The sole purpose of this spur line now is to carry small trains of chemicals and fertilizer between the Teck (originally Cominco) smelter, in the north end of Trail, and the Cominco fertilizer plant, just above this point, in Warfield. To get there the track must follow a circuitous path of three or four km. to ascend the grade between the smelter and fertilizer plant.
At one time the track continued further up the hill to Rossland, but those days are long gone. Originally routed into downtown Trail and a passenger depot, the track now goes directly into the Teck yards, through the yard, and north about 25 km. to Castlegar, where it connects with the CPR's main line there.
The Nelson Star published an article on March 17, 2011 about three abandoned tunnels in southern BC, of which this is one:
Erected in 1932 as part of the Schofield Highway between Trail and Rossland, this tunnel has been a relic longer than it was actually in use.
In 1952, two boys found a bomb nearby consisting of 30 sticks of dynamite and a detonator in a cardboard beer carton.
They didn’t know what it was, so they took it home — to the horror of their families, who called police.
“Had the bomb gone off, it is quite likely it would have demolished or badly damaged what is known as the tunnel between Trail and Annable and cut the rail connection with Warfield and Rossland,” the Trail Daily Times reported.
The tunnel was abandoned when the highway was re-routed in the 1960s. It inspired the name of the Tunnel Pub across the street.
From Nelson Star
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