‘ Been Workin’ on the RR

Not really work, but Howie and I were out again early in the morning for the soft, rosy light at sunrise. Our chore was to photograph the great array of peaks visible from Morant’s Curve, near Lake Louise. I’ve included two pictures from that outing. The first shot includes a number of features; the south end of the curve in the railway tracks, the Bow River and a range of peaks stretching in a southeasterly direction to Castle junction, about 16 km. away. This range includes (from right to left)  Quadra Mountain to the very right (largely hidden behind Panorama Ridge), Panorama Ridge, Mount Bell and finally Storm Mountain, the last peak to the left. This range really shows its colour early in the day, with the rising sun shining on its peaks.

Today’s second photograph is from the same location, but looking in a northwesterly direction toward the opposite end of Morant’s Curve. This series of peaks is bracketed by Temple Mountain on the left and Fairview Mountain to the right. Lake Louise is nestled in the valley directly behind Fairview Mountain. You can see the Bow River reflecting some of the colour of the mountains illuminated by the rising sun.

For a panoramic view of the entire Morant’s Curve, watch the circulating masthead images at the top of this page. It is the last in the sequence.

Read on if you would like to know a little more about this bend in the tracks named “Morant’s Curve”.

The story of the curve is more the story of Nicholas Morant, for whom it is named. Morant’s name is synonymous with Canadian Pacific. He is known across Canada and in many other parts of the world for his photographs of the railway and its related business activities. He was the CPR photographer! His 50-year career spanned the Great Depression, the Second World War, the Cold War, the end of steam, and the end of company-operated passenger service.

For 44 years, the late Mr. Morant crisscrossed the country on passenger trains, enroute to and from assignments to all the subsidiaries of Canadian Pacific. He photographed hotels, steamships, trucks, airplanes, oil wells, mines, logging and myriad other facets of the CPR. He photographed people, places, and events. He chronicled the times, writing for the company magazine as well as photographing developments on the railway.

After retiring to Banff, he continued to photograph trains before his passing. As a result of his talents, dedication and work ethic, his legacy remains through a photographic collection that chronicles the rich heritage of the Canadian Pacific. To this day, photographers and railroad enthusiasts make their way to Morant’s Curve to replicate his pictures or simply to watch the trains.(1)

(1) Courtesy of the Canadian Railroad Hall of Fame