CPR HERITAGE TRAIN (Coast to Kamloops)

When the train pulled into the station, the weather was bad and the the predictions were bleak. As the pictures reveal, as soon as we got away from the coast, it dried up and visibility was good. The train offered the chance to see a close up view of the river. As compartments were open, one could "hang out" to get shots. The engine was supposed to have been a vintage steam train but the axle had broken and it was thus replaced with an old diesel. It was a great time all the same. Even if a person cannot take the train, I would recommend the drive on the old Canyon Road. Hells Gate, Jackass Mountain, China Bar Tunnel, etc are interesting to see....although it scares the crap out of tourists used to driving in the flatlands. This train was to raise money for the Children's Make a Wish Foundation. We only went as far as Kamloops and I would have loved to have kept going, as I am a true fan of train travel. The trip was taken in July.

The train gets very close to the side of the hill at times.

This is near the town of Yale. During the gold rush, Yale was actually the biggest town in North America north of San Francisco and east of Chicago. In this area, there are many such creeks. People still find gold, by the way, in gold pans, every so often.

This is the Fraser River, which is much muddier than the Thompson. The two rivers converge in the town of Lytton. We are approaching a bridge that had burned only a short time earlier. The river was very high during our journey and would peak the next day.

The workers wave at us from the trellis.

I never tire of the markings on the mountain walls.

This mountain wall always looks different, depending on how the sun hits it. If I could only paint...

Here's a scene of the canyon as it snakes along.

The water and rocks below. This train was wonderful in that one could actually hang out and feel the air and smell the trees. The Ponderosa Pines have a very distinct scent and there is nothing like the sound of the rails.

Here is a shot of the Thompson River.

On the other side of the river one can see a waterfall which seems to come out of the rocks.

This is the bridge leading to the town of "Spences Bridge."

There were some great thunder clouds forming.

Another train rumbled by us. The coal trains, especially, can be very long.

It is obvious just how dry this area is in comparison to the coast.

We are approaching a tunnel at Black Canyon. Years ago, there was a slide in this area which Bill Coos details in his book about Via Rail. The water built up and when it finally let go, a number of Native Indians lost their lives. This is now a popular area for white water rafters.

Here is a train trellis on the other side of Black Canyon.

A shot of the train's logo.

This is an old vault that just stood in an empty lot. This is the town of Ashcroft which is surrounded by area full of rattlesnakes. The train stopped here for a while so we walked around and found a bakery.

On the other side of the river, there is another set of tracks for CN trains. The train is passing a burner.

One of my favourite painters is John Register. This photo reminded me of one of his works.

On the other side, one could see the river (The Thompson) the the almost sand-like mountain wall.

I thought that this rock almost looked like an old eroded castle. For a while, the landscape is like this on the one side, with the river and then Kamloops lake on the other.
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This was taken through the train window after we'd passed by a sprinkler watering a field. Forgive the water stain. The scene looks like something out of the desert in the Southwest.

This is a view taken from the hotel window. The hotel we stayed at was the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites and it was very decent. Kamloops is a warm town in the summer and gets little rain, contrary to the image of our rain sodden West Coast.