Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part One

A message arrives in our inbox. What’s this? An invite? “Want to join us on a speeder trip?” Whoaaa, a speeder trip? Adventure on the rails? With not a second of hesitation…YES Please! And with that plans are made. It’s spring 2017, the trip to take place later that summer. There’s a choice of outings, but the one that suits us best takes in a regional railway is the deep southwestern quadrant of Saskatchewan. A few emails back and forth and it’s all set.

Eagerly we await the day. It’s the trip of a lifetime in the making and in anticipation we’re giddy like little kids in a candy store. We’ve seen our share of interesting places, rode many old vehicles and trains, been there, done that, you name it, we’re never bored. But this, my friends, is the stuff of dreams.

And then it happens…

1) Arriving on the scene in Climax Saskatchewan, a town with a giggle-worthy name and the butt of many jokes (“to reach Climax took us half an hour”). It’s a pretty typical prairie community home to a couple hundred people, sleepy, with a quiet main street, a few open businesses and that’s about it. But we don’t see much of it however, since we’re down by the tracks, but would love to return. There’s all kinds of stuff here we’d love to explore.

A line of speeders form. Our destination this day is the community Shaunavon, as the crow flies some fifty or so clicks away. But by meandering branchline, a large C shaped stretch of track that firsts heads east for a time before doubling back, it’s many, many times that. Good for us. More to see and enjoy.

1) The trip of a lifetime starts in Climax Saskatchewan.

2) A speeder is offloaded. They’re fairly easy to manoeuvre and a couple brawny people can make short work of moving them about.

2) One after another speeders are offloaded.

3) Some muscle and soon it’s on the tracks. This was in fact the car we’d be riding this adventure. It’s an early 1980s “Farimont” (the largest maker) built for Canadian National Railways, and was one of a huge number they once had on the roster. It could seat six if you’re real chummy. The current owners have had it since the later half of the 1990s and have travelled all over Western Canada on organized speeder trips (some 16000 clicks on the rails).

Speeders, aka railway motor cars, sometimes putt-putt or track maintenance cars, were once used to ferry workers about. Today that’s a job done by “hi-rails” (or “hy-rails”), trucks modified to they can also run on the tracks. With most speeders retired from railway use, a good number found their way in the the hands of enthusiasts, many of which belong to groups that arrange to take them on adventures much like the one documented here this day.

4) Next in line be unloaded. The little things sticking out are extendable handles which are used to help wrangle the speeder onto the tracks (some models use a drop-down turntable too). In back are two of Saskatchewan’s Iconic Grain Elevators. There used to be thousands of them in the province, compared to the several hundred seen today. One is from the 1960s, the other 1920s. The oldest one is marked for Federal Grain, a firm that ceased to exist in the 1970s.

Today the buildings are privately owned and used for grain storage.

5) The line up grows and soon we’ll be on the way. This is a two day trip covering many, many hundreds of kilometres. To keep things manageable, we’ll split this article in two (even so, part one is a BIG one). This day one of us will ride with the other pacing then we’ll switch off about mid-way. The next day both of us will ride.

The group organizing this outing is the North American Railcar Operators Association (here’s a link to their site: http://www.narcoa.org/) who have members from all over. Our hosts hail from Northern Alberta, where as other participants came from the US and elsewhere in Canada. Never have we met a finer bunch and we were made to feel at home, by everyone, right from the start.

6) And they’re off! The view from the pace car.

7) The track being travelled belongs to the Great Western Railway. The section seen here dates from the mid-1920s, and was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway. “GW Rail” took over in about 2000. In the distance, a towering grain elevator marking the next community down the line.

3) A little muscle to get it on the tracks – this one’s our ride.

8) In Frontier, home to some three hundred and seventy people. The elevator dates from the late 1960s and is still used commercially to ship out grain (ex-Saskatchewan Wheat Pool). No loads today however. Speeders slow through town.

9) Maximum 40kph in town, which is close to what the speeders do incidentally when out on the road. They could go faster, but for safety reasons and others keep a more leisurely pace. Anyway, who wants it all rushing by? Take it slow and savour it.

10) Something rare spotted. A tree. In Saskatchewan? We heard of it spoken in legend and now we’ve seen it! Track here is arrow straight. We’re pointed west in this photo.

11) Zipping through the ghost town of Loomis, the population of which can be counted on a few fingers. Here, an old Cockshutt Combine gives us some foreground interest.

12) The procession is well spread out.

13) Coming into Claydon, a place flirting with ghost town status. The only business here is the Post Office, which oddly was quite busy this day. “Producer” cars (from farm to rail car without a middle man) are sometimes filled here. Today however out of work tank cars occupy the track used for grain loading. Unemployed for a time, they’ll eventually be called back to work at some point. In the meantime, smaller railways like the Great Western make a fair income storing them.

14) Some NARCOA members have road/rail vehicles instead of speeders. The flags they do fly.

15) Claydon was a scheduled stop. Speeders are a might cramped and with all the jostling it’s a good idea to stretch one’s legs from time to time to get the blood flowing. Claydon is the last town, if it can be called that, for some time.

