Rails and Tales provides rare experience for Canada 150

“When you put two of them together, that’s extremely rare. This is what we think is a world event and people are coming from all over the place,” said General Manager Bob Willis during Thursday’s special Canada 150 Rails and Tales ride from Stettler to Big Valley.

Rails and Tales is a partnership between Alberta Prairie and the East Central Alberta Heritage Society.

Drew Bracken, Thursday’s bartender who is also trained as a conductor and trainman, says in the seven years he’s spent with the company, he’s been living the dream.

“It’s a love. This isn’t a job — this is an experience on its own every day. The train is different every single time you go, the second you leave the station, no train is identical,” he said. “The passengers are different, the way the rail reacts is different — not too many people can say their job changes on a day-to-day basis, but stays on the whole, the same. I love that.”

Bracken says what Canada 150 means to him is freedom.

“A lot of people had to fight for that. Canada turning 150, it’s just a milestone and I look forward to many more.”

Willis, who was appointed GM in 1993 just a few years after the tour company started up in 1990, hopes they continue to have a significant impact on the community.

“We hear about people staying and doing Christmas shopping. It’s pretty significant we believe that this world class tourist attraction in a tiny town has,” he said.

“Riding the trains with the passengers of course — that’s the cream on the cake that is a culmination of all that we do to make it happen.”

In addition to the standard train robbery and dinner at Big Valley’s Jubilee Hall, Thursday evening’s tour also included a very special flyby over the village by two Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets. The jets flew no lower than 500 feet at close to 600 kilometres per hour before returning home to 4 Wing Cold Lake.

Rails and Tales 2017 runs until July 5.

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Rails and Tales provides rare experience for Canada 150

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