just trying to get oriented when we
black out again, mentally and physi
on
the
pleasant
a
mountains
the
past
peaks known as the Three
Sisters, through the Gap, then on to
the green foothills. The plains like
wise have their charm, particularly
along the cool, clear Bow River, which
we follow all the way to Calgary. Cat
tle and sheep graze peacefully in the
vast plains, and great fields of wheat
triple
winnow in the breeze.
fjou
spot
can
a
plainsman anywhere,
amiable soul who
wants to make friends and pass the
time of day. Right here in this plains
country is a good place for us to be
come
second
The
he's
better
an
acquainted
low travelers,
our
with
crewmen
our
fel
and
our
one time I had thought of
comparing the Mountaineer to the fa
mous Orient Express. True, our train
has the aspects of that trans-European
train. At
limited
because
links
it
two
great
countries and carries passengers from
many others. Here, I think, the anal
ends. You won't find much in
trigue on No. 14, and we have only
ogy
one
border to
jority
people,
mustache.
of
our
Again, the ma
are
ordinary
cross.
riders
not counts
or
dukes
or
Pari
Not
from
The Canadians
we
meet
are
like
our
not
are
Dewey-size
of
the
are
passengers
or
Europe. After
brief introductory words you'll
comparing the respective merits
continental
in
points
start
few
a
England, Scotland, Australia
of the States with England and Aus
tralia at the drop of a hat. The first
evening
is
everyone
sell-conscious
about his mannerisms or "old coun
try" accent, but when the fourth day
rolls around our newly made ac
quaintances speak "more American"
than a native of Georgia or a "down
easterner" from Maine.
In the States, trainmen are either
quite talkative or reticent, depending
on
the road which employs them.
their somatic make-up, or what they
had for breakfast. Canadian railroad
You
ers are somewhere in between.
don't have to
figuratively
bar to get
conductor to
is information
a
use
a
crow
answer
a
proffered
without the asking. CPR employs only
white waiters in the diners and they
question,
nor
alert and courteous, but
are
so
than
good dining
car
no
more
personnel
in
the States. Meals are substantial and
appetizing, without frills or unusual
entrees to tickle the palate. The fresh
mountain
trout
or
broiled salmon
is
delicious.
The train itself is typically Cana
dian, neither streamlined nor outdated.
just built for utility and service.
Whether you have a bedroom, draw
ing room or berth, if you ride first
class, tourist or coach, you're still en
titled
to
use
observation
tent. The
sian actresses.
They
either, but six-footers, hard of
sinew and unsophisticated in manner.
men.
some
now
down
direction is lost as we come out going
west. Indeed, we are now passing over
the tunnel from which we've just
emerged. Our train labors up a twopoint-two grade at a little more than a
take
from
Pacific.
up in the Rockies. It's
ride
because
the
into
it's downgrade, a nice
transition from mountain to hill, from
rolling plateau to flat table land.
Meanwhile, we pause at fashionable
Lake Louise and at smart Banff, both
Here's the first of the "spirals." Tun
nel No. 2. which is 2922 feet long and
swings around 230 degrees of a circle
on a 1.6 per cent grade. Our sense of
walk, belching smoke. Before reaching
the
Columbia,
midwesterners except that in place of
the familiar "you bet." it's "aye." and
apparently every third male sports a
car
the
car
to
Canadian Pacific's
your heart's con
regular Pullman observation
(which, incidentally, has
an
open
cally. It's 3255 feet of darkness as we
slue around 234 degrees of a circle
while climbing up the same grade as
lower spiral. Again we
face
reality as the train comes
groggily
out of Tunnel No. 1. Next time we'll
the flag
carry a compass. At any rate,
man says we're now going east, and
that
of
the
he should know.
They held us up quite a while for
the Dominion, which was "carrying
green" for another section. But things
are beginning to click as we pass Sec
ond 7 at Partridge, Third 7 at Hector.
and Fourth 7 at Stephen. The summer
tourist
section
traffic has commenced, and
follows section as closely as
safe operation permits.
We've been so interested in the suc
cession of meets that we almost over
looked the Great Divide, the highest
point on the Canadian Pacific and the
border separating British Columbia
from Alberta. Here is where waters
The
Mountaineer
39
platform and attractive wooden carv
ings) is, of course, restricted to firstclass riders.
The Mountaineer is the summertime
of the Soo-Dorainion. The
latter, however, runs only between
the Twin Cities and Vancouver. Our
successor
train first started
in 1922
running back
lar favorite of the chef's. We
the
see
dog's head cocked and tail wagging as
he looks straight up at the kitchen.
Presently the chef tosses out a bone
which is eagerly received. "Now we
can go," the waiter
says with a grin.
