Here's a photo I took on August 26, 1976, FORTY-SIX YEARS AGO, when I made a one-week trip to British Columbia and Alberta.

We see a southbound BCOL freight holding the main at Mons (MP 77.4) as seen from the Caribou Dayliner that is preparing to enter the siding. This is all "dark territory" with hand-thrown switches.

Since Canadian National has taken over the British Columbia Railway, traffic levels on this line have dropped off substantially. CN prefers to route traffic between Prince George and Vancouver via Red Pass Junction on a route that features CTC and a competitive running time. When the province of British Columbia was opening the BCOL up for privatized concessionaires, BNSF expressed an interest in running the line. Had BNSF been the selected operator, this line would be carrying more traffic.