Railpictures.ca - Doug Lawson Photo: Train No 10 arriving Edmonton after a long winter journey from Prince Rupert BC. Unfortunately there was a glint on the number board. This was the Skeena or affectionately referred to as the Rupert Rocket. Shortly after arrival, I would ditch my camera and get back to work. The locomotive and steam jenny would uncouple from the train and run to the diesel shop at Calder yard. I would “blue flag” the train and then check the roller bearings for any excessive heating, damage or grease leaks. The Carmen would attach the plant steam and we would commence servicing the train for departure the next day. At the time, I was laid off from BC Rail and found temporary employment with CN as a Carman Helper. I can’t set the map link for this picture and for that matter can’t remember the street location of the VIA station downtown Edmonton. | Railpictures.ca – Canadian Railway Photography

Train No 10 arriving Edmonton after a long winter journey from Prince Rupert BC. Unfortunately there was a glint on the number board. This was the Skeena or affectionately referred to as the Rupert Rocket. Shortly after arrival, I would ditch my camera and get back to work. The locomotive and steam jenny would uncouple from the train and run to the diesel shop at Calder yard. I would "blue flag" the train and then check the roller bearings for any excessive heating, damage or grease leaks. The Carmen would attach the plant steam and we would commence servicing the train for departure the next day. At the time, I was laid off from BC Rail and found temporary employment with CN as a Carman Helper. I can't set the map link for this picture and for that matter can't remember the street location of the VIA station downtown Edmonton.

Caption: Train No 10 arriving Edmonton after a long winter journey from Prince Rupert BC. Unfortunately there was a glint on the number board. This was the Skeena or affectionately referred to as the Rupert Rocket. Shortly after arrival, I would ditch my camera and get back to work. The locomotive and steam jenny would uncouple from the train and run to the diesel shop at Calder yard. I would "blue flag" the train and then check the roller bearings for any excessive heating, damage or grease leaks. The Carmen would attach the plant steam and we would commence servicing the train for departure the next day. At the time, I was laid off from BC Rail and found temporary employment with CN as a Carman Helper. I can't set the map link for this picture and for that matter can't remember the street location of the VIA station downtown Edmonton.

Photographer:	Doug Lawson [248] (more) (contact)
Date:	02/??/1984 (search)
Railway:	Canadian National (search)
Reporting Marks:	CN 9163 (search)
Train Symbol:	No. 10 the "Skeena" (search)
Subdivision/SNS:	Edmonton VIA station (search)
City/Town:	Edmonton (search)
Province:	Alberta (search)
Share Link:	http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=35711

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Photo ID: 34520

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7 Comments

awmooney

December 4, 2018 at 12:03 pm

The last time I saw this unit, about 3 months ago, it was decaying away in the old Rio Grande yard in Alamosa, Colorado; painted up as “Carolina Southern”.
robin lowrie

December 4, 2018 at 2:28 pm

Doug: 103a avenue & 100 street. I bet I’ve taken hundreds of shots there. It used to be an interesting place.
mercer

December 4, 2018 at 5:52 pm

I remember your stint in Edmonton. Interesting times…
Steve Young

December 5, 2018 at 7:15 pm

I moved to Edmonton in the Fall of ’86. And was living in one of the apartments on Jasper Ave east of the Station. I could clearly see the tracks that led to East Junction. About the only movements that I ever saw was the Super Continental heading in or out of town.
Steve Young

December 5, 2018 at 7:18 pm

Continued…
I presume that movements to Calder generally went via the west end of the loop. (Downtown yard and VIA movements to Calder, that is)
Sorry for the two-post, but the site is not Android friendly.
robin lowrie

December 6, 2018 at 3:06 pm

The west end of the loop also had a “balloon track” on the land now occupied by the Police Impound Lot. I used to occasionally catch a switcher from downtown turning cars passenger cars there. This area is just south of West Junction, across from the present VIA station. In the late seventies, the full-length dome cars ran between Edmonton and Vancouver only with heavyweight club cars running east of Edmonton. Every day, after both 1 & 2 had departed, a switcher took the dome car and lounge car to the balloon track to turn them for the next day’s trains.
Steve Young

December 6, 2018 at 5:16 pm

By the time that I moved to Edmonton in the Fall of ’86, VIA was running a combined Skeena and Super Continental between Jasper and Edmonton. Although this was interesting, it still seemed like a compromise.
I do wish that I spent more time photographing the downtown yard and station though. I think that I only visited the long gone 106 (?) Street bridge.

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