Day 5 - August 14, 2013

Coleville, SK to Saskatoon, SK  419km

Last day on the road.

Today was a very early start 5:30am, with the sun coming over the oil fields and the gas flares, it was a fantastic sunrise.  A few pickups headed out at 6:30, the town was very quite too.  Slept well with the window open and the cool fresh prairie air blowing the window.

Things always look better in the morning, as does Coleville, SK

Drill Pipe delivered by rail to Kindersley, SK

After a very brief restaurant stop in Kindersley it was off to CFS Alsack, on the Sask and Alberta, which I crossed so I can say for this trip I was in all three of the Prairie Provinces.

What is unique with CFS Alsack, the radar dome is in place and intact.

The support base is on the other side of the highway, so the Dome Site was fenced in, and also there was no second dome for the height finder radar.  I am getting to know these bases and there operations.  What also is they were deigned all the same, from the guard house to the church, same blueprints were used in each location.

Maintenance Building

Guard House

Residences

Old Church CFS Alsask, SK

After Alsack I have a 3 1/2 hour drive back to Saskatoon, but one more stop in Biggar, SK, asit is always bigger in Biggar.

It has seen better days, sorry to see it fall apart, this once grand station on the main line of CN

A land owner has preserved this 100 year old original residence, this was a one room home built by the early settlers in the area just south of Biggar. 

Well that raps up the road trip, drove 2,354km in 5 days, saw a lot, and most of it unbelievable too.  There will be one last posting once I get home and copy over some of the shots from the Nikon. Which after 4 years have finely got the exposure settings to work. 

This is the view out of my Hotel Room facing North East with the Saskatchewan River

What a perfect vacation 

 

Day 4 - August 13, 2013

Regina, SK  to Coleville, SK. 532km

If you are looking for Coleville  on the map, you won't find it, this is way off grid, sort of, I will explain later in this post.

The Best Western I stayed at in the East side of Regina was only 7 months old, just glorious, plus it had a water slide in the pool, which I loved.  Also close to about 12 restaurants, and a large number of big box stores, Best Buy etc..

Next stop was Moose Jaw, SK, which is a major CPR division point and has a refuelling centre for the locomotives plus a very large engine shops.  

Was the CPR Moose Jaw, SK station now the Liquor Store

Inside view of the Liquor Store

City Hall Moose Jaw, SK

During probation it is reported that Al Capone stayed in this motel across the street from the CPR Railway Sta in Moose Jaw.

But just south of town is the Air Force station where the Snowbirds operate out of, I was not able to get a tour as they were short staffed as 12 of the jets were out doing a show somewhere in Canada, but there were 4 on the tarmac, got a shot through the fence.

Snowbird Jet

On display at CFS Moose Jaw

On display CFS Moose Jaw

CP Rail Engine Service Facility Moose Jaw

There was a lot of radio chatter after lunch of a number of East bound CPR freights come out of Swift Current, so decided on a typical prairie background, I need a grain elevator, so Chaplin, SK was it.  Two trains #104 but the next one was a high speed priority container train #100, bother separated by about 10mins, well worth spending the time to get the shots.

Passed through Swift Current and headed north on hwy#32, which is part of the Great Sand Hills of Saskatchewan.  Came across the two locks which service the Great Sand Hills RY, in the town of Pennant.  But more interesting was the 5 car derailment site, just past the town of Abby.  This wreck must have occurred about two weeks ago, one loaded grain hopper and 4 empty oil tank cars, all pushed to the side of the right of way, so the question is will they be removed or left ??

One of the most interesting things to do is take one of the ferries across the Saskatchewan River, now this is not some stream, it sits in a deep valley which is 10km wide, and the river is 600m and has a current of 25km/h.  Plus it floods without much notice, so you don't mess around with this river.

Ferry on the Saskatchewan River near Lemsford, SK

The ferry is called the Lemsford Ferry, and is cable operated, but the ferry can use the river current to move it in half the time of the Diesel engine and the cable.

I should point out that the Sand Hills are in OIL COUNTRY, yes big time drilling and in fact every hotel room in Kindersley, SK, was taken, so I pushed on to the small community of Coleville, and the Coleville Hotel which are rooms above the bar, a lively place for sure.  Simple rooms but clean just don't drink the water it has SO2 gas and stinks intact most of the oil wells are marked "poison gas".

