Extreme Canadian Freight Trains in the Thompson River Canyon

Located just over 200 miles East of Vancouver, the Thompson and Frazer River Canyons offer some of the finest viewing of Canadian railroading. Hosting both of the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific mainlines, as well as the Trans Canada Highway, it's easy to see how this route is vital to connecting goods and people across Canada.

The two subdivisions are the CN Ashcroft Subdivision, and the CP Thompson Subdivision. Both lines partake in an interesting railroading practice called "directional running." In this case, both rail companies use each others rail lines, depending on the direction they are heading. In most cases, westbound trains to Vancouver use the CN mainline, while eastbound trains towards Calgary use the CP mainline. With the Trans Canada Highway splitting between both rail lines, train watching and chasing is a rather easy and fun task. Train action is plentiful here, with something coming at least every 30 minutes or better. In addition to the predominant freight traffic, VIA Rail's Canadian uses this route, as well as the Rocky Mountaineer tourist train, as shown in this video.

This footage was shot in the Summer of 2018. In mid-2021, devastating wildfires tore through a significant section of this area. The majority of the town of Lytton was basically destroyed by the fire, in addition to the CN river bridge significantly burned and damaged. Later that year, mudslides roared through the Thompson River canyon, causing yet another setback for the already decimated area. Locations such as Tank Hill were changed forever, with significant portions of the CP mainline and Trans Canada Highway now sliding into the Thompson River. While this area is finally in the recovery phase, it's safe to say portions of this area won't look the same for a while.

All locations listed in the video.

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