I used to drive through there back in the early 90's, I climbed up to the trussel, most of it was still standing then. Brings back memories, Thanks for sharing.
Magnificent scenery. Great drone work as well. As someone else commented, our pioneering forebears had major brass cojones to tackle wild country like this. Continued success to you.
Kw'ikwi'yá:la (rock in river) - This word means "stingy container" from skw'ikw'i (y) - "stingy", t-ale or t-ala = "container, place". Refers to black-haired, dark-skinned water babies about 2 ft. tall that lived in a pool at this spot. At the first wooden bridge across the Coquihalla there was a deep pool where these water babies lived. This was also a good pool for suckerfish which were fished with spears. The water babies, however, were stingy with the fish and would pull on the spears making it difficult to catch any fish. There were two other pools further up the Coquihalla where the water babies lived. The water babies left when the whites came around too much and they are no longer found there. It is also important to note that this is where the word "Coquihalla", now applied to a river, a valley, a highway, a toll booth and a number of other things, comes from. Many Elders have commented on the misuse of this word by non-Natives. Such appropriation of Halq'eméylem terms without consideration to their meaning and proper use indicates, in part, the lack of respect for Aboriginal culture and world view. Once the Hudson's Bay Company Brigade Trail was put through, there became new opportunities for the involvement of Stó:lô people in the Euroamerican labour economy. Stó:lô people worked for the Hudson's Bay Company along the trail as trappers, cooks, packers, guides, paddlers, and postal carriers. Stó:lô people continued to be employed on the trail after it ceased to be used by the Hudson's Bay Company by private families moving into the interior and as guides and assistants to sports hunters. These changing economic uses of the trail demonstrate the adeptness of Stó:lô people in applying their traditional practices, knowledge and skills to their advantage in the European introduced economy. These continually changing uses of the Hudson's Bay Company Brigade Trail provide it with significant heritage value to the Stó:lô people. The heritage of the mid- to late- 19th century is one which can be continually explored through projects connected with the Hudson's Bay Company Trail.
Thanks for sharing this. Great video! My buddy and I walked part of the grade in 1986 and went across the BV Falls bridge. It sure has changed. I always wondered what happened at Tunnel 4. We didn't walk that far but from satellite images you can see that the tunnel was obliterated and work had been done around where the tunnel used to be. I did not realize it was done by CP right before the closure of the subdivision. Thanks for providing the answer.
Awesome footage I remember driving up in my Toyota 4x4 P/U with my Dad in 1986 and looking at the Falls Lake Trestle thinking how Beautiful if was with the water cascading underneath it . I recall some great KVR engineering to divert water under the track bed by a hole that was drilled vertically thru granite rock and further down a horizontal drilled hole to intersect the vertical one to divert the spring coming out of the rock face. Brings back some great memories
While I can't say for sure, I would hazard a guess that the retaining wall at 8:07 was a portion of the original surveying and/or construction road through the canyon, prior to the KVR tracks being laid. Very cool video... well done.
We love drone footage especially of the KVR! Beautifully done video editing! This section of Coquihalla KVR subdivision has always been on our list to visit, thank you for bringing the tunnels and remains of this section of the KVR to view. Also, we appreciate all the work you put into this to get to the area and all the flying locations, excellent! 👌We also subscribed to you channel, and we'll look forward to following you and seeing the area again. Ps we have a few KVR locations included on our channel. Have a great one and Happy Trails ahead! Tom & Suzanne
Awesome aerial footage...well done. I was wondering how this area fared after the floods of Nov 2021. I am familiar with the area @ 7:00 and the gnarly old tree to the right at 7:18 has some special markings on it. I've wondered about the significance of the stonework shown at 13:03. A real slice of our history in that sub...yet I only discovered it 3 years ago.
Fantastic video. I want to model the Coquihalla sub in N scale but reimagined as if it never closed and is CPR's mainline rather than going up the Frazer Canyon, and operating as a class 1 railway in the late 70s to late 80s. Google Earth helps, "trail" videos and a few vintage videos are out there of the area, but Your video really helps with the detail of the topography. Awesome flying and editing. Well done!
