Quote:
Originally Posted by freeweed
Interesting talk about old roads.
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When you guys described old pavement under parks, and how we don't just abandon road material anymore, it made me think of all this. There's all sorts of abandoned roads in the mountains.
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When you're on the TCH near Field BC, east of the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint there is an old bridge that I thought was part of the original TCH built in the 1950s. I've now found out that I was only partly correct. The bridge was apparently part of 'The Big Hill' trackage that the CPR put in between Lake Louise and Field during the original construction in the 1880s. The grade over the Kicking Horse Pass and the Big Hill down to Field was over 4%. I'm impressed that a bridge from the mid-1880s is still intact, although I'm unsure how safe it is.
Field was where extra engines were added to an EB train to get it up to Lake Louise, where the extra engines were taken off & sent back to Field for the next EB train. Meanwhile WB trains had extra brakemen added before the Pass so that the handbrakes were operated on each car to prevent a runaway down to Field. Still, there were plenty of wrecks over the years with rusting hulks still scattered along the old trackbed. 100 years ago this year, the Spiral Tunnels were opened and the grade was to lowered closer to 2%, so the "Big Hill" trackage was abandoned.
When it came time to build the TCH in the 1950s, the "Big Hill" trackage was rehabbed into a road for cars. From the stories passed down through the years, the road was barely wide enough for two cars to pass. Looking at the abandoned TCH roadway (nee railway) bridge, they must have been the ultimate test of driving skills, since they were just one lane wide. Because the Big Hill still had it's 4+% grade, it was also a test of your brakes and engine braking skills when heading west to Field, and you'd be crawling along in low gear all the way the way up to top of the Pass when heading East. Tow truck drivers from Field and Lake Louise were certainly kept busy with locked-up brakes and overheated engines, or worse.
Smart drivers at the time knew if they made it up the Big Hill and over the Pass to Lake Louise, they'd better pull into town, park at the nearest garage, go for lunch or a snack & let the engine cool off. If the car started again, fill up on gas & water before continuing on to Calgary. More than a few cars didn't pass this test, so while the garage repaired the car, the family spent a day (or so) enjoying the local scenery.