Caption: As a followup to the 1890s Keefers scene and detailed crops posted last week, here is how that area looked eighty years later, viewed eastward at the flagstop shelter, with the east end of the siding marked by the signal in the distance.

This area was devastated by the Kookipi Creek wildfire in August 2023.

When on track patrols there in 2007, the history of Keefers was “felt” all about, and just east of the east end of the siding, a chilling reminder of more recent history was the view across the river to a scar on the bank below CN’s Ashcroft sub. where a washout, derailment, and fire 1997-03-26 at Conrad ended the lives of conductor Donald Fink and engineman Terry Gallis on eastward freight train Q-102-51-26 powered by CN 5658 + 9546.

See https://tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/1997/r97v0063/r97v0063.html for the TSB report on that CN incident.