Day Trip To Takakkaw Falls with the Spiral tunnel

[ssicarman]

August 20 we did a day trip into the mountains to try for a drive up to Moraine Lake. Left fairly early as in the summer now the lack of parking has the Parks Service running shuttle buses to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. As we got closer to Lake Louise (the town site) we saw that the Shuttle buses were running already.

Back up plan, keep driving. We ended up going into BC and ended up driving into Takakkaw Falls. We didn't stop there as the parking there was just as bad as Lake Louise. Not a parking spot to be found but the drive in was worth it on its own. So mainly sunroof shots on the Falls road.
After we came out we went into Field BC to find a bit of lunch. Saw that there was a train heading west which meant that it would be going through the Spiral tunnels. Over the last to many decades every time I have been through the area I have stopped at the over look for the tunnels in hope of catching a train. So lunch was put on hold and a slight race was held to beat the train to the tunnels. We won.

I hope that you like the pictures.

Starting up the road to Takakkaw Falls. Beautiful warm day and low enough speeds to have all of the windows and sunroof open.

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Most interesting feature of the drive can almost be seen in the distance.

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Hard to see but there is a switch back up ahead. Better pictures on the way down.

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Looking down from where we came.

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First glimpse of the falls.

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What the parking lot looks like all the way through.

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Heading back out.

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Coming up the the switch back.

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The really fun thing about this switchback is that tour buses (at least they used to, I don't know if they still do) take this road to the falls. The trip through the switch back (two corners the upper one is this one) involves nosing into the corners backing up up into the next corner and heading on up/down.

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In the corner from the last picture.

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On the way down.

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Model of the tunnels. We are watching the train from the parking lot area.

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The beginning of the Spiral tunnels shots. The lower spiral tunnel is in the middle of the taller trees.

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The engine at the front of the train heading into the tunnel.

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Front end coming out.

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Green splotch in the trees is the train. If you look at the model you will see under the parking lot where the train runs.

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Picture with the tail end, middle and front end.

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Engine on the end of the train.

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Done with the train. Into Field for lunch. Old railway building.

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A couple of shots up the Kicking Horse River to where the tunnels are.

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The highway with the bridge over the river can be seen at the end of the valley.

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[XCovlov70]

Great pictures!

Hope you managed to keep both hands on the wheel, while taking them?

That train must be some length to be able to see the engine as it comes out of the tunnel and the last wagons as they are still going in!

Presumably it also has a Tandem Engine set up to get up the gradients?

[Da Tow'd]

nice scenery
good to have 4 wheel disc brakes
cheers
Hank

[ssicarman]

Great pictures!

Hope you managed to keep both hands on the wheel, while taking them?

That train must be some length to be able to see the engine as it comes out of the tunnel and the last wagons as they are still going in!

Presumably it also has a Tandem Engine set up to get up the gradients?

Hands on wheel at all times of course. Safety first.

Train had a couple of engines at the front, middle and one at the end. They were working hard.

[ssicarman]

nice scenery
good to have 4 wheel disc brakes
cheers
Hank

I have always enjoyed the drive to the falls, goes through a wide range of scenery.

[XCovlov70]

WOW!
The 'control wires' between the Engines must be good to keep it going up and downhills!

While I guess there are a high number of wagons in the train!

Your mission should you accept.........

Next time you go up there, could you count the number of wagons that are in the train please?

[weems085]

Great!