Great shooting of the upper Canyon. I believe that the rock wall at 8:07 you asked about is the old Hudson Bay Company trail constructed through the valley in 1876 (!) or so. It is not railway related though probably some supplies were ferried in by way of the trail. It is located on the opposite side of the canyon and much lower down from the railway grade. The rock wall at 13:03 is located at Milage 20.9 just west of the Dry Creek trestle. There were several other walls of this construction to fill and support the KV right of way in the Coquihalla.
The one at 8:07 definitely had me stumped. Thank you so much for your response! As a huge railway fan I definitely knew what the wall along the rail grade was about. But that other just seemed to go nowhere, I tried to walk it on foot and it just stoped. A very interesting find, that small wall down in the valley is meticulously done. You would expect it for the rail grade of course but to see it along a walking trail not only was a beautiful to look at, I had to appreciate it just the time that must’ve taken an individual to build that, is simply incredible.
HBC trail, that is my understanding as well. Hiked west along the east Coq KVR grade in 1986. Had the privilege of walking across the majestic Falls Lake trestle and had to exit at the destroyed Dry Gulch trestle since family was waiting down at the road and getting worried, if not bored, plus hankering to get to Expo86! Some year soon, I wish to return and hike from Brookmere to Hope, following as much as the grade as possible and imagine what it must've been like. GK
HI Josh....great videos!!! I have watched the KVR videos several times over the year. Would you have any plans to some fly overs of Lader Creek trestle? I have a fascination with this trestle, also would be nice to see the vegetation changes on the western section of the right away. You could be the first to show this. I have hiked up there many times but never had the Cojones to walk across the trestle. Many Thanks G
Hi Greg! Thanks! I have flew my drone over the Ladner creek trestle and it will be in my Coquihalla part 3 video which I will be editing sometime in the new year. I do plan on a return trip to the trestle this year as I was only able to get a shot of it from above and unfortunately not to close as I wanted to as I was on my last battery. I did get some shots of the western approach to the bridge from above but it is heavily overgrown. In my next visit i will try to get some shots from a personal perspective and try to put the drone right over the rail bed and see what we can see. like you there is no way i would ever walk the trestle, I hate heights ironically. :D Part 3 will cover: Brookmere, the water tower at Bookmere, Brodie, the Coquihalla summit and how I enter the Coquihalla canyon for filming and the Ladner creek bridge. My plan was to go into Romeo this past summer but gas line construction kept me from entering the canyon this year, oh well something to look forward to in 2024!
@@joshwhite2261 Hi Josh....thats great news!! I'll be watching for Part 3 !! A friend of mine is modelling the Coq Canyon and used your videos for reference, even though its 50 years old. But it still can be useful. Thanks for getting back. Greg
.... there is supposed to be WATER there!.... Not just melt water ether!........ maaaan we are in for a rough future BUT THATS A TOPIC FOR ANOTHER VIDEO! 🤣 In the mean time i'll just say great footage and thank you for posting! 😂
Amazing scenery! I have wondered how they could build a railroad in this landscape, must have been more difficult than through the Frase and Thompson canyons. Why was it abandoned and removed?
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! It’s gas line maintenance road. Gated at both ends, but it is also part of the trans Canada trail and you can hike or ride bikes on it. Part of it is washed out, as of my last trip out that way in the fall it had still not been repaired.
Looks like the didn’t just pull the tracks but dismantled the bridge that led to the tunnel at 6:48? Or the track ran up the mountain? That’d definitely be an awesome hike. I’ve been to some mountain train tunnels here in NorCal. Thanks for the footage!
I know when I was back November 1st they were working 5 to 10 km south of dry gulch as I could hear a blast and some Hegel equipment working off in the distance. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was back opened up within a year. I hope to be back there in late spring or early summer for some more filming. If it’s reopened I will post about it in my description or at the beginning of a future video. Hope that helps.
Very nice,brings back great memories of driving the pipeline road in 1981 with my two brothers.Do you need permission to walk in from the gate near the Coquihalla Lakes ?
no permission needed and its a beautiful hike, just be aware the the trail is washed out 6km in or so. I'm hoping they will repair it soon and i suspect they will as they are putting another gas line in through the area.
