Canadian National Railways, Smithers Division, Kitimat Subdivision, Mile Post 38.5, May 9th, 1959. When Canadian National Railways opened its line from Terrace to Kitimat, B.C., on January 13, 1955, the "Last Spike" ceremony featured a spike made from aluminum produced at Alcan Smelters and Chemicals, Ltd., massive new Kitimat plant.

The plant was constructed on the Northern BC coast because of water - hydro for cheap electricity. Bauxite was brought in by bulk carriers from Australia and Jamaica. And ingots were shipped out around the world.

The main company construction town for the 10 mile tunnel, underground power house, and transmission lines to Kitimat was named Kemano, some miles south of Kitimat. Kemano settlement was originally built in the 1950s, home to a thriving small community, featuring a guesthouse, one shop which sold everything from candy to guns to socks to hats, a golf course and a church.
It eventually closed its doors as a community in 2000, the residents were moved out, and the majority of houses (including the school) were burnt down as a training exercise for selected fire departments from all of BC. The plant still exists and is operational.
It eventually closed its doors as a community in 2000, the residents were moved out, and the majority of houses (including the school) were burnt down as a training exercise for selected fire departments from all of BC. The plant still exists and is operational.

My family took the tour of the smelter at Kitimat in 1958. The pot lines were (and are) almost a quarter mile long. At the beginning of the tour, the guide instructs us all to remove watches and cameras, which are held for safe keeping.
As we advance amongst the electric furnaces melting the bauxite to extract the aluminum, the Guide threw a 5 foot piece of steel reinforcing bar onto the concrete. It clangs to the floor, and then, like a skinny cobra, one end of it lifts off the floor, and the bar weaves back and forth in the magnetic currents of of the electric furnaces! That field would magnetize a camera's steel shutters, and ruin a watch mechanism!
As we advance amongst the electric furnaces melting the bauxite to extract the aluminum, the Guide threw a 5 foot piece of steel reinforcing bar onto the concrete. It clangs to the floor, and then, like a skinny cobra, one end of it lifts off the floor, and the bar weaves back and forth in the magnetic currents of of the electric furnaces! That field would magnetize a camera's steel shutters, and ruin a watch mechanism!


Shown here Fourth Class 892 Mixed Train, with GMD 1750hp GP-9 CNR 4208. She and many of her sisters were built on Flexicoil trucks, with stripped down under frames – notice smaller fuel tank – to lighten them for branch line work. And the ubiquitous "Spark Sentry" spark arrestor.
I love the ambiance of a mixed train, where things just sorta come together in a practical sorta way!
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Thank you for sharing this information on trains in Kitimat. I am curious as to whether the photos in the article are yours. Perchance they are, and if you ever considered donating them, please kindly consider us, the Kitimat Museum & Archives. Again, super information to share, if you have no objections I would like to print it off and put in our history file on the CN Station. You can reach us at 250-632-8950 or at info@kitimatmuseum.ca . Thank you, Denise Pedro
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