Comments on: Coal empties 770 approaches the Cardinal River mine loadout at the end of a spur from Leyland Junction near Cadomin Alberta. The mine is located at the highest operated point on CN http://www.railpictures.ca The BEST Canadian photos on the Internet, eh? Thu, 07 May 2026 18:15:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Lukas Tyzuk http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=32043#comment-25130 Lukas Tyzuk Mon, 05 Feb 2018 19:14:12 +0000 http://www.railpictures.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/LuscarAB-2008-05-27-1919MDT.jpg#comment-25130 That is indeed a spring switch, but it is not for a loop. The track in the foreground went to the Gregg River mine, which permanently closed several years before this photo was taken. That track and the switch have since been removed. This area has a 3% grade, which made stopping for the switch very challenging. That is why a spring switch was used. The Cardinal River mine is still in operation, but all the coal is mined at Mount Cheviot (near the ghost town of Mountain Park) and trucked to the plant at Luscar. That is indeed a spring switch, but it is not for a loop. The track in the foreground went to the Gregg River mine, which permanently closed several years before this photo was taken. That track and the switch have since been removed.

This area has a 3% grade, which made stopping for the switch very challenging. That is why a spring switch was used.

The Cardinal River mine is still in operation, but all the coal is mined at Mount Cheviot (near the ghost town of Mountain Park) and trucked to the plant at Luscar.

]]> By: Dave Brook http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=32043#comment-25129 Dave Brook Mon, 05 Feb 2018 19:00:09 +0000 http://www.railpictures.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/LuscarAB-2008-05-27-1919MDT.jpg#comment-25129 Is that a balloon track with a spring switch for loading? I ask only because I was based in Edson for 6 weeks and never got to work a train there. I did get to Coal Valley (-50 at 2am) where the trains were broken into 55 car segments at Bickerdike for the trip to loading.I'm pretty sure they did the same thing here (3 SD40's usually being the power to get up the hill)any significant braking coming down the hill while loading was still going on. I wish I'd had more time out there. Is that a balloon track with a spring switch for loading? I ask only because I was based in Edson for 6 weeks and never got to work a train there. I did get to Coal Valley (-50 at 2am) where the trains were broken into 55 car segments at Bickerdike for the trip to loading.I’m pretty sure they did the same thing here (3 SD40′s usually being the power to get up the hill)any significant braking coming down the hill while loading was still going on. I wish I’d had more time out there.

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