The CPR mainline passes right through the Calgary community of Ogden and if youâre into a little trainspotting thereâs plenty of public places there where one can view the action. When in need of a fix weâll head out that way, even if a busy schedule often dictates we canât hang around for long. ButâŠand thereâs always a butâŠa time crunch wasnât the only wildcard.
Covid â maybe youâve heard of it â and the resultant rolling lockdowns had the economy in the toilet, so our odds were made a little worse. Not many freights were running, but even though a crap shoot itâs better than sitting at home. A day by the tracks is a good one.
A Few More Minutes in Ogden: again! By Chris Doering and Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)
Things have mostly returned to normal at the railway but in early 2020, when these photos were captured, nothing much moved. Usually itâs an endless parade and seeing it so quiet was bizarre.
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We donât often share photos from these outings, because theyâre not really all that interesting (well, they are to us). This time, however, the sky was just so spectacular so we had to. Pink and purple! This is a fun little post, so we wonât drone on as usual and much like our time in Ogdentown, youâll be in and out in a flash. Enjoy!
What we usually do on arriving is find a nice view of the railway and wait. Simple and to the point, eh? No scanners for us and itâs just fingers crossed, a hit or miss strategy if there ever was one, but we like surprises. Still, we might just check any line side signals in view to see if a green is displayed, to indicate an approaching train, but otherwise weâre in the dark.
Passing through the industrial park on the way in, itâs a curious railcar parked on a siding and photographed from a grade crossing. Hereâs what the manufacturer has to say about itâŠ
âThe Plasser 09-16 DYNACAT is a heavy-duty, high speed, and continuous-action switch and production track-tamping machine with an integral dynamic track stabilizer.â Plasser American Corporation. Sounds awesome and now we all want one!
So in Railway Track Maintenance for Dummies terms it makes for a nice smooth track, the machine doing it all in one pass and with minimal fuss. Simply, it tamps the ballast under the rails and that gives them a good solid base. Itâs a complex looking beast and would be interesting to see in motion.
Finding ourselves at the oddly vacant parking lot of the Glenmore Inn and attached strip mall (lockdowns ârâ us), we stake out the tracks down by the canal just as a train arrives. Itâs the first and only one weâd see, but then again with time being short, itâs about all we could expect.
Itâs a fast moving and long double stack thatâs soon gone. The eerie silence returns and with our own clock ticking thereâs no point waiting around for another. Not that weâre sure if another is due anyway, given the how few were running at the height of this first Covid wave. We lucked out and timed it right I guess.
With the sky alive with strange, vibrant colours and not a soul about itâs both beautiful and creepy. The hotel looks empty and any eateries in the complex are closed up tight as though the world has come to an end. Thereâs no activity at all, just us in this dystopian setting and even on nearby Glenmore Trail the traffic is light. Itâs never quiet on that busy thoroughfare. Ever!
This is about the time, that border between day and night, when the zombies come out of the woodwork â so the movies tell us! Itâs time to get out while the gettingâs goodâŠtheyâre comingâŠthe Familyâs coming!
This was a good few minutes wasted and weâve done it many times before in Ogden and many since. It seems we never tire of watching passing trains and yes, perhaps thatâs a bit out there.
Coming very soon to BIGDoer.com itâs more abandoned stuff and some fun Then & Nows, so keep an eye on this website.
Theyâre sayingâŠ
âThese two are amazing !! I love following their adventures and the photography isâŠjaw droppingâŠIâm looking forward to living vicariously!â Dayna Kent.
Speaking of films shot in & around the Crowsnest Pass - Journey of Natty Gann 1985 & the Dwyer Farm in 2016.
Exploring film history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
- A Disney production (not a bad movie either), many scenes were shot in the area. - It's the story of Natty, on cross-country trek to find her father & it's set in the bleak days of the depression of the 1930s. - Many locals were extras in the film - if you were one, chime in down in the comments. We'd love to hear from you. - The lighter areas of the house show where boards were removed by barnwood salvagers. _______
Rockyford Alberta more than 100 years apart (1910s, probably later in that decade & 2024).
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
- Rockyford was founded in the early 1910s & sprung to life with the coming of the railway. - Many of the buildings seen in the old photo burned down over the years. - The former bank & the one marked "pool" beside it, in the original photo (both right), are two buildings seen in both images. - The present day Rockyford Hotel (right, our image) was built after the Then photo was taken. - Rockyford's train station would have been just behind our shooting position in the old days. The tracks are gone now. - Then photo credit: University of Calgary - it's dated 1911 there but research suggest it's from a bit later. _______
Consort Alberta on a cool & crisp morning in late 1997 or early 1998. Shot by Chris while returning from oilfield hotshot run & after a couple hour nap next to the buildings. A quick photo & he was back on the road.
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
- These elevators, dating back to the 1950s & before, were gone a few years later. - The railway line was on its last legs at this point & service was very spotty. Sometimes months would pass without seeing one. - Both the grain elevator firms & the railway (Central Western - ex CPR) knew the writing was on the wall.
There's not much going on in Hilda Alberta (2016). We're at Hilda Motors on Main Street & looking down at the town's last grain elevator. Check the comments for a closer photo of it.
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
- This incarnation of Hilda dates to the mid-1920s. - Like many prairie towns it sprung to life with the coming of the railway & the grain elevator in back is from this time too. - The railway pulled out decades ago & the tracks are gone. - Hilda Motors operated from the early 1950s to about 1990, functioning, variously, as a farm equipment dealership, car sales outlet & service station. Today, itâs used by a private individual for storage & that's the fate of many old buildings in these small towns.
It's -20C & we're dreaming of Freakin' (or Peakin') at the Beacon. We've seen ads where both are used. The Beacon in the inset photo is seen in the early-1960s, but we know it from the early 1980s. It was a notorious place then, but the beer was cheap & for underage seekers of cold libations like us, they never carded. It was common knowledge among teenagers - The Beacon & the Westgate. As long as you bought a round (even if paid nervously with loose change & with no tip), they didn't care.
- The Beacon dates to the late 1950s & was home to the famous Calypso Lounge. - In the late 1970s, a more youth oriented bar came on the scene (Franky & Johnny's). - This meant a change of attitude to something more brash & edgy. - During these times they hosted loud bands & even strippers. - Trouble soon followed & many nights, it was the wild west. Cops knew it well. - Fights, stabbings & general mayhem was often on the menu. - In the mid-1980s it became the North Centre Inn & was demolished a decade later. - Since 1996 the property has been home to to Central Landmark Mall. - Our image was captured during a cold, cold, cold-day walk in the neighbourhood (2016) - sometimes I think we're crazy.
Photo credit: unattributed - appears to be an old postcard. _______
Wild Horse Hank with Exorcist star Linda Blair (1979) - shot in & around the Crowsnest Pass of Alberta. A TV production, it follows her adventures as she works to save a herd of feral horses.
They're due to be made into dog food, unless she can get them to a federal reserve where theyâll be protected. It's a perilous multi-day journey crossing mountains & deserts, all the while being pursued by poachers. The very last step is to get them across the section of road seen here, along a now closed section of Crowsnest Highway.
It's a minor scene, but we still love searching out these locations & doing comparisons. Important or not, it's a thrill.
We know a lot of locals worked as extras on the picture & we'd love to hear from you. _______
- shot in & around the Crowsnest Pass of Alberta. A TV production, it follows her adventures as she works to save a herd of feral horses. 
Well captured!
Thanks â this was another bored to death Covid outing.
Always enjoy your pics and stories!
And we love sharing them.
Yes, thatâs awesome.
Thanks for stopping by!
Canât go wrong with a train!
Amen to that!