Community
Railfanning
Suggested locations for those wanting to take a look at prototype railway operations in our area. We’re fortunate to have Canadian Pacific, Canadian National, Via Rail, Amtrak, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and Southern Railway of BC nearby.
There are no guarantees you’ll actually see a train at the time you visit, but we’ve had lots of success — most, if not all, of these spots have easy access and parking nearby. The 7th Division offers no safety guarantees of any kind. Visit entirely at your own risk, and please respect railroad and other private property.
Lower Mainland Locations
Burnaby
Willington Junction, Burnaby
What goes by: CN, CP, VIA, AMTRAK
Good viewing from Still Creek Dr, across from Costco, the Wellington overpass, or Alaska St.
CN stack trains 3 or more times a day coming out and going into downtown.
CN unit potash trains, unit grain trains, and mixed freight headed to North Vancouver.
CP unit coal trains headed to North Vancouver.
VIA Train #1, scheduled arrival at Vancouver Pacific Central Station at 0800, Sunday and Thursday. If on-time, around 0740.
VIA Train #2, scheduled departure from Vancouver Pacific Central Station at 1500, Monday and Friday. If on-time, around 1520.
AMTRAK Train #516, scheduled arrival at Vancouver Pacific Central Station at 1230, daily. If on-time, around 1210.
AMTRAK Train #517, scheduled departure from Vancouver Pacific Central Station at 0715, daily. If on-time, around 0735.
AMTRAK Train #518, scheduled arrival at Vancouver Pacific Central Station at 2200, daily. If on-time, around 2140.
AMTRAK Train #519, scheduled departure from Vancouver Pacific Central Station at 1645, daily. If on-time, around 1705.
Brighton Ave. and Winston St./Government St, Burnaby
What goes by: same as Willington Junction.
Good viewing from the Costco parking lot facing Government St.
New Westminster
Sapperton – Braid St. and Brunette Ave
What goes by: same as Willington Junction, plus BNSF.
Parking can be difficult, but parking in the industrial area and walking back to the railroad is not bad.
The CP unit coal trains take the leg of the wye going east. The other traffic goes south towards the Fraser River Bridge and north to Vancouver and North Vancouver.
CP runs a transfer to Lulu yard and interchange with the SRY (Southern Railway of British Columbia).
Braid Junction is a good spot in its own right — just off the Trans-Canada Highway, with a sidewalk on the bridge and a pedestrian walkway under it along the side of the junction, no trespassing required. It sees CN, CP, BNSF, VIA and Amtrak: interchange between CN and CP, frequent switching and light-engine moves, plus everything heading to North Vancouver and Vancouver passing through, as well as anything heading south to New Westminster, Surrey, or the US.
Sapperton – Spruce St. and Brunette Ave
What goes by: same as Willington Junction, plus BNSF.
Unless headed north on Brunette Ave, access to this location is via Braid St. and Canfor Ave.
Traffic goes south towards the Fraser River Bridge, and north to Vancouver and North Vancouver.
Sometimes the BNSF local switcher can be seen switching West Coast Logistics, CalPortland Cement, and the Stella-Jones pole yard. Another good vantage on the Stella-Jones pole yard is from United Blvd — continue east on Braid and it turns into United Blvd.
Coquitlam
Westwood St, Coquitlam, BC
What goes by: CP trains feeding the Vancouver waterfront.
West entrance to the CP yard and mainline to the Vancouver waterfront.
Richmond
Annacis Island, Richmond, BC
What goes by: not much seen in the daytime — most switching is likely done at night.
Lots of industrial trackage, a good place for modern industrial inspiration. There’s the SRY car float dock — see Boomer Diorama’s River Road series.
Surrey & Delta
Old Yale Rd, Surrey, BC
What goes by: BNSF and SRY
Access to the Surrey Docks via Timberland Rd.
Mud Bay Park
What goes by: CP, CN, BNSF, AMTRAK
BNSF’s route to the US, transferring traffic across the border.
CN and CP stack and unit coal trains to Roberts Bank.
Four daily AMTRAK trains (see Willington Junction).
Tidewaters Pub, North Delta, BC
What goes by: BNSF, AMTRAK
BNSF’s route to the US. Local switching to the Tilbury Industrial Area.
Langley
Texas Smoke BBQ, Glover Road, Langley, BC
What goes by: CP, CN
CN and CP stack and unit coal trains to Roberts Bank.
Hydro Junction, Fort Langley, BC
What goes by: CP, CN
CN main line into Vancouver.
CN and CP stack and unit coal trains to Roberts Bank.
Abbotsford & Mission
Matsqui Prairie, Abbotsford/Mission, BC
What goes by: CP, CN
CN’s and CP’s route into Vancouver.
Mission, BC
What goes by: CP, CN, West Coast Express
CN’s and CP’s route out of Vancouver.
Landmarks & Sights
Not trackside viewing spots with regular traffic to expect — just a couple of nearby sights worth a visit either way.
Downtown Vancouver, BC
Roundhouse at Davie St. and Pacific Blvd, for a visit to Engine 374 in the pavilion.
The rail bridge at the Second Narrows.
Pitt River Bridge, Lower Mainland
Kennedy Road, at the east end of the Pitt River rail bridge.
Sites Outside the Lower Mainland
Fraser Canyon – just about anywhere, but here are a few
• Emery Creek to Yale — just east of Yale on the old highway, where the tunnels are
• Boston Bar
• Alexandra Bridge area
• Jackass Mtn
• Cisco, but from the highway — illegal to go down to the tracks
• Lytton, BC
Thompson Canyon
• Kumsheen area — used to be good at the bottom of the hill where the CP went over the highway, but has changed a lot since the Nov 2021 floods; still some spots to stop and observe
• Around Spences Bridge, and just before, looking across to the tunnels and sheds on the CN side
Other Areas
• Juniper Beach — campingrvbc.com/sites/bc/juniper-beach-provincial-park-cache-creek/
• Kamloops area, Notch Hill — many locations here
• Canoe, BC — south side of the Shuswap Bridge, where the lake/river enters Sicamous
• Eagle Pass, BC — 12 km southwest of Revelstoke
• Revelstoke, right outside the museum, and east into Kicking Horse Pass — take your pick of locations here
• Anywhere around Field, especially the old Big Hill area and the Spiral Tunnels
• Ottertail, west of town
• Fort Steele, BC — Engine 3716 in Summerland, BC
Know a good spot that’s missing? Contact the Webmaster.