Before the highway was finished we would drive our 4x4's through the pass from the Whipsaw trail, a couple of the bridges were still standing in the mid 1980's. What did you use to film the video? Some detail.
Hi Randy, I’m using the DJI mini 3 pro. It’s my first drone and I’m still learning as I go. But it is a super easy drone to fly and the end result is something I’m happy with. I’m using a setting of 4K 30 frames per second and am currently leaving the camera in auto. I haven’t gone to the pro setting yet, where you set your apertures and that sort of thing. I figure I’m just staying focused on the flying and as I get more comfortable things like that will follow.
@@joshwhite2261 Thanks for the info, is this the drone we can find at Costco? If you go up to the canyon again maybe you could take a couple of requests, there are many that are interested in the KVR and its remains.
@@PGE564 The drone at Costco Is the DJI mini 2 at least that’s the one I noticed in Costco at Kamloops. As per requests, I am taking them, I posted this video on the KVR Facebook page, and have definitely received a few. I love seeing people so passionate about history regarding this Fascinating railroad, I count myself as one of them. I am based out of Ashcroft, so getting to Myra canyon vs the Coquihalla might be a little more challenging for me. But definitely not impossible. Anyways feel free to send me your requests and I will see what I can do. Future visits planed are: Trout creek bridge, The entire Coquihalla canyon, Othello tunnels, and the Ladner Creek bridge and the west side of it. Also tend to visit places in greater detail such as Romeo, Juliet And Iago. All locations are subject to access by way of construction and rehabilitation after the flood of November.
@@joshwhite2261 back in the early 80’s our parts and service salesman took a couple of the mgr’s from Similkameen mine through from Princeton to Hope. I kick myself I didn’t go. Probably can’t do it today with further washouts. That’s 40 years ago.
The Princeton to Coalmont section is completely destroyed in many sections following the November 2021 floods. You can go through the tunnel that runs under Highway 3, but the train trestle over the Tulameen River just West of it can no longer be reached due to washouts.
You should zoom out on the google earth image so we can see where that is. I have no idea where that railroad ever was built because no one ever shows a map big enough that I can see a familiar landmark. Like Hope or the coqualla highway. There are dozens of canyons that look like that limited view you have shown
Sorry for the inconvenience, if you type on google earth search “dry gulch bridge Coquihalla highway bc” this will put you in the area I was in, hope that helps.
If you Google Map Highway #5 in British Columbia and in Particular "Othello " zoom in and you can follow the Trans Mountain Pipeline service road which pretty much follows the old KVR Train line all the way thru to Britton Creek Rest Stop on The Coquihalla Highway , The Coquihalla Highway #5 basically cuts across the old train line in many places right up to Coldwater Road where it turns south to Brookmere ,BC which was a Water stop for the trains both the KVR and Great Northern Railway and then all the way into Princeton BC .
I used to drive through there back in the early 90's, I climbed up to the trussel, most of it was still standing then. Brings back memories, Thanks for sharing.
Magnificent scenery. Great drone work as well. As someone else commented, our pioneering forebears had major brass cojones to tackle wild country like this. Continued success to you.
Thank you for this. Make my night. .this was my old stomping grounds
Enjoyed that! I've cycled the pipeline road eastbound twice and ridden back on the hiway. Camped at Ladner Creek.
That retaining wall was built by the ranchers. They used to drive their cattle to Hope to market before the railway was built
Kw'ikwi'yá:la (rock in river) - This word means "stingy container" from skw'ikw'i (y) - "stingy", t-ale or t-ala = "container, place". Refers to black-haired, dark-skinned water babies about 2 ft. tall that lived in a pool at this spot. At the first wooden bridge across the Coquihalla there was a deep pool where these water babies lived. This was also a good pool for suckerfish which were fished with spears. The water babies, however, were stingy with the fish and would pull on the spears making it difficult to catch any fish. There were two other pools further up the Coquihalla where the water babies lived. The water babies left when the whites came around too much and they are no longer found there. It is also important to note that this is where the word "Coquihalla", now applied to a river, a valley, a highway, a toll booth and a number of other things, comes from. Many Elders have commented on the misuse of this word by non-Natives. Such appropriation of Halq'eméylem terms without consideration to their meaning and proper use indicates, in part, the lack of respect for Aboriginal culture and world view.