16) Woodings Railcar is another make of speeder. Seems it was the only one here among all those from Fairmont.

17) “Get Lost in Montana!” Oh, we plan to.

18) LCR, aka Long Creek Railroad, a short line operator in Southeast Saskatchewan which the speeders visited just before doing this Great Western trip.

19) Time for a break. Walk about, chat, take in the big skies and those endless fields of grain.

20) The further west travelled the more remote it becomes. There’s little along this stretch of track that speaks of human habitation – no farms to be seen, only fields and empty back roads. It feels so out there, removed from the world and utterly alone.

4) In the distance two of Saskatchewan’s iconic grain elevators.

21) The first grade crossing in quite some time, and I’ve staked it out. One after another the speeders pass and I get a wave from each. While waiting for them to arrive, a couple farm trucks passed and each stopped and asked if I needed help. I mean why else would I be parked in the proverbial middle of nowhere if not for a mechanical issue with the car? When I told them I was waiting for some speeders to pass, I got a funny look. That they took the time to assure I was okay, however, filled me with the warm and fuzzies. Fine people these, who call such far-flung places home.

22) Connie does a drive by, in back your author (lamely) trying to be creative. My pic didn’t work, by the way. With the procession having passed, it’s back on the road – jump in the car and leapfrog ahead. The track soon doubles back sharply and heads east.

23) Here I’m in the lonely community of Consul (the only one for some distance around) and the lunch stop this day. It’s hot as Hades and while waiting for the speeders to arrive, a 1951/1952 Ford keeps my attention.

24) A 1940s era Fargo Grain Truck. Nice! If you look closely in behind, the remains of the Consul Hotel, closed due to a fire a couple years back and partially torn down.

25) A real live person! And the End of the Line RV Park, which appears closed. Not much tourist traffic out this way. Or any traffic period.

26) They arrive! And the town’s population doubles! Tailgaiting speeder is being towed by another due to mechanical issues. It happens. Consul is the last town before hitting the US. There’s a whole lot of nothing out this way and it takes a strong person to call this sparsely populated region home.

27) The truck in front belongs to the railway and acts as a pilot vehicle, setting the pace and keeping an eye on track conditions and such. Some speeders can go topless, a nice feature on a hot day like this. Everyone’s gone to lunch, a fine meal at a local bistro (the only one here). A big thanks to all for allowing us to join in on it. That was not expected and greatly appreciated.

28) Consul’s grain elevator, a late model example wood prairie sentinel (relativity speaking) built in the 1970s. It’s privately owned (ex-Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, once the biggest grain handler in Canada) and is used to load producer cars from time to time. In the interim, stored tank cars occupy the siding. I see a pattern here. More and more wood grain elevators are lost east year but this one, for now, seems to have a reasonable future. It’s fairly modern and in good shape.

29) View form a round-bale. The section of track being travelled here dates from the mid-1910s (ex-CPR). The heading is eastbound now.

30) Connie’s doing the pacing now. No missing that visibly vest. El-cheapo rental car takes a beating. Shhh, don’t tell. Better it than ours. The next town down the line is Robsart (a ghost town), but it’s set back from the tracks and hard to see. Too bad, as it’s quite photogenic. See: A slice of Robsart.

31) Lots of old abandoned farms in the area. Here, a speeder “rockets” past one.

5) Hanging with the North American Railcar Operators Association.

32) Road crossings are approached with caution with all speeders slowing to a crawl till clear. One of the few paved roads seen this day. They’ve been replacing ties I see.

33) More abandonment. Memo to self, come back out this way again.

34) A row of old iron by the r.o.w. (right of way). Here we’re somewhere close to Ravenscrag.

35) A good stretch. We passed many horses this trip but this seemed to be the only one not bothered by the noise of the speeders. Others that saw us turned tail and ran away.

36) What we believe is the elevator foundation in a place called Knollys. There was never a town here, just a siding for grain loading.

37) Entering a wide shallow valley, arguably the most scenic section of the trip. A truck is seen at a grade crossing. Flag (furthest speeder, right side) tells those following to slow down.

38) A reservoir holds life-giving water. This is one dry region otherwise. And in back…are those hills? Well, by Saskatchewan standards they’re mountains, but anyway.

39) Just past this bridge is the town of Eastend (population about 500). There’s a party going and the speeder group is invited. Those inner rails are a safety feature and keep a car, should it leave the tracks (heaven forbid), from veering off and damaging or destroying the bridge. They hold the wheels in check. It doesn’t happen often but it’s good insurance.

40) Time for a meet and greet. Townsfolk came over to view the speeders and chat with operators and many photos are snapped. Fun was had by all.

41) From across the continent, they come in all shapes and colours, with varying lineages. This photo means more than any, given the fine time had. It was magic.

42) A big thanks to the Great Western for being so accommodating. The large railways rarely host speeder events but the smaller more personable lines often do. Steel wheels guide the hi-rail truck, but power still comes from the rubber which partially rest on the tracks.

6) View from the pace car.

