Five Minute Railfan Guide - Lethbridge

Take an Alberta Break... visit Lethbridge!

I've been to Lethbridge, Alberta several times for work and for pleasure. It's a lovely city in southern Alberta and I encourage you to visit the area if you can. In this post I'll describe some Lethbridge area railway highlights for the railfan visitor.

Lethbridge Overview

The city is split by the Old Man River, which runs north-south. The main highway through the city is #3 which comes from the west from Fort MacLeod and the Crowsnest Pass, and continues east past the city toward Coaldale, Taber etc. and eventually to Medicine Hat. The other major highway is #4 which heads southeast from Lethbridge through Stirling, Warner and Milk River to the border with Montana.

Lethbridge area rail map

Lethbridge is served by the Canadian Pacific Railway. There are four railway subdivisions that connect to Lethbridge.

• CP Crowsnest subdivision - Crowsnest to (Kipp Yard outside) Lethbridge, mostly along highway 3.
• CP Montana subdivision - Lethbridge down to Montana, mostly paralleled by highway 4.
• CP Taber subdivision - Lethbridge (Kipp Yard) to Medicine Hat
• CP Aldersyde subdivision - Lethbridge to Calgary (Alyth Yard)

There is also a large industrial area in Lethbridge that is well served by rail.

Here are some railfan "hot spots" in and around Lethbridge.

Kipp Yard

View of the Kipp Yard from the overpass

The major yard in the area is Kipp yard, located just northwest of Coalhurst, which is itself just northwest of Lethbridge. There used to be a large yard inside Lethbridge but this was removed in the mid 1980s. Kipp hosts several tracks for train storage and classification as well as a locomotive servicing facility.

The yard itself is of course off limits, but it is somewhat visible from highway 3 which runs parallel to the yard. There is an overpass over the southeast end of the yard which is a great spot to photograph trains from, and it is easily accessible from the highway. Range Road 225 runs parallel to the yard on the north side of the yard and provides some limited views into the yard.

Just north of the yard, the CP Aldersyde subdivision splits off and heads north.

The High Level Bridge

Canpotex potash cars on the High Level Bridge in Lethbridge, AB

Lethbridge's "High Level Bridge" is the largest conventional trestle railroad bridge in the world. I wrote a post about it already.

There are several angles to photograph the bridge from. You can get quite close to it on the Heritage Heights (northwest) end. There are plenty of paths in the valley below where you can get a side view of it, and the view from the oddly-named Whoop-Up Drive is quite good.

Obviously, trespassing is a bad idea and never, never go on the bridge.

Railway tracks inside Lethbridge

Inside Lethbridge

Railfanning inside Lethbridge itself is a bit more challenging. The majority of the main line through Lethbridge is not very accessible and there are only a few spots that are worth visiting. Parking can be a challenge, too.

There's one overpass at Stafford Drive that gives a good view down the tracks in either direction. The rest of the rail/road crossings are vehicle underpasses so you don't get any good views. There is one pedestrian overpass near 17th Street that has a decent view, although you have to work around a fence.

View from the pedestrian overpass, facing west. Parrish and Heimbecker elevator visible.

There are two level crossings near the giant Alberta Grain elevator that could be used, but again, parking is a challenge.

The CP Montana subdivision splits off from the main line by the elevator and heads southeast out of town. I did shoot at this location and it works OK. There is one level crossing on the Montana sub in town at 43rd Street South.

East of the crossings mentioned above, the main line track is buried between industries and you can't see much from public property. There is one turnabout at the intersection of 1st Avenue South and 36th Street South where you can see the track.

After that, there's the busy 43rd Street North crossing (not recommended) then you're out of Lethbridge. Between Lethbridge and Coaldale, the track parallels highway 3 and there are numerous opportunities to photograph trains there.

Industrial Tracks

Richardson Trackmobile

The other railfanning opportunities inside Lethbridge are the industrial tracks. There is an extensive industrial track network north of the main line. Driving along 2nd Avenue North, you will find numerous level crossings in the Anderson Industrial Park and Shackleford Industrial Park.

The major industrial rail customers in Lethbridge are:

• Richardson Pioneer, 2415 2A Ave N - has own trackmobiles
• Alberta Terminals, 2620 2nd Ave N
• Ring Container, 1820 31 St N
• ADM Alliance Nutrition, 1310 41 St N
• Parrish and Heimbecker, 1301 2 Ave S - has own trackmobile

Alberta Terminals elevator

I've seen one or two GP38s working the industrial spurs. As always, stay on public property and do not trespass.

CP 3051 working the industrial tracks in Lethbridge

Other Railway Attractions

CP 3651 in Lethbridge

Lethbridge's train station still exists on 1st Avenue South (801 1 Ave S) as a community health services building. Steam engine CP 3651 is on display behind it. This engine was built in July 1910.

You can visit the Galt Historic Railway Park in Stirling, not far out of Lethbridge on highway 4.

The new Forty Mile Railway shortline is near the Galt park - read more!

Rail Traffic

I don't know the exact number of trains, but I would say "several" trains pass through Lethbridge every day. It is not a super busy line but there is almost always a train in Kipp Yard, either arriving, departing, or shunting, and the industrial track is being served throughout the day.

Read More

• Ottawa Five Minute Railfan Guide
• Winnipeg 360

Thanks to Jason Paul Sailer for reviewing my maps and industrial locations!

