CP 5803 EAST STALLS AT THE UPPER SPIRAL TUNNEL

The action takes place in the “Kicking Horse Pass” and more specifically near the Alberta-BC border of the Trans-Canada Highway; on April 20th, 1987. The video is digitized from an 8mm tape.

Canadian Pacific Railway 5803 East has left Field BC about 20 minutes earlier and just climbed “The Big Hill”, ascending 1,070 ft. (330 m) along 10 miles (16km), from Field, at 4,267ft. (1,301 m), reaching the Continental Divide, at around 5,340 ft. (1,530 m).

It takes about 175 cars to see both ends of the train. Watch for the caboose, as CP 5803 East, passes through the Lower Spiral Tunnel (#2 Tunnel), where it will turn through a semicircle to the left inside Mount Ogden for 0.6 mile (891 m), bringing it 50 ft. (16 m) higher, after crossing its track below.

5803 East, continues its climb on about a 2.2% grade after exiting the upper portal of #2 Tunnel, passing under the Trans-Canada Highway for the second time, before climbing through YOHO, and reaching the Upper Spiral Tunnel (#1 Tunnel) under Cathedral Mountain, which it will enter and, after turning right for 0.6 mile (1 km) through a semicircle, the train will be raised by another 56 ft.

SD40 units CP 5803, 5675, 5674, and 5635 struggle to emerge and, after a couple of tries, the train is split, because the tonnage exceeds the head end horsepower.

Following camcording VIA Rail “The Canadian” (service through the subdivision ceased January 1990), I decided to climb straight up about 300 ft. (100 m), to wait for the next eastbound to Calgary, which I knew would be a freight within the next hour and so, positioned myself on a rock outcropping near PARTRIDGE (Mi. 128.0 CP Laggan Sub). Soon after, CP 5803 East showed up and I expected the usual 10-minute operation, but it turned into a half-hour ordeal under deteriorating weather.

April weather in the Canadian Continental Divide can turn nasty quickly. Wapta Lake at the top doesn’t thaw out till mid-June, so, after the first section had passed through, I left the area, because it would be some time before the second section could be recovered and weather was moving in.

Thanks a lot for watching