Lost of tanks cars in back. It’s not odd for them to be out of work for a stretch, sometimes months on end (lots of ups and down in the industry) and for the time they’re not needed they have to be stored somewhere. Enter the smaller railway with disused spurs – a nice sideline income. John Deere coloured elevator in back is from the 1980s (ex-Pioneer Grain, a late model wood sentinel).

43) You’ll notice most speeders were running with open doors. That’s the AC! Plus it affords a better view of the passing countryside. It was stifling hot, even early on when we started out and we were all medium-well by end of day. Town of Eastend sign in back. Directly behind speeder, electrical box controlling the crossing lights in town.

44) Back in motion and tank car after tank car. Most are general service cars, used to haul fuel products mostly (ethanol included). Of course, these ones are empty.

45) Near every siding is stuffed full. Elevator is from the 1910s with some more recent (1950s) additions. It’s also privately owned. Read about it and the other one, here: Prairie Sentinels – Eastend Saskatchewan.

46) A highly modified 4×4 El-Camino. Didn’t catch it right way, but there’s a speeder in the scene. What an interesting coincidence!

47) Crossing a highway. Look left, look right. Speeders don’t trigger crossing lights so caution is needed.

48) A llama! It was not happy to see us and hissed as we passed.

49) Should a speeder have mechanical issues, and it happens from time to time, then another is used to pull it, as is seen here. The valley here is wide.

50) There’s something special about the Saskatchewan Plains. Can’t put my finger on it, but it’s not as flat or featureless as some may think. There’s more to it and if you look hard lots to see. If you like the feeling of being alone, or “out there”, this is the place. Track is smooth and the ride a pleasant one. Still the cars, being so light and with little in the way of a suspension, ride a little rough.

51) In the town of Dollard, top down, one of the convertible speeders. Speed is exaggerated by a slow shutter.

7) Track belongs to the Great Western Railway.

52) And on their tails, more of the motorcade. You can hear them coming before you see them. Siding in back is for Frac-Sand unloading. In simple terms, the stuff is used to help coax petroleum products from certain types of rock strata.

8) In the town of Frontier.

53) Soon to be in Shaunavon, our base for the adventure. Even though we’re still a couple clicks away, you can still see the town’s two grain elevators in the distance. More on them in the next instalment. Or read about them here: Shaunavon SK Railyards and Grain Elevators.

54) Tucked away on a siding for the night. Here, a happy participant, but no doubt still a little tired from the trip. Soon everyone would head away to their respective hotels and motels, although some would later meet for dinner at a nearby pub. ATSF = Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, a US carrier in business from 1859-1996. They went on to merge with a rival and passed into history.

And so the day’s done. Many hours on the road, a tad tired, but a satisfied tired. But it’s not over, and the next day we take in another stretch of track. This will have has heading east from Shauavon to a community called Pontiex, where we’ll stop for lunch then afterwards head back from where we came. The highlight is disused highway bridge which we’ll pass under. It’s photogenic!

Stay tuned for part two. Till then, night all. And we sleep like kings, dreaming of the rails, and all the wonderful things seen and done. And tomorrow we’ll do it all again.

The second installment…
Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part Two.

More rail adventures…
Wandering the Alberta Railway Museum.
Twilight Train.
The Railway.
A day with the Battle River Railway.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: July, 2017.
Location: Southwest Saskatchewan.
Article references and thanks: Doug & Lori MacDonald, Michael Ford, North American Railcar
Operators Association Members, Great Western Railway, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Records, Canada Census.

9) Which is about what the speeders do.

10) We heard there was a tree in Saskatchewan…and we found it!

11) An old combine in the ghost town of Loomis.

12) Speeders are spaced out over a click to two.

13) Stored rail cars in Claydon.

14) It’s not just speeders, but also “Hi-Rails”.

15) A chance to stretch one’s legs.

16) Woodings is one make.

17) Get Lost!

18) LCR = Long Creek Railroad.

19) Rest stop.

20) This part of province is incredibly remote.

21) Burning up the tracks…

22) Your humble author…

23) In the town of Consul – an old Ford…

24) …And this Fargo grain hauler.

25) End of the Line RV Park…

26) After a short wait the speeders arrive.

27) The lead “pilot” truck belongs to the railway.

28) Wood grain elevators are going the way of the dinosaur.

29) An attempt at being creative.

30) Now Connie’s doing the pacing…

31) Rocketing past an old farm.

32) Slowing for a grade crossing.

33) Lots of abandoned places out this way.

34) Old iron and ribbons of steel.

35) A good stretch!

36) The site of a former grain elevator.

37) Here we’re in a wide shallow valley.

38) Life giving water.

39) Coasting into Eastend Saskatchewan.

40) Stopping for a meet and greet with townsfolk.

41) Quite the line up.

42) A big shout out to the Great Western Railway.

43) Open doors are the AC.

44) Back in motion.

45) Unemployed tank cars and a century old grain elevator.

46) Didn’t notice the speeder right away.

47) Crossing over the highway.

48) Llama spotting!

49) A broken speeder gets a tow.

50) There’s something captivating…

51) Flying through Dollard.

52) And on their tail…

53) Shaunavon ahead, our base for the night

54) A happy participant, a bit pooped from the ride.