Alberta Coal Branch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alberta Coal Branch |
|
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Open |
| Locale | Yellowhead County |
| Termini | Alberta Highway 16 Brazeau River |
| Service | |
| Type | Branch |
| System | Canadian National Railway |
| Services | 2 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1912 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 57 mi (92 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Alberta Coal Branch is the name for a special railway line in Alberta, Canada. It's part of the Canadian National Railway system. This railway and the area it passes through are known as the Coal Branch. It's located in west-central Alberta, in a place called Yellowhead County.
Contents
Where is the Coal Branch?
The Coal Branch region is in the beautiful eastern part of the Canadian Rockies. It's just east of Jasper National Park. The area stretches from Alberta Highway 16 in the north to the Brazeau River in the south.
Several rivers flow through this region. These include the McLeod, Lovett, and Embarras Rivers. You can also find many old coal-mining towns here. Some of these towns are now ghost towns, meaning they are mostly abandoned.
History of the Coal Branch
The Coal Branch railway line was built a long time ago, between 1911 and 1912. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway built it to reach areas with lots of good quality steam coal. Steam coal was used to power steam trains and other machines.
The railway line starts at a place called Bickerdike. From there, it goes south through Coalspur to the Lovett River. This part of the line is about 92 kilometers (57 miles) long.
Towns Along the Line
As the railway was built, many towns quickly grew up along its path. These towns were important for coal mining, railway work, and logging (cutting down trees). Going south from Bickerdike, some of these towns included:
Western Branch
In the summer of 1913, another part of the railway opened. This "western branch" starts at Coalspur and goes about 60 kilometers (37 miles) to Mountain Park. Towns along this route included:
Later, in 1921, a shorter railway line was built. This "spur" line was about 8 kilometers (5 miles) long and went to Luscar.
Changes Over Time
The towns along the Coal Branch were very busy and successful for many years. But things changed when trains started using diesel instead of steam. This meant there was less demand for steam coal.
Most of the coal mines closed down during the 1950s. After that, many people moved away, and several towns became abandoned.
The Coal Branch Today
Today, not many people live in the Coal Branch area permanently. However, it's a very beautiful place with mountains and scenery. This makes it a popular spot for outdoor activities like hiking and camping.
Coal mining still happens near Luscar. The coal mined there is called coking coal. This type of coal is sent to Asian steel mills to help make steel. Most of the people who work in these mines live in nearby towns like Edson and Hinton.
