Railway Forum - Route through Rockies

Well, in answer to a message from D.O.G.F.A.N. :

<<which is the best route for pleasure through the Rockies and the best time to travel.Hope you can assist>>

I will try and give a succinct reply with as much railway content as possible!

Firstly - when? We have just had a really long winter which I would not like to inflict on anyone! Typically, try for a visit between May and September, outside those months it cools off quickly!

I will try and highlight train things to do, suggesting that you start in Calgary and end in Vancouver, which is the usual route. Starting in Calgary :

1. Visit Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions, it's 2 hours North East out of Calgary.

http://www.absteamtrain.com/

2. Visit Heritage Park in Calgary, it is a bit kitsch but a nice day out and has a steam railway with ineresting railwayana, there is an engine shed, locomotives and a working round table :

http://www.heritagepark.ca/

If you pick the annual CP Railway days in June, you will meet many of the retired railway employees and extra entertainment like spike driving competition and displays of morse telegraphy.

Leaving Calgary you can cross the Rockies by one of three passes :

1. Via Banff, Lake Louise and Kicking Horse Pass. This will take you to see the Spiral Tunnels, you won't need to wait long to see big intermodal, grain and potash trains snaking down into BC. Further West you will visit where the Last Spike was struck :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:La..._BC_Canada.jpg

2. South through the Crowsnest Pass, you will pass through the second CP route, and will see the large coal trains with four, or more, locomotives pulling the new high sided stainless steel cars with coal for the coast.

3. Further North you can view the ViaRail call at Jasper in the Rockies, this town is less swamped by tourists and the drive West also stunning.

In Summerland BC, there is the Kettle Valley Railway, fun for a ride. Much of the original railway is now used for recreation with some of the original trestle bridges still in place :

http://www.kettlevalleyrail.org/

These are the railway things - you won't stray far from the CP and CN main lines as they often run in the same valleys. As well as that there are miles and miles of trees and lakes with wonderful hiking and other recreation pursuits.

One more thing, here are the route maps for our two major railroads :

http://www.cpr.ca/en/our-network-and...s/default.aspx
http://cnebusiness.geomapguide.ca/?s...-terminals-map

These are the three tourist trains I am aware of that cross the Rockies, all pretty pricey :

http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains/rock...ouver-canadian
http://www.royalcanadianpacific.com/
http://www.rockymountaineer.com/en_CA/

That's a start - I can try and answer any questions!