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2005
Alberta centennial and over a decade since Red Deer rail yard
relocation from downtown in 1991
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Alberta celebrates 100 years since the province was incorporated.
Previously, it was part of the Northwest Territories of Canada.
- 14 years since the relocation of the Red Deer downtown CPR yards
to the west side of the city. The chateau-style station has been
preserved in its original location, used as a commercial building.
- 45 years since the relocation of the CNR downtown yards to the
north side of the river which has now been mostly abandoned although
there are still customers in the Riverside Heavy Industrial area
including the GATX rail car maintenance facility.
- country grain elevators are mostly gone although a few regional
high output elevators are being built to replace them.
- the 40-foot boxcar is gone, replaced mostly by containers, covered
hoppers and larger box cars.
- oil and gas facilities as well as petrochemicals create huge
demand for various types of tank cars and large covered hoppers for
plastic pellets.
- Cabooses were mostly phased out by 1992.
- Alberta 'Take a break' blue cylindrical hopper car paint scheme
introduced in 1990.
- the historic Mintlaw trestle was purchased by Red Deer County for
possible future trail and interpretive centre.
- the White Rose/Shell refinery at Bowden was sold to Parkland and
closed in 2001.
- Canada Packers in Red Deer Riverside Heavy Industrial area closed
in 1992. Fletchers was taken over by Olymel which discontinued rail
service around 1994. GATX rail car repair facility expanded and is
still very active. Served by CNR spur from North Junction.
- Rahr Malting built a malthouse at Alix in 1993 served by both CNR
and CPR.
- Custom Bulk Services built an off-loading facility at Penhold in
1997.
- Central Western Railway acquired the CNR Stettler sub in 1986 and
the CPR Coronation sub in 1992. With the continuing loss of grain
traffic, the company was operated for a short time by RailLink and
suspended operations in 1997. Alberta Prairie acquires the line
between Stettler and Big Valley for train excursions periodically
using restored CNR 6060.
- Agricore acquires Alberta and Manitoba Wheat Pools in 1998. UGG
acquires Agricore in 2001 to become Agricore United.
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