When the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) built through the Rockies in 1884 it laid track straight down the west slope of Kicking Horse Pass. Dropping 1,140 feet in 7.1 railway miles, this section of railway was a construction worker’s horror and a railroader’s nightmare that soon became known as the Big Hill. Intended to be temporary, the 4.5 percent grade, more than 3 miles long, saw use for 25 years until completion of the Spiral Tunnels in 1909. The two tunnels – unique in North America – loop over themselves, doubling the length of track and halving the grade. Incorporating more than 100 photographs, The Spiral Tunnels and the Big Hill – An Illustrated Railway History describes the construction of the CPR and recounts the tales of daring, defiance, and disaster on the second-steepest mainline track ever operated in North America. Maps and diagrams reveal how the Spiral Tunnels create a safer grade for trains. The text provides up-to-date descriptions of today’s locomotives and explains the many challenges of operating trains on mountain grades. A Canadian bestseller for three decades, this revised edition will be informative reading for railfans, for travellers in the Rockies, and for those with an interest in Canadian history.

Railway history comes alive in this fascinating book about one of Canada's most incredible railway stories. The Spiral Tunnels and The Big Hill describes the construction and operation of the world-famous Canadian Pacific Railway through the treacherous Kicking Horse Pass in the Canadian Rockies. The perils of operating the section of track at the notorious ""Big Hill"" on the western slopes of the Great Divide are recounted through tales of disaster and defiance and are illustrated with over 60 black and white photographs. The Spiral Tunnels are explained through stories, maps and diagrams which reveal the operation of the tunnels and how they solved the problems which resulted in so much mayhem and madness. The Spiral Tunnels and The Big Hill is informative and entertaining reading for railways enthusiasts, as well as for those with a general interest in the human history of the Canadian Rockies and Yoho National Park.

Visit a train station and create a colorful fold-out scene with all your favorite trains. DK Picture Stickers in favorite themes offer great value and hours of sticker fun in a terrific accordion-page format. Kids can create an exciting scene on one of the poster-size spreads, and then pull it out to hang in a bedroom or playroom. Fun facts accompany each reusable sticker.

In 1882, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company committed to building Canada’s first trans-continental railway across unknown ground in the Selkirk Mountains of southern British Columbia. It was a gamble that almost scuttled the project and the promise of the young country. During the next three years, a small army of surveyors, engineers, and labourers cleared the grade and built track across Rogers Pass—the only break in the Selkirk Mountains—a place that defined wilderness. Trestles, tunnels, snowsheds, bridges, and miles of looping track—the Canadian Pacific Railway has since employed them all to reduce the dangers and to make railway operations in Rogers Pass safer and more reliable. Gravity, Steam, and Steel recounts the triumphs and tragedies of building and operating a railway in a place where 40 feet of snow falls each year, and where trains routinely run on grades that many other railways would consider impossibly steep.

A drive through the mountains is always a pleasant experience. Travellers will be able to make the most of their road trips through the Canadian Rockies by keeping Dave Birrell's new pictorial guidebook handy in their glove compartments. Birrell delivers 50 magnificent mountain panoramas taken from highway viewpoints in the Rockies. Interesting historical tidbits accompany the panorama photos, helping the reader identify peaks by name. Read the fascinating stories associated with geographical features such as valleys, lakes and passes and meet some of the individuals who shaped the early history and exploration of the Rockies.