Once the Hudson's Bay Company Brigade Trail was put through, there became new opportunities for the involvement of Stó:lô people in the Euroamerican labour economy. Stó:lô people worked for the Hudson's Bay Company along the trail as trappers, cooks, packers, guides, paddlers, and postal carriers. Stó:lô people continued to be employed on the trail after it ceased to be used by the Hudson's Bay Company by private families moving into the interior and as guides and assistants to sports hunters. These changing economic uses of the trail demonstrate the adeptness of Stó:lô people in applying their traditional practices, knowledge and skills to their advantage in the European introduced economy. These continually changing uses of the Hudson's Bay Company Brigade Trail provide it with significant heritage value to the Stó:lô people. The heritage of the mid- to late- 19th century is one which can be continually explored through projects connected with the Hudson's Bay Company Trail.
That's fabulous scenery and it must have been epic to have seen trains there. Thanks! Much appreciated!
It took some major stones to build this line . I would have loved to ride it in the day .... In the end , nature always wins. GREAT JOB ON THIS VID !!
Thanks for sharing this. Great video! My buddy and I walked part of the grade in 1986 and went across the BV Falls bridge. It sure has changed. I always wondered what happened at Tunnel 4. We didn't walk that far but from satellite images you can see that the tunnel was obliterated and work had been done around where the tunnel used to be. I did not realize it was done by CP right before the closure of the subdivision. Thanks for providing the answer.
Great video
Very well captured. Nice work and thanks for sharing it!
It's amazing how much nature has reclaimed this line
Great job, brings the legend of the Coquilhalla Sub alive like I've never seen before.
Awesome footage I remember driving up in my Toyota 4x4 P/U with my Dad in 1986 and looking at the Falls Lake Trestle thinking how Beautiful if was with the water cascading underneath it . I recall some great KVR engineering to divert water under the track bed by a hole that was drilled vertically thru granite rock and further down a horizontal drilled hole to intersect the vertical one to divert the spring coming out of the rock face. Brings back some great memories
Very cool! I'm glad it brought some great memories for you!
Awesome drone work. Many THANKS
While I can't say for sure, I would hazard a guess that the retaining wall at 8:07 was a portion of the original surveying and/or construction road through the canyon, prior to the KVR tracks being laid. Very cool video... well done.
We love drone footage especially of the KVR! Beautifully done video editing! This section of Coquihalla KVR subdivision has always been on our list to visit, thank you for bringing the tunnels and remains of this section of the KVR to view. Also, we appreciate all the work you put into this to get to the area and all the flying locations, excellent! 👌We also subscribed to you channel, and we'll look forward to following you and seeing the area again. Ps we have a few KVR locations included on our channel. Have a great one and Happy Trails ahead! Tom & Suzanne
Thank you so much for the kind words! Definitely going to check out your channel! 😊
@@joshwhite2261 Thank you Josh! Looking forward to seeing both our channels grow. All the best, and we look forward to seeing you on the next one!🙂
love it. thanks for sharing.
Sure would love to visit there. Thanks for sharing.
Great Job! Thank you!
Thanks
that stone wall is remnants of the old royal engineers caribou wagen road
Gold panning spots everywhere. There be gold in dim hills
I kept looking for a Sasquatch bushwacking
Awesome aerial footage...well done. I was wondering how this area fared after the floods of Nov 2021.
I am familiar with the area @ 7:00 and the gnarly old tree to the right at 7:18 has some special markings on it.
I've wondered about the significance of the stonework shown at 13:03.
A real slice of our history in that sub...yet I only discovered it 3 years ago.