A
couple of
later
minutes
we're
good valley country with slightly roll
ing terrain. Soon we pull into Minot.
the largest Dakota town served by the
Soo and the second largest distrib
uting center in the state. It is begin
ning to get dark as we reach ValleyCity, but it's still light enough to see
the only trolley line in North Dakota,
the Valley City Street & Interurban
Railway running from the Soo station
dent
fertile area
of Saskatchewan, an area known for
good crops and sprawling fields of
the Mountaineer
was not returned to the schedule until
1935. In 1941 the war made it nec
wheat. Every station has one or more
large red grain elevators which can
be seen for miles. Occasionally there
essary to curtail passenger
operations
again, and the Mountaineer quit
running until last year, when it was
are
clay and coal deposits, but mostly
it's wheat in this "breadbasket of
Canada." Near the border the land
lucky enough to see its sole
electric freight locomotive (passen
ger service has long since been dis
continued), but the overhead wire
restored. Since approximately 80 per
cent of all those who make the Cali
fornia circle tour* elect to go by the
Soo-CPR route through the Cana
dian Rockies. I hardly need to add that
becomes slightly undulating, and we
are
soon
in North Portal, Canada,
about a train length from Portal,
sign it's a going concern.
stop is Enderlin. where we
change engines and set off the CPR
U. S. A.
The
boarded
the
the Mountaineer does a land-office
business. It runs, as we have seen,
when vacation travel is at its heaviest.
We're now approaching Calgary,
business center of Alberta and a rail
road community of considerable im
portance. A half-hour wait while our
train is serviced gives us a chance to
through
diner. This place was originally called
"End of the line" in 1891. when Soo
rails terminated here. The town later
grew up and the informal name was
inspect the modern two-wing
at
and
The
operated each summer until
depression years made a big
in tourist
travel,
1931.
so
once
station
and to get a glimpse of the city. We
watch the depot employees re-ice the
consist and set out the CPR tourist
sleeper and CPR observation car. A
takes the place
of the Selkirk, which means we will
have a considerably faster run. There
freshly painted Pacific
is
some
commotion
as
numerous
pas
get off and others board for
points. The all-tourist complex
sengers
way
changes, with
ion of riders
night travelers
to
some over
Moose
Jaw
and
of a strictly local
Pasqua and Portal.
As we leave Calgary we're sur
prised to see a dark red trolley out
in the plains running parallel to the
other
passengers
nature between
mainline track. This turns out to be
the Calgary Municipal Railway's short
interurban to Ogden. Night soon over
takes us and when our smiling porter
says the berths are made up we are
glad to crawl under the covers.
awaken in the morning while the
train stands at Moose Jaw for 1 hour
e
40
thereby enabling
minutes,
over
passengers from Calgary to get
sufficient sleep. The usual crew and
night
engine change is made here, along
with servicing. Too, we must make
connections with No. 1 at
not
until
7:45.
So
Pasqua, but
lay
we
over
at
Moose Jaw.
At
Pasqua
we
pull
onto the
single-
track Portal branch to allow the To
ronto-bound Dominion to zoom by,
then back up to load the Royal Mail
and passengers from westbound No. 1.
Oh. yes. there's
friend waiting for
One
of
the
40
way
via
the
southern
north
a
little
us, too
coast
and
four-footed
a
one
routes.
Trains, October
1948
particuway
via
one
speeding through
a
very
who
customs
officers,
train
Estevan.
at
are
with their interrogating, so
we're cleared across the border. At
Portal a Mountain-type Soo locomo
tive replaces the CPR's Pacific, and
an all-American crew takes over. Our
train
now
becomes No. 4.
Normally
we
pick
up
a
tourist
sleep
from the westbound Mountaineer
er
Portal, but
is in
sight
no
as we
Soo "slumber
pull
wagon"
out of the border
station.
"Three's late," our youthful flagman
tells us, "so we'll pick up the sleeper
at Bowbells, 19 miles farther down the
line. This is the Fourth of July, you
know, and she's running heavy."
Half
meet
The
hour later we stop, seem
the middle of nowhere, to
the westbound Mountaineer.
an
in
ingly
open-platform observation
car
is
train, and it's nice to lean
over the rail and get a whiff of this
North Dakota breeze. Cutting both the
trains in half, then switching the
still
on
our
sleeper from No. 3 to No. 4. and finally
hooking up both Mountaineers again
all takes time. Some 20 minutes pass
before our heavily filled counterpart
chuffs toward the border. That's part
of the fun of traveling, this pausing for
dallying at terminal points, and
picking up cars at unexpected locales.
meets,
Streamliners are just the thing for
business, but when it comes to a
vacation, half the pleasure is seeing
what's 'twixt and between.
This section of the trip from Portal
to Harvey might be called "Flaxland."
for flax is particularly adapted to the
soil of the Dakota prairie. Later on
we'll pass into the Great Wheat Belt
extending through the north central
part of the state and
in
western
to Elbow Lake
Minnesota. However,
we
diversified
farming and dairying country from
the lake to Minneapolis because our
train covers that part of the run in
won't
see
much
of
the
the dark of night.
