A Few Minutes in Ogden

When bored to tears on evenings during the worst of the pandemic (first wave in particular), we’d take time to social-distance explore if the chance presented itself. It was simple: find a suitably interesting location we knew we would be free of people, one with character and simply wander about. Sometimes it was with camera in hand, sometimes not. No question, it was good medicine during trying times and kept us from losing our blinkin’ minds. Strange days…

Here’s one of those adventures we thought was worth sharing with you all. We’re on the ground in Calgary’s Ogden neighbourhood (founded 1910s), a favourite haunt. There’s historic stuff plus a real small town vibe here in the middle of metropolis and by those merits alone we’re in. It’s also home to the Canadian Pacific Railway’s mainline, an added bonus. It’s a busy stretch of track, although business we suspect was a little slack due to the virus, but even so we knew if we hung around long enough a train was bound to show. And one did. Adding it all up, it’s the makings of a good time and a fine, albeit too brief, distraction from all the negative that’s been happening.

First thing of note: it sure was incredibly weird being the only people about. This is not the busiest part of town by any stretch, but still we expected to see more activity than we did. Not a single pedestrian or dog walker was seen and only a small handful of cars, long gaps of nothing between them, passed us by. It was utter stillness, the dead silence and then there’s us all alone, standing there looking stupid. Picture a scene right out of some dystopian movie and this had us doing more than a few over-the-shoulder glances back…zombies don’t you know.

The CPR’s HQ, once located in downtown Calgary, is now on the grounds of the Ogden Shops. This sprawling complex, just east of the tracks – you can’t miss it, was the western repair base for the railway. Going back over a century they were capable of servicing, in volume, locomotives (steam early on, later diesels) and rail cars of all types. During World War Two they built armaments. Today, it’s a pretty quiet place from the looks of it.

A sign marks the E Hunter Harrison Campus and looks like one of those mysterious metal monoliths that have been turning up all over the world as of late. Harrison was once the head of the railway and seemingly quite a controversial one at that.

A road crossing affords one a good look up and down the tracks. Sure enough an eastbound train came (after being seen stopped off in the distance for a time) and marked its arrival with a rumble and toot-toot. It picked up speed steadily and was gone. All those containers of who knows what, headed to who knows where, hundreds of them in an endless stream. Here’s machinery of commerce, wheels in motion, a rolling conveyor and a steel thread tying together a nation. We’re curious what the value of the contents of that train could be? Bet there’s a lot of zeros!

In the second photo, something interesting. The switch in the foreground is a special flange bearing type. We’ll explain – notice how the track on the right rises on the diverging route, an industry spur (and this only works with a mix of heavy usage and lighter usage lines). This affords a clean unbroken length of track on the main through route, where most of the action is, which among other things lowers maintenance costs. There’s normally a flange gap at the frog for both tracks (that point where two rails cross) and is subject to heavy wear, but with this arrangement that’s eliminated.

Trains using the other line, which leads to a pipe plant among others, “jumps” over the main track (but has to do so slowly, no big deal for lesser used lines anyway), the weight of the car resting on the flange instead of the tread, on the left hand wheels in this example, for a short period. Check rails keep everything in line. We’ve never seen one of these in operation and it looks like the cars would rock badly on passing over, but watching youtube videos shows it’s not as bad as we thought.

Now you know!

Notice the Calgary skyline in the distance many clicks away. The CPR arrived in area in the 1880s, incidentally.

Across the road, in what was once the main business district in Ogden, a gas station devoid of life. Beside it’s an old-school diner that for some reason we’ve yet to eat at even though it’s been on our radar for a time. There’s all the hallmarks we love. It’s a dive (a term of endearment), out of the way, unpretentious and full of personality…and they specialize in BBQ Chicken. On that final merit alone it sounds like a winner! We see the business makes appearance in the TV show Fargo (we visited a series filming location once: Lorne Malvo’s Motel Room.

BTW, into the 1990s there was an old time “Marina” roof Safeway half a block down, later a bingo hall. You’d never know this section of Ogden was so happening once, but changing traffic patterns have made it backwater now. Even so, it’s never been as quiet and still as it was this evening.

Here in twilight, it’s a car here, a car there, a dog barking in the distance, but mostly it’s a drawn out silence so unlike anything we’ve ever felt here in the big city. Erie describes it best. Not so much uncomfortable it’s just bloody odd and we can’t shake it. Has the world ended?

Kitty-corner, it’s the old Ogden Hotel from the 1910s. Now Victory Manor, it’s got some incredible history and we suggest you read this post to know more: Ogden Hotel – Alyth Lodge – Victory Manor. Your author drove past the place a lot in the 1990s doing inter-factory deliveries for an oilfield manufacturing firm. Recall a fellow truck driver living there when it was a rooming house and his opinion of it as a special little hell-hole. Recall the hobby shop on the main floor – it’s still there. Recall the leather gear store and their interesting displays. Recall taking naps behind the building between runs in the outer Ogden Shops lot where no one parked. So many memories.

We waited and waited and no more trains showed. One day we should invest in a scanner to keep more abreast of what’s going on, but truth is we kind of like the surprise factor too. An unpredictable world is one a bit more interesting and challenging.

Then it’s time to go. Good night Ogden.

More like this…
A Few Minutes in Pincher Station.
A Few Minutes in Loverna.

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

Date of Adventure: April, 2019.
Location: Calgary, AB.

A few minutes in Ogden.

Big city & stopped train in the distance.

CPR’s HQ.

With Covid, there’s no one about.

Why haven’t we ever eaten here?

The earth shakes…

Endless containers.

It speeds past in a blur.

The old Ogden Hotel.

Through these doors…