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The Railway History of Red Deer and Central Alberta

Early surveys for the Canadian Pacific Railway looking for a way through the Rocky Mountains, had initially recommended a northern route through Yellowhead Pass (which was later adopted by both the Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk Pacific). An alternate route recommended the Howse Pass west of Rocky Mountain House to the Pacific Ocean which, if chosen, would have had the transcontinental railroad go through or very near to the present site of Red Deer. But more due to competition threats from American railroads than anything else, the Canadian Pacific chose a southern route even thought the land was less hospitable to agriculture and the Kicking Horse Pass was more difficult.

When the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in Calgary in 1883, the Calgary and Edmonton Trail gained major significance as the north-south stagecoach route between Calgary and Edmonton with communities and stopping houses developing along the trail at a number of locations including Poplar Grove (Innisfail), the Crossing at the Red Deer River and the Barnett ranch (Lacombe).

It wasn't long before the value of a railway joining Alberta's two major population centres (Calgary and Edmonton) became obvious.

From 1885 to 1890, a series of charters were granted to a number of companies to construct a rail line from Calgary to Edmonton but most never succeeded in getting started as a result of lack of financing.

The Alberta and Athabasca Railway Company was to start in the summer of 1887 with a line  from Calgary through Drumheller and north along the west side of Buffalo Lake to Edmonton (later adopted by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway). Had this been built at that time, it may have changed the principle corridor between the two major cities and the location of several municipalities that thrive in the corridor today.

A revised charter was to take the railway near the proposed Alberta Lumber Company facilities (built in 1887) near Innisfail, owned by the same principals as the railway. It was to cross the Red Deer River northwest of present-day Innisfail where a townsite was laid out near the river and was to run west of the river northward. Grading commenced in 1887 but stopped after a month due to continued financial problems. Again, it would have had a significant impact on the location of communities.

Another revision put the proposed route near the mouth of the Blindman River (a few miles northeast of the current city). A new charter changed the name to the Alberta and Great Northwestern Railway.

That charter was sold to a new company, the Calgary and Edmonton Railway Company, in early 1890. Once completed, the line was to be leased to the Canadian Pacific Railway for 6 years with an option to renew the lease or buy out the line.

Construction started north of Calgary in 1890 but a decision was yet to be made as to where it would cross the Red Deer River. Three routes had been surveyed -- the one near Innisfail, one at Red Deer Crossing and one at the mouth of the Blindman River (17 miles downstream from the Crossing), the preferred route as it necessitated only one river bridge instead of two.

The overall route was to follow the general C & E Trail corridor but the railway decided on its own route to reduce the grade of the railway or to accommodate preferred locations for communities. North of Poplar Grove (renamed Innisfail) to south Red Deer, the railway was built a couple of miles east of the C & E Trail.

The settlement at the Crossing, where the historic Fort Normandeau is located, generally expected that the railway would cross the river at that settlement. In fact, a townsite had been laid out in anticipation of the railway going through there.

In July of that year, James Ross, on behalf of the railway, met with Rev. Leonard Gaetz, one of the largest landowners near the river who had a great deal of political influence and was one of the principle promoters of the region in Calgary and eastern Canada. When Rev. Gaetz offered to give the railway 600 acres of land (half of his holdings) to build the townsite and railway there, Mr. Ross gladly accepted, much to the chagrin of the settlers at the Crossing. The rest, they say, is history -- see Calgary and Edmonton Railway and Calgary and Edmonton Railway near Red Deer.

Once the townsite was determined, the settlers at the Crossing moved to the new community of Red Deer.

When the line was completed to South Edmonton in 1891, travel between the two major cities was reduced to 12 hours from 4 days by stagecoach marking the end of the Calgary-Edmonton Trail service.

The CPR lease was renewed annually after the original lease expired until 1903 when the company signed a 99 year lease. Eventually the Calgary and Edmonton Railway became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian Pacific.

In 1905, the Canadian Pacific, as part of an extension of the Calgary-Edmonton Railway charter, built a branch line east from Lacombe to Alix that eventually was extended to Stettler, Coronation and into Saskatchewan. Another branch was built east of Wetaskiwin through Camrose.

In 1908, Red Deer became the divisional point and a new grand station was built in 1910 at the head of Ross Street.

In 1911, the Red Deer based Alberta Central Railway started construction west of Red Deer toward Rocky Mountain House and was to be extended to the Brazeau coal fields.

In the same year, the Alberta Midland Railway, a subsidiary of Canadian Northern Railway, opened a north-south line between Calgary and Edmonton through Drumheller, Big Valley, Stettler and Camrose. The Canadian Northern Western Railway started construction of a line originating from near Stettler extending west to just north of Red Deer. It then extended further west to Sylvan Lake on its way to the Brazeau coal fields. The railway had also planned to build a north-south Calgary-Edmonton line through Red Deer but construction never occurred.

In 1913, a north-south Calgary-Edmonton line was built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway through Three Hills, Delburne, Alix, Mirror and Camrose using much of the land surveyed by the Alberta and Athabasca Railway Company.

In the same year, the Lacombe and Blindman Valley Electric Railway started construction west of Lacombe but did not reach Bentley until 1917 and Rimbey in 1919. The provincial government took over the line when it went bankrupt and sold it to Canadian Pacific in 1928.

The Canadian Northern Railway and the Grand Trunk Pacific officially became part of Canadian National Railways in 1919.

In 1986, the Central Western Railway became western Canada's first modern day short line railroad when it took over the Stettler subdivision of Canadian National (formerly Canadian Northern/Alberta Midland) between a junction south of Camrose and Morrin. In 1992, it acquired the Coronation subdivision of Canadian Pacific. Much of the railway was abandoned except for the portion between Stettler and Big Valley which is now used for steam train excursions by Alberta Prairie Steam Tours.

Railway Heritage Preservation in Central Alberta

The Calgary and Edmonton Railway (Canadian Pacific)
The Calgary and Edmonton Railway near Red Deer (Canadian Pacific)
The Alberta Central Railway (abandoned Canadian Pacific)
The Canadian Northern Western Railroad (Canadian National Brazeau subdivision)
The Canadian Northern Railway (Canadian National)

Proposals and Concepts for future rail preservation:
The Forth Junction Project
Powerpoint Presentation from Forth Junction Heritage Society
The Alberta Central Heritage Model Rail Project
'Moving People by Rail' Themed Community Proposal
     Historic Rail Background for 'Moving People by Rail' Proposal
 
Blog: 'Looking for the 'Wow' Factor in Downtown Red Deer'