Ghosts of the CPR’s Southern Mainline

Today, we’re looking at an abandoned section of the CPR’s Southern Mainline and this post should be fascinating to anyone into railway archaeology. So us and a couple other folks!

Our subject is a stretch of line out in Southeastern BC, bypassed due to the building of the Libby Dam (in Montana) and subsequent creation of Lake Koocanusa.

The trains still run, but use a different route now and the track used present day a short distance to the east. We heard a couple freights chugging by while shooting this piece but they were hidden by the terrain.

The land around here, including some underwater that when not flooded, is used for agricultural purposes. It’s not public access.

Ghosts of the CPR’s Southern Mainline at Lake Koocanusa BC.

The CPR’s Southern Mainline along here dates to the 1890s and opened up the area to settlers. It also tapped the great mineral wealth and natural resources of southern BC. It ran west from a point near Medicine Hat Alberta, and once made it all the way to the west coast.

The Crownsest Lines made up the eastern half and the the Kettle Valley lines, those in the west. They sometimes followed a less than direct route due to topography and this made a map of the line look as though made by a drunk. The winding and convoluted nature of it gets worse in the west.

Sharp curves and steep grades were common. Harsh conditions were the often the norm. Yup, messy stuff. If you stretched the Southern Mainline out straight it’d be about twice the width of BC. Sections of it almost operated as a long branch line and through trains sometimes the exception. Locals and wayfreights ruled.

Still, bits of it were and some sections left today are still busy enough.

The former Southern Mainline today has been cut back to the point that it only reaches about a third of the way into BC. It ends at Trail and there’s a second line branching off before that which heads down to the States. There’s a fair number of trains coming and going from the US connection, but beyond to Trail the traffic drops off.

Then there’s the former Kootenay Central that heads up to the mainline in Golden BC. The section not far away from our shooting positions is part of that and a conduit for coal coming out the Sparwood area. It heads to the coast for eventual overseas delivery, via that line.

Coal movements on this scale are relatively speaking a recent thing, and when the line seen here was in service, it didn’t see Sparwood/Elk Valley Coal.

In anticipation of the creation of border spanning Lake Koocanusa (KOOtenay – CANada – USA), this section of the Southern Mainline was bypassed in the second half of the 1960s. A new section off the Kootenay Central at Fort Steele, further to the north and then on to Cranbrook completed the link.

The old Southern Mainline and Kootenay Central lines parted ways a little south of our shooting position.

Some sections of the old roadbed west and beyond Koocanusa are now a rail trail. A nice scenic one too and the Isadore Canyon section particularly nice.

This old Kootenay River train bridge crossing is now an open gap in the lake. This, the former Wardner bridge (named for the town on the far side), we understand, apparently got reused and now along one the CPR’s coal mine lines somewhere out near Sparwood.

The roadbed here comprises a berm of fill put in at the river flats, so the line had the correct height to span the river. The roadbed is not that high above the flats and when the reservoir fills, the water’s not actually that deep. However, that’s not obvious if you don’t know it. Beyond, in the old Kootenay River channel, it’s of a greater depth and still flows.

The river flats, at low water, are big fields of grass, and home to many grazing cattle. In years past, there were homes down here, but they were forced out with the creation of the lake.

The height of the reservoir depends on many factors and regularly fluctuates. Spring usually marks the highest levels and fall the lowest, but it can change at any time.

When low, the old Kootenay River channel here is the waterway but when full the lake much broader. Further south, the lake gets wider still and deeper too. Wardner here, across the water, is at the northern limits of Koocanusa and at times people in town have either river or lake frontage depending.

With those lake levels, the roadbed might be high and dry, partly submerged and at extreme capacity, almost underwater. Satellite photos don’t show it fully covered, but in one image, the water got that close.

A nearby road bridge into Warder also got removed in anticipation of the filling of Lake Koocanusa. The current highway runs to the north now, just upstream and where the channel narrows. The old highway remains visible most of the time, unless the lake fills up some.

Koocanusa becomes a recreational mecca every summer, although most watercraft tend to keep further south, where the resorts and campgrounds are. Still, we saw a few craft come close to our position and from the looks of it and based on evidence found on the old roadbed, others have tied up here at higher water levels.

The old roadbed makes a broad curve and spans two thirds of the lake when levels are at their highest. There would have been a gorgeous view to be had when on a train crossing the Kootenay River here. A broad valley, turquoise waters, and those spectacular peaks of the Steeples range to the north.

A few odd bits of trackwork were left behind but that’s it. Tie plates, joint bars and the odd spike were seen. A few old ties were never removed and in a severely rotted state. One submerged culvert is noted too. Otherwise, it’s just a rock fill, put in long ago, and now of no use, yet a reminder of things that came before. The old roadbed can easily be seen from roads in the area and most prominent when lake levels are high. “What it that sticking out into the water?”

Admittedly, it’s a strange experience walking the roadbed of the old Southern Mainline, especially once well out into the lake. It’s just a narrow strip of land and with nothing but water all around. Creepy. But more eerie is that we’re standing on something once so important to commerce (local and wider-reaching) that’s now quiet.

Bypassed due to rising waters thanks to the Libby Dam (US).

Standing literally out on the middle of the upper reaches of Lake Koocanusa is cause for reflection.

The trains used to run right here – freights steam and diesel powered, the Kootenay Express passenger run – all once passed this very spot. Now they’re no more and all that’s heard is the sound of lapping water. It’s another case of Kenopsia: “the eerie atmosphere of a place that’s usually bustling with people but now vacant or abandoned.”

We’re especially thankful for the opportunity to pay this ghost of the CPR’s Southern Mainline a visit (with land owner’s permission). We’ve eyed it up from afar for years and always wondered…

Know more (new tab): Lake Koocanusa.

They’re saying…

“I’ve enjoyed getting out exploring with the BIGDoer team on several occasions now and continue to marvel at their approach. Keep up the great work!” Photographer Robert Pohl.

Close by…
The Highway Bridge at Wardner BC.
Wardner BC Mill Powerhouse.

More like this…
The Sectionman’s Home (Middle of Nowhere).
Dunshalt Bunkhouse
Taunton/Fortner Bridge.
Troup Junction.

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Date of adventure: Summer, 2022.
Location: East Kootenay, BC.
Article references: Canadian Pacific Railway Timetables, Royal BC Museum, and Cranbrook History Centre.

A few odd bits of track material can still be found.

In service from the 1890s to the 1960s – the Steeples in back.

Sometime it’s high and dry and other times nearly submerged.

An underwater culvert.

Just beyond a bridge once spanned the Kootenay River.

Looking back – the water here is not all that deep.

The current railway line is a bit to the east.

Visited with landowner permission.

The town of Wardner is across the lake – Mt Baker in the distance.