Fantastic video. I want to model the Coquihalla sub in N scale but reimagined as if it never closed and is CPR's mainline rather than going up the Frazer Canyon, and operating as a class 1 railway in the late 70s to late 80s. Google Earth helps, "trail" videos and a few vintage videos are out there of the area, but Your video really helps with the detail of the topography. Awesome flying and editing. Well done!
Awesome! I'm working on a HO scale layout myself, all based on CP and a lot from the good old imagination. I'm going for the 40's 50's era.
Great shooting of the upper Canyon. I believe that the rock wall at 8:07 you asked about is the old Hudson Bay Company trail constructed through the valley in 1876 (!) or so. It is not railway related though probably some supplies were ferried in by way of the trail. It is located on the opposite side of the canyon and much lower down from the railway grade. The rock wall at 13:03 is located at Milage 20.9 just west of the Dry Creek trestle. There were several other walls of this construction to fill and support the KV right of way in the Coquihalla.
The one at 8:07 definitely had me stumped. Thank you so much for your response! As a huge railway fan I definitely knew what the wall along the rail grade was about. But that other just seemed to go nowhere, I tried to walk it on foot and it just stoped. A very interesting find, that small wall down in the valley is meticulously done. You would expect it for the rail grade of course but to see it along a walking trail not only was a beautiful to look at, I had to appreciate it just the time that must’ve taken an individual to build that, is simply incredible.
HBC trail, that is my understanding as well. Hiked west along the east Coq KVR grade in 1986. Had the privilege of walking across the majestic Falls Lake trestle and had to exit at the destroyed Dry Gulch trestle since family was waiting down at the road and getting worried, if not bored, plus hankering to get to Expo86! Some year soon, I wish to return and hike from Brookmere to Hope, following as much as the grade as possible and imagine what it must've been like. GK
HI Josh....great videos!!! I have watched the KVR videos several times over the year. Would you have any plans to some fly overs of Lader Creek trestle? I have a fascination with this trestle, also would be nice to see the vegetation changes on the western section of the right away. You could be the first to show this. I have hiked up there many times but never had the Cojones to walk across the trestle. Many Thanks G
Hi Greg! Thanks! I have flew my drone over the Ladner creek trestle and it will be in my Coquihalla part 3 video which I will be editing sometime in the new year. I do plan on a return trip to the trestle this year as I was only able to get a shot of it from above and unfortunately not to close as I wanted to as I was on my last battery. I did get some shots of the western approach to the bridge from above but it is heavily overgrown. In my next visit i will try to get some shots from a personal perspective and try to put the drone right over the rail bed and see what we can see. like you there is no way i would ever walk the trestle, I hate heights ironically. :D
Part 3 will cover: Brookmere, the water tower at Bookmere, Brodie, the Coquihalla summit and how I enter the Coquihalla canyon for filming and the Ladner creek bridge.
My plan was to go into Romeo this past summer but gas line construction kept me from entering the canyon this year, oh well something to look forward to in 2024!
@@joshwhite2261 Hi Josh....thats great news!! I'll be watching for Part 3 !!
A friend of mine is modelling the Coq Canyon and used your videos for reference, even though its 50 years old. But it still can be useful.
Thanks for getting back.
Greg
Stunning footage!
Many thanks!
I would call that another impossible railroad great video
.... there is supposed to be WATER there!.... Not just melt water ether!........ maaaan we are in for a rough future BUT THATS A TOPIC FOR ANOTHER VIDEO! 🤣
In the mean time i'll just say great footage and thank you for posting! 😂
Amazing scenery! I have wondered how they could build a railroad in this landscape, must have been more difficult than through the Frase and Thompson canyons. Why was it abandoned and removed?
Nice
Due to the recent (2023) oil pipeline construction, that dirt road has been closed and gated west of Coquihalla summit. I hope they reopen it someday.
It’s been gated since the late 90s :(
Amazing footage, thanks for sharing it! What road is that below?
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! It’s gas line maintenance road. Gated at both ends, but it is also part of the trans Canada trail and you can hike or ride bikes on it. Part of it is washed out, as of my last trip out that way in the fall it had still not been repaired.