Five Minute Railfan Guide - Ottawa

A guest post by DaveM

When visiting a city, it can be a bit difficult to find the best places to view trains, especially if you have limited time.  Ottawa is not the hotbed of activity that many other Canadian cities are, but if you look close enough, you can find some railfan activities within this city.  The five places I've chosen are locations where visitors are sure to see some action throughout most of the day.

Locations are on the map below - click on the link below the map to see them in Google Maps.

Google Map

Point 01 – Overpass Overlooking Ottawa Station

From this vantage point, you have a great overview of the entire station.  The trains departing to and arriving from Montreal go directly on the tracks below the bridge.  The best way to access this location is to park at the Timmies and walk to the bridge.

Point 02 – Bridge over Rideau River at Carleton

This relaxing location is at Carleton University.  To access it, park at any of the parking lots on the south side of the campus and walk to the Rideau River (don’t forget to pay for parking when the school session is on, or you will get a ticket).   This location has a picturesque bridge over rapids.  The sound of the white noise from the rapids is only interrupted by the amplified noise of the train as it passes overhead.

Point 03 – City Centre

The City Centre building is one of my favorite places to railfan in the city, which may be due to its proximity to the Art-Is-In Bakery.  Walk around to the back of the complex and you will find a nice elevated overhang where you can get close to the same elevation as the running train, with the benefit of being out of the elements.

Point 04 – The Tunnel

The best view of this active tunnel is from within the parking garage at the North end of Carleton University campus. From the comfort of this sheltered area, you have a great head-on view of the trains entering and exiting the tunnel.

Point 05 – Walkley Yard Overpass

Parking at the Greenboro transit station, walk to the top of the bridge on Bank Street.  At the top of the bridge you have a vantage point to see the Greenboro station on the west side and the Walkley Yard on the east side.

More on the Walkley Yard

I hope that this article may lead others to create similar posts on their blogs for their stomping grounds.

Thanks, David!

Winnipeg 360 (Part 2)

This is a continuation of my tour of the railway lines around the perimeter of Winnipeg (part 1).

Imagine you're returning from your western trip, and you approach Winnipeg on the Trans-Canada Highway. You might choose to go around Winnipeg on highway 101 (the "Perimeter") to the north.

1. The first rail line you would encounter north of the Perimeter is the CP Glenboro subdivision. This lightly-used subdivision comes out of the CP yards downtown, crosses the highway here, then crosses the CN Rivers subdivision at Diamond before meandering southwest.

2. A few kilometers north of that, an overpass marks the crossing of the CP Carberry subdivision, CPR's main line to the west.

3. Almost within sight of that, there is a level crossing with the Prairie Dog Central. This is the former CN Oak Point subdivision that heads northwest to Warren, MB.

4. The 101 heads straight east now, and a level crossing marks the intersection of the highway with the CP Arborg subdivision here.

5. The next crossing is the CP Winnipeg Beach branchline heading to Gimli, MB. This is another level crossing (here).

6. Getting tired yet? The CEMR Pine Falls subdivision crosses the 101 here at grade. A truck hit a CEMR train here on September 15, 2009.

7. CP's main line heads east out of Winnipeg here as the CP Keewatin subdivision. The highway crosses the tracks via an overpass.


8. Not to be outdone, CN's main line (the CN Redditt subdivision) crosses the 101 at grade (!) here. Construction is underway for a rerouting of the single-lane 101 here and I expect an overpass will eventually be built.

9. Last but not least, the Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway (GWWD) crosses the 101 at grade here.

Recap: part 1 described the CN Sprague, CP Emerson, CN Letellier, CP La Riviere, CEMR Carman, and CN Rivers subdivisions. This post described the CP Glenboro, CP Carberry, Prairie Dog Central, CP Arborg, CP Winnipeg Beach, CEMR Pine Falls, CP Keewatin, CN Rivers, and GWWD subdivisions.

Only fifteen railway lines!

Further Reading

• Ottawa Five Minute Railfan Guide

Winnipeg 360 (Part 1)

You may have gathered that Winnipeg has a lot of railway tracks. I thought I'd give a quick tour of the railway lines radiating out from Winnipeg. There are so many lines that I have broken them into two parts.

Imagine you're driving on the Trans-Canada Highway from the east. If you didn't want to go into Winnipeg, you would get onto Highway 101, the Perimeter Highway going west around the south end of Winnipeg.

1. The first rail line you would encounter would be the overpass here as you exit highway 1 and get onto highway 101. This is CN's Sprague subdivision.

2. Continuing on highway 101 southwestward, you would encounter a level crossing here, which is CP's Emerson subdivision heading almost due south to the border with North Dakota.


3. After crossing the tracks, you would pass a few exits before coming to the Pembina Highway overpass, which also crosses over CN's Letellier subdivision, which also goes to North Dakota.

4. After this, the Perimeter Highway turns west and crosses CP's La Riviere subdivision (pronounced lare-iveer) here at grade. There is a gas plant right on the highway that sees a lot of tank car traffic.


5. The road turns north and crosses the CEMR Carman subdivison at grade here.


6. CEMR's crossing is in sight of the Wilkes Avenue overpass, which crosses the two-track CN Rivers subdivision here.

Typically you would then exit a little north and continue west through Headingley on your way to Portage la Prairie and beyond.

In summary, you would cross CN Sprague, CP Emerson, CN Letellier, CP La Riviere, CEMR Carman, and CN Rivers.

In part 2 we will continue the 360 degree circuit of Winnipeg from here. We're not quite halfway around.

See Also

• Winnipeg 360 - Part 2
• 5 Minute Railfan Guide - Ottawa