Coal Branch, Alberta
| Alberta Coal Branch | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | Branch |
| System | Canadian National Railway |
| Status | Open |
| Locale | Yellowhead County |
| Termini | Alberta Highway 16 Brazeau River |
| Services | 2 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1912 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 57 mi (92 km) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Alberta Coal Branch is the name given to a segment of the Canadian National Railway (originally the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway) and the region through which it passes. It is located within Yellowhead County in west-central Alberta, Canada.
The Coal Branch region encompasses a portion of the eastern slopes and foothills of the Canadian Rockies east of Jasper National Park. It extends from Alberta Highway 16 in the north to the Brazeau River in the south. The McLeod, Lovett and Embarras Rivers flow through it, and it includes many former coal-mining towns and ghost towns.
The Coal Branch rail line was built between 1911 and 1912 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway to gain access to deposits of high-quality steam coal. It diverges from the main line at Bickerdike and runs south through Coalspur to the Lovett River, a distance of 57 miles (90 km). A series of coal mining, railroad, and logging towns quickly developed along the route. Going south from Bickerdike, they include McLeod River, Erith, Weald, Embarras, Robb, Coalspur, Diss, Sterco, Foothills and Lovetteville.
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