Pump Jack

One says it all ....

Well drilling

The bar and hotel in Coleville, Sk

The bar was where the action was in Coleville, not hard too do this was the only building in town, anyway the room was clean and so was the bathroom, now the towels didn't match but by 11pm it was quite and out the window on the second floor I could see a gas flair burning, my room was above the big black P/U out front.

Plus there was so much happening today and the photos convey this place.

Reilly trying to be a wheat farmer, he will do anything for a photo.

Day 3 - August 12, 2013

Kamsack, SK to Regina, SK  360km

It is hard to believe the amount of gravel roads in Provence of  Saskatchewan even major highways have major construction projects during the Summer.

Had breakfast in the local bakery and cafe in Kamsack, SK, it is great why to find out what is happening in Kamsack.  Lot of talk about land (farm) costs etc, the 100 acre farm is $1 million now, but the area is busy so farming is paying, for some anyway.

Checked with VIA Rail on the status of #692 and was told it was an hour late, but when it showed up by surprise on-time, it has got to be that Saskatchewan is on standard time or VIA can't track trains in remote Canada, strange CN dispatchers in Edmonton know where #692 is.  Anyway got some nice video and photos.

VIA #692 at Kamsack, SK at speed (40mph)

Continued on West to Canora on the CN Togo Sub, and the famous Assiniboine Jct, which is the starting point of the line to Churchill, MB.

CN Canora, SK 

CN Canora, SK - Assiniboine JCT.

Next stop is Yorkton, SK on the CPR line to Saskatoon, but just to the West of Yorkton is another Pinetree Line Radar site. This site is now a Youth Detention Centre, so a lot of the buildings have be converted to other uses, but there were the signs of the old base.

CFS Yorkton, SK - the base church, now part of a Youth Jail.

There is also a very interesting museum in Yorkton, covering the history of the development of the Provence. 

A Wheat Harvester from the early 1940's

On to Ituna, SK and the CN main line between Winnipeg and Edmonton, so it should be busy, well it is not, saw one W/B Train, that was it.  

Ituna, SK Elevator, not in service

CN Ituna, SK - W/B Freight

So I made the decision to head South to Regina and the CP line, there have got to be trains somewhere in Canada, or do they all run at night ??  Not the case I heard the CN Dispatcher talking to one Forman working the Togo Sub out of Kamsak, the comment "you will not have any trains except the VIA".

In Fort Qu'Appelle, SK, the old Hudson Bay Store in town. (Fixed up but original building)

Overnight in Regina at a brand new Best Western on the Eastside of Regina on the Trans Canada.

Day 2 - August 11, 2013

 Melfort, SK. to Kamsack, SK (via The Pas) 672km

Still in the land of DUST!  (Ie lots of gravel roads in Provence of  Saskatchewan)  

Melfort has a brand new Tim Horton's which means good wifi, the hotel last night never worked that well.  After getting my posting done it was time to head out on what turned out to be a very long dat on 181km of gravel road - disguised  as Prov Hwy #55 and #9.  The point of this northern route it was the straight line to The Pas, a major junction of the CN and the Hudson Bay Ry, plus the new Keewatin Ry runs it's one any only passenger train from The Pas, plus has a brand new engine shop building.

CN HBR Station, The Pas, MB

This is the 4 car train used on the Keewatin Ry, twice a week passenger service to the remote native community of Pukatawagan, MB and that is north of 55degrees.  It is ex VIA equipment, with its own self contained lighting system for stopping at any point on the line, very remote.

Enroute to The Pas, I wanted to visit Nipawin, it has a very interesting joint Railway and highway bridge over the Saskachawan River and they moved the CPR station to the town park, Nipawin was the end of a CPR Division serving a number of grain elevators along the route.

joint Railway and highway bridge over the Saskachawan River

Old CPR Station Nipawin, SK

After spend just enough time in The Pas, to decided that I did not like the place it was time to get out of town, plus I would drive another 167km on a paved road to reach civilization of Swan River, MB.  I noticed what I thought was a train parked on the main line, but did not pay too much attention, until I was in KENVILLE, MB, yes there is a town named after me in Manitoba, and while setting up for this shot below heard the sound of a train's horn blowing for the crossing.  The chase was on.

