10 March 2005

A trip into the high country.

The main line north of Winter Valley climes slowly and steadily towards High Pass (the highest elevation on the WVRR) before dropping slowly into the mining country around Colder. This is not Rogers Pass, or even the Yellowhead, but it’s high enough to rate it’s own weather and winter comes early to the area. Heavy snow often causes operational problems ‘up there’ long before it is an issue in the valley bottom.

The local grasses are the first to show the change in altitude and the associated change in seasons. (Photo 1) Only a few shades of faded green show up around the bare rocks left aside when they built this line.

photo 1

Farther up on the plateau (photo 2) the snow still left over from the first fall of the season remains on the side of the track. It melts back slowly at high altitudes even on these warmer sunny days of mid September.

photo 2

Entering the High Pass the going gets tougher. Early snow may still stay on the trees that are sheltered from the sun and wind (photo 3) but there are still some signs of human activity up here. A solitary hiker uses the right-of-way as a footpath and an old fence still sets out the boundary of an early homestead.

photo 3

Deep snow covers the track (photo 4) as we near the top of the hill. Even the bright sun is of little help here. It’s just as cold as it looks and it won’t warm up a lot in these parts until early June.

photo 4

At the top of the hill (photo 5) the mountains hugs both sides of the track. Ancient boulders, larger than steam engines, litter the area and some still remain where they rested millions of years ago. The track crews preferring to go around them. Curves are tight but grades are now next to zero.

photo 5

It’s rough country up here. Where there isn’t bush and rock (photo 6) there’s swamp and southern samples of Arctic muskeg. In the summer this is bear and black fly territory and in the winter you simply freeze. Not a place to brake down. Even the lightest loads are moved up here using two reliable engines.

photo 6

The worst is over as we pass the end of the final serious cut. The sound of the engines echo loudly from the rock face (photo 7) and a pair of mountain sheep avoid disaster by staying high above the track to watch us pass.

The yard a Colder is only a few minutes away now. Soon the scenery will consist of long strings of hoppers and a few boxcars with supplies for the mine, and the families who make it home. Time to put away the cameras and pull on our coats.

photo 7

Back home in Winter Valley (photo 8) there’s still just a little summer in the air and so we begin planning our next trip. And who knows where that will lead?

photo 8

Until the next time, I’ll see you all at www.mylargescale.com and now in the pages of Garden Railway Professional at http://www.gartenbahnprofi.de/16128/home.html