We started in Calgary, but since we had already photographed the train with the city skyline a couple of days ago, we hustled out to a location near De-Winton. It was a little backroad in a coulee that the tracks ran through. The funny thing about trains is you always know where to find them. Near the tracks.
We lose cell service down here, so we can’t use the tracker, so we wait. ‘Wait’ is the theme of these trips. Until the train passes you, then the theme is GET IN THE VAN. So, this was the first of many GET IN THE VAN’s over the next 5 days. The train whistled by on its way to the first stop in Okotoks. We didn’t have plans to see the train at that stop as it was daytime, and we wanted to hit a couple of other higher-priority targets.
I’ve got the whole thing planned out. I’ve spent countless hours traveling the tracks on Google Maps and Google Streets, looking for the unique spot, the obscure locations with some interest. Then there are all the major spots. The High-Level Bridge in Lethbridge is probably the most important location this entire tour, so we’ll jump ahead of the train later in the evening to go, in-person scout, a few spots before we settle on the best one. I have a couple of places I’ve photographed the train in the past on this bridge, so I don’t think I want to re-create those. But yeah, I plan the heck out of these tours, to make sure we don’t get left in the dust by the train and cannot catch up. That would suck.
My next Canadian Pacific Holiday Train chase tour is Dec 13-17, 2022. Link to all the details here: 2022 Holiday Train Chase Tour
There are stops in Blackie and Vulcan, along with the first stop in Okotoks. We visit Blackie for the show and the cup of chili for sale in the community hall. Also, Santa is there, so how can we not stop? Some communities make an entire day out of the Holiday Train coming through, and Blackie is one of those. They do a great job, and it’s lots of fun for my crew and me.
We chase the train from Blackie as It passes some wide open prairie with mountain backdrops, get photos, check, get back in the van! We skip Vulcan completely and head down to the Carmangay High-Level Bridge. This is one of the most overlooked spots in Alberta. One because there is only one train a day normally, and two, because you don’t see it from any major roads nearby. It’s always a big shock to folks who haven’t been there before. It’ll be dusky when the Holiday Train comes. So that’s perfect. I look at sunset each day, and where the train will be at that time, and pick locations that can be great in that light.
The train is kind of like a full moon. It’s best photographed when it’s still a bit light out so you can get the ambiance of the land and structures around it. In the pitch back of night, you only see the train lights. Like the moonrise, that’s nice, but not nearly as nice as having some golden light too.
So we wait. We test different angles. We try to figure out how much of the train will be on the bridge at once. It’s hard to get any scale for the future photo without an actual train. We make our best guesses. There will be time to make quick changes when the train stops.
What? Neil. No. The train doesn’t stop.
Yep, it does.
No it doesn’t.
Well, have I got news for you! (*I hope). I asked them to stop. To help us on the ground, to take better photos of the train. And they did! Perfectly! And yes, the entire train fits on the bridge. All 14 cars. People are pretty amazed, especially the ones that aren’t a part of my group. What a fun thing to see their heads explode when they see the train stop.
*because it’s never a guarantee
We are all pretty darned happy right now! We have amazing photos of the train and it’s only the first 5 hours of this 5 days trip!
And yet, we have the Lethbridge photo to make. On we go. GET IN THE VAN
The first place we scout is the winner. Eye level with the bridge and a precipitous drop in front of us into the valley. Perfect. Now we wait. As usual. But it’s never too lang as we have the schedule of stops to go by. The train is meant to be at the stop at the other side of the bridge at a certain time. But is still feels like the night before Christmas. It’s hard to wait with all that anticipation. People have registered for this trip, just for this opportunity. So we are all anxious.
The train comes, and we take spectacular photos. We’re all so happy. Now we have time to kill before the train crosses the bridge again! What?? Yeah, Lethbridge is the end of the line for this little chunk of the Holiday Train route, and it crosses back over before heading to Kipp Yard to tuck in for the night.
So now we head down into the valley and trek our way to the OG spot where I made my famous foggy Holiday Train shot all those years ago. Is it too much to ask for fog again? Yeah, it is. It’s clear, but that makes for some unique photos, so that’s good!
The train comes, we make nice photos and bid adieu to the day with dinner and a very good sleep.
Day two is from Lethbridge to Cranbrook, up and over the Crowsnest Pass, through Sparwood and Fernie, and on to Cranbrook.
I have some great spots lined up, and they work out great, but the highlight today was the moment we pulled into the show in Coleman, and I started talking about how when you lean out the train car vestibule when the train is rounding a bend, and you can take really nice photos of the train, from the train. Someone asks (right on cue, as we were entering the show location in Coleman) Why are you telling us this?
Because you are getting on the train.
They didn’t believe me. So I walked them over and helped them board the train. I had this possibility arranged ahead of time, and it worked out! The best part was when we stopped for a burger in Frank, I was rushing them all to hustle up and eat, so we could make it to the Coleman show on time. They thought I was acting irrationally as we’d seen the show a couple of times now, and they didn’t get why this one was special. I said it just was. Turned out they got it in the end.