Looks like the didn’t just pull the tracks but dismantled the bridge that led to the tunnel at 6:48? Or the track ran up the mountain? That’d definitely be an awesome hike. I’ve been to some mountain train tunnels here in NorCal. Thanks for the footage!
Great video and drone work. Is that a road at the top of the screen running left to right at the 12.32 mark?
Yes I believe it’s a logging road, not sure if it’s still in use or not.
I'd like to bike it this Summer, but I can't find any info about it's reopening timeline . Any info would be helpful
I know when I was back November 1st they were working 5 to 10 km south of dry gulch as I could hear a blast and some Hegel equipment working off in the distance. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was back opened up within a year. I hope to be back there in late spring or early summer for some more filming. If it’s reopened I will post about it in my description or at the beginning of a future video. Hope that helps.
Very nice,brings back great memories of driving the pipeline road in 1981 with my two brothers.Do you need permission to walk in from the gate near the Coquihalla Lakes ?
The trans canada trail runs along the pipeline road and you are allowed to walk or cycle it.
no permission needed and its a beautiful hike, just be aware the the trail is washed out 6km in or so. I'm hoping they will repair it soon and i suspect they will as they are putting another gas line in through the area.
Before the highway was finished we would drive our 4x4's through the pass from the Whipsaw trail, a couple of the bridges were still standing in the mid 1980's. What did you use to film the video? Some detail.
Hi Randy, I’m using the DJI mini 3 pro. It’s my first drone and I’m still learning as I go. But it is a super easy drone to fly and the end result is something I’m happy with. I’m using a setting of 4K 30 frames per second and am currently leaving the camera in auto. I haven’t gone to the pro setting yet, where you set your apertures and that sort of thing. I figure I’m just staying focused on the flying and as I get more comfortable things like that will follow.
@@joshwhite2261 Thanks for the info, is this the drone we can find at Costco? If you go up to the canyon again maybe you could take a couple of requests, there are many that are interested in the KVR and its remains.
@@PGE564 The drone at Costco Is the DJI mini 2 at least that’s the one I noticed in Costco at Kamloops. As per requests, I am taking them, I posted this video on the KVR Facebook page, and have definitely received a few. I love seeing people so passionate about history regarding this Fascinating railroad, I count myself as one of them. I am based out of Ashcroft, so getting to Myra canyon vs the Coquihalla might be a little more challenging for me. But definitely not impossible. Anyways feel free to send me your requests and I will see what I can do. Future visits planed are:
Trout creek bridge, The entire Coquihalla canyon, Othello tunnels, and the Ladner Creek bridge and the west side of it. Also tend to visit places in greater detail such as Romeo, Juliet And Iago. All locations are subject to access by way of construction and rehabilitation after the flood of November.
@@joshwhite2261 very smooth flying. I have a DJI mini as well but don’t fly it enough. Great video.
@@joshwhite2261 back in the early 80’s our parts and service salesman took a couple of the mgr’s from Similkameen mine through from Princeton to Hope. I kick myself I didn’t go. Probably can’t do it today with further washouts. That’s 40 years ago.
Is it still possible to drive through from Princeton?
The Princeton to Coalmont section is completely destroyed in many sections following the November 2021 floods. You can go through the tunnel that runs under Highway 3, but the train trestle over the Tulameen River just West of it can no longer be reached due to washouts.
You should zoom out on the google earth image so we can see where that is. I have no idea where that railroad ever was built because no one ever shows a map big enough that I can see a familiar landmark. Like Hope or the coqualla highway. There are dozens of canyons that look like that limited view you have shown
Sorry for the inconvenience, if you type on google earth search “dry gulch bridge Coquihalla highway bc” this will put you in the area I was in, hope that helps.
If you Google Map Highway #5 in British Columbia and in Particular "Othello " zoom in and you can follow the Trans Mountain Pipeline service road which pretty much follows the old KVR Train line all the way thru to Britton Creek Rest Stop on The Coquihalla Highway , The Coquihalla Highway #5 basically cuts across the old train line in many places right up to Coldwater Road where it turns south to Brookmere ,BC which was a Water stop for the trains both the KVR and Great Northern Railway and then all the way into Princeton BC .
Always sad to see.