Alberta Coal Branch

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The Alberta Coal Branch is a part of the Canadian National Railway in Yellowhead County, western-central Alberta, Canada. It was originally built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway to reach coal mines. Today it remains a railway line with a small local population and a popular outdoor setting.

Geography
The Coal Branch runs through the eastern slopes and foothills of the Canadian Rockies, from Alberta Highway 16 in the north to the Brazeau River in the south. The McLeod, Lovett, and Embarras Rivers flow through the area. Along the route you’ll find many former coal towns and several ghost towns, set in a scenic mountain landscape.

History
- The line was built in 1911–1912 to reach high-quality steam coal. The main Coal Branch leaves the line at Bickerdike and goes south through Coalspur to the Lovett River, about 57 miles (90 km) long.
- A western branch opened in the summer of 1913, diverging at Coalspur and reaching Mountain Park (about 37 miles, 60 km).
- A spur to Luscar was added in 1921 (about 5 miles, 10 km).
- Towns grew along the rail line, including McLeod River, Erith, Weald, Embarras Landing, Robb, Coalspur, Diss, Sterco, Foothills, and Lovetteville. On the western route, Mercoal, Shaw, Leyland, Cadomin, Mountain Park, and Luscar were important stops.
- The coal towns flourished while steam coal was in demand, but many mines closed in the 1950s as diesel locomotives took over. The population dropped and many towns were abandoned.

Today
The permanent population in the Coal Branch area is small, but the scenery attracts outdoor recreation year-round. Coal mining continues near Luscar, producing coking coal for export to Asian steel mills. Most workers live in nearby towns such as Edson and Hinton.