Thanks, Dawson, for writing. Very encouraging. And, U are right: lots of disappearing and disappeared places in SK. Are we heading into desertification out here? I haven't heard if the Great Sand Hills are expanding, or not. Take care and Keep well. Cordially, Don Wilson
Your videos are wonderful to watch and packed with excellent information. Thanks. I note that the trace of a Y is visible on Google Earth on the NW corner of the town site.
Good eye, Brian! Gee, I hope that I mentioned that in my video. I must have noticed it before: I used Google Earth a lot. Thanks for watching and commenting. Appreciated. Cordially, Don Wilson
Fun, for sure, but this is the fourth summer I've used the drone, and I'm still not comfortable, nor very competent. Oh, well, I haven't broken it yet, tho I've scarred up some auto paint pretty noticeably. Thanks for watching and writing, Steve. Take care and Keep well. Cordially, Don Wilson
Awesome as always Mr. Wilson! Being a Saskatchewan geography buff myself, I stumbled across Neptune (and Maxim) a few years ago. Until then, I didn’t realize that the line extended past Tribune. I never noticed a wye at Tribune and thought for surely the line went further northwest. So it did! As mentioned, I never noticed a wye at Neptune neither. Ever eager to learn more, I thought: was there another siding further northwest? No! So how could there not have been a wye? Surely there would be some hint on aerial photographs as to there being one but negative! I’m sure steam locomotives never ran long hood (as far as I know) and that is normally a situation that is preferred to be avoided with diesel electrics as well. I suppose it would be also safe to say that no diesel electric locomotive(s) ever travelled to Maxim and Neptune if the line was abandoned in 1959 no matter the rail weight (which given the date the rail was laid and the abandonment date that it most likely was little 56 lb rail). CP just began receiving RS-23 locomotives in 1959 for their light rail branch lines. Definitely one of the first rail lines to be abandoned in Saskatchewan! The only other one that I know of that was abandoned earlier was a portion of their Whitkow Subdivision from Redfield (past Green Canyon) to Ravenhead in I believe 1954? I don’t think Green Canyon nor Ravenhead ever had an elevator (at least not a SWP one) so that’s probably why it was pulled so early. Most branch lines (as you know) weren’t being pulled up often until the late 1970s. Speaking of the Whitkow Subdivision area: have you made it up that way yet? Another interesting couple of abandoned rail lines in that area are the CP Asquith Sub that ran to Baljennie, and the CN Cut Knife Sub from Battleford to Carruthers. CP had running rights on that line from Cut Knife via a little 3 mile spur to Battleford as well, and that’s how the CP Whitkow subdivision was reached. CP definitely liked to get running rights on CN lines in that area!
Wow! What a letter! Took me 2 weeks to digest it all, and look up all the places that U mentioned. I'd heard of Whitcow but I didn't know where it was. Never heard of Redfield nor Green Canyon, nor Ravenhead. Looks like Mayfair was quite the rail town in the days of yore. So many places yet to visit. Baljennie, et al, are sort of on my playlist for this summer. We'll see how CR feels about it. About the wye at Neptune: there just had to be a way of turning the locos around. Like U, I've google earthed the line for hours and can not even imagine a wye. There is no evidence of a turntable, nor would I expect any. What we need to do is get ahold of the aerial fotos that were flown after the war. That would give us the story. Alberta long ago repatriated the coverage in that province and U can access the collection in Edmonton. SK, unfortunately, never saw the benefits of liberating our fotos from the dusty vaults in Ottawa, or wherever they languish. I sure would love access to them. Thanks for watching, CB, and for writing this long and interesting letter. U are far more immersed in rail lore than am I, and I sure appreciate your observations and insights. Take care nd Keep well. Cordially, Don Wilson
I love the videos. I'm planning on moving to a random small town in saskatchewan. In your opinion, what are the 3 best for sights and beauty, not too far from a city, and idk the best for living?
I've been asked similar questions before, Blandy, and my answer can only be that U must come and see for yourself. First, identify the biome in which U want to live, then select the city in it that U prefer, draw a circle around it at the maximum distance U want to live from it. Pick the size of town U want based on amenities, then travel to each one. Stay a night B&B, camping, motel, hotel or what have ya, check 'em out. Buy a house and move in. Let me know how it works out for U. Thanks for watching and writing. Take care. Cordially, Don Wilson
Sorry 'bout that, Greg. Here. Let me turn the train down. There. Better? Good, good. Wouldn't want U to miss one precious syllable of my monotonic diatribe on Neptune. Thanks for watching and writing. Take care. Cordially, Don Wilson
My Grandfather was a Saskatchewan Homesteader, so I just found your videos and watching intently and thinking about moving there ...he moved to Gravelbourg from Montreal origionally about 1918