I picked them up in Sparwood, and we headed over to Fernie. We spent the whole show shooting and enjoyed some coffees and treats before getting onto the highway.
We never saw the train again that night as there was a highway accident, as we showed up late to Cranbrook. No problem; everyone was pretty beat and went straight to bed.
The next day we knew we weren’t going to see the train until past Creston, and then later in Nelson and Castlegar. So we hightailed it all the way to the end of Kootenay Lake, where I had pre-scouted a bridge the Train would cross before disappearing to the West side of the lake where there aren’t any roads. It was a beautiful location with some fall colors still showing as the train rumbled, past.
Now it was time to head for Nelson. Check the Osprey Ferry schedule, and it looks like we’ll be faster (and more interesting) crossing the lake than going around on Highway 3. It was lots of fun, if a bit windy, but those crossings are always enjoyable (for someone who doesn’t use them often, I’m sure). We had a burger in the café onboard and were fed and happy when we disembarked at Balfour and drove into Nelson to check into the Inn.
We booked these nice hotels all along the way, but since these legs of the tour are so spread out, we tend not to really use the rooms except to sleep. The 2022 tour is more relaxed with shorter legs and a little more time to enjoy the lodges, especially on the return trip when we aren’t chasing the Holiday Train anymore.
I wanted to confirm a spot I thought might make a great shoot location, so we headed out for the evening chase from Nelson to Castlegar and back. The spot turned out amazing, so we hunkered down to wait. So happy with this spot! The light, the curve, the bridge. What a happy win!
Once the train passed, we zipped to target #2, a high bridge over Goose Creek. We were ahead of the train again due to a freight train with priority on the tracks, so it was great to get a practice train first and cement our spot down on the beach.
GET IN THE VAN.
The key target today was the crossing at Castlegar. So we hustled and passed the train on the way and got positioned under the train bridge for its arrival. This is also the end of the line for the Holiday Train Route as it turns around and heads back to Cranbrook before going North to meet the main line at Golden the next day. So this means we get two shots at the crossing. And the train wye’s in Castlegar, so we get it pointing in both directions.
There was just enough daylight left and extremely moody clouds to make it a great shot crossing the river. We were all quite pleased with the spot and decided to come back for the return trip of the train. We then headed into town, which was a total zoo. This is a very popular stop for the Holiday Train. We didn’t go to the show; instead, opting for some food and coffee. We found a lovely spot called Humble Bean Coffee Co. and settled in for a deserved break. I got some advice from the lovely owner on how to clean my coffee grinder back at home. You run Jasmine rice through the grinder a couple of times. It works great!
After our break, we head down to the spot under the bridge. All of us have a really good idea of how we want to see the shot again. This was a ‘hopeful’ stop of the train too. It did stop for us, just a little too far across the bridge for the best shot, but who the heck are we to complain? No big deal. This photo is actually part of the art on my new Buff I am selling, So it turned out pretty great, tbh.
The train powers up again after a few minutes of resting on the bridge (people around us were going bananas that it stopped, it’s so fun to listen to their reactions), and we headed back toward Nelson. I didn’t have any more targets planned, but in the moment, we stopped at Prov park beach across the river from the tracks and waited as the snow came down. It was nice to stand around and reflect on the days for a bit. The train rolled by across the water, giving us a final shot with some very good reflections.
We were very tired so we headed back to Nelson, got some supper, and headed straight to bed.
The next day, which was our last day chasing, was always meant to have just one target. But boy, was is a great target. Since it was actually the last opportunity of the day, outside Radium Hot Springs, we take the day to explore on our way back, including another crossing on the Osprey ferry. We had breakfast on board this time. The new snow all over the place gave us lots of places to take photos, and we generally enjoyed the day.
When we finally caught up to the train we were just 30 minutes south of our target. The clay cutbanks over the Columbia River at Radium. Everything was lining up perfectly for this dusk shot I had dreamed of. We got set up and chatted about settings and variables as it got darker, and soon enough, the train came. Perfect light, perfect timing! But it was the wrong train. Ugh. They stopped in Invermere to let a coal train pass them, so the coal train didn’t have to wait for the show in Radium. We got amazing photos of the coal train, let me tell you. I was worried that now it was going to be dark, and we were denied a stop request, that the shot was going to be very difficult to make.
And it was. Very high ISO, bracketing, slooow shutter speeds. The shots all turned out pretty grainy, but the idea was certainly solid. The editing of the photo was a bit of a nightmare, but I posted it anyway, and people loved it.
This year though, I have learned a few new editing techniques and made the photo so much better and in high, printable quality. Thanks, technology!
That was it. As soon as the train rounded the bend, we were done. Phew. What an adventure. I had some really nice condos booked in Radium, so we ordered pizzas, checked in, and relaxed with some drinks for the evening. It was still a short evening as we all were nodding off not too long after supper.
We slept in the next morning and headed home. The snow was so amazing on the drive that we stopped in a few spots along the way. Then at Kootenay Crossing, we spied a Moose in the river and stopped for some photos there, and just to top off an incredible week of photography, five wolves came out of the woods, who were pursuing the moose! What a moment! You never know what you will see on tour. All I know is it’s always an adventure!
