Kamloops (Junction)

Kamloops Junction is CN's major classification yard in British Columbia's Interior, sitting at the convergence of three subdivisions: the Ashcroft Sub (Mile 0.0, running west to Boston Bar at Mile 125.5), the Clearwater Sub (running north 139.4 miles to Blue River), and the Okanagan Sub branching south toward Vernon. The yard handles crew changes, train building, and switching for the busy Vancouver–Edmonton mainline corridor.

From the Halston connector road overpass, you get an elevated view across the yard throat and the wye where the three subdivisions meet. The Transportation Safety Board describes this wye as connecting the beginning of the Ashcroft Subdivision, the end of the Clearwater Subdivision, and the 3.5-mile OCT (Operating Company Track) that provides access to downtown Kamloops and the CPKC interchange. Trains entering and leaving the yard slow considerably, giving ample time for photography and consist-noting.

A handheld scanner is useful here — CN road channels on AAR 87 (161.415 MHz) and 73 (161.205 MHz) carry mainline traffic, while yard channels handle local switching. The Kamloops 1230 yard assignment operates daily, performing switching and building trains. Mainline freights can exceed 5,000 feet in length, as documented in TSB reports of trains weighing 4,850+ tons on the Ashcroft Sub.

The yard and junction occupy the north bank of the Thompson River at roughly 345 m (1,130 ft) elevation, in the semi-arid Thompson Valley where the North and South Thompson rivers converge. The surrounding terrain is classic BC Interior grassland: ponderosa pine, bunchgrass, and sage-covered benches rising to low hills on both sides.

Kamloops is one of the warmest and driest cities in Canada, averaging over 2,000 hours of sunshine annually. Summers regularly push into the mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s°F), while winters are comparatively mild for Interior BC, with modest snowfall at valley bottom. The dry climate means excellent visibility most of the year, though summer heat haze can shimmer above the rails. Spring and fall offer the best photography light — golden-hour tones rake across the valley and illuminate the sage-covered hillsides beautifully.

Across the river to the south, the CPKC mainline runs parallel on the opposite bank, so it's common to see trains on both railways simultaneously. The confluence of the two major rivers and two major railways in one valley creates a distinctive atmosphere that blends industrial railroad energy with rugged Interior landscape.

Kamloops sees substantial rail traffic from both Class I carriers. According to local media reporting, CPKC (formerly CP) runs an average of 27 to 31 trains per day through Kamloops — a combination of eastbound and westbound freight. CN operates slightly fewer, but the combined daily total regularly exceeds 50 train movements.

CN traffic on the Ashcroft and Clearwater subdivisions consists primarily of intermodal, grain, potash, coal, sulphur, and mixed manifest freight. Major CN rail shippers in the Kamloops area include Suncor Energy, Tolko's Heffley Creek mill, and Pounder Emulsions. On the CPKC side, shippers include Domtar, Molycop, Nutrien, and Lafarge. Notably, American coal export traffic routes through Kamloops via CPKC to the CN yard via the rail bridge over the North Thompson River — this increased traffic was a factor in suspending Kamloops Heritage Railway excursions.

A key operational feature is the CN/CPKC directional running agreement in the Fraser and Thompson Canyons: westbound trains of both railways run on CN track, eastbound on CPKC track, between Coho (Mile 57.2 on the Ashcroft Sub) and the Vancouver area. This agreement increased westbound traffic on the CN Ashcroft Sub to approximately 26 trains per day on that section, with 12 eastbound CN trains from Coho to Kamloops — an average of 38 trains daily on that corridor, per TSB reports.

For passenger traffic, VIA Rail's "The Canadian" calls at Kamloops North station (located in the CN yard, 11 km north of downtown on Highway 5) twice weekly in each direction. Rocky Mountaineer operates daylight-only luxury service between Vancouver, Kamloops, and Banff/Jasper from April to October, arriving in Kamloops in the evening and departing early the next morning.

The Halston connector road overpass provides an elevated vantage over the yard throat and wye area. This is the most accessible viewpoint, offering views down the length of the yard and along the Ashcroft Sub departure tracks. Morning light works well for westbound departures; afternoon golden light rakes eastward along the valley.

For a classic broadside angle on mainline movements, the area near the Kamloops North VIA Rail station on CN Junction Road offers relatively close access to the mainline. Steve Boyko of TrainGeek reports that CN yard crews are generally friendly toward railfans in the area.

The pedestrian bridge at the CPKC yard (on the south side of the river, downtown) offers elevated overhead views of CPKC operations, though photography can be challenging through the mesh. Rocky Mountaineer's overnight siding at 525 CN Road is not publicly accessible, but the train can be seen from nearby roads as it arrives in the evening or departs in the morning.

For wide-angle landscape shots capturing trains against the valley setting, higher viewpoints on the hills west of the yard offer three-quarter telephoto perspectives. A 200-300mm lens is ideal for pulling in mainline action from accessible public viewpoints. Sunset light is particularly good for westbound trains on the Ashcroft Sub departure.

Rail history in Kamloops dates to 1885, when the Canadian Pacific Railway completed its transcontinental line through the south bank of the Thompson River. The Canadian Northern Railway (CN's predecessor) arrived from the north in 1915, establishing the junction on the north bank as a crew-change and classification point. The Ashcroft Subdivision, extending 125.5 miles from Kamloops to Boston Bar, was opened for traffic that year and laid with 136-pound continuous welded rail.

The CN station in downtown Kamloops, built in 1926-27, is a substantial two-storey Classical Revival building designed by CN's Architectural Division in Winnipeg and constructed of local pressed red brick and sandstone by Johnston & Company. It was designated a Heritage Railway Station in 1992 by the federal government. Today it houses the Twisted Steak restaurant, while VIA Rail uses the Kamloops North station in the yard.

The Kamloops Heritage Railway preserves CN 2141, a 2-8-0 Consolidation built by the Canadian Locomotive Company in 1912 for Canadian Northern. Nicknamed the "Spirit of Kamloops," it was acquired by the city in 1961 and displayed in a park until restoration began in 1994. The locomotive ran excursions from 2002 to 2019 on CN trackage. Operations were suspended during COVID-19 and due to increased freight traffic, but a new board of directors is working with CN to resume service in 2026, potentially operating on 71 miles of the Okanagan Subdivision between Campbell Creek and Vernon.

Kamloops Junction stands out among Canadian railfan destinations for several reasons. It is the only place in BC's Interior where three CN subdivisions converge — Ashcroft, Clearwater, and Okanagan — creating a natural funnel for Vancouver–Edmonton corridor traffic. The CN/CPKC directional running agreement means the Ashcroft Sub carries trains from both Class I railways westbound, significantly boosting traffic volume.

The dual-railway presence is unusual: CN and CPKC mainlines run on opposite banks of the Thompson River through the city, so a well-positioned railfan can observe both railways without changing location. The CPKC-to-CN coal interchange via the North Thompson River bridge adds unique cross-carrier movements rarely seen elsewhere.

The variety of passenger equipment is another draw — Rocky Mountaineer's glass-dome luxury trains (April–October), VIA Rail's stainless-steel heritage fleet on The Canadian (year-round, twice weekly), and eventually Kamloops Heritage Railway's 1912 steam locomotive — all pass through the same corridor. Combined with the semi-arid grassland setting, extended summer daylight, and accessible viewpoints near the yard, Kamloops offers sustained multi-angle viewing rarely found at mountain-pass locations where trains appear only briefly.