A good part of the way we run along
the Riviere Des Lacs and the Souris,
to the main line of the Northern Pa
cific about
are
is
a
mile and
a
half away. We
not
a
sure
Next
contracted to Enderlin.
We've met a lot of crewmen from
division point to division point, but
our porter, like our Clouer Valley car.
goes right through. No need to ask if
our
berths are made up. for we've
come
to
rely
on
this genial gentleman
good night for the
of service. So it's
third and last evening we'll spend
the Moinrtaineer.
on
(Jar
intentions
body
is weak. We wanted to arise with
are
sincere
even
if the
the chickens and see some of Min
nesota's fine dairy country. Too late
now: the train is already backing into
the Milwaukee Road's depot in Min
we'll have to be content
neapolis,
with sampling the state's dairy prod
ucts at the breakfast table. Moreover,
before we are fully awake and dressed
our train grinds to a stop at St. Paul's
so
Union Depot. We have a 20-minute
stop here, so we walk up to the huge
concourse and then hurry back to the
platform
to
the train
being re
the Soo sleeper,
see
shuffled. Off goes
coach, and two head-end
change
we
get
a
bination car and
is the reshopped
tidy
neer
as
cars.
diner.
own
"She'll go like
flagman, seeing
ex
com
all
of
Best
and
clean
Pacific,
in other years when
had his
In
North Western
engi
an
locomotive.
a
deer,"
avers
interest.
our
the
"Engi
the fastest steam
engine on the Omaha, and with those
new roller bearings she just eats up
the miles. We're a little late, so hold on
to your hat when we get to rollin'."
neer
says the 605 is
They
hook up the Mars
observation railing,
and off
we
go. We
light
the
test
thought
on
the
brakes.
we were on
the Chicago & North Western, but
"Omaha Road" is emblazoned on the
cuffs of the trainmen, and "Omaha"
it will technically be to Wyeville
as far as the crews are concerned, to
Adams. The Chicago, St. Paul, Min
neapolis & Omaha Railway is indeed
in integral part of the North Western,
although it is operated independently.
We reach for
watches
as
Western
hightail
tele
we
by like fence posts.
calculated, a little better
flit
graph poles
Just what
our
Pacific and
we
As
gantlet
or
"wye." puffing
not, the old
man
would be
with
his
binoculars
When
and
our
neighbor
We have had
in
we
the
tralia, the highlander from Scotland,
standing
from Canada.
an
enjoyable
three-
in Canada, half in
day trip, half
the
United States. It has been unique, too,
in that the Mountaineer is America's
longest-distance international train
that Gray."
The train literally rips across the
lush rolling countryside, past farm
and barn and hamlet, pausing only at
Eau Claire, then steaming onward.
Soon we cross the Wisconsin River,
which, like the St. Croix and the
Chippewa, requires a slow-down over
track.
on
the porter with our luggage. Now we
shake hands with the man from Aus
man,
"intervolved"
up
train
the "old main"
trouble so we go around it with a
shower of cinders.
Here's Racine, then the college town
well, there's
of Evanston, 111., and
hand.
watching a freight creep up the Hud
son hill. A good railroader and a great
there
to
the way to Chicago. At Milwaukee we
pull alongside of the Peninsula ''400."
The streamliner is having some minor
"in-
on
"When Carl Gray was vice-presi
dent of the road he had an observation
car as part of his summer home right
here in Hudson. Had markers all lit
up just as if it were in service. Like
as
mixed
which at one time was the only route
from Chicago to Fond du Lac and the
north. Five minutes later we're speed
ing on "left-handed" double track all
the bridge in the
pretty Wisconsin town of Hudson.
The flagman points to a spot near
the river and comments:
tervolved" track
the old main line and stop
see the tri-weekly Mil
waukee-Adams
and cinders to give it character.
we approach the St. Croix River
slow down for the
we
to
cross
for water. We
than 90. We're on the route of the
"400 "s," going like a streamliner but
with standard equipment and a little
soot
able engineer. A North
takes over and we
Clyman Junction, where
an
4-6-2
longest run starting in one
country and ending in another. We've
that is. the
come
exactly
2200 miles in
a
friendly,
comfortable train, across three prov
From
and
four
states.
the
inces
snow-capped Rockies to the Saskatch
ewan plains, from Dakota's prairies to
pull
Wisconsin's hills, we've
minute of it.
into Adams we've made up most of
our time, thanks to the world's largest
enjoyed
every
Mountaineer
41
Scale 186 miles lo 1 inch
Route of the Mountaineer
Other Railroads
Canadian Pocfic Steamship Line
Shaded
areas
indicate elevations greater
than 4000 ft above
sea
level.
Swiff Current
,
MMKc(n<, Hoi
C^-^*^
Moqse^aw
'
"
Weyburn
"*
UNITEDSTATES
T
EstevonV^
N
*'
^i-^tsri^
Portal
Portal
Kenmare
The