Ron Brown 
Rails Over the Mountains 
Exploring the Railway Heritage of Canada’s Western Mountains

Journey through the engineering marvels, stations, and heritage sites of Canada’s western mountains.



Ride the rails through Canada’s western mountains to explore the many vestiges of the region’s spectacular and surprising railway heritage. Here is where grand railway hotels were built to attract tourists to the West’s beautiful scenery and bring profit to the railway lines as well. Rustic stations added to the allure. The challenges of conquering the mountains resulted in some of Canada’s most ingenious feats of engineering, such as spiral tunnels and soaring trestles (one of which was featured in
The Amazing Race Canada).



Relive the days of rail on a steam train, the luxurious
Rocky Mountaineer, or one of VIA Rail’s mountain journeys. Outdoor enthusiasts can follow the abandoned roadbeds of Canada’s more spectacular rail trails, like the legendary Kettle Valley Railway. Also included are some of Canada’s most extensive railway museums, which have helped to bring this vanished era back to life.

Table of Content

Contents



Acknowledgements

Introduction: The Mountain Barrier



1 The Rails Arrive

2 Conquering the Mountains: The Tunnels and Bridges

3 The Faces of the Railways: The Heritage Railway Stations

4 Life Along the Line: The Railway Towns

5 The Dream Castles: Western Canada’s Railway Hotels

6 Railway Structures: A Forgotten Heritage

7 Celebrating the Heritage: The Railway Museums

8 The Rail Trails

9 All Aboard



Appendix

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Ron Brown, a geographer and travel writer, has authored more than twenty books, including Canada&#8217s World Wonders and The Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore. A past chair of the Writers’ Union of Canada and a current member of the East York Historical Society, he gives lectures and conducts tours along Ontario’s back roads. Ron lives in Toronto.

Ron Brown, a geographer and travel writer, has authored more than twenty books, including Canada’s World Wonders and The Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore. A past chair of the Writers’ Union of Canada and a current member of the East York Historical Society, he gives lectures and conducts tours along Ontario’s back roads. Ron lives in Toronto.