Westbound CN Freight

During a prairie thunder storm, note the rainbow

At KENVILLE, MB

My overnight stop ended up in Kamsack, SK, at around 6:30pm, making for a long day, but there is a parting shot of the Kamsack elevator.

Don't you just love these prairie skyscrapers, not too may left.

Day 1- August 10, 2013

Saskatoon, SK to Melfort, SK. 310km

In the land of DUST!  (Ie lots of gravel roads in this Provence)

After waiting for 40 minutes at Saskatoon airport for my baggage (looks like they can only handle one plane at a time) I was off for a few days of exploring the Northern part of Saskatchewan, or North of 50degrees.

This trip is again being totally ad hock, other than tonight's motel reservation I can't tell you where I will be tomorrow, and there is a great deal of latitude when the trip is more fluid, as well all of this is part of a greater plan for two major motorcycle trips one in 2014 and one in 2015.  So this is good practice.

So back today, I am still researching Pinetree Line Radar sites in Canada, there are three in Saskatchewan.  Today I went to CFS Dana, it is about 100km East of Saskatoon, sits up on a hill in the middle of a buffalo ranch.  This has to be one of the largest sites in Canada, this is what is still on the site, maybe not in mint condition, but the buildings are there no broken windows no graffiti.  When this was built they must not have had local electricity as they have 4 Diesel engines in place to generate power, a church, a community centre, a school and of course a lot of housing for the personal.  At the the entrance was a guard house with a fully operational 2 cell jail, the big brass and steel locks are in place.

CFS Dana, SK. Radar tower

Guard House and 2 Cells

The radar tower is a 3 story building, which you can see from a distance, and the whole place is impressive.  

Power Station Diesel Generated 

After Dana it was time to explore some abandoned towns, first one was Meecham with its former Sask Pool elevator and the next was  Peterson.  What was unique at Peterson was the abandoned Greek 

Orthodox Church, that was a shame, but interesting none the less.

Reilly in front of the abandoned Church, he thought he might hang out here for a while, but it was time to press on, plus as a bat he is more of a night person.

Humboldt was next, a town of about 5,000, it has a brand new Tim Hortons, Sooby's and Canadian Tire, but the old CN station (built in 1906) is boarded up tight, but I could still feel the presence of passengers arriving from Winnipeg or heading West from there.  The station and of course the CN played a critical role in the development of Canada, as new immigrants arrived by train to start a new life of farming on the parries.

The overnight stop is Melfort, pop 5,600, it has been a long day so I am glad to call it a night. But it was very sunny and warm at 26c, now bugs just 1/4" flys, the front of the rental can is blood stained.  Saw a lot of motorcycles on the #5 highway, everyone rides in chaps too many bugs, your jeans would be done in one day.

Trip Synopsis

Trip Synopsis

This is a 5day car trip and a photography safari into Northern Saskatchewan and Northwestern Manitoba. 

 

Part of this trip is to explore and photograph the Pinetree Line.   The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across the northern United States and southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by NORAD (after its creation), over half were manned by United States Air Force personnel with the balance operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The line was the first coordinated system for early detection of a Soviet bomber attack on North America, but the early 1950s radar technology quickly became outdated and the line was in full operation only for a short time.  All the stations are now abandoned but the sites are interesting to visit none the less, there are three sites on our tour:  Alsask, SK, Dana, SK and Yorkton.

For details and a list of sites, see this excellent link at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinetree_Line

Highlights: (areas to be visited)

• The Pas (Hudson Bay Ry)
• Saskatoon CN operations
• Hudson Bay Jct, SK

There will of course by the usual support equipment for the trip, cameras, and video equipment.

Of course in keeping with the tradition of the Rail Commander, you will be able to follow the trip in real time via my satellite tracking and daily blog right from the heart of the action – so check this site often and follow the blog, action events will be posted to the twitter account first so check it first for field reports at:  (https://twitter.com/euclid905) these will be in real time as long as I have cellular coverage for the iPad.