Field Hill facts for kids

Field Hill is a very steep part of the Canadian Pacific Railway track. It is located near the town of Field, British Columbia. The town of Field was built because trains needed extra engines. These engines helped trains climb both Field Hill and another tough spot called the Big Hill.

A special building called a roundhouse was built in Field. It had a turntable to help turn the large train engines around. This place was first known as Third Siding. In December 1884, the railway renamed it Field. It was named after Cyrus W. Field, a businessman from Chicago. He had recently visited the area.

The Challenge of Steep Hills

From Field, the railway tracks are steep in both directions. To the east, trains travel 137 miles to Calgary, Alberta. They go through special spiral tunnels to make the climb easier. To the west, trains travel 126 miles to Revelstoke, British Columbia. This route goes through Rogers Pass and the Connaught Tunnel. A newer tunnel, the Mount Macdonald Tunnel, opened in 1989.

Overcoming the Big Hill

The Big Hill was a very difficult part of the railway. It was so steep that trains struggled to climb it. To solve this, the railway built the Spiral Tunnels. These tunnels helped trains climb the mountain more gradually. Even after the Spiral Tunnels were built, Field remained important. Trains still needed extra engines, called helper engines, to get over the steep Field Hill. This hill had a 2.2% grade. This means it climbed 116 feet for every mile, or 22 meters for every kilometer.

Powerful Locomotives

To pull heavy trains up these steep hills, the railway needed very powerful locomotives.

Early Steam Giants

At first, the railway used massive steam engines. Six huge 0-6-6-0 Mallet-type engines were built. One was made in 1909, and five more in 1911. These engines were unique because their cylinders were in the middle of the boiler. This design was not used again. Later, these engines were rebuilt into 2-10-0 engines.

Even more powerful engines followed. Fourteen 2-10-2 locomotives were built between 1919 and 1920. They were designed specifically for mountain work. In 1929, the railway got twenty 2-10-4 Selkirk engines. These were the most powerful steam locomotives in the British Empire at the time. Ten more Selkirk engines were built in 1938. The final six were built in 1949. The last one, engine 5935, was the very last steam locomotive built for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The Age of Diesel

After steam engines, Diesel-electric locomotives took over. Over the years, bigger and stronger diesel engines replaced older, smaller ones. This was similar to how steam engines had improved over time.

Modern Improvements

Even with the Spiral Tunnels, the mountains and Field Hill remained a challenge. Other improvements were made to the railway line in British Columbia. The Ottertail revision in 1902 helped. The five-mile long Connaught Tunnel, which opened in 1916, also made a big difference.

It wasn't until the late 20th century that a major new project helped Field Hill. A 20-mile long project, including the 9.1-mile Mount Macdonald Tunnel, opened in December 1988. This new tunnel greatly reduced the steepness of the grade. The average grade became a much easier 0.82%, with a maximum of 1%. This made it much easier for trains to climb the hill.