The Canadian Pacific mainline runs through Banff National Park, and there are many opportunities to see freight trains going both east and westbound. The below are a collection of train photos I was able to capture on the trip at a variety of different locations.
Morant’s Curve
This might be one of the most iconic places for taking train photos in Canada. In the years after the second World War, the Canadian Pacific employed a photographer named Nicholas Morant who generated much of the photographic material used by the Canadian Pacific marketing department to popularize the country with tourists. His favourite place to take photos of trains was a curve along the Bow River, east of Lake Louise, and this spot is now known as Morant’s Curve in recognition of his work. I only visited Morant’s Curve once, but was very lucky that an eastbound train decided to appear during the brief period of time I was there.
Lake Louise
The Chateau Lake Louise was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company was a destination for tourists to visit in the Rockies, and it was originally only reachable on the train. The station in Lake Louise is no longer used for passenger service, and has been converted into a restaurant. The log building is quite unique across the Canadian Pacific system; built in 1910 it is unlike any other station I’ve visited. There are still many trains which pass by this station on a daily basis.
Banff
The railway station in Banff is an iconic Canadian Pacific railway station which served generations of passengers visiting the Canadian Rockies. It was opened the same year as the Lake Louise station, and has a unique stone and stucco design which remains unchanged since its opening. It is now a visitor centre, however there are many trains which pass by this station on a daily basis.
While I was here a westbound freight train waited on the siding for an eastbound intermodal freight train to pass; it then continued on its journey to the coast after the container train had passed.
