ALBERTA COAL BRANCH
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ALBERTA COAL BRANCH |
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NAME: Alberta Coal Branch COUNTY: N/a ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Warm summers, cold winters BEST TIME TO VISIT: Summer |
COMMENTS:
A string of several pioneer coal mining communities along a historic train line known as the Coal Branch; most of them ghost towns REMAINS: Scores of mine building ruins, foundations and machinery |
| Alberta’s historic Coal Branch is a rail line in the west-central part of the province, bordering Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies. It was built by the Canadian National Railway in the early 20th century to service the growing number of coal mining operations, which were constructed to support the ever increasing need for locomotive fuel.The branch line, running south in a long 115-mile loop from its main Edmonton-Yellowhead Pass line in the north, first opened in 1912, and numerous mining communities soon started to take hold. The mining towns prospered for more than 30 years, and they especially boomed during the Second World War. But by the end of the war, demand for coal diminished sharply. As well, diesel started to replace coal as a cheaper and more efficient locomotive fuel. One by one the coal mining communties of the Coal Branch began to die, and by the late 1950s, the last of the coal mines and their towns were closed.During the 1970s, coal mining returned to the Coal Branch, and communities outside the region, such as Edson and Hinton, began to prosper. However, only the village of Robb along the eastern Coal Branch line managed to pick up the pieces once more. With additional petroleum developments, Robb is now the only town in the entire Coal Branch showing any growth. The rest of the former mining communities — Mercoal, Coalspur, Lovett, Foothills, Mountain Park, Cadomin and others — have either vanished for good or are barely hanging on, with mostly seasonal residents. Submitted by Johnnie Bachusky. Submitted by: Johnnie